Friday Night Fun

The Tokens Show

A slice of Nashville. Where Bill Moyers meets Prairie Home Companionin a most exquisite intersection of faith, fine arts, and scholarship.

Tyler Parten Memorial Fund

The donations to this foundation will be used to carry on Tyler's passion and heart to work with children and share his gift of music all over the world. His family will be using the money to send soldiers harmonicas, and other items Tyler used, to reach the children of Afghanistan, in addition to supporting missionaries and teachers in regions near to his heart, such as Africa and Morocco.

A tax-deductable foundation in Tyler Parten's name has been created to carry out his love and passion for children across the world. Donations can be made payable to the 1st Lt Tyler Parten Memorial Fund and mailed to C/O ARCF 1400 West Markham, Suite 206, Little, Rock, AR 72201.

1st Lt. Tyler E. Parten, 24, of Arkansas

The Department of Defense announced the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. 1st Lt. Tyler E. Parten, 24, of Arkansas, died Sept. 10 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

The Rat Pack Is Back

Last week, we went to see The Rat Pack Is Back at the Robinson Center in Little Rock. I enjoy all types of music, so when my husband heard this show advertised and said it sounded good, I eagerly ordered tickets.

I was really expecting it to be an older crowd, but, boy, was I surprised at the actual turnout. To my right was the expected group of red-hat ladies, but my husband sat next to a boy about 12 or 13 years old. I saw older men in expensive suits and a couple of twenty-something guys in toboggans with tattoos all over their arms. There were women in minks and pearls, and women in blue jeans. I guess it goes to show that music is ageless and classless. Well, some music.

We had pretty good seats. We weren’t right up front, but we were in the center, and I think that’s a good thing when you’re going to see impersonators. We were far enough away not to be able to see their faces clearly, so it was easier to buy into the illusion. The Dean Martin impersonator looked exactly like him from a distance. He really had the mannerisms down, and he could sing well, but he just didn’t quite sound like the original. (And I should know. I used to beg to get to stay up until 9:00 to watch his variety show. My Mom usually let me, and now that I actually get all the jokes, I’m a little surprised that she did.) The Sammy Davis, Jr. impersonator was great. I don’t think he was quite as small as the original, but his voice and dance moves were right on target. But the best was ole Blue Eyes. He looked exactly like him (at least from a distance). He sounded exactly like him. You could easily forget that it wasn’t really Frank Sinatra.

And, of course, the Joey Bishop lookalike was there to liven up the night with jokes. He really played the audience and had us all laughing. Finally, he started a blonde joke. “A blonde walked into a library . . .” he began, and the primed-up audience began to laugh prematurely. “What?” he stopped. “It could happen . . .”

Kudos to The Rep

A friend and I went to see Les Miserables last Thursday night at The Arkansas Repertory Theater. We had both already seen a production of Les Mis in London back in 2001, but not together. In fact, she said her seats were so close that the actors slung sweat on them. Alas, I cannot say the same. I bought my tickets at the last minute, so I was up among the rafters, but it didn’t really matter. In those old Victorian theaters (or theatres, I should say), the seating is so steep that it’s almost perpendicular, and being at the top actually gives you a panoramic view. With a production like Les Mis, that’s not a bad thing. And besides, those old Victorian theaters are so beautiful, just looking at them is entertainment in itself.

(The Orpheum Theater in Memphis has that look, too, and, I have to admit, I can never visit there without thinking of the two old grouchy men in the Muppet Show who sit on the ornate balcony and heckle.)

Well, back to Les Mis. The first time I saw it, I was overwhelmed by the emotional impact. It’s so rare in this day and age to see a show that illustrates the beauty of religious faith, of sacrifice, of loving someone else more than yourself. One of the most moving scenes in literature has to be the one between Jean Valjean and the Bishop of Digne. And, of course, emotions raised by the story are only heightened by the beautiful music. When the play ended, there was a standing ovation, and afterwards I just sat in my seat for a while and cried.

I had always wanted to see this play again, so when I heard it was going to be at The Rep, I called my friend and we bought tickets. I’ve seen several of their productions, and they have always been really good. But, come on, this is Les Mis. And The Rep is a regional theater. I thought that it would probably be worth my time to see, but I secretly doubted that it could measure up. Most especially, I thought that the singing could never match the star quality of the London performance. I fully expected to leave the theater at least slightly disappointed. (My friend confessed after the show that she’d had the same doubts .)

We could not have been more wrong. Of course, the cast was smaller, but the multiple roles were so well done that it was a non-issue. There were a few staging things that were done differently because of The Rep’s smaller stage, and of course I liked the way London did it better because it was so spectacular, but I was surprised at how well The Rep got across the same idea with so much less. If you had not seen the other production, you would see nothing amiss here.

And the music. Oh my. The Rep hired an orchestra twice the size that they usually use, and the actor’s voices were absolutely amazing, adults and children alike. In fact, the actor who played Valjean had actually played the character on Broadway and on the third national tour.

Often, a story seen twice loses its emotional impact, but this one didn’t. Yes, there was a standing ovation at the end. And yes, I cried.