Entertainment options in Arkansas this weekend:
THEATER: 'Arsenic & Old Lace'
The Weekend Theater, 1001 W. Seventh St. at Chester Street, Little Rock, stages "Arsenic and Old Lace" by Joseph Kesselring, 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Oct. 29-30 and Nov. 5-6 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31 and Nov. 7.
Zack Hickman plays theater critic Mortimer Brewster, whose lovable spinster aunts (Donna Singleton as Abby Brewster and Susan Thomey as Martha Brewster), unbeknownst to him or the local police, have been poisoning lonely single men in their historic Brooklyn home. Adding to the madcap: Mortimer's brothers, one of whom (Tommie Tinker) believes he is Theodore Roosevelt and the other (Drew Ellis) is a homicidal maniac who travels with a Teutonic plastic surgeon (Aaron Burnside) who has, at least temporarily, made him look like Boris Karloff.
Masks will be required. Tickets are $20, $18 for students, senior citizens and military. Visit CentralArkansasTickets.com.
'Being Earnest'
The Arkansas State University theater department stages "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde, 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and Oct. 29-30 and 2 p.m. Sunday in the Drama Theatre at ASU's Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro. Tickets are $10-$15. Visit astate.edu/tickets.
The rest of ASU's 2021-22 theater lineup:
◼️ Dec. 3-5: "A Christmas Carol: A Radio Play," ASU alumnus David Norris' adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic
◼️ Feb. 18-20 and 25-26: Diana Son's "Stop Kiss"
◼️ April 21-24: "Head Over Heels," conceived by Jeff Whitty and adapted by James MacGruder, featuring the music of The Go-Go's.
Call (870) 972-2037, email mkyriakos@AState.edu or visit AState.edu/theatre.
Jonesboro 'Fences'
Jonesboro's Foundation of Arts stages "Fences" by August Wilson, 7:30 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Forum Theater, 115 E. Monroe Ave., Jonesboro. The play includes racially sensitive language and themes. Tickets are $20 and $18, $18 and $16 for children, senior citizens, military and Arkansas State University students, faculty and staff; pay what you can for the Sunday matinee. Call (870) 935-2726 or visit foajonesboro.org.
El Dorado 'Clue'
The South Arkansas Arts Center, 110 E. Fifth St., El Dorado, stages "Clue: On Stage" (adapted by Sandy Rustin from the screenplay for the 1985 Paramount film by Jonathan Lynn and the Hasbro Inc. board game, with additional material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28 and 30; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday and Oct. 31. Tickets are $20, $5 for students, $10 for center members. Call (870) 862-5474 or visit saac-arts.org.
The center will host a 7 p.m. opening night champagne reception, for which all seats are $20. The center is also hosting an Oct. 30 "Colors and Costume Night": Come dressed either as your favorite "Clue" character or in a solid color showing your support for that character.
MUSIC: Organists assemble
Members of the the Central Arkansas Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, including Jess Anthony, Jane Gamble, Bob Bidewell, Jason Saugey and Beau Baldwin, perform works by Louis Lewandowski, J.S. Bach and Gerald Near, among others, at a Members Recital, 7:30 p.m. Friday at St. James United Methodist Church, 321 Pleasant Valley Drive, Little Rock. Admission is free. Face coverings will be required, and physical distancing is encouraged. Call (501) 217-6700.
ART: 'Fall for the Arts'
The Ashley County Arts Association will hold its "Fall for the Arts" art exhibit, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at the Old GP Building, 105 W. Second Ave., Crossett, behind Centennial Park. Admission is free. Call (870) 415-2578 or (870) 415-2834 or visit the Facebook events page, facebook.com/events/451307076269363.
ETC.: Casino fundraiser
The Fairfield Bay Animal Protection League is putting on a casino-style fundraiser, featuring roulette, blackjack, craps and Texas Hold 'Em, 6-9 p.m. Saturday at the Fairfield Bay Conference Center, 10 Lost Creek Parkway, Fairfield Bay. Admission is $20; all proceeds benefit the Fairfield Bay Animal Shelter. Call (501) 884-3992.
'Famous' pianist
Naoki Hakutani, a faculty member at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has been inducted into the Astoria, N.Y.-based Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame, recognizing "the work of North America's most committed and passionate piano educators," according to a news release. Hakutani is one of 44 teachers in the United States and Canada in the 2021 class, the hall's second. The hall inducted the inaugural class in 2019. Visit steinway.com.