Young artists do a number from ‘Annie.’ Photo by Ben Krain.
‘SING, DANCE, REPEAT!’
7 p.m., Arkansas Repertory Theater. $15.
Just about every professional theater company in the country has an educational program aimed at young artists, says Nicole Capri, the director of education at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. But few, if any, put those young people on their main stage as the Rep will do for 10 performances beginning Friday.
In “Sing, Dance, Repeat!” an original musical production written and directed by Capri, some 70 young folk, ages 10 to 23, will sing, dance and act their way through a musical history of the 20th century. The show, which will feature video montages and period costumes and dancing, will begin with the Wright brothers and culminate with 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and more uplifting moments of recent days.
Nostalgia is a key element in the production, thanks to standards such as “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” the song that inspired Capri to create the work, “My Heart Belongs to Daddy,” “Feelin’ Groovy” and “The Hammer Dance.” (Don’t worry. Capri knows that “The Hammer Dance” wouldn’t be “The Hammer Dance” without parachute-y Hammer pants.)