ASO Pops! holiday show to include tap-dancing Santas

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra is back home and is pulling out all the stops with an extravaganza that's part-Christmas party, part celebration of Robinson Center Performance Hall's reopening.

"This will just be a delightful way to get ready and have a little reprieve," explains ASO's Chief Executive Officer Christina Littlejohn. "We're calling it 'Home for the Holidays,' with the thought of being back home with our first pop show back in Robinson. People who come to this show, when they leave will just be relaxed and joyous."

Last year's Christmas concert was a more low-key affair with a few guest singers, but this year there will be a whole host of singers, dancers and actors galore, thanks in large part to the new backstage space, which will, Littlejohn says, "allow us to actually have both dancers and singers offstage when the orchestra's playing."

This year's concert, written and directed by Nicole Capri, will have an old-fashioned radio show theme with "Dapper Dans," a female singing trio, a master of ceremony and a story line.

There will also be a team of tap-dancing Santas.

The ASO has performed a classical Masterworks concert in the redesigned space, but this will be the first Pops! Live concert and a chance to try out the new bells and whistles with the lights and sound systems and lots of costumes and holiday flair.

Littlejohn says, "This one's got a lot of moving pieces."

While a regular ASO concert may have three or four lengthy symphonies, this one features many short numbers as the performers present favorites like "Sleigh Ride," "Silver Bells" and "The Christmas Song."

The ASO will also play some instrumental-only pieces, like "Nutcracker Suite."

They're creating a spectacle, says Littlejohn, "Because we can!"

Those who come to the Sunday afternoon show can enjoy a special, child-friendly treat with the Holiday Children's Fair at 2 p.m. Children attending the concert can make ornaments, color, meet Santa and "meet" instruments in the Instrument Petting Zoo.

There are free Entergy Kids' Tickets available for children grades K-12 with the purchase of an adult ticket.

The point of it all, Littlejohn explains, is to create a fun, nostalgic holiday atmosphere: "If you're looking for a break from shopping, a break from any kind of rush, and just want to sit back, relax, laugh and remember what Christmas was for you as a child or if you want to create new family memories for your children, this is a really sweet way to do it."

Weekend on 12/15/2016