LITTLE ROCK — Elsewhere in entertainment and the arts this weekend: Live at Laman
Trumpeter Rodney Block and the Real Music Lovers - Oliver Thomas, bass; Sam Carroll, piano; and Michael Chandler, drums - will perform for the monthly “Live at Laman,” 7 p.m. today at the William F. Laman Public Library, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock. Admission is free. Call (501) 758-1720 or visit Laman-Library.org.
Comic book art
“Nate Powell: Cross Sections,” an exhibit of works by Arkansas-born comic book artist/illustrator Nate Powell, opens Friday at the Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St., Little Rock, with a 5-8 p.m. reception during 2nd Friday Art Night.
The reception will feature music by Isaac Alexander and Band; Sharea Soup will serve samples. A free shuttle runs between Art Night venues until 8:30 p.m.
Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission to the reception and the gallery and parking are free. Call (501) 324-9351 or visit www.HistoricArkansas.org.
Powell will also sign books from noon-2 p.m. Saturday at The Comic Book Store, 9307 Treasure Hill Road, Little Rock. Call (501) 227-9777.
University stages
Two university productions take the stage this weekend:
The University of Central Arkansas Theatre will stage The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare at 7:30 p.m. today and Friday and April 18-20 in the Bridges/Larson Theatre, Snow Fine Arts Center, UCA, 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. Tickets are $10, two free with a current UCA ID. Call (501) 450-3265 or (501) 450-5092 or visit uca.edu/theatre.
The University of Arkansas at Monticello Music Theatre Workshop production of The 1940s Radio Hour by Walton Jones will feature a 10-member student cast and the university’s Jazz Band I at 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday in the UAM Fine Arts Center Auditorium, 371 University Drive, Monticello. Admission is free. Call (870) 460-1060.Patrons who attend a pre-performance dinner, hosted by Chancellor and Mrs. Jack Lassiter, at 6 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center’s Spencer Gallery will get reserved seats for Saturday night’s performance. Dinner tickets are $25, $5 for children under 10; call (870) 460-1028 or e-mail withers@uamont.edu.
Muses, music and art
Musical duo T.B.A. - Steve Suter and Brent Frazier - will be the inspiration for artists Robin Hazard-Bishop, Carole Katchen, Hugh Dunnahoe and Deleen Davidson, who will create works of art while the duo plays and the audience lookson in the Muses Creative Artistry Project’s “Inspiration Collaboration,” 6 p.m. Friday in the Hale Bath House, Central Avenue, Hot Springs. Completed artworks will be for sale. Admission is $10, which includes wine and light hors d’oeuvres. Call (501) 463-4514 or visit themusesproject.org.
Percussion pieces
The University of Central Arkansas Percussion Ensemble will perform at 7:30 p.m. today in the recital hall of UCA’s Snow Fine Arts Center. The program will include Whispers by David Skidmore, Sacrificial Rite by David Gillingham, Factions by Lynn Glassock and Marimba Quartet by Daniel Levitan. Blake Tyson is the ensemble’s director. Admission is free. Call (501) 450-5263 or e-mail btyson@uca.edu.
Pastry tales
Roland Mesnier, White House pastry chef through the terms of presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush, will be the featured storyteller for a special Tales From the South Tin Roof Project, 4 p.m. Saturday at Starving Artist Cafe, 411 Main St., North Little Rock.
Doors open at 2:30 p.m., with dessert and drinks until 3:30 p.m. The Salty Dogs will perform. Tickets are $5 plus the cost of dessert and drinks. Seating is very limited. Visit the website, www.talesfromthesouth.com.
The show will be tapedfor broadcast at 7 p.m. May 3 on Little Rock public station KUAR-FM, 89.1, and syndicated to the World Radio Network.
Smiley reschedules
Broadcaster Tavis Smiley, whose Thursday talk at Philander Smith College was postponed after a series of flight complications and delays prevented him from getting to Little Rock on time, has rescheduled for 7 p.m. May 2 in the M.L. Harris Auditorium at Philander Smith, 900 Daisy Gatson Bates Drive, Little Rock. Admission is free. Call (501) 370-5279 or email skondo@philander.edu.
Big-screen Traviata
French soprano Natalie Dessay plays the title role of Violetta, the fallen woman who sacrifices her last chance for love, in the Metropolitan Opera production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, on big screens through the “Met: Live in HD” series, 11:55 a.m. Saturday at the Breckenridge Village 12 in Little Rock, Tinseltown inBenton, Conway Towne Center in Conway and the Razorback Cinema in Fayetteville. The University of Central Arkansas in Conway will show the opera on a tape-delay basis at 2 p.m. Sunday. Ticket and other information is available at metopera.org/liveinhd; for the UCA screening, uca.edu/cfac/methd. php.
Organ recital
Hendrix College faculty member and organist Ansley Fleming will play music by Paul Creston, J.S. Bach, Charles-Marie Widor and Robert Elmore at 3 p.m. Sunday in Greene Chapel at Hendrix, 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. Admission is free. Call (501) 450-1243.
Weekend, Pages 33 on 04/12/2012