What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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DECEMBER 12-18, 2021 WHAT'S UP! 3 A Cozy Christmas Evening UA grad promises new music, laughs, nostalgia Rob Sutton's "The Heart of Christmas: Songs and Stories of the Season" is an "intimate journey through music, a nostalgic look at seasons past, and a celebration of hope and resilience," in which "Rob weaves his own holiday memories with Christmas favorites, new classics, and a contemporary spin." (Courtesy Photo/Susan Stripling) LARA JO HIGHTOWER NWA Democrat-Gazette T heatreSquared's holiday show "The Heart of Christmas: Songs and Stories of the Season" may be just what you need to get into the holiday spirit. A classic cabaret, the show features the talented Rob Sutton, his velvet vocals, Christmas songs — both classic and contemporary — and stage patter that hits all the notes, witty and droll to meaningful and nostalgic. The show's (and the singer's) perfect pitch are a result of Sutton's longstanding desire to create a cabaret show themed around his favorite holiday. He's been thinking about this for a while, he says. "Before I ever started writing the show, I knew I wanted to do a show that was sophisticated, contemporary, something that felt like sitting by a cozy fireplace with a blanket and your favorite slippers with a loved one or family and hot cocoa — that's the feeling I wanted," he says. "I didn't necessarily want it to feel like a holiday party. I wanted some weight to it. Because that's how I came into the process, I ended up choosing a lot of songs that may not be all that well known but hopefully will unfold in the moment in a way that is really meaningful to people." But, Sutton adds, that doesn't mean there won't be plenty of favorites included in the evening as well. "I'm singing 'The Christmas Song,' I'm singing 'The Christmas Waltz,' 'The Man with the Bag,' 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,' 'This Christmas,'" Sutton assures. "There are going to be plenty of recognizable tunes that people love. But, hopefully, people will walk away saying, 'Wow, so much beautiful new music that I didn't know,' and, hopefully, the meaning behind those new songs will speak to them." Sutton, a University of Arkansas graduate and a Mountain View native, has an impressive theater resume: He's performed on Broadway and in a variety of regional theater productions. His beautiful baritone has been heard twice before on the TheatreSquared stage in "Fun Home" and "Next to Normal." He had just moved to New York City in 1996 when cabaret was introduced to him. "It's such a beautiful art form when it's done well," he says. "What I love about it is that it's intimate, it's personal. One of the main characteristics of cabaret is that the fourth wall is broken. See Heart Page 4 FAQ The Heart of Christmas: Songs and Stories of the Season WHEN — 6 p.m. Dec. 11-12, 18, 26; 8 p.m., Dec. 11, 18, 26; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14-17 and 21-23 WHERE — TheatreSquared, 477 W. Spring St. in Fayetteville COST — $41-$54 INFO — 777-7477, theatre2.org FAYETTEVILLE