Author Archives: Scott

Unknown's avatar

About Scott

A cultural thinker with a life long interest in the arts and humanities: theatre, music, architecture, photography, history, urban planning, etc.

Arkansas Rep 2012-2013 season

Posted on by

It is Spring Break throughout Arkansas. So this is a good time to take a break from the current arts season and look ahead to next year.

Rich stories and rewarding shows are the bounty that awaits Arkansas Repertory Theatre audiences during the 2012-2013 season, the Rep’s 37th year. Robert Hupp, the Rep’s producing artistic director, recently announced the lineup.

The season kicks off on September 7 with William Shakespeare’s Henry V.  This will be the first of Shakespeare’s “History” plays to be staged at the Rep in its history.  Following the overwhelming success of Hamlet last season, it is pleasing to see the Bard return to the Rep’s lineup.  It will run through September 23, 2012.

Next up is the annual Young Artists’ production.  This edition of the revue is entitled Singin’ on a Star.  It will run from October 24 through November 3, 2012. Though the show is still being written, it promises to feature Arkansas’ best and brightest students in songs and dances which will enchant audiences of all ages.

It is guaranteed that Little Rock will see a White Christmas in December 2012 because the Rep will be producing the stage version of the Irving Berlin classic White Christmas from November 30 through December 30, 2012.  In addition to the classic Berlin tunes from the film, a treasure trove of other Berlin classics is also included.

As 2013 kicks off, the Rep presents the play Gee’s Bend.  Set in the eponymously named Alabama town, it tells the story of the women who make quilts there. The play is not about the quilts themselves (though they are works of art which have been displayed in many top art museums), it is instead about the remarkable lives of the women who make them.  Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder’s play will run from January 25 through February 10, 2013.

As the Rep marches into the third month of 2013, it will present the world premiere of a new musical version of Treasure Island.  This production, which emphasizes the adventure and mystery of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale, features a book by Brett Smock (who will also direct) and Carla Vitale with songs by Corinne Aquilina (who served as musical director/conductor for last season’s Hairspray at the Rep).  It runs from March 8 through March 31, 2013. (This world premiere is the reason the title of this entry is written in “Pirate.”)

Arthur Miller’s prize winning Death of a Salesman is up next at the Rep.  This classic tale explores the American Dream in the middle of the 20th Century as the Loman family copes with hope and despair.  During its original Broadway run, it received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Best Play recognition from the Tony Awards and the New York Drama Critics Circle.  “Attention must be paid” from April 26 through May 12, 2013.

Avenue Q is one of the smartest, funniest, and bawdiest musicals over the last decade. Written by Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez, it irreverently tells the story of a group of 20 and 30somethings in New York City as they cope with the onset of adulthood. Some of the characters are played by humans while others are portrayed by puppets — but this is not for the kids; it is definitely an adult show (it includes full puppet nudity).  This 2004 Tony winner for Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score, ran for over 1000 performances on Broadway and is now enjoying a healthy Off Broadway run.  The Rep’s brand new production will run from June 7 – 30, 2013.

Preservation Conversations: Historic Tile

Posted on by

When one sees a restored building or a building in need of restoration – the quality of tile work is often a key factor in the success.  Little Rock City Hall and the Capital Hotel are two notable examples of restorations which have showcased their historic tiles.  With that in mind, this month’s Quapaw Quarter Association “Preservation Conversation” is on historic tiles.

Bryan Byrd, a ceramic engineer at American Restoration Tile will be giving the presentation.  American Restoration Tile is a custom ceramic tile manufacturing company based here in Little Rock.  It specializes in reproducing the tiles of the past to facilitate restoration of historically significant buildings and residences. We use modern manufacturing technology and decades of ceramic engineering experience to exactly duplicate the sizes and colors of old ceramic tile installations.

Beginning at 5:00, Curran Hall will be open for patrons to enjoy a glass of wine, programs start at 5:30 p.m. and last for one hour.  After the official program concludes, all are invited to keep the conversation going and enjoy a discounted dinner at nearby Copper Grill, 300 East Third Street.

The Quapaw Quarter Association is a non-profit historic preservation advocacy organization whose mission is to promote the preservation of the historic buildings and neighborhoods of Greater Little Rock. Rhea Roberts is the Executive Director.

Sculpture Vulture: Statuary at St. John’s

Posted on by

Last week’s Sculpture Vulture looked at the state of St. John the Baptist on the St. John Catholic Center campus.  Today’s looks at three other statues on the ground.  Though there are other sculptures and icons inside worship spaces on the grounds of St. John’s, these are outdoors and are therefore more properly discussed as public art rather than solely as religious iconography.

Near the campus entrance is a statue of the Virgin Mary with her hands clasped as if in prayer.  Behind her are radiating beams of light. At the base of the statue is a cherub who is actually supporting the pedestal on which she stands.  Another cherub is off to the side. It is possible that there is a missing cherub who was originally on the other size to balance out the statue.

There is another statue of Mary on the campus.  In August 1988 a statue was dedicated in honor of the Marian Year which ran from June 1987 through August 1988.  It was donated by the Bishop and priests of the Diocese of Little Rock and dedicated by Most Rev. Andrew J. McDonald, who was Bishop at the time.  It depicts Mary with her arms at her sides and hands open and outstretched.

The other statue is that of Christ as an adult. It is located near the Marian Year statue.  Given in memory of Barbara Anderson, it features Christ with one hand outstretched and the other hand pointing to his heart.

People’s Choice at Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

Posted on by

Forty candidates. Thousands of possibilities.

This weekend, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will perform a People’s Choice concert.  For the past several weeks, the ASO has been encouraging people to vote for favorites in a variety of musical genre categories.

The winners will be revealed at the concerts this weekend – tonight at 8pm and tomorrow at 3pm – at Robinson Center Music Hall.  It is appropriate that a facility named after a beloved Arkansas politician would be the home to a concert programmed by popular vote.

Best Classical Composer
*Beethoven – Symphony No. 5 First Movement
*Gershwin – Summertime
*Mozart – Eine kleine Nachtmusik
*Tchaikovsky – Romeo and Juliet Overture
*Vivaldi – The Four Seasons

Best Classic Film Score
*James Bond
*Lawrence of Arabia
*The Pink Panther
*The Wizard of Oz

Best Contemporary Film Score
*Gladiator
*The Godfather
*Harry Potter
*Pirates of the Caribbean
*Titanic

Best Sci/Fi Soundtrack
*Back to the Future
*E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
*Star Trek
*Star Wars

Best Animated TV Show
* “The Flintstones”
* “The Jetsons”
* “Looney Tunes”
* “The Simpsons”

Best TV Show
*“Bonanza”
*“Hawaii 5-O”
*“Mission Impossible”
*“The Young and the Restless”

Best Kids’ Pick
*Anastasia
*Cinderella
*The Little Mermaid
*Mary Poppins
*Peanuts

Best Video Game
*Civilization
*Halo
*The Legend of Zelda
*Super-Mario Brothers
*World of Warcraft

Best Broadway Score
*Les Miserables
*The Phantom of the Opera
*The Sound of Music
*West Side Story

ASO Music Director/Conductor Philip Mann will conduct the winners.  The program hosts will be Craig O’Neill and Dawn Scott.

The Weekend Theater presents THE MIRACLE WORKER

Posted on by

Nicholson and Sawyer (photo by Byron Taylor)

William Gibson’s Pulitzer and Tony winning play The Miracle Worker opened last weekend at the Weekend Theater.  It continues tonight and tomorrow as well as March 23 and 24.

Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through March 24; there is also one matinee scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 18. Tickets, $16 for general admission and $12 for students and seniors age 65 and older, can be ordered online at the theater’s Web site, www.weekendtheater.org, or purchased at the door before each performance, based on availability.

Though the play is the story of Helen Keller (Sarah Nicholson) at the start of her remarkable life, it is also the story of her family and the indomitable Annie Sullivan (Hannah M. Sawyer).

The cast includes Byron Taylor and Patti Airoldi as Helen’s parents, Captain Arthur and Kate Keller, along with Drew Ellis, Zoe Dickerson, Diondre Wright, Patty German, Henry Melhorn, Donna Singleton, Patty Landry, Adrianne Owings, and Colin Boyd.

Andy Hall directs the production.

Clinton School Lecture: William Faulkner

Posted on by

Ledgers of History
William Faulkner, an Almost Forgotten Friendship, and an Antebellum Plantation Diary

A scholar of Southern literature at Emory University, Sally Wolff-King will discuss her book “Ledgers of History: William Faulkner, an Almost Forgotten Friendship, and an Antebellum Plantation Diary,” which offers a compelling portrait of the future Nobel laureate near the midpoint of his legendary career and also charts a significant discovery that will inevitably lead to revisions in historical and critical scholarship on Faulkner and his writing.
The book explores the childhood recollections of Dr. Edgar Francisco whose father was a close friend of Faulkner and reveals that the famous writer drew inspiration from a seven-volume diary kept by Dr. Francisco’s great-great-grandfather. This program is dedicated to Lyon College professor Dr. Terrell Tebbets, a noted Faulkner scholar.
The lecture will take place at noon today at 12 noon at Sturgis Hall.

AAC Children’s Theatre: If You Take a Mouse to School

Posted on by

The Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre is now presenting If You Take a Mouse to School through March 25, 2012.  Performances are Fridays through Sundays; during Spring Break there are special matinees throughout the week.

Based on the book If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff, this popular character returns to the Arts Center’s Children’s Theatre stage.  This is the fourth time a Numeroff book has been produced at the Arts Center. Previous productions have been If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (in 2008), Merry Christmas, Mouse! (in 2009) and If You Give a Pig a Pancake (in 2011).

The cast for this production includes Katherine Campbell, Josh Rice, Paige Herschell, Vanessa Sterling and Aleigha Morton.  Bradley Anderson directs this production, which was adapted by Katherine Campbell and Josh Rice.  The creative team also includes Miranda Young (scenery), Erin Larkin (costumes) and Penelope Poppers (lighting).