More Than A Mouthful

Joseph K. Farmer is a busy man.

"The first step of the day is I unlock the door," he says with a laugh. "The rest of the day can be anything from making reservations and taking calls to rearranging the chairs and physical labor, but it's great. There is no where else I would rather be. It's a great gig."

Farmer recently became the manager at Rogers Little Theater, and when not busy coordinating volunteers, keeping concessions stocked and organizing rental agreements between shows, he's onstage right now among the cast of "The Man Who Came to Dinner."

"I'm really enjoying being a part of this play," he says. "I've done several shows at RLT, but when you're a performer, you don't really get a chance to see what it takes to run a show -- all of the hard work. Our volunteers serve the beverages and make sure we have all of the tablecloths. We rely heavily on our volunteers."

Farmer will grace the stage as Richard Stanley, the starry-eyed son of homeowners Mr. and Mrs. Stanley and the eager pseudo-assistant of the temporary invalid, Sheridan Whiteside. Whiteside, who slips on a patch of ice while staying in the Stanley home, creates a difficult and hilarious string of inconveniences and problems for the household.

"Richard and his sister June really kind of befriend him and look up to him, even though their first meeting with him is kind of rough," Farmer says. "But after an apology, they open a channel of friendship. He may pull some tricks on the others, but he is sincere with Stanley."

"Sheridan is a handful," says Andria Lickfelt, who is playing Whiteside's private secretary. "But she's very down to earth and no nonsense and keeps him in line. She knows his manners, or lack of manners, very well. She is very loyal. And in a cast of very eccentric characters, she seems to be the most normal."

Like Farmer, the mother of two has been with Rogers Little Theater for many years.

"After my husband took the job in Northwest Arkansas, I started to look for a theater to be involved with," she said. "The first thing I did after looking at schools for my children was I Googled theaters. RTL was the first theater that came up and the first one I auditioned at and got cast. It's become a family. It's been great, and I really love all the new people I've met."

"This is such a fantastic cast," says director Brenda Nemec. "Northwest Arkansas has such amazing talent, and this cast is really great. We have 24 adults and eight children that make a big, fun all-volunteer group. It's a joy to be able to work on a show like this, and I'm extremely blessed."

Working on "The Man Who Came to Dinner" is a great emotional leap from the last show Nemec was involved with.

"I was the assistant director and stage manager for 'Les Miserables,'" she says and adds with a laugh, "going from that show to this one has been different, especially when everybody dies and you go to a comedy that's hilarious. I think the audience is going to walk away really happy and relaxed and have enjoyed these over-the-top, zany characters."

"Since the characters are all based on actual actors of the period" -- among them Harpo Marx -- "this is such a timeless classic," Lickfelt says. "The audience will be really involved in the first little bit, getting to know all of the characters. But then they are in for a ride of crazy characters. They will leave maybe a little exhausted from laughing so much!"

"It's a good time, a nice night out at the theater," says Farmer. "If you haven't been to the theater before, this is a good starter show with a lot of action; it's chaotic and fun. It may be set in the late 1930s, but it's relatable. We idolize our celebrities just like these characters, but if we had to spend some time with them, we may get more than what we bargained for.

"I know the audience is going to really enjoy it," he adds cheerfully. "And hopefully a little excited to come back."