What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1462098
BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette T he show is a wild and crazy ride full of unexpected turns that will leave audiences wondering — for a while — what is going on — not unlike the last two years," actress Amy Eversole says of the Arkansas Public Theatre production of "Meteor Shower." "I guess if there's a difference between a message two years ago versus today, it would address the unpredictability of life and how easily and quickly things can change." "Meteor Shower," written by comedian Steve Martin, was scheduled to open March 20, 2020 — and everyone knows what happened after that. "It was heartbreaking when we were so close to opening and we got shut down because of covid," says Stephanie Whitcomb, who is also reprising her role this time around. "I could not pass up the opportunity to relaunch this show, to finally complete what we started two years ago." Director Ed McClure was delighted to get 75% of his cast — including actor Joseph Farmer — back to give it another go. Kevin Hill, who was new to Northwest Arkansas in 2020, steps in to fill the fourth role. "When APT reopened in 2021, I asked to become a member of the lighting crew and worked on several productions," he explains. "Last year I was able to snag a small role in 'Inherit the Wind' and stepped on stage for the first time in over 30 years. It was like shaking hands with an old friend you've forgotten how much you missed." So here's the premise of "Meteor Shower" — and if you think it sounds like Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," you won't be the first person to think so. Corky and Norm (played by Whitcomb and Hill) are an Ojai, Calif., couple working diligently on their marriage, right down to the formulaic interactions if someone's feelings are hurt. But as New Age as they are, they're also not opposed to some social climbing made possible when the Newmans, "an apparently well-connected Santa Barbara couple," invite themselves over to watch the Perseid meteor shower of 1993. Hollywood Reporter critic David Rooney describes the Newmans as "magnificent specimens with intimidating personalities to match. Rangy, handsome and overflowing with masculine confidence, Gerald … delivers each polished pearl of wisdom with the stentorian self-infatuation of a veteran stage ham. Laura is a slinky goddess in a strappy gold number that outlines her flawless shape to perfection. … She's also masterful at disguising casual put-downs as compliments, or lobbing insinuations that fuel Corky's escalating unease, and the guests' blithe deployment of non-sequiturs throws their hosts even further off-balance." What happens between the two couples depends on which version of the storyline you follow — and you'll see more than one, as Martin restarts the play several times in its 80-minute running time. "Martin's comic thesis is that Corky and Norm are so repressed, it takes a cosmic event on the scale of a meteor shower to unleash their inner selves," Variety critic Marilyn Stasio wrote. "'Meteor Shower' is, at its core, about marriage," Whitcomb says. "I think the pandemic changed people's ideas about what a successful marriage can look like. Being quarantined with a spouse indefinitely can either strengthen or weaken a marriage, and I think the audience will identify with the struggles and victories of the two couples portrayed in the show." "This show is made for audiences to let go and laugh. After the absurdity of the past few years, this show fits perfectly with the current timeline," adds Farmer. "In the words of Norm: 'I don't know what's going on, but I'm just going to go with it.'" MARCH 20-26, 2022 WHAT'S UP! 7 FAQ 'Meteor Shower' WHEN — 8 p.m. March 25-26; 2 p.m. March 27; again March 31-April 3 WHERE — Arkansas Public Theatre in Rogers COST — $15 & up INFO — arkansaspublictheatre.org, 631-8988 Comedy Of Errors Two couples, several plots, tons of laughs in 'Meteor Shower' "Corky is a mildly neurotic social climber with some odd quirks," says Stephanie Whitcomb. "I am definitely quirky. But I am in no way concerned with any sort of social status. I am also really easy going, whereas Corky is more type A." "Norm is … a bit clueless, somewhat absent minded, and filled with bad jokes," says Kevin Hill. "Someone easy to overlook and underestimate. Am I Norm? I think we do have a lot in common and that's what makes him challenging." "My character, Laura, is a woman confident and secure in her sexuality and unafraid to speak her mind or indulge her impulses," says Amy Eversole. "She thrives on antagonistic interactions and wants to maintain the upper hand. I'd say she's pretty opposite me." "Gerald is a fun character to play," says actor Joseph Farmer. "Norm describes him as 'kind of two people,' both vicious and wonderful. I like to think we all have a little Gerald in all of us." (Courtesy Photos) ROGERS