The Theatre Co. of the Ozarks and the Ozark Arts Council present Stephen King’s Misery (adapted for the stage by William Goldman, this is the same version done by Bruce Willis on Broadway and the basis for the 1990 film with James Caan and Kathy Bates), October 5–7, 2023 at 7:00pm and October 8, 2023 at 2:00pm at the Historic 1929 Lyric Theater on the Harrison, Arkansas square.
Misery follows successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon, who is rescued from a car crash by his “number one fan,” Annie Wilkes, and wakes up captive in her secluded home. While Paul is convalescing, Annie reads his latest book and becomes enraged when she discovers the author has killed off her favorite character, Misery Chastain. Annie forces Paul to write a new Misery novel, and he quickly realizes Annie has no intention of letting him go anywhere. The irate Annie has Paul writing as if his life depends on it—because it does!
Join us on September 16 at 7:00, as Billy, Tim, and Will—The Hedley Lamar Band—have done it again: they’ve once again assembled a fantastic group of local musicians and vocalists to pay tribute to a band that survived great tragedy to influence so many. As with the Led Zeppelin tribute the band organized in 2019—the most successful concert of purely local musicians since Screamin’ Freeman’s 24-hour Guinness World Record concert in 1999—this promises to be an experience Harrison area music lovers will talk about for years, and one well worth coming from out of town to see!
local musicians.
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Ticket prices: $10 in advance – $15 at the gate
What does that mean?
“When people ask me what I sound like, I say, ‘If B.B. King was in AC/DC, that’s what it would be’. That’s High Voltage Blues in a nutshell.”
With all the force of a hurricane in the Mississippi Delta and enough fret-burning fireworks to leave his strings in flames, Anthony Gomes electrifies blues and rock as only a songwriter who truly knows himself can do. Over the years, he’s toppled the Billboard Blues Chart at #1, earned the endorsement of legends such as B.B. King, tallied tens of millions of streams, and packed shows on multiple continents. With his 2022 Rat Pack Records release, High Voltage Blues, he says, “I’ve learned how to embrace my voice as a guitarist and as a singer…I understand who I am, and I use my strengths to my advantage. I have a blues soul and a rock ’n’ roll heart. I love to jump back and forth between both with a modern-day approach.
“I still believe in a world of guitar heroes.”
“When I play rock, it’s got a little more dust to it…As an artist, it was great to circle back to some of my past work and look at it from a different perspective. Billy [Sheehan, bassist for Steve Vai, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth, The Winery Dogs] and Ray [Luzier, of Korn] really pushed the way I play guitar, and they added a whole new element with a little insanity. When people ask me what I sound like, I say, ‘If B.B. King was in AC/DC, that’s what it would be’. That’s High Voltage Blues in a nutshell.”
“Gomes is another power player who is at his best when his gear is in the scorched earth between blues and rock. After all, it’s the electric guitar; sometimes tickling it is not enough.”
Guitar World, 2019, when naming Anthony one of its Top 30
Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, he fell in love with music as a kid, listening to everyone from Muddy Waters and Jimi Hendrix to Jeff Beck and Eddie Van Halen. At 14 years old, Anthony gravitated to the guitar and his relationship with the instrument was born. After grinding it out, his chops caught the attention of B.B. King’s bus driver at a jam night. Blown away, the driver introduced him to B.B. who invited him to open up a string of tour dates in 2005. Gaining invaluable knowledge from “The King,” he went on to share the stage with the likes of Buddy Guy, Robert Plant, Joe Bonamassa, Heart, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and more. Along the way, his concert attendees have included Academy® Award winner Morgan Freeman, John Goodman, and Vince Vaughn as well as Eric Clapton, to name but a few.
2018’s Peace, Love & Loud Guitars vaulted to #1 on the iTunes Top Blues Albums Chart and #1 on Amazon Music’s New Release Blues Chart. Meanwhile, Guitar World readers voted him one of “The 30 Best Blues Guitarists in the World Today” in 2019, and the publication noted, “Gomes is another power player who is at his best when his gear is in the scorched earth between blues and rock.” After seven consecutive Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Blues Albums Chart, Containment Blues marked his second #1 on the respective chart in 2020.
“If B.B. King was in AC/DC, that’s what it would be. That’s High Voltage Blues in a nutshell.”
In the end, Anthony Gomes is just the kind of guitar hero we need for today:
“I’m either the last of a dying breed or the start of a new revolution,” he smiles. “I still believe in a world of guitar heroes. I strive for a world where you don’t have to be 19 years old to sell a lot of records and tickets and to make a statement. I’m one of those people who doesn’t think rock—or the blues—is dead. I’m looking for fresh ways to bring them together. I’m at the table rolling the dice all in the name of blues and rock ’n’ roll. I know there’s never been a more exciting time for music, and I’m here for the journey.”
“Hendrix on crank guitar phrasing…all the soul of Otis Redding and the swagger of Steven Tyler. Anthony joyfully blends the distinction between blues and rock.”
– Blues Rock Review
Join us on October 21 at 7:00PM, as Anthony Gomes brings his High Voltage Blues tour to The Roots Music Palace of the Ozarks, Harrison’s own historic Lyric Theater; tickets are on sale now!
Tickets are available now for High Voltage Blues by Anthony Gomes, #LiveAtTheLyric, Saturday, October 21 and may be purchased online, or by calling (870) 391-3504.
It’s time to renew your membership in the Ozark Arts Council (or to become an OAC member for the first time) by visiting Join.TheLyric.org!
History has taught us that the most vibrant societies are produced by giving, not by taking—and the very most vibrant are those that have a thriving and active Arts community! Having such a thriving Arts community has always been a matter of patronage, and it is no different today.
In a time when many are still struggling, some may think the Arts a luxury, something only of which those with ‘extra’ time and money on their hands may partake. Often, people feel that it’s too lofty a pursuit for communities that are rooted in farms and factories and retirees. But both history and statistics tell us that these contentions are untrue: the Arts are what help such communities survive!
The very nature of the Arts is to be both welcoming and challenging, to bring you in and to lift you up…and in a time of upheaval and widespread dissatisfaction, isn’t that exactly what you want to encourage and support? The Lyric and the OAC’s Member Organizations provide a place full of experiences that put all of the noise of this world’s discontent aside, a place that welcomes you into a moment where you neither have to be consumed with the woes of the world, real and imagined—or even what you’re going to make for supper, or find on your next day at work. For all of the ‘escapism’ that television promised, it is no match for joining with the rest of your community in a place where all that divides us is set aside and a team of volunteers seeks to be their best selves and to help us, at least for a few hours, to be ours.
This is what membership in the OAC promotes, so please consider becoming part of a community that truly builds community…that welcomes, educates, enjoys, and feasts on those things in our culture that build better people, stronger communities, and the general promotion of love and joy: please join the Ozark Arts Council today!
Below, you can find the perks that come from being an OAC member (with some fun new swag!), but we also want to hear from YOU! What would YOU like to see as a perk from being an OAC member? Email in**@oz**************.org and let our Executive Director know!
Please Note: There may be some events that we do not produce, those that are via a rental arrangement by an outside organization or that are a fundraiser for another nonprofit. We keep these to a bare minimum…and if we can work out a contract with them to get you seated for free, we will do so, and we will let you know in advance. Examples of such events: the recent Buffalo River documentary; the Ozark Rape Crisis Center’s lip sync battle; the Ozarks Dynacom Five Star Talent Contest.