‘Big Bang’ drawing some big names
Several well-known names have been added to the Antonio Banderas movie, “The Big Bang,” which is finally about to start filming in Spokane (a little later than originally planned).
One is Sam Elliott (“The Big Lebowski,” “Hulk”). Another is Rebecca Mader (Charlotte Lewis in “Lost”).
The other name attached to this film is Snoop Dogg. This would be the second movie Snoop Dogg has made in Spokane. He was also in 2007’s “The Golden Door” (which has been re-titled “Falling Up” in some markets).
“The Big Bang” is about a private eye who is searching for a missing stripper, although the plot also involves a “subatomic particle collider” and the search for a key particle in quantum physics. Yeah, it’s complicated.
Filming should begin around Friday and continue for four weeks.
Big MAC attacks
Here are a few upcoming events at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC):
• Beginning in December, the MAC is introducing a great new way to see the museum and to party at the same time. An after-work event titled BeGin will be held on the second Friday of every month beginning at 6 p.m. For $7, you’ll get one drink, admission to the exhibits and live music. The first BeGin will be on Dec. 11 and will feature the music of Six-Foot Swing. It may be the artiest place in town to do Happy Hour.
• A new public sculpture, “The Navigators,” by Walla Walla sculptor Brad Rude, will be unveiled near the museum’s entrance on Oct. 22 at 4 p.m. The wood-steel-bronze sculpture includes a historic fire lookout tower, a mule deer buck, a coyote and a great horned owl. It’s a gift of Scott and Betty Lukins and family. A reception will follow the unveiling.
• “Art and the People: The Spokane Art Center and the Great Depression,” a new exhibit about Spokane’s New Deal-funded art center in the 1930s, will open Nov. 14. This little art center had an impact far beyond its time and place.
Here’s a brief quiz: Which world-famous artist, who went on to help found abstract expressionism, had his first one-man show at the Spokane Art Center? Answer: Clyfford Still.
• “Jumpin’ With the Big Bands,” the MAC’s long-anticipated exhibit about the Big Band era, is scheduled to open Dec. 5. This is about the jazz and swing scene, not just in the Inland Northwest, but all the way back to its New Orleans roots. In other words, it goes far beyond Bing and all the way back to Satchmo.
On an operatic scale
The Spokane Opera’s Gala Concert, kicking off its 25th anniversary season, will take place Oct. 31, 7:30 p.m., at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox.
You’ll hear selections from operas, operettas and musicals, performed by 15 singers and a pair of pianists.
Seats are $25 (or $100 for a special package), available through TicketsWest outlets (509-325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com).
‘Vesta’
Local playwright Bryan Harnetiaux’s touching and thought-provoking play, “Vesta,” will be given a staged reading at the Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard, on Monday at 7 p.m.
The play deals with end-of-life issues, and is presented by the Rockwood at Hawthorne Residents’ Foundation as a way to stimulate discussion about these important questions. A moderated discussion will follow the reading.
Rockwood at Hawthorne resident Alice Kennedy plays the role of Vesta and also directs this production. That’s fitting – Kennedy is the actress who originated the role at the Spokane Civic Theatre in 1996.
Tickets are $12 at the door.
A Steamroller Christmas
Mannheim Steamroller is rumbling back to Spokane as part of its 25th Christmas Anniversary Tour, Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m., at the Star Theatre at the Spokane Arena.
Yes, that’s a little early for the holidays, but I guess it’s never too early to listen to Mannheim-ized Christmas carols.
Tickets are on sale now, $65, $52, $42 and $30, through TicketsWest outlets (509-325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com).
A Quartet quiz
Here’s a quiz that relates to the Spokane String Quartet’s upcoming concert on Oct. 18, 3 p.m. at the Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague:
What classical composer ended up winning a Tony Award 67 years after his death for writing the melody to “Baubles, Bangles and Beads” (and other songs) in the show “Kismet”?
Answer: Alexander Borodin.
The Spokane String Quartet will play Borodin’s String Quartet No. 2, which contains the themes for both “Baubles” and “And This is My Beloved.”
They’ll also play some Beethoven and some Turina.
Tickets are $18, $15 and $10, available through TicketsWest.
Direct from a Capra
A special guest will give a brief talk at the screening of Frank Capra’s “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., at the Bing Crosby Theater.
Carol Capra, a local Realtor, will talk about her famous father-in-law. This event is part of the Classic Movies of 1939 series at the Bing. Admission is free, but a $5 donation will go to the Advocates of the Bing Crosby Theater.
Early Bach news
The Northwest Bach Festival, coming up in January and February, already has a couple of noteworthy concerts to announce:
• A piano recital by Christopher O’Riley, host of NPR’s “From the Top,” Jan. 30, 8 p.m. at St. John’s Cathedral.
• A performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor, conducted by Pulitzer Prize-winner Gunther Schuller, Feb. 5, 8 p.m. at St. John’s Cathedral.
Tickets for these events are already on sale through TicketsWest. More will be announced soon.
Think SWING!
Some intriguing names have been booked for the Think SWING! Jazz and Blues Festival, Oct. 24 at the Lincoln Center, 1316 N. Lincoln.
We have the Shanghai Woolies, an eight-piece outfit led by trumpeter Gavin Bondy (of Pink Martini fame) out of Portland and the Washboard Chaz Blues Trio, featuring Washboard Chaz himself, out of New Orleans.
For full info, check out www.thinkswingspokane.com.
Bluegrass Thang
If your thang is bluegrass, check out the Saturday Night Bluegrass Thang, Saturday, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., at University High School, 32nd and Pines in Spokane Valley.
This family event features four to six local bands and it costs just $5 at the door.
Kids under 12 are free. It’s sponsored by the Inland Northwest Bluegrass Association.