Gossip Should Have No Friends

[March 7th, 2007] ARCADE PYRE Tickets for Montreal-based indie band Arcade Fire 's much anticipated May 27 show at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall originally went on pre-sale Feb. 22. But the early-sale perk was available only to people on the Portland Center for Performing Arts' mailing lists (the list "Backstage Pass" keeps locals in the know about other PCPA events...like Menopause the Musical). But the next day, the 1,282 fans who purchased the $30 Arcade Fire tix received a Ticketmaster email stating that in order to "[e]nsure that all fans get equal access to tickets...pre-sale tickets [will] be cancelled [and refunded]." A flurry of pissy apologies ensued: The PCPA blamed the band, the band blamed the PCPA, and fans—the ones who received notice soon enough—were forced to purchase tickets a second time on Saturday, Feb. 24. What happened? Arcade Fire's agent David Viecelli told Scoop that Portland booking agency Monqui Presents went ahead with the PCPA presale without contacting band reps , a move he calls "weird" and "a terrible error." Even worse, when Viecelli asked the PCPA to cancel their pre-sale immediately—he terms his call to the org's executive director, Robyn Williams , as "the most unpleasant conversation I've had in over a decade"—the PCPA refused. "We felt like there were a whole lot of people that bought tickets in good faith, and these are fans," PCPA's Williams told Scoop. "Going back on this was a customer-service nightmare." Williams says she tried to convince Viecelli to hold off on the broader ticket sale for an extra week, but ultimately, Viecelli's threat to cancel the show altogether prompted PCPA to nullify pre-sale tickets. Viecelli and crew have scrambled to accommodate fans stuck with cancelled tickets. "We've decided to seat the orchestra pit, and made 70 [more] seats there," he says. Monqui did not return Scoop's emails or phone calls as of press time. Check arcadefire.net for updated ticket information.

STORMING THE ARMORY There was panic last week at Portland Center Stage when actor Sean Cullen, currently playing manic cop Tupolski in The Pillowman, announced he's ditching the show for a Broadway gig. Catastrophe! Who should step in to save the day but Allen Nause, who is also the artistic director of rival company Artists Repertory Theatre. Nause, who closed his own company's run of Vanya last Sunday, will only have 15 hours of rehearsal before he jumps into the role on March 13. Pillowman director Rose Riordan tells Scoop she "was nervous about upsetting the whole energy of the show," but calls Nause "smart, a cool customer." Will understudy Allen usher in a new era of cooperation in Portland theater? Bonus: Portland Center Stage announced Monday, March 5, that the theater will open its 2007-08 season with Cabaret. Wade McCollum has been confirmed as the emcee, but there's no word yet on whether Storm Large will be singing "Don't Tell Mama." Check out wweek.com for more about the new season.

DEPARTMENT OF SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTIONEver wanted to exact revenge on one of WW's arts critics? Well, step right up: WW's own classical-music critic, Stephen Marc Beaudoin, is appearing as tenor soloist this weekend (March 10-11) in two performances of Arthur Honegger's rarely heard oratorio, King David, with Trinity Choir and members of the Oregon Symphony (see Performance Listings, page 53). Now you can make your own oh-so-critical appraisal of Beaudoin's performance—for better or worse. Email your review of Beaudoin's work to kclarke@wweek.com, and it just may be published in WW next week.