CdA Theatre alums thrive on Broadway
Three Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre alumni have now made it to Broadway – two of them in lead roles.
The latest CdA Summer stalwart to make the leap is Steven Booth, a Coeur d’Alene native who was outstanding in such summer productions as “Pippin,” “West Side Story” and “Oklahoma!”
Booth plays one of the four leads in “Glory Days,” which opens for previews on April 22 at the Circle in the Square Theatre.
This show, about four high school friends who reunite a year after graduation, won critical and popular acclaim at its world premiere production at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Va. Booth also was in that cast.
Now, the show is transferring to Broadway amidst a great deal of buzz.
Meanwhile, Cheyenne Jackson, another CdA Summer Theatre alumnus, is still appearing as Sonny in “Xanadu,” the campy Broadway roller-disco musical based on the Olivia Newton-John film. “Xanadu” is still rolling after more than nine months.
The third is Daniel Robinson, who plays the role of Fender in “Hairspray,” one of Broadway’s long-running hits.
KREM’s morning lineup
KREM-2 has revamped the lineup of its morning news show, “KREM-2 News First Edition,” which runs from 4:30 to 7 a.m. weekdays.
The co-anchors are Andi Hauser, who recently arrived from an anchoring job at Sioux City, Iowa, and Sten Walstrom, who has been with KREM for almost four years as a reporter and weekend anchor.
Janelle Reichert joins in as the third member of the team on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Reichert comes to KREM from a morning anchor job in Syracuse, N.Y. She will also be the station’s new weekend anchor and the anchor of the noon news broadcast on Wednesdays through Fridays. Sounds like she’ll be busy.
Mike Murad, the former morning co-anchor, has gone on to an evening anchor position at KBCI-TV in Boise.
Interplayers auction
The Interplayers Annual Auction, the professional theater’s yearly fundraiser, will take place April 26 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
This year’s gala will include a dramatic presentation by L.A. actors Karen Kalensky and John Henry Whitaker (“CSI,” “Walker Texas Ranger”). A live auction will follow, which will include some unusual items, including an “authentic Nepali dinner for six.”
This will take place at Interplayers, 174 S. Howard St. Tickets are $20, which include appetizers. Call (509) 456-7131 for reservations.
From Carnegie Hall to the Bing
Two sisters from the Spokane area, Janine Knox de Nigris and Jodie Knox, have been booked into the Bing Crosby Theater, April 26 at 8 p.m., in a piano-and-violin recital featuring works by Beethoven, Scarlatti, Chopin, Brahms and Paganini.
In September 2006, these classical sisters played a more storied site: Carnegie Hall, where they debuted at the Weill Recital Hall.
Janine has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance from the State University of New York’s Purchase Conservatory of Music and teaches orchestra and piano at the Mamaroneck School District in New York.
Jodie has a bachelor’s in performance from Eastern Washington University and manages the information technology training team at EWU.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for juniors, seniors and students, through TicketsWest outlets (509-325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com).
A homegrown ‘Showstopper’
One of the dancers in the “Showstoppers” Broadway revue, which played the Northern Quest Casino for the last two weeks, began her dance lessons right here at Linda Allen’s Dance Emporium in 1984.
Cynthia Meyer went on to graduate from Mead High School and the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, where she earned a degree in lyrical and modern dance and ballet. From there she performed on Holland America cruise lines before moving on to Las Vegas.
She appears in the show “Legends” at the Imperial Palace and “Nathan Burton’s Comedy Magic Show” at the Flamingo – except when she’s doing “Showstoppers” in her hometown.
A Webby-worthy art site
Artocracy.org, a Spokane-based art Web site, is one of five nominees for the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences’ 2008 Webby Award for art Web sites.
Artocracy, founded by Megan Murphy, is a “virtual art gallery” that allows patrons to view and purchase art from a wide variety of artists. It also manages the exhibition space for Saranac Art Projects in Spokane.
The nominees were selected from thousands of entries. Winners will be announced May 6.
To vote in the People’s Voice Awards part of the competition, go to http://pv.webbyawards.com.