|
Smokey Joe’s production features dinner downtown, performance |
|
|
Tuesday, 13 May 2008 |
Smokey’ Joe’s Cafe, a musical revue highlighting the songs of Leiber and Stoller, will be presented in successive weeks by the Royal Players.
Performance dates are Thursday-Sunday, May 15-18 and May 22-25, at the historic Royal Theatre in Downtown Benton.
A highlight of the show is a barbecue dinner preceding the Saturday, May 17, performance. The dinner will be held at the Market Street Events Center on North Market Street, less than a block from the theater.
Smokey’s Joe’s, a Benton restaurant, will cater the meal, which will follow a patriotic, pre-election day theme. Tickets are $25 for the dinner and show that will feature the raffle of a smoker donated by Congo Fireplace and Patio. Raffle tickets are $5 each and will be sold until the final day of the show’s run, with the winner’s name drawn during intermission at the theater.
The dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. and the show will begin at 7.
David McCoy is directing the show and Andrea Willis is musical director.
Tickets for the regular performances of the show — show only, no dinner — are $12 for general admission, $10 for seniors (60 and older) and $5 for students (college and younger). Special group discounts are available by calling 315-LIVE (5483).
Show times are 7 p.m. for the May 15-16 shows and 2 p.m. on May 18. Show times the following week are 7 p.m. for May 22-24 and 2 p.m. on May 25.
Call 315-5483 to reserve tickets for any show. Tickets for the May 17 dinner show also may be purchased at Webb’s House of Flowers on North East Street.
Membership is continually open in the Royal Players. Family memberships are $25 and individual memberships are $15.
A continuing project of the Royal Players is the maintenance and restoration of the historic Royal Theatre. The organization seeks “angels” from the community and beyond to assist with this project.
Shannon Moss, manager of the building, said increased utility costs and general maintenance costs have increased in recent months. Also, the group is obligated to a monthly mortgage payment on the building.
Entertainer Jerry Van Dyke, who operated the theater as a movie house and performing arts center for a time, gave the theater to the organization, but it was not a debt-free gift, Moss said.
“We’re very fortunate to have the theater, but it requires continuous assistance from the public to maintain it,” he said.
“And we are applying for various grants to assist with restoration efforts, but most require matching funds, which we are sorely lacking at present. This is where the public can help us — by donating funds to apply toward our grant applications.”
Donations for maintenance and restoration efforts may be mailed to the Royal Players at P.O. Box 1743, Benton, AR 72018.
Moss also said volunteers are needed to assist with productions, both onstage and in other capacities. |
Razorbacks