What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1450212
Fort Smith Little Theatre BUY TICKETS AND SELECT YOUR SEATS ONLINE AT FSLT.ORG Or Call 479.783.2966 (ext. 2) Tickets: Opening Night & Valentines- $20 | Other Performances - $12 SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN It's 1938 in the Smoky Mountains, and you are invited to a Gospel Sing at the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church. The Sanders Family, a talented but unusual traveling troupe, will be performing rousing bluegrass songs as they reveal their true, and often hilariously imperfect, natures. Hand clapping music, knee slapping comedy. Thursday Opening Night Performance, 7:30 pm: February 10 Regular Evening Shows, 7:30 pm: February 11-12, 16-19 Sunday Matinees 2:00 pm: February 13 & 20 SPECIAL VALENTINES PERFORMANCE, 7:30 pm: FEB. 14 In assoc. with Concord Theatricals | Director Brandon Bolin | Music Director George Mann Book C. Ray, Conceived A. Bailey, Musical Arrangements M. Craver & M. Hardwick 4 WHAT'S UP! FEBRUARY 13-19, 2022 Behind the scenes, Alix Barrett (left) has taught the huge cast of "Something Rotten" to tap dance, and Brenda Mashburn Nemec is the assistant director that runs a tight ship while director Ed McClure plays a couple of cameo roles in "Something Rotten." (Courtesy Photo/Chad Wigington for APT) RLT Continued From Page 3 COVER STORY in his life. (He's great. That's all I can say about that.) But choreographer Alix Barrett taught him — and the rest of the cast — while seven months pregnant with a baby girl. "This show is A LOT," says Barrett. "There are so many long musical numbers that rely heavily on the ensemble. They are constantly needing to remember quickly changing formations, dance steps, and to sing and smile all at the same time!" And clearly, dancing wouldn't be as natural as breathing for them, "so they have had to work extra hard!" "This is the most dance-heavy show I've been in," says Cody Robinson, who plays William Shakespeare and sings the delightful rock ballad "Will Power" filled with "Easter eggs" for fans of The Bard. "Luckily I don't have to do as much, but just seeing my cast mates have to do it just shows how talented they are." "It's a huge show, with tons of high- paced dance numbers and big belt-y showtunes," adds Brandtly Wheeler, who plays a competing playwright named Nick Bottom. "And it is by far one of the funniest shows I have ever been blessed to be a part of." The premise is that Nick and his brother Nigel (Henry Aggus) are looking for a hit — and Shakespeare is beating them to the punch at every turn. Maybe, thinks Nick, a fortune teller could reveal what Shakespeare will do next — and so enters Nostradamus. He gets it mostly right in predicting the popularity of musicals — but he misses the boat on "Hamlet," which leads to dancing omelets in Act II. "Honestly, what attracted me to 'Something Rotten' was the tap dancing eggs," says Stephanie Whitcomb, who plays Nick's wife Bea. "I consider myself a character actress, and Bea is a wonderful vehicle for that. She is strong and silly with a great sense of humor, not unlike myself. I also really relate to her because she is a feminist, which in the Renaissance would have been very brave of her, and absolutely terrifying." Shakespeare, says Robinson — who also played the Meat Loaf character in "The Rocky Horror Show" and Trekkie Monster in "Avenue Q" — "is the most famous person in the setting of this show, and he loves every bit of it." "I've been doing shows at APT since back when it was called Rogers Little Theater," says Robinson. "My mom suggested I try a show, and that's all it took. This show is absolutely hilarious, and the music is incredibly catchy. The cast is always the biggest part for me personally, and this cast is amazing. For the audience though, it's nonstop laughs the whole way through." "I loved musicals and theater from a young age," agrees Wheeler, who last appeared on the APT stage in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." I remember sitting in my grandma's living room watching classics like 'Singin' In the Rain' and 'Calamity Jane' before she started taking me to see live shows. Since then I've always enjoyed the thrill of watching performers on stage. "Trying not to laugh at your own jokes is sometimes the hardest part," he adds about "Something Rotten." "It really is incredibly funny. There are definitely some tongue-twisters in some of the songs as well, so trying to keep that straight while tap dancing in rhythm can be quite the challenge." QUIZ How well do you know your theater? Take our quiz at nwaonline.com/213rotten/