ARTISTIC LEEWAY

A storied event

Library foundation, hunger relief agency beneficiaries of fundraiser

Little Rock native and recording artist Leslie Darwin O'Brien came home and joined Guy Choate and Bill Fuller for Latitude, An Evening of Stories and Songs benefiting the Central Arkansas Library System Foundation and the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. The performance, which came together thanks to the efforts to Del Boyette, took place Dec. 7 at the system's Ron Robinson Theater in Little Rock.

Fuller accompanied O'Brien as she took her appreciative audience of local notables through a variety of self-commentated songs, including "Tonight" from the musical West Side Story, "Moon River" from the film Breakfast at Tiffany's, "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the musical Carousel; and other tunes.

She invited the audience to sing along with her on "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "I'll Fly Away" and announced "Memory" as being "for anybody who's had a senior moment" before singing the changed lyrics to the song from the musical Cats: "Help, what ... did I walk in the room for ..."

Choate -- essayist, aspiring author, founder and director of the Argenta Reading Series in North Little Rock -- had the audience laughing with three tales based on his personal experiences: "Steve the Bicyclist," "Gas! Gas! Gas!" and "Joshua."

After the concert, O'Brien was presented with flowers and a framed poster of the event by Kathy Webb, executive director of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, and Nate Coulter, director of the library system. The event raised about $30,000, it was announced.

O'Brien delivered the Christmas carol "O Holy Night" as an encore. Afterward, guests gathered in the upper chambers of the theater for a champagne reception.

High Profile on 12/17/2017

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