What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1092811
MARCH 17-23, 2019 WHAT'S UP! 9 Broadway just after the start of the year and was dubbed by Huffington Post "the funniest play Broadway has ever seen!" Ross describes the play-within-a-play — where a local theater company strives to put on a show in spite of, as the title suggests, more than a few mishaps — as Agatha Christie meets Monty Python. "We as an institution try to present plays as well as musicals in the Broadway series. Not every market does that, and in fact, they're becoming more and more rare," Galbraith explains. "The fact that this is one of the most fall-down funny plays you will ever see in your life only makes it that much more sweet to be able to do it. I've seen a lot of comedies, and this one just keeps pushing farther and farther past the line of believability. And yet you believe it." The classic holiday favorite-turned- musical making its Arkansas debut in December was set to music by the same songwriting and composing duo that worked on Tony-winner "Dear Evan Hansen" and Oscar-winner "La La Land." "A Christmas Story: The Musical" is a "home run of a musical," Galbraith says, as it stands up on its own as a piece of theater, but also lives up to the weight of its status as a beloved holiday tradition. Bring up the 2018 Tony winner of Best Revival of a Musical in front of Galbraith, and you'd better be ready for an enthusiastic response. "One of my favorite shows of all time!" he gushes over "Once on This Island." The story of an island girl rescued by the gods from a hurricane's devastation explores how love and loss can bring people together. "I love this show," Galbraith continues. "I love how simple the story is. I love how complex the situation is. The music is compelling and engaging, and it just has that authentic Caribbean feel to it. It transports you, and this particular production moved me to tears because it was so clever. It creates some real artistic brilliance that just has to be seen." From the French Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea, Walton Arts Center travels next to Russia and Paris with the stage adaptation of "Anastasia." Inspired by the 1997 animated film, the musical keeps six of the movie's most beloved songs and reunites the original lyricist and composer to flesh out the show with all new music. "It's such a pretty story," Ross says warmly. "When I saw this, I thought, 'Oh my gosh, they brought Technicolor to the stage.' It's just tremendous. Their use of projection is just thrilling, the costuming is gorgeous, and the music is lush." One of Broadway's most iconic stories and the only returning show in next year's regular season, director Bartlett Sher's reimagining of "Fiddler on the Roof" imbues the classic story with freshness and renewed authenticity. Northwest Arkansas audiences previously saw Sher's work with his stunning revival of "The King and I" two seasons ago. Patrons can translate that technique to "Fiddler" to get of sense of how the theater staple has been reinvigorated, Ross says. "'The Band's Visit' transported me," shares Ross of the final production of the season. "It is a quiet musical. If they had warmed up the theater a little bit, I would have thought I was in the desert. It's just so different than pretty much anything I've ever seen. It's about people who wind up in the wrong place, but they're taken in by strangers, so it's about hospitality. It's about feeling like you're missing out on life and then realizing you're not." The unassuming musical took the theater world by storm and made a sweep at last year's Tony Awards, with a story that uses music and our shared humanity to overcome differences. "People haven't heard of the third most-awarded show in Broadway history! But they're going to get to see it here in its first year, along with the major markets in the country," Galbraith says. "That's the essence of this Broadway series." "A Christmas Story: The Musical" makes its Arkansas debut Dec. 10-15. "Anastasia" brings six of the movie's most beloved songs to the stage March 10-15, 2020. "Escape to Margaritaville" will be on stage Oct. 22-27 at the Walton Arts Center. "The Play That Goes Wrong" is slated for Nov. 12-17. "The Band's Visit" wraps up the new WAC season May 19-23, 2020. See WAC Broadway Page 11