A bit of Broadway comes to Spokane - again

(Photo/West Coast Entertainment)

Like most people, I’ve only rarely been lucky enough to attend a stage show in New York. Not only are the tickets expensive, they’re hard to score.

My wife and I were lucky enough to see Matthew Broderick in a mid-’90s revival of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” Thanks to some friends in New York, we were able to sit in nose-bleed seats and enjoy the original run of “Rent.”

Most recently, a couple of years ago my wife managed to buy tickets to the final-night performance of the original cast in Aaron Sorkin’s re-envisioned version of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” I was only minorly inconvenienced by the pole that partially blocked my view. So it goes.

While that’s not a bad resumé, it’s nothing compared to what many Spokane theater fans have been able to enjoy over the past few decades. And that’s thanks to the traveling shows that have played here.

This year, West Coast Entertainment is again offering a range of musical offerings, beginning Oct. 19-24 with “Cats” and ending with “Come From Away” Aug. 9-14, 2022. The STCU Best of Broadway series will be held at the First Interstate Center for the Arts.

Other shows include: “Mean Girls” (Nov. 23-28), “Anastasia” (Dec. 28-Jan. 2, 2022), “Fiddler on the Roof” (Jan. 11-16, 2022), “Jersey Bous” (Feb. 22-13, 2022), “Hamilton” (May 3-22, 2022) and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (June 15, 2022, with new dates TBA).

As always, a range of ticket packages is available. Which, let’s face it, is far less spendy than having also to arrange airline flights and New York hotel stays.

Now, if we could only keep a New York-style bagel shop in business here.