ENTERTAINMENT: ‘Chocolate’ in Argenta; ‘Mamma Mia!’ at WAC | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

THEATER

Sweet song and dance

Argenta Contemporary Theatre, 405 Main St., North Little Rock, stages “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman, book by David Greg, based on the children’s classic by Roald Dahl), 7 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, April 28-May 1 and May 5-8, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday and May 2 and 9, and 2 p.m. April 26 and May 3. Case Dillard plays Willy Wonka, with Gus Howell as Charlie Bucket and Mark Hansen as Grandpa Joe. Tickets are $40-$75, with $25 day-of-show rush tickets (upon availability). Visit argentacontemporarytheatre.org.

‘Mamma Mia’ at WAC

Following a six-month revival run on Broadway, the 25th anniversary tour of “Mamma Mia!,” built upon ABBA songs by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus with a book by Catherine Johnson, is onstage this week for eight performances — 7 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 1:30 and 7 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. April 26 at Fayetteville’s Walton Arts Center, 495 W. Dickson St. Tickets are $102.35-$172.50 (subject to change). Call (479) 443-5600 or visit waltonartscenter.org.

MUSIC

Oboist’s memorial

Arkansas Symphony musicians Lorraine Duso Kitts; Lauren Pokorzynski and Algimantas Staskevicius, violins; Tatiana Kotcherguina, viola; and Stephen Feldman, cello, honor the late ASO principal oboist Dan Ross with “Song and Dance for Dan Ross” by Arthur Kreutz in a pair of River Rhapsodies Chamber Music concerts, 7 p.m. Tuesday and 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Susie and Charles Morgan Hall, Stella Boyle Smith Music Center, 1101 E. Third St. in Little Rock’s East Village.

The handwritten score for the 1975 work for oboe and string quartet, which Kreutz dedicated to Ross, was discovered in Ross’ music collection following his death in 2019. It had its premiere in 2025.

Also on the program: the orchestra’s Quapaw Quartet — Meredith Maddox Hicks and Charlotte Crosmer, violins; Timothy MacDuff, viola; and Travis Scharer, cello — performs the String Quartet in B major, op.20, No. 4, by Franz Joseph Haydn. Andrew Stadler, trumpet; David Renfro, French horn; and Michael Underwood, trombone, perform Lauren Bernofsky’s Trio for Brass. And Scharer joins Lauren Pokorzynski, violin, and Haeshin Shin to play the Piano Trio by Maurice Ravel.

Sponsor is Bank of America. Tickets are $30 (subject to change based on scarcity), $15 for students and military with a valid ID. Call (501) 666-1761, Ext. 1, or visit arkansassymphony.org.

‘Last Testimony’

The Close Up! Steinway Salon Chamber Series includes a concert titled “The Last Testimony,” 3 p.m. Saturday at the Steinway Gallery Fayetteville, 4155 N. Steele Blvd., No. 30, Fayetteville, and 3 p.m. April 26 at Steinway Gallery Little Rock, 657 Arkansas 365, Mayflower. David Gerstein, cello, and Jaeyeon Park, piano, will play Frederic Chopin’s Cello Sonata. Katherine Williamson, violin; Jennifer Carpenter, cello; and Tomoko Kashiwagi, piano, will play Franz Schubert’s Piano Trio No. 2. Admission is by free ticket — call (501) 940-1562 or email [email protected]; they’ll accept donations to support the performers.

Airmen of Note

The Airmen of Note, a United States Air Force Band jazz ensemble, on a nine-day community relations tour through Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, performs at 7 p.m. Thursday in Reynolds Performance Hall at the University of Central Arkansas, 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway, and 7 p.m. Friday at Little Rock Central High School, 1500 Little Rock Nine Way, Little Rock. Admission to both concerts is by free ticket. Visit music.af.mil/USAFBand/.

UALR concerts

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Piano Ensemble will give a concert, 7:30 p.m. Monday in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, Fine Arts Building, UALR, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock. Pianists Jack Hampton Smith and Molly Priddle will play “3 Petites pièces montées” by Erik Satie and the Sonatina in C major, op.152 No. 2, by Anton Diabelli. Ashton Blankenship and Stephen Graham will play “Waltz Lente” by Mel Bonis. And Stephen Graham, Rolf Groebeck, Leann Jones and Naoki Hakutani will play an arrangement for two pianos, eight hands of Edvard Grieg’s “Peer Gynt” Suite No. 1. Visit ualr.edu/event/spring-ua-little-rock-piano-ensemble-concert or email [email protected].

The UA Little Rock Jazz Ensemble performs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the concert hall. Michael Underwood directs. Visit ualr.edu/music/event/ or email [email protected].

And Lamon Lawhorn, a percussionist from Virginia State University, and the Blue Line Duo, the husband-and-wife percussion duo of Justin and Cassie Bunting, will be guest performers for the university’s Spring Percussion Concert, directed by Justin Bunting, 4 p.m. Saturday in the concert hall. The Trojan Steel Band will perform “Soca Evelyn” by Aldwyn Roberts, Jeff Moore’s arrangement of “I Can See Clearly Now,” Bob Marley’s “Is This Love?” and Brandon Mars’ arrangement of “Africa.” The UALR Percussion Ensemble performs “The Invisible Proverb” by Russell Hartenberger, “Variations on a Ghanaian Theme” by Daniel Levitan; “Nhiyr” by Michael J. Calamas (with Justin Bunting, marimba, and Lawhorn, vibraphone), “Wildlings” by Ivan Trevino and Justin Bunting’s arrangement of the traditional West African song “Djole.” Visit ualr.edu/event/ or contact email [email protected].

Admission to all three concerts is free. Parking is available in Lots 8 and 9.

 

FILM

Combat chaplain’s story

The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, 503 E. Ninth St., Little Rock, screens the documentary “Fighting Spirit — A Combat Chaplain’s Journey,” 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, the April edition of Movies at MacArthur. A former chaplain embarks on a journey to greet the recently identified remains of prisoner of war and Army combat chaplain Emil Kapaun after 70 years, inspired by the stories of the total of 419 fallen military chaplains. Admission, popcorn and soft drinks are free. Call (501) 376-4602.

ETC.

Library Week

The Central Arkansas and North Little Rock library systems celebrate National Library Week, kicking off with the Rock, Paper, Run 5K, 7:30-9 a.m. Sunday at the Argenta Library, 420 Main St., North Little Rock.

The rest of the lineup:

◼️ Monday-Saturday, daily activities (including including a patron-favorites wall, library bingo and interactive games), Oley E. Rooker Library, 11 Otter Creek Court, Little Rock.

◼️ 4-5 p.m. Tuesday, Amy Sanders Library, 10200 Johnson Drive, Sherwood. “Manga Tasting,” a chance to sample manga titles (participants receive one free manga while supplies last).

◼️ 4:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday, Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library & Learning Center, 4800 W. 10th St., Little Rock. “Library Lovers’ Luau,” a celebration “with a tropical twist featuring crafts and a fruit taste test.”

◼️ 10:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, “National Library Week Bookish Bracelets,” Teen Center, CALS Main Library, 100 Rock St., Little Rock. “Create fun, book-inspired bracelets.”

◼️ 10:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, “National Library Week Storytime,” Children’s Center, Main Library. Storytime followed by a hands-on craft.

◼️ Noon-1 p.m. Saturday, National Library Week Painted Book Boxes, Teen Center, Main Library. “Decorate a book-themed box to hold your treasures.”

◼️ Noon-5 p.m. Saturday, Children’s Center, Main Library, National Library Week Book Page Art, for ages 3-12. “Create unique art using recycled book pages.”

◼️ 2-3 p.m. Saturday, Children’s Library, Youthful Yoga + Storytime — storytime with a beginner-friendly yoga session.

◼️ 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, National Library Week Celebration, CALS Main Library, featuring free, family-friendly activities, including face painting and crafts, children’s activities, Mobile Makerspace with a library joy-themed art activity, CALS Cruiser bookmobile, Rover, North Little Rock system’s mobile library; and a passport services information table. Plus music from DJ Ally Lynn and food for sale from Boulevard Bread (inside the Main Library), Problem Child Pizza and The Dogfather.

Visit RockPaperRun.org.

 

Also as part of National Library Week, Indie Lens Pop-Up and the North Little Rock Public Library System host a special screening of “The Librarians,” a documentary that follows a network of librarians as they unite to examine how book restriction policies are shaping library collections, 6 p.m. Friday at the William F. Laman Public Library, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock.

Following the screening, a panel — Erin Shaw, University of Central Arkansas Graduate Library Media & Information Technologies Program Coordinator; Arkansas Tech University faculty member Ashley Cooksey; and North Little Rock Public Library board president Sonny Rhodes — will share insights and discuss how the issues the film raises affect the community.

Doors open at 5:30. Admission is free; reserve a spot by registering at programs.nlrlibrary.org/event/15978021.