THEATER
It’s the dawning of the Age of Aquarius at Little Rock’s Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 601 Main St., where the ‘60s counterculture musical “Hair” is onstage, 7 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday through July 27. The theater is rating the show R for adult language, nudity, drug references, sexual content and themes related to war and political protest and is recommending it for mature audiences only. (501) 378-0405; TheRep.org.
“O, brave new world, that has such people in it.” Shake on the Lake and the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Performing Arts are staging William Shakespeare “The Tempest” 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday in the Amerine/Calhoun Glass Box at the museum, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. The production of Shakespeare’s final play, aimed at audiences 12 and older, uses music, live Foley sound effects, improvisation, puppetry and audience interaction. arkmfa.org/series/the-tempest.
Actors Theatre of Little Rock performers sing Disney favorites and audience members can sing along as the company marks its third birthday with “Little Rock Sings: Disney!,” 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Camp Taco, 822 E. Sixth St., Little Rock. Admission is free; however, the theater is starting a fundraising campaign seeking to come up with $3,000 for its third season. facebook.com/events/728665856530064.
And take a stroll down the Yellow Brick Road at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, 6323 Colonel Glenn Road, Little Rock, where “The Wizard of Oz” is onstage,7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 12:45 and 6:45 p.m. Sunday through Aug. 9. The buffet opens 90 minutes before curtain. (501) 562-3131; murrysdp.com.
FUN
The Central Arkansas Library System holds its last used book sale before the reopening of the renovated Main LIbrary in September, 2-5 p.m. today Thursday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday-Saturday at 7773 Sloane Drive, Little Rock.All books are priced at $1, with a 25% discount for educators “as a thank-you for their invaluable work in shaping young minds.” Proceeds fund CALS programs, including the Six Bridges Book Festival and the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. (501) 918-3090 or visit CALS.org.
MUSIC
Memphis-based folk-rock singer-songwriter-guitarist and band leader Dave Miller performs from 5-8 p.m. Friday for the Second Friday Art Night gathering at the Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St. (501) 324-9351; HistoricArkansas.org.
ART AND EXHIBITS
I got the chance last weekend to see “Portraits From a Presidency,” the exhibition of more than 50 paintings, sculptures, engravings and photographic portraits of members of the Clinton family (some of them not especially flattering, by the way) in paint, fabric, wood, film, metal, glass, ink, stone, chalk, inscribed on a grain of rice and made out of Legos, up through Dec. 7 at the Clinton Presidential Center, 1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. clintonpresidentialcenter.org/exhibits.
At the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock: “The Long View: From Conservation to Sustainability: Works from the Bank of America Collection,” photographs, paintings, prints and sculptures “by artists who use their art to advocate for the conservation and protection of the planet,” on display through Aug. 31; the “64th Young Arkansas Artists” exhibition, showcasing works by Arkansas K-12 students, on display through Aug. 10. And studio photographs by the late Kwame Brathwaite, who started out in the 1960s using photography to promote “Black is Beautiful,” is up through Oct. 12. (501) 372-4000; arkmfa.org.
“Small Works on Paper: From the Permanent Collection,” 40 pieces from the Arkansas Arts Council’s 2006-2023 annual “Small Works on Paper” touring exhibitions, remains on display through Sept. 21 at the Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St., Little Rock, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 324-9351.
“Enid Collins Handbags: Thinking Outside the Bejeweled Box,” a collection of handbags by Collins of Texas designer Enid Collins, is on display through Sept. 28 at ESSE Museum and Store, 1510 Main St., Little Rock. (501) 916-9022; essepursemuseum.com.
“I Am My Mother’s Daughter,” paintings by Kennedi Benjamin that, “(capture) a facet of what it means to deeply remember the Houston-based artist’s mom and how much they’re alike,” are on display at Cantrell Gallery, 8202 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, through July 19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday (the gallery will be closed for a two-day summer break Friday and Saturday July 11-12). (501) 224-1335; cantrellgallery.com.
“After the Fire,” paintings that Andrew Deiser created before and after a March fire destroyed Deiser’s studio and much of his artwork at the St. Joseph Center of Arkansas, are on display through July 31 at Laman Library Gallery, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock. The exhibition includes oil paintings the fire spared, along with new works “reflecting on home, resilience and artistic renewal.” (501) 758-1720; NLRlibrary.org.
