ENTERTAINMENT NOTES

Chris Stapleton, MercyMe headline concerts at AMP

Chris Stapleton performs Thursday and MercyMe headlines Saturday at the Walmart AMP in Rogers.
Chris Stapleton performs Thursday and MercyMe headlines Saturday at the Walmart AMP in Rogers.

This week at the Walmart AMP, 5079 W. Northgate Road, Rogers:

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Violinist Joshua Bell solos Sept. 11 with the Fort Smith Symphony and conductor John Jeter.

• Country and bluegrass singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Doors open at 6. ­­­­Tickets are $36-$56 plus applicable fees.

• MercyMe with opening act Jeremy Camp will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $31-$55.50.

Call (479) 443-5600 or visit amptickets.com.

Bluegrass family

Birch Tree, Mo.-based bluegrass-gospel-country band the Baker Family -- Carrie Baker, who sings and plays guitar, and her children Trustin, 17, fiddle, banjo; Carina, 15, mandolin; and Elijah, 12, bass -- will perform at 7 p.m. Monday at the Collins Theatre, 120 W. Emerson St., Paragould, part of radio station KASU-FM, 91.9's, Bluegrass Monday series. The station will "pass the hat" to pay the performers; suggested donation is $5. Doors open at 6. Call (870) 972-2367, email [email protected] or visit the Bluegrass Monday Facebook page.

Poppins in Rogers

Arkansas Public Theatre will stage Mary Poppins (original music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman; book by Julian Fellowes; new songs and additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe; co-created by Cameron Mackintosh), 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday through Aug. 14 at the Victory Theater, 116 S. Second St, Rogers. Doors and concessions open at 7. Cabaret seats are $30, $50 for a two-seat table; balcony seats are $17. Call (479) 631-8988 or visit arkansaspublictheatre.org.

The theater will also hold auditions Aug. 1 for the '80s rock musical Rock of Ages -- 7 p.m. for women, 8 p.m. for men -- at the Victory Theater. Check-in starts at 6:30. Production dates are Sept. 4-25. Audition packets are available online at arkansaspublictheatre.org.

Bell to play Bruch

Violinist Joshua Bell will solo with the Fort Smith Symphony in the Violin Concerto No. 1 by Max Bruch at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 11 at the ArcBest Corp. Performing Arts Center, 55 S. Seventh St., Fort Smith. The program will also include the Overture to The Flying Dutchman by Richard Wagner and Capriccio Espagnol by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The concert kicks off the orchestra's 2016-17 season, its 20th with John Jeter as music director and conductor.

The rest of the classical and pops lineup (all concerts, 7:30 p.m., ArcBest Corp. Performing Arts Center):

• Oct. 22: "Hot Latin Nights with the Mambo Kings." Jose Pablo Moncayo: Huapango; Joaquin Turina: Danzas fantasticas, op. 22; Leonard Bern­stein: "Mambo" from West Side Story; music by Astor Piazzola, Dave Brubeck and Tito Puente

• Dec. 3: "A Classic Christmas," with Don Bailey, saxophone; Rob Bradshaw, cello; Belva Ross, soprano; the Western Arkansas Ballet; and the Fort Smith Chorale.

• Jan. 21: "Divergent Moods." Elizabeth Shuhan, flute. W.A. Mozart: Symphony No. 25 in g minor; Charles Tomlinson Griffes: Poem for Flute and Orchestra; Antonin Dvorak: Symphony No. 6 in D major.

• April 22: "Bonded ­ -- The Music of James Bond," with Fort Smith Mayor Sandy Sanders, narrator. Edward Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D major; Benjamin Britten: The Young Persons' Guide to the Orchestra, op. 34; music from Bond films, including Diamonds Are Forever, Goldeneye, For Your Eyes Only and A View to a Kill.

• May 13: "Conductor's Choice." Richard Strauss: Serenade for Winds in E-flat major, op. 7; Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 7; Elgar: Sospiri (for strings), op.70; Leos Janacek: Sinfonietta.

Season tickets are $195 and $150, $125 and $100 for students. Single tickets -- $45 and $40, $22 and $17 for students -- go on sale Aug. 15. Call (479) 452-7575, email [email protected] or visit fortsmithsymphony.org.

'That's Frankenstein!'

Community Theatre of Little Rock will hold open auditions for the musical Young Frankenstein (music and lyrics by Mel Brooks, book by Brooks and Thomas Meehan), 6:30-10 p.m. Saturday and July 31 at the Studio Theatre, 320 W. Seventh St., Little Rock. Directors Tamara Boggs and Mark Burbank and Musical Director Jo Murry will cast men, women and children of various ages.

For the vocal auditions, 6:30-7:30 p.m., prepare a 32-bar selection either from the show or in the style of the show and provide sheet music for the accompanist (no tracks or a cappella auditions). A dance component (provide tap shoes if you have them, but they are not required to audition) and readings from the script will follow singing auditions. An accompanist will be provided. And also provide head shots and resumes if you have them. Production dates are Oct. 13-30. Rehearsals begin Aug. 29. Visit ctlr-act.org.

Ballet season

Ballet Arkansas will open its 2016-17 season at 7 p.m. Aug. 20 with its third annual Visions Choreographic Competition in the Center for Performing Arts, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock. Dozens of emerging choreographers from around the country will be vying for four spots in the concert; the winner receives a commission to create a new work on the Ballet Arkansas company for its 2017 spring show.

The rest of the season:

• 6-8 p.m. Sept. 21: two mixed-repertory pieces with members of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra for the opening festivities for the Acansa Arts Festival, Junior League of Little Rock Building, 401 Scott St., Little Rock. acansaartsfestival.org/tickets.

• 7 p.m. Oct. 30: Under the Lights (set to the music of Johnny Cash) and a Nutcracker preview, Anthony Chapel, Garvan Woodland Gardens, 550 Arkridge Road, Hot Springs. Tickets: (800) 366-4664; garvangardens.org.

• Dec. 9-11, times TBA: P.I. Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker returns to Robinson Center Music Hall, West Markham and Broadway, Little Rock, with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in the pit. Tickets go on sale in early September: arkansassymhony.org. Community cast auditions: Aug. 27; visit balletarkansas.org/the-nutcracker to register.

• April 28-30, times TBA: "Springtime Fantasies," annual spring classical and contemporary mixed-repertory show, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Sixth and Main streets, Little Rock. The program will include Valse Fantaisie, a George Balanchine work, the second of three commissioned works by Pacific Northwest Ballet's resident choreographer, Kiyon Gaines; the expanded "Visions" competition winner; and, a new staging of the Marius Petipa-choreographed classical ballet, Paquita Grande Pas Classique. Tickets go on sale in early fall: therep.org.

Call (501) 223-5150 or visit balletarkansas.org.

Style on 07/24/2016

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