Live theatre returns to Arkansas this month and, while there’s not a full contingent of performances in the offing, it is a start. Here’s how a few of the city’s theatre companies are tackling a virus that’s turned their worlds upside down.
Arkansas Repertory Theatre
Posted inEntertainment
The Rep is back in July with a play about Sister Rosetta Tharpe
First up in “The Rep Outdoors” series: “Marie & Rosetta,” playwright George Brant’s 2017 play about Cotton Plant, Ark. native Sister Rosetta Tharpe and her relationship with contralto Marie Knight.
Posted inEntertainment
Meet Nia Renée, the Central High School senior appearing on the season premiere of ‘American Idol’
Central High School student Nia Renée appears on the premiere episode of “American Idol,” to air 7 p.m., Feb. 14 on ABC.
Posted inEntertainment
Hope springs up in Baker’s Alley with new public art installation
The alley behind the Arkansas Repertory Theatre is home to a new installation of public art by young Arkansas artists.
Posted inArkansas Blog
Arkansas Repertory Theatre suspends operations
The Arkansas Repertory Theatre, already struggling to rebuild, can’t overcome the new burden of the coronavirus crisis and has suspended all operations immediately.
“Ann”
Up next at The Rep: “Ann,” an unblinking look at silver-haired, silver-tongued powerhouse Ann Richards, the 45th governor of Texas who ruffled feathers and raised eyebrows for her brash leadership style as much as for her status as a liberal running in ultra-conservative Texas.
“It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play”
Joe Landry, who adapted George Bailey’s story for the stage, went full-on meta with Bedford Falls, scripting a scant five actors to play all the characters from the original movie, complete with an onstage foley artist — managing to capture the whimsy and allure of Capra’s telling while adding another layer to its central message.
Posted inRock Candy
“Ann,” “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” and “Bye Bye Birdie” up at The Rep in spring of 2020
“Ann,” Holland Taylor’s play about legendary Texas governor Ann Richards, goes up Jan. 29-Feb. 16; Simon Stephens’ visually spectacular “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” plays April 1-19; and the classic musical comedy “Bye Birdie” goes up July 8-26.
Posted inRock Candy
“Madama Butterfly” at The Rep: A Q&A with Kate Sain and Joshua Price of Opera in the Rock
With help from The John and Robyn Horn Foundation, Opera in the Rock stages a fully orchestrated “Madama Butterfly” at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre this weekend.
Opera in the Rock: ‘Madama Butterfly’
Puccini’s title role is demanding enough to be considered a rite of passage for singers, and Mondanaro is beautifully equipped for it, with a leviathan of a dramatic soprano voice and a technique that draws upon the Italian Swedish singing school, the same school of thought that gave us Birgit Nilsson and Kirsten Flagstad.