THEATER REVIEW

Singers shine in Gridiron's return

About 75 area lawyers -- and some key deputies -- have pulled together the latest Gridiron show after a four-year hiatus, and, despite rolling in short at just over one hour, they deserve Likes and stage views.

And so do the state's current gubernatorial and U.S. Senate candidates, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, state Sen. Jason Rapert, University of Arkansas football coach Bret Bielema and basketball coach Mike Anderson, the female state Supreme Court justices and Judge Mike Maggio -- all were roundly mocked.

Some -- Rapert and Maggio -- with decidedly more bite than jest.

There were numerous crowd-pleasing interludes, most memorably when two University of Arkansas cheerleaders pulled Republican gubernatorial nominee Asa Hutchinson from the crowd and asked him a series of impossible questions -- "Do you prefer Cupid's or Seductions?" -- then snapped a selfie. But in the tradition of Gridiron, the oomph is in the musical numbers.

Halfway through the show, during a spin on "Let It Go" from Disney's Frozen led by professional actress Judy Trice, a member of the audience whispered "This is like a real musical," and it was.

The most compelling number this round went to Dent Gitchel, the retired law professor, and his soulful rendition of Elvis' "Wise Men Say."

Gitchel and Herb Rule play a couple of Robinson Auditorium renovation construction workers musing over the mess the renovation and impending Broadway Bridge closure is causing when Gitchel says, "Remember Broadway plays?"

"Oh, yeah, I tell you, and I liked Wicked, but you know what? It seems like to me they're tearing everything up so they can do Les Miserables over here. I mean, it seems like a waste of time 'cause the Rep's done it twice."

Four shows will follow today (8 p.m.), Friday (7 p.m. and 9 p.m.) and Saturday (8 p.m.). The cast is all-volunteer, but the show is professionally produced at The Rep.

Tickets are $35 for "A" seating and $30 for "B" seating, and can be purchased by calling The Rep's box office, (501) 378-0405, or online at TheRep.org.

Metro on 08/14/2014

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