Hampson to perform Fox benefit
Thomas Hampson, one of the biggest international stars ever to come out of Spokane, has signed up to perform a gala benefit recital at (and for) the Fox Theater. Hampson, one of the opera world’s most sought-after baritones, will perform on Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. About 800 seats will be available for this show – probably the last Fox show before renovations begin.
Hampson has fond memories of the Fox and has been a supporter of the Fox restoration from the beginning. He was raised in Walla Walla and the Tri-Cities and went to high school at the Upper Columbia Academy in Spangle. He had his operatic training at Eastern Washington University and with Sister Marietta Coyle at Fort Wright College.
Now, he’s based in Austria and travels all over the world. Tonight, for instance, he is performing in Rossini’s “William Tell” at the Vienna State Opera. Next month, he will be in Rome performing in a concert version of Britten’s “War Requiem.”
Seats will be priced at $50 and $100. If you want a fancier package – premier reserved seating, parking and a post-concert reception with Hampson at the Davenport Hotel – the price will be $200. And if you want the top tier package – front row seating, parking and the reception – it’ll run a mere $500.
Hey, it all goes to the grand Art Deco cause.
Tickets go on sale Oct. 3. Call 624-1200 or TicketsWest outlets.
A Hampson lesson
Aspiring singers: It appears that Hampson will also conduct a public master class the afternoon after the concert, Nov. 22.
Preliminary plans call for it to be free for all students and young professional singers. Watch for further announcements.
A Fuhrman replacement
Mark Fuhrman’s talk show stint with KGA-AM (1510, The Big Talker) ended Sept. 16 when he announced on the air that he had failed to reach a contract agreement with the station.
Since then, KGA-AM has been running repeats titled “The Best of Mark Fuhrman” in that 9 a.m. to noon time slot. Those repeats will continue through the end of the month.
After that?
“We can’t divulge what it’s going to be,” said Citadel operations manager Tim Cotter. “But it’s going to be big.”
We’re on the edge of our seats. The big question is: Will it be local?
The Fuhrman show, love it or hate it, was the Spokane market’s only major local radio talk show. A niche is aching to be filled.
An evening with Terry Gross
The KPBX-FM sponsored event featuring “Fresh Air” host Terry Gross drew about 500 people to The Met on Tuesday.
Her talk was sprinkled with hilarious taped excerpts from her show, notably the moments when certain guests – Monica Lewinsky and Bill O’Reilly come to mind – simply got up mid-interview and walked out.
Still the funniest moment came when she tried to joke with Gene Simmons of Kiss about the absurdity of a 50-plus-year-old man wearing a rhinestone-studded codpiece. He took that as an opportunity to boast in the most earnest and obnoxious possible way about the impressiveness of his manhood (“it would be too much for you to take”).
Gross’s reply (after a long, long pause): “So you really have no sense of humor about this, do you?”
A Cheyenne Jackson update
Newport’s own Cheyenne Jackson is still knockin’ ‘em dead on Broadway as the Elvis-figure in the all-Elvis musical, “All Shook Up.”
Now it looks like he might have the inside track on another high-profile role.
Playbill On-Line reports that Jackson will sing the role of Charles Darnay in a private presentation of the musical version of “A Tale of Two Cities” for a group of potential investors. Darnay is one of the story’s major characters.
Writer-composer Jill Santoriello’s version of this Dickens classic is one of the most talked-about Broadway prospects, with a proposed budget of $14 million and a spring 2006 Broadway target.
Just because Jackson has been cast in these private performances doesn’t mean he’s a lock for the job on Broadway. Yet it’s certainly a promising sign.
Christian Youth Theatre lineup
More young Spokane actors might be headed for great things and – who knows? – maybe some of them are training right now with the Christian Youth Theatre-Spokane.
Here’s the CYT-Spokane schedule: “Oliver!” Nov. 4-12; “A Year With Frog and Toad,” Feb. 24-March 5; and “Seussical, the Musical,” May 26-June 4. All will be at The Met.
The non-musical series, Page to Stage, includes: “The Velveteen Rabbit,” Nov. 18-20; “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” March 10-12; and “Stuart Little,” May 19-21. All will be at the CYT’s new theater at 711 W. Indiana.
Visit the website at www.cytspokane.com for more information.