Arkansas Repertory Theatre

While we’re not yet prepared to declare the roaring 20s are here full throttle lest we rouse the gods to plot some horrific new variant of coronavirus hell (“eye of newt, toe of frog, tongue of DeltaCron”), the train of live music in 2022 is undoubtedly leaving the station. Be safe out there, and if you’re getting out, here are a few shows bound not to disappoint:

“School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play”: Jocelyn Bioh’s comedy about coming of age in Ghana is at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre with a stellar cast and a mindblowing exhibit in the lobby from fiber artist Crystal C. Mercer, who worked on the production as a culture and costume consultant:

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Katy Kirby and Sun June: Reason #120,582 not to ever sleep on the Stickyz calendar, ever. Case in point: this Little Rock stop tonight from songwriter Katy Kirby, whose Bible Belt-informed bio hits home for this particular former church camp attendee and undoubtedly throngs of others:

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Katy Kirby is a songwriter and indie rock practitioner with an affinity for unspoken rules, misunderstanding, and boredom. She was born, raised, and homeschooled by two ex-cheerleaders in small-town Texas and started singing in church, amidst the pasteurized-pop choruses of evangelical worship, about which she shares acute perceptions.

Like many bible belt late-millennials, Katy grew up on a strict diet of this dependably uncool genre. She recalls, “In the mid-90s, the American evangelical church was making music of an extraordinarily digestible, almost unprecedentedly easy-listening kind, stylistically void and vaguely dubbed Christian Contemporary Music, or CCM. It was pop that wasn’t quite pop, determinedly hanging on to the openhearted melodies of a decade prior, straightforward so as to be easily memorable, and in a key that an average churchgoer could sing along to.”

Some pre-show listening:

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SeanFresh, Faron Rashelle, Brittany McFadden, Dyz (Saturday night), Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires (Friday night): Both nights at the White Water Tavern are going to be killer. SeanFresh is gonna waltz in looking smooth and sounding smoother Saturday night with a packed lineup of R&B and soul vocalists. That is, if Alabama’s fierce-as-hell rock outfit Lee Bains & The Glory Fires don’t demolish the roof tonight with anthems for the age.

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Also, here is my favorite picture of the great Lee Bains.

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And if you’re looking for something from the classical corner of the landscape, baritone Connor Lidell is giving a recital at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral tonight and good gravy, is this ever a warm, lovely voice. Bonus: you can stay in and watch the livestream. 

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