Spotlight: It’ll be ‘Delirium’ in the Arena
The Cirque is coming to town, and this time it’s the “real” one.
The famous Cirque du Soleil – direct from Montreal and Las Vegas – is coming to the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on May 16 and 17 with its new traveling show, “Delirium,” a mix of music, dance, theater, acrobatics and multimedia.
The Cirque people say that this “may be the most massive technical production ever created to tour arenas.” The show will feature 540 feet of projections, 44 performers and a 130-foot, two-sided stage.
Tickets go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. through TicketsWest outlets (509-325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com).
A previous Arena show in October, “Cirque Dreams: A Jungle Fantasy,” was unconnected to Cirque du Soleil.
An ‘ER’ connection at Interplayers
Two veterans of NBC’s “ER” – Ellen Crawford, who played Nurse Lydia Wright for nine seasons, and Mike Genovese, who played Sgt. Al Grabarsky in a recurring role – will star in “Sparky & The Fitz” at the Interplayers Theater, May 10 through 26.
This show will replace the previously announced “Ruthless” in that slot.
Playwright Craig Volk wrote “Sparky & the Fitz” in the early 1990s as a tribute to the long-lasting relationship of Crawford and Genovese, a well-known married acting couple. The play is about a love triangle involving a retired couple.
When Volk wrote it, Crawford and Genovese were too young for the lead roles. So Eli Wallach and Ann Jackson played the parts in 1991 at the George Street Playhouse in New Jersey.
Now Genovese said the couple have “aged into the roles.” They have made the show available to Interplayers in a West Coast premiere performance. Interplayers board president Jim McCurdy said the opportunity was too good to pass up.
Call Interplayers at 455-PLAY for tickets and details.
The Bing sign
Been wondering when the sign that says “The Met” will be replaced with the sign that says “The Bing Crosby Theater”?
It should be on or about April 18.
The Metropolitan Performing Arts Center was officially renamed the Bing Crosby Theater in December. A new sign was commissioned at the time, but completion has taken a little longer than expected.
The new marquee will be similar in style to the existing one. Keep an eye out for details on the unveiling.
Bing on the BBC
Speaking of Bing Crosby, those Brits just can’t get enough of the guy.
A BBC Radio crew was in Spokane on Thursday and Friday preparing a six-part documentary titled “The Crosby Trail,” exploring the places important in Crosby’s life.
Segments were taped at Gonzaga University, Downriver Golf Course and the old Clemmer Theater, where Bing first honed his act.
The Clemmer is now called, of course, the Bing Crosby Theater.
Revisiting CdA’s ‘Carousel’
The Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre will celebrate its 40th anniversary by performing a concert version of its very first show, “Carousel.”
This Rodgers and Hammerstein classic will be directed by managing artistic director Roger Welch and will feature a cast of many of the theater’s past luminaries, in two performances on March 30 and 31, 7:30 p.m. each night.
Tickets are $40, reserved; call (208) 769-7780 or (800) 423-2849. Performances are at Schuler Auditorium on the North Idaho College campus in Coeur d’Alene.
This is a fundraising show in advance of the regular summer season, which begins in June. This year’s lineup will feature “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” “Kiss Me Kate,” “The Full Monty” and “Putting It Together.”
‘Final Report’ on Ruby Ridge
The National Geographic Channel show “The Final Report” will deal with the 1992 Ruby Ridge standoff in North Idaho in an episode airing at 9 p.m. Tuesday.
“The Final Report” takes a fresh and comprehensive look at past news events. Word has it that the federal officials involved in Ruby Ridge were given clearance to talk openly about this tragic standoff and shooting.
It sounds like it’s worth catching – if you can get it. The National Geographic channel is on digital channel 273 on Comcast cable in Spokane, and channel 120 on Time Warner cable in Coeur d’Alene.
Notes on the dance
Here are some developments in the local dance world:
“Janet Wilder, the longtime owner of the Academy of Dance, has sold to Kristen Potts, an experienced dancer and teacher. Wilder will continue to teach on a limited basis at the Academy and will remain, for now, the artistic director of Ballet Spokane.
“Theatre Ballet of Spokane’s annual Children’s Concert will have its main public performance on March 24, 3 p.m., at the Bing Crosby Theater. Tickets are $5, available by calling the Ballet Arts Academy at (509) 838-5705.
The program, titled “Fete de Ballet,” will feature “Carnival of the Animals” and other dances. It will also be presented at a number of area elementary schools.
Burning for hate
Gonzaga University’s Foley Center Library is hosting an exhibit titled “Fighting the Fires of Hate: America and the Nazi Book Burnings,” which opened Saturday.
This exhibit, in the third floor special collections room, consists of a series of informative panels and several video screens showing footage of the Nazis’ notorious book-burning campaign and the negative reaction this spawned in the United States.
The exhibit is on loan from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It’s free, and it runs through May 5.
It’s an eye-opener for anyone interested in free speech and censorship issues.