Here’s the latest Weekend Entertainment Roundup from Eric E. Harrison, culture reporter at the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
THEATER
Miss Elizabeth “Lizzy” Bennet (Madeleine Barker) does not believe in marriage, or even love, until handsome, aristocratic, aloof and impossibly aggravating Mr. Darcy (Will Adams) appears on the scene in Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” with one final preview performance at 7 p.m. tonight, opening night at 8 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday through June 30 at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 601 Main St., Little Rock. (501) 378-0405; TheRep.org.
The University of Central Arkansas Summer Theatre, the new professional theater at UCA, stages its inaugural production, “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” (music, lyrics and book by Clark Gesner, based on Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip Peanuts), 7:30 p.m. Friday and June 28, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and June 29 and 2 p.m. Sunday and June 30 in the James M. Bridges Black Box Theatre in the university’s Windgate Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, Donaghey and Bruce streets, Conway. (501) 450-3265 or (866) 810-0012.
Homicidal fairies, nasty ogres and ‘90s pop culture take the stage in a comedic romp into the world of fantasy role-playing games at the Weekend Theater, West Seventh and Chester streets, Little Rock for the final weekend of “She Kills Monsters” by Qui Nguyen, 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. centralarkansastickets.com
It’s also the final weekend for the Royal Players’ production of “The SpongeBob Musical,” 7 p.m. today-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Royal Theatre, 111 S. Market St., Benton. TheRoyalPlayers.TicketLeap.com
And you have one more week, plus a couple more days, to catch the traditional-bluegrass musical “Smoke on the Mountain,” onstage through June 29 at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, 6323 Colonel Glenn Road, Little Rock. (501) 562-3131; murrysdp.com
MUSIC
Opera in the Ozarks kicks off its summer season at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Inspiration Point, 16311 U.S. 62 West, overlooking Beaver Lake 5 miles west of Eureka Springs, with Giuseppe Verdi’s grand opera “La Traviata,” with additional performances June 27 and 29 and July 2, 7, 10, 13 and 19. The corps of young singers and orchestra members will put on two other operas in repertory through July 19: “The Crucible” by Robert Ward and a pair of one-acts, “Beauty and the Beast” by Vittorio Giannini and “L’enfant et les sortilèges” by Maurice Ravel. (479) 253-8595; opera.org
ART
The Arkansas League of Artists’ 2024 Members Show opens Friday with a 5-8 p.m. Argenta Art District Third Friday Art Walk reception at the Argenta Library, 420 Main St., North Little Rock. It’ll remain up through July 5, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. (501) 687-1061 or visit NLRlibrary.org
And an exhibition of ceramics by University of Arkansas at Little Rock alumna Ginny Sims is on display through July 14 in the Ann Maners and Alex Pappas Gallery in the university’s Windgate Center of Art and Design, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock. The center hosts a 5-7 p.m. reception, June 27. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. (501) 916-5117.
Tune in every Thursday at 4:44pm to hear Eric’s roundup for arts and culture events in Central Arkansas during All Things Considered on Little Rock Public Radio.