Frank Loesser, a composer most well-known for Guys and Dolls and How To Succeed in Business without Really Trying, penned a large body of work that spanned many styles and genres. He wrote for the stage, the screen, and singers.
AST Music Director Robert Frost takes a look at his most popular material, while also delving into his lesser-known works, pieces which signal a significant departure from his commercial hits.
The program is at McAlister Hall’s Mirror Room, UCA and starts at 5pm.
A local cast of 39 young actors will present Willy Wonka Jr. on the MainStage at Arkansas Repertory Theatre this summer. The production, which runs June 21-30, is based on the classic tale by Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
“We were amazed by the level of interest and talent at auditions,” said Anna Kimmell, Director of Education at The Rep, who is the production’s director and choreographer. “These students are serious about theatre – many of them plan to pursue acting professionally. Prepare to be ‘wowed’ by their talents.”
Tickets start at $15 and are available at TheRep.org, by phone at (501) 378-0405 or by visiting the Box Office at 601 Main Street in Little Rock.
Willy Wonka Jr. is a musical adaptation of the story about enigmatic candy manufacturer Willy Wonka, who stages a contest by hiding golden tickets in five of his scrumptious candy bars. Whomever comes up with these tickets will win a free tour of the Wonka factory, as well as a lifetime supply of candy. Four of the five winning children are insufferable brats, but the fifth is a likeable young lad named Charlie Bucket. The children must learn to follow Mr. Wonka’s rules in the factory – or suffer the consequences!
“This production features many of the iconic songs from the 1971 film,” Kimmell said. “But we’re also putting our own Rep-spin on this classic by adding imaginative, theatrical elements to the design and staging. It will be a perfect mix of ‘nostalgic’ and ‘new’ to entertain the young and the young at heart.”
The cast includes Lucas Bachus (Grandpa George), Collin Carlton (Charlie Bucket), Jacob Grinder (Augustus Gloop), Izzy Hammonds (Mrs. Bucket), Emla Holsted (Mrs. Beauregarde), Jackson Karl (Phineous Trout), Tania Renee Kelley (Veruca Salt), Caitlyn Olivia Luna (Grandma Josephine), Isabella Nguyen (Violet Beauregarde), Jesse Niswanger (Grandpa Joe), Cabe Parrish (Mrs. Gloop), Corbin Pitts (Mike Teavee), Will Porter (Willy Wonka), Alexandra Powell (Grandma Georgina), Anna Reynolds (Ms. Teavee), William Romain (Mr. Bucket), and Grant Wild (Mr. Salt).
Featured dancers are Sela Booher, Chaelie DeJohn, Amaya Hardin, Caroline Perry, Grace Pitts, and Nate Westerman. The Ensemble includes Eliah Boles, Adelaide Bricker, Emilea Derden, Chelsea Elise Franklin, Robert Gatlin, Alex Harkins, Lauren Lasseigne, Chloe Grace Luna, Betsy McClure, Taylor Moore, Charlie Mulhollan, Emily Pyron, Melody Small, Miles Tillemans, Magnolia Vincent, and Walt Wenger
The design and creative team includes Anna Kimmell, director/choreographer; Mark Binns, musical director; Zachery Ingersoll, assistant director; Mike Nichols, scenic designer; Holly Payne, costume designer; Lynda J. Kwallek, properties designer; Josh Anderson, lighting designer; and Luke Mitchell, sound designer. The production manager is Joshua Marchesi and the production stage manager is Merit Glover. Adrian Griffey is the assistant stage manager.
Presented by CDI Contractors, join the Downtown Little Rock Partnership in the alley around the corner from Bella Vita Jewelry, just off the Main Street Creative Corridor, for live music from The Going Jessies and craft beer from Stone’s Throw Brewing!
The Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre is invoking the spirits by presenting THE SCOTTISH PLAY this season. As the Culture Vulture does not utter nor write the name of that play, one will just have to look at the logo on this entry to see its name.
Brave warrior the Thane of Cawdor emerges victorious from battle to be greeted by three witches who hail him as the future king of Scotland. What follows is a dizzying descent into political machinations, murder, and madness. It also contains what may be the Culture Vulture’s favorite exchange of dialogue in Shakespeare’s canon.
Lady M: To bed. To bed. To bed. (She exits)
Doctor: Will she go now to bed?
Performances begin tomorrow (June 21 at 7:30pm) and continue June 22 (7:30pm), June 27 (7:30pm), June 29 (2:00pm), July 3 (7:30pm), July 5 (7:30pm), and July 7 (2:00pm. The play is performed on the stage of the Reynolds Performance Hall.
The cast includes Paige Reynolds, Chad Bradford, Emily Wold, Benjamin Reed, Keith Illidge, Chris Fitzges, Rebecca Brudner, Nick Narcisi, Justin Jones, Ben Grimes, Kevin Alan Brown, Mikala Hicks, Zachary Blair, Jack Hradecky, Regean Allen, Stephanie Craven, and Saxon Whitehead.
The production is directed by Rebekah Scallet, the Producing Artistic Director of Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre.
Mary Ruth Marotte is the Executive Director.
Memories of a Soul Man: On the Road with Isaac Hayes — A Conversation with Chris Cockrell
Join the Old State House Museum on Thursday, June 20, from 12:00-1:00 pm as Chris Cockrell, an Arkansas native that worked as producer and road manager for Isaac Hayes in the 1990s and early 2000s, shares his stories of working and touring the world with Hayes in a conversational interview.
Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. was an iconic American singer, songwriter, actor, and producer. One of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a session musician and record producer.
Hayes teamed with partner David Porter during the mid-1960s on soul standards as “Soul Man” and “Hold On, I’m Comin,'” and reached the top of the charts on his own in 1971 with the #1 smash, Theme from “Shaft.”
Bring your lunch; they provide soft drinks and water. Admission is free.
The new Arkansas Repertory Theatre production of Willy Wonka Jr. will be the focus of a noontime Clinton School program today (June 20).
The scrumdidilyumptious adventures of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory light up the stage this summer at The Rep. Featuring many of the enchanting songs from the 1971 film, generations of candy lovers will delight in this devilishly delicious adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic tale, brought to life by a company of young artists. Grab your golden ticket to see Willy Wonka Jr.!
The Rep’s Director of Education Anna Kimmell says, “We’re thrilled to showcase the amazing talent of our local young artists and offer both performance and training opportunities for generations to come here at The Rep.”
The production runs June 21 to June 30.
All Clinton School Speaker Series events are free and open to the public. Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or by calling (501) 683-5239
Capitol View Studio presents an evening with Jon Auer, the co-founder/singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist of the Posies, along with Isaac Alexander as part of their June Sessions at South on Main.
Show begins at 8 pm. Purchase advance tickets for $10 or pay $15 at the door. Tickets do not guarantee you a seat. To reserve a table, please call (501) 244-9660.
ABOUT JON AUER
A critically-acclaimed solo artist, Jon Auer is also the co-founder/singer/songwriter/ multi-instrumentalist of the Posies and was a member of the reformed Big Star for 17 years (until Alex Chilton’s untimely passing in 2010). Auer has toured the world over in support of his much-praised solo release, Songs From The Year Of Our Demise, and his one-man show is entrancing and intimately entertaining, songs and stories side by side.
Auer has produced and/or mixed records for the likes of You Am I, Redd Kross, and Spiral Stairs (of Pavement) and the Sub Pop label and also performed on William Shatner’s Has Been album (produced by Ben Folds).Former Beatle Ringo Starr even covered one of Auer’s compositions (“Golden Blunders”) and Auer’s haunting “Lady Sweet” (sung by Auer) was the lead track from the Big Star record In Space. Auer is prominently featured in the 2017 Big Star movie Thank You Friends: Big Star’s Third Live…and More.
ABOUT ISAAC ALEXANDER
Isaac Alexander has been playing, writing, and recording in Little Rock since 1999 and has put out a total of twelve records under various band names—Big Silver, The Easys, Molten Lava, Greers Ferry to name a few. He’s played drums in the legendary Little Rock band, The Boondogs and has played and recorded with a number of local artists, including The Salty Dogs, Brother Andy and His Big Damn Mouth, Cosby, The Big Cats, Jonathan Wilkins, Jesse Aycock, Chris Micheals, and Jim Mize.
The last few years Alexander has been working on solo albums with his friends. He has so far released See Thru Me and Antivenin Suite and is working on a third record presently. See Thru Me was No. 6 on the Arkansas Times Music Poll’s best Arkansas albums list.
ABOUT CAPITOL VIEW
Capitol View Studio LLC is located at 120 S. Cross in the West End of downtown Little Rock, AR and is a full production recording studio. Owner, Bryan Frazier, is a working visual artist with a background in art education and music production and is an award-winning singer/songwriter and video producer.
Engineer and producer, Mark Colbert, is the primary audio engineer for Capitol View Studio. Mark is an experienced producer, engineer and professional session drummer. Colbert has spent many years working in professional studios in Los Angeles and has performed and recorded with Grammy award-winning artists such as Kelly Clarkson and Alanis Morissette among many others.
CVS artists include: John Burnette, Townsend, Mark Currey, SUMOKEM, Jeff Matika, Dazz & Brie among many others. Capitol View Studio is one of central Arkansas’s fastest growing full production studios with Little Rock’s largest live room for recording that’s like no other.
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