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42 WHAT'S UP! AUGUST 28-SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 COVER STORY PRESIDENT Brent A. Powers EDITOR Becca Martin-Brown 479-872-5054 bmartin@nwaonline.com Twitter: NWAbecca REPORTERS Monica Hooper mhooper@nwaonline.com April Wallace awallace@nwaonline.com (479) 770-3746 DESIGNER Deb Harvell ! UP WHAT'S ON THE COVER In the TheatreSquared production of "It Came From Outer Space," Christopher Kale Jones (right) reprises the leading role he created at Chicago Shakespeare Theater — "a fun mess of a guy" named John Putnam who "is obsessed with saving the world whenever he can, but has gotten into trouble in the past for 'crying wolf' when it comes to earth-threatening danger." (COURTESY PHOTO/T2) What's Up! is a publication of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. T2 Continued From Page 4 whenever he can, but has gotten into trouble in the past for 'crying wolf' when it comes to earth-threatening danger. "As an actor, it's always fun to play a character who is full of themselves even when they are woefully wrong or unprepared. For a modern archetype, it's kind of like Will Ferrell in 'Anchorman,' but instead of women entering the workplace, aliens are invading and no one believes John Putnam." Add Kinosian and Blair's score, and "the music virtually never stops," adds Tom Vendafreddo, the show's original music director. "Of course, there are big production numbers, where a moment in the story is musicalized with singing and dancing. But most of the show is also underscored with instrumental music that supports the action on stage," he says. "The underscoring can help steer the emotional landscape of the piece for the audience. In other words, you may not even be aware that the orchestra is playing under the dialogue, but they can help build tension, set up a joke, calm your nerves, etc. Joe has done an amazing job of crafting a score that really does function as both movie soundtrack and musical theater score." "Honestly, I first hope audiences have a good time," Jones says of "ICFOS" at T2. "I know that's a bit shallow, but I'm a huge proponent of escapist entertainment. If they get nothing deeper than a few belly laughs in the middle of their 9-5 work weeks, I'll consider our job well done. "That said, the show does also play on the themes of what we do when someone is different from us, which is a universal feeling, whether you felt it as the new kid in school or a club, or moving to a new city, or seeing people who don't look like you for the first time. What do you do with that? With those feelings? Is common ground possible or are different people and things dangerous? "This show, in a very humorous way, asks all these questions, and I think it's up to the audience to answer them for themselves," Jones concludes. "But I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation!" "The score so successfully captures the 1950s sci-fi film score sound — think Henry Mancini, Herman Stein, etc. — so it's full of lush and complex melodies and harmonies," says the original music director of "ICFOS," Tom Vendafreddo. "I think the audience will find the score delightfully accessible, but that doesn't mean it's a piece of cake to learn, sing and play! The actors and musicians at T2 have done a wonderful job bringing to life the unique soundscape of Joe's score. The music nerds in the crowd will appreciate hearing a musical theater score that embraces the whole time scale and no shortage of augmented chords!" "This production is so slick that sometimes it's easy to forget: those actors are working their butts off behind-the-scenes," say "It Came From Outer Space" creators Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair. "They're throwing their voices, lip-syncing, changing characters on a dime, working the puppets— yes, even the intricate shadow puppetry is being operated by the actors behind a screen! Make sure you give yourself time to just sit there, mouth agape, in total awe of their ridiculous talent." After graduating college at Northwestern University in Chicago, Christoper Kale Jones moved to New York, toured the country with the musical "Jersey Boys" as Frankie Valli, formed his own band with three hit specials on PBS, and "returned to my love of theater in 2018," he says. He comes to TheatreSquared in the leading role in "It Came From Outer Space." "Hearing an audience erupt with laughter will always be an actor's thrill, but also hearing the comments from patrons about how it took them right back to watching these movies in black and white in re-runs on late-night television," says Christopher Kale Jones. "Plus, there aren't a lot of sci-fi comedy musicals out there and I'm a HUGE fan of sci- fi, so I consider myself lucky that I get to do this!" (Courtesy Photos/T2)