Here’s the latest weekend entertainment roundup from Eric E. Harrison, culture reporter for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
FIREWORKS
This is the 40th year of Pops on the River, held at the River Market and centered at the First Security Bank Amphitheater, 400 President Clinton Ave.
The festivities, sponsored by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, begin at 5 p.m. and include free family entertainment, children’s activities and games, and food trucks, culminating in a concert featuring, at 6:30 p.m., Nicky Parrish and the Kemistri group, followed at 7:30 by jazz trumpeter Rodney Block and the Arkansas Symphony, with associate conductor Valery Saul on the podium, performing patriotic works at approximately 8:30.
The finale of the fireworks will explode from the nearby Main Street Bridge sometime between 9:15 and 9:30 p.m. The bridge will close to traffic at 1:00 p.m. and reopen at 11:00 p.m.
Admission is free. Bring lawn chairs and blankets, but no fireworks, food, drinks, coolers or pets. pops.arkansasonline.com.
And if you’re looking for another place to watch the fireworks, Dickey-Stephens Park across the river in North Little Rock is open today, Thursday, July 4, starting at 7:00 p.m. Fans are welcome to play ball on the field from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (bring your own glove, which you’ll need to gain entry to the field; they’ll provide the baseballs). You can’t bring your own outside food and drinks, but you will be able to purchase some stadium concessions, including alcoholic beverages, but please remember that the stadium is a cashless facility. Admission is free; parking in the lot (just west of the Broadway Bridge) is $5 per standard vehicle, and the stadium has a clear bag policy. Visit milb.com/arkansas/ballpark/know-before-you-go for more details.
THEATER
There will be no live theater to boast of this weekend, but there will be a number of productions opening next week, including the musical “Footloose,” at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 601 Main St., Little Rock. Preview performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. next Tuesday and Thursday, with an 8 p.m. curtain opening next Friday and performances at 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday through July 28. Music is by Tom Snow and lyrics by Dean Pitchford, with a book by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie, based on Pitchford’s screenplay for the 1984 film. (501) 378-0405; TheRep.org
Meanwhile, Actors Theatre of Little Rock opens its production of “Chicago” (music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, book by Ebb and Bob Fosse) “immersively” and in the round next week, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday through July 27 at Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church, 1600 Louisiana St., Little Rock. “Immersive” means the action (in a 1920s jazz club setting) happens in and around the audience, allowing some audience members to participate. The theater group has rated the show PG-13 for material “that may not be suitable for all audiences,” including sexual content, strong language, use of weapons and death. Visit actresstheatrelr.org/tickets.
Next Wednesday, Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, 6323 Colonel Glenn Road, Little Rock, opens its production of “Jersey Boys” (music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe, book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice), the origin story of the Four Seasons. The play runs through Aug. 17. (501) 562-3131; en:murrysdp.com.
And five actors are playing nearly 40 characters as the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre and Silver Lake, N.Y.-based Shake on the Lake Theatre collaborate on an abridged version of William Shakespeare’s “Henry V.” There will be outdoor performances at 7 p.m. next Wednesday and Thursday and July 14 at Hendrix Village, 1705 Altus, Conway; and indoor performances at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Amerine/Calhoun Glass Box, Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock, and at 7:30 p.m. July 15 at Arkansas Tech University’s Witherspoon Auditorium, 407 W. Q St., Russellville.
ART
The “Delta Triennial” will be on view through Aug. 25 at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 E. 9th St., Little Rock. The exhibition includes paintings, drawings, sculptures, textiles, an installation and even an audio piece by 39 artists from Arkansas and six neighboring states. Admission is free. (501) 372-4000 or visit arkmfa.org.
Tune in every Thursday at 4:44 pm to hear Eric’s roundup of arts and cultural events in Central Arkansas during All Things Considered on Little Rock Public Radio.
‘This article may contain information published by third parties, some details of this article were extracted from the following source: www.ualrpublicradio.org’
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