Spotlight: Come March, lend Tyson your ears
Iron Mike is coming to Spokane.
Mike Tyson, former heavyweight champ – he of the “Hangover” cameo, facial tattoos, a prison record, and the ear incident – has performed a one-man show in Las Vegas and on Broadway. He’s now taking it on the road for a 36-city tour, and a stop at the INB Performing Arts Center on March 15 is on the agenda.
“Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth” was written by Tyson’s wife, Kiki Tyson. It ran at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for six nights this past spring, in a production directed by Randy Johnson. Spike Lee then came on board, and retooled the show for a 12-show run at the Longacre Theater on Broadway.
In it, Tyson touches on his childhood in Brooklyn. He talks about biting Evander Holyfield’s ear during a 1997 fight. Ex-wife Robin Givens and boxing promoter Don King are the subjects of disdain, and he denies he ever raped a beauty contestant in 1991, despite his subsequent conviction and three-year prison term. He also talks about the 2009 death of his 4-year-old daughter Exodus.
The Broadway show garnered international attention. The Telegraph, a British daily, reviewed it, saying “Undisputed Truth” was “an amusingly honest, if at times self-indulgent, two hours.” The New York Times was less kind, calling it “among the odder spectacles Broadway has seen in a while,” and also “ham-handed and manipulative.”
Still, it will offer a chance for boxing fans to see a legend in person. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday through TicketsWest, (800) 325-SEAT or www.ticketswest.com. Prices are $59.50 to $175.
New holiday tradition
Eighty performers. A living Nativity. Nearly 400 costumes. More than 40 classic holiday songs.
And a producer, Laura Little, who co-produced a Tony-winning production of “Peter and the Starcatcher.”
Those are some of the elements behind “Traditions of Christmas,” which kicks off a 12-show run on Dec. 14 at the Salvation Army Kroc Center in Coeur d’Alene.
This family-friendly show has been a staple in San Diego for 20 years, and Little said in a news release that she hopes to make it an annual tradition here.
Tickets are $32 for adults, $26 for seniors and $15 for children (no babes in arms, please) and are available at New York Bagels, 226 Ironwood Drive, Coeur d’Alene, online at www.traditionsof christmasnw.com or by calling (208) 391-2867.
Stage honors
Deanna Zibello, a visiting assistant professor of drama at Gonzaga Unversity, has won a Gregory Award for outstanding scenic design for a production of “Jesus Hopped the A Train” for Seattle’s Azeotrope theater company.
The Gregory Awards honor achievement by Washington theater professionals.
Zibello teaches stagecraft and design at GU. She lives in Spokane with her family.
Bing for Christmas
Fans of all things Bing can head to the Bing Crosby Theater in downtown Spokane on Saturday to enjoy a daylong Bing Crosby Holiday Film Festival.
In addition to the films, fans can check out the Oscar Crosby won for “Going My Way,” a number of photographs of Crosby, and enter a raffle for Bing Baskets. Proceeds support the Advocates for the Bing Crosby Theater.
Festival admission is $7 and is good all day.
For more information, visit www.bingcrosbytheater advocates.org.
Civic fundraiser
Spokane Civic Theatre Academy will host a holiday fundraiser at 6 p.m. Dec. 9.
The fifth annual Scholarship Fund Benefit will include “The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge,” performed by academy students ages 8 to 16. The curtain goes up at 7 p.m. Before the show, there will be a silent auction and desserts from Sweet Celebrations Bakery.
Tickets are $15 through the Civic box office, (509) 325-2507 or online at www.spokanecivic theatre.com/tickets/. The Civic is at 1020 N. Howard St.