Producers and actors of 'Frasier' to participate in Plaza Theatre benefit

Two cast members from the NBC sitcom "Frasier" will participate in a fundraising event benefiting the Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs.

Producers David Lee and Peter Casey will join actors David Hyde Pierce and Peri Gilpin for "Team Frasier Reunites to Save the Plaza Theatre" at 1 p.m. on March 19. There will also be a VIP "Meet the Creators" reception following the event.

Tickets are $125 and $50 for the VIP reception.

Lee, who is also a Palm Springs resident, donated $5 million to the campaign "Help Save the Plaza Theatre" last October.

"Frasier" ran on NBC for 11 seasons from 1993 to 2004. It was a spin-off of the sitcom "Cheers" featuring the character Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer). In the show, Crane returns to his hometown, Seattle, and hosts a radio show produced by Roz Doyle (Gilpin). He takes in his father Martin (John Mahoney) and connects with his younger brother Niles (Pierce).

Lee will offer a retrospective about making the pilot of the show, and Pierce and Gilpin will join Lee for a Q&A with the audience.

"Help Save the Plaza Theatre" is led by former councilmember J.R. Roberts, who said in a statement the organization is "thrilled" that Lee and others connected to the show are presenting this fundraiser.

“David’s donation jump started the theatre’s fundraising campaign, and he has now graciously offered this special look back at a show we all loved. We also thank the cast and production crew for also lending their support to this important project," Roberts said.

The theater saw its first event in six years in 2019 when the committee hosted Nancy Sinatra, her daughters A.J. Lambert and Amanda Erlinger, Roberts, actor and singer James Darren and Wrecking Crew member Don Randi in a fundraiser to restore the Plaza. In a surprise twist, Sinatra walked out on stage and performed "Bang Bang" as well as her 1966 hit "Boots" for the show's finale.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Save the Plaza Theatre campaign initially raised almost $500,000 in cash and pledge promises toward a goal of $10 million to $12 million for a full restoration.

Last summer, Save the Plaza Theatre had just over $160,000 in its coffers.

In July, the City of Palm Springs received an offer from Palm Springs International Film Festival Chairman Harold Matzner offering to lease the downtown building for the next 25 years and was willing to pay $1.6 million for the use of the space — which is owned by the city — for the film festival, charity and other events.

The Palm Springs City Council then voted to appropriate $50,000 in funding to repair and update the theater to maintain its current condition. The city also directed staff to consider Matzner's offer.

Roberts said Matzner and his board retracted his offer following a $4 million estimate in remodeling plans.

The theater was built in 1936 and had 800 seats. It opened with the premiere of the movie “Camille” and hosted screenings and broadcast radio programs featuring celebrities such as Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.

The Plaza Theatre was established as a Class I Historic Site by the Palm Springs City Council in 1991 and hosted the first Palm Springs International Film Festival under the direction of then-Mayor Sonny Bono. It was also home to the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, a dance and musical-review show with performers 55 and older, for 22 years before its final curtain call in 2014.

After redevelopment agencies were dissolved in 2011, the property was transferred to the city's successor agency from the Community Redevelopment Agency. The successor agency's oversight board approved the sale of the theater to the city for $1 in 2015, on the conditions that it would not be demolished and that the city would assume financial responsibility for maintenance and renovations.

If you go

What: Team Frasier Reunites to Save the Plaza Theatre

When: 1 p.m., March 19

Where: 128 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs

How much: $125, $50 for VIP reception

More information: savetheplazatheatreps.com

Desert Sun reporter Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: David Hyde Pierce and Peri Gilpin to appear at Plaza Theatre fundraiser