What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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Renata and Colonna are joined on stage by a slate of actors with equally impressive resumes — but more importantly, T2 and Thomason have cast actors who embody the spirit of these well-loved characters without resorting to imitation or caricature. Carmen Cusack, a musical theater legend, finds Julia Sugarbaker's wry imperiousness with ease (Katherine LaNasa will pick up the role for the second half of the run); Amy Pietz, veteran of television comedies like "Caroline in the City" and "Modern Family," delivers Suzanne's tart — usually misguided — social commentary with wide-eyed, self-centered precision; native southerner Elaine Hendrix — who, in roles like Alexis Carrington in the recent reboot of "Dynasty" and Meredith Blake in "The Parent Trap," has no trouble showing her steely side — exudes warmth and humor in her portrayal of Charlene; and Colonna nails Mary Jo's tricky combination of witty sarcasm and empathy. In addition to Cleo, a second new Sugarbakers employee is added to the mix — television and movie actress Kim Matula (credits include "Fighting With My Family," "UnREAL" and "The Bold and the Beautiful") is charmingly naive as Charlene's younger sister Haley, comically aghast at some of the topics of conversation in the office. R. Ward Duffy ("Blindspot," "Madame Secretary") plays a potential love interest for Julia, and Matthew Floyd Miller ("Call of the Wild," "Not About Nightingales") plays Suzanne's Trump-crazy ex-husband. Colonna says the process of translating these popular characters from the television screen to the stage has been intimidating at times. "I want to do it justice, I want to do Annie Potts justice, but I don't want to mimic her," she says. "It's a tricky line — I don't want to mimic an actress playing a role, I want to give homage to what she brought to the role. I think that's a big part that everyone feels a responsibility about — making sure that you don't see these characters and go, 'No, that doesn't add up or match up.' You want people to believe that we're playing these iconic characters that were on for so long." Given the popularity of the original show, it's a good bet that many people will flock to this production, eager to see the characters they remember so fondly sound off on the current state of the world. The good news is the particular magic of the original show is present — the incisive social commentary, the quick, funny banter, and likable actors that have you rooting for them every step of the way. In the end, Haley may just speak for "Designing Women" audiences when she says, "I just love the way y'all talk! And you have such colorful personalities. This is gonna be fun." SEPTEMBER 19-25, 2021 WHAT'S UP! 37 COVER STORY PRESIDENT Brent A. Powers EDITOR Becca Martin-Brown 479-872-5054 bmartin@nwadg.com Twitter: NWAbecca ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jocelyn Murphy 479-872-5176 jmurphy@nwadg.com Twitter: NWAJocelyn REPORTER Lara Hightower 479-365-2913 lhightower@nwadg.com DESIGNER Deb Harvell ! UP WHAT'S ON THE COVER Nearly three decades after the last "Designing Women" episode aired on television, the world is getting a chance to hear what the Sugarbakers crew thinks about what's hap- pened in the intervening years. Linda Bloodworth-Thom- ason's new script, mounted at TheatreSquared under the direction of Harry Thomason, features Carmen Cusack (center) as Julia Sugarbaker; Kim Matula as Haley McPhee; Carla Renata as Cleo Bouvier; Sarah Colonna as Mary Jo Shively; Amy Pietz as Suzanne Sugarbaker; and Elaine Hendrix as Charlene Frazier. (COURTESY PHOTO/WESLEY HITT FOR T2) What's Up! is a publication of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Designing Continued From Page 9 Native southerner Elaine Hendrix, known for roles like Alexis Carrington in the recent reboot of "Dynasty" and Meredith Blake in "The Parent Trap," discusses a script change during rehearsal for her portrayal of Charlene in the TheatreSquared premiere of "Designing Women." (Courtesy Photo/Wesley Hitt for T2)