HHS@TheLyric: Tuck Everlasting, September 30–October 2 at 6pm, as well as Oct. 2 at 1pm! #LiveAtTheLyric!

 

The Ozark Arts Council proudly presents
the first-ever entirely student-driven
production by HHS Theatre at the Lyric:

🌲 Tuck Everlasting  ❤️

Thursday–Saturday, Sept. 30–Oct. 2, 6:00PM
Saturday, October 3, 1:00PM

 

HHS•Theatre@TheLyric and The Ozark Arts Council will bring a beloved book to the Lyric stage with a most intriguing cast and crew: Mrs. Hamblin is turning her veteran youth loose on the community to treat us to all of the energy—and all of the angst—that Tuck Everlasting deserves, with Harrison High School’s first student-led (from director to actors to tech!) production. Performed #LiveAtTheLyric September 30–October 2 (with two performances on Saturday), tickets are available through The Lyric’s ticketing page with Advance Tickets priced at $8 children, $10 seniors, $12 adults. Ticket prices at the door will be $11 children, $13 seniors, $15 adults. Face coverings for disease transmission are no longer required by the state, but no one will object if you still wish to wear one.

10-year-old Winnie Foster, trapped by the rules imposed by her strait-laced family, runs away and discovers the humble Tucks who had accidentally stumbled upon a spring long ago that gave them eternal life. Winnie promises to keep their dangerous secret but then a sinister stranger in a yellow suit arrives at their door with intentions to steal the immortal water for himself. Ultimately Winnie must choose whether or not to drink the immortal water and join them in an everlasting adventure—or live on in a natural way, living a life full of the ordinary beauty of growth and change.

Directed by Khloe Shorb, the 🌲Tuck Everlasting ❤️ cast includes:

Winnie Foster: Faith Nix
Angus Tuck: Zach Jimerson
Mae Tuck: Mysteri Cotton
Jesse Tuck: Tori Hudson
Miles Tuck: Joe Claus
Stranger: Jude Bilbee
Constable: Charlie Knieff
Granny Foster: Sara Sims
Voices: Kaci Flower, Donovan Walters, Mandy Prpich, Rilee Young, Jenna Wilson, Addie Jones

Join us at The Lyric for Tuck Everlasting! Tickets are available now here at TheLyric.org by clicking any “Get Tickets” link or by calling (870) 391-3504 (please leave a detailed message if you get our voicemail).

Get your tickets now, but keep checking back here for updates from the director, cast, and crew!

The cast and crew were so excited to have the Lyric open after nine months being dark that they had their read-through already in May!

OAC Ticketing Link

An Evening with Carol Burnett and Friends, June 11–12 at 7pm, 13 at 2pm! #LiveAtTheLyric!

 

The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and
the Ozark Arts Council Present a
Sketch Comedy Cavalcade in Tribute to:

The Carol Burnett Show

Friday–Saturday, June 11–12, 7:00PM
Sunday, June 13, 2:00PM

 

The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and The Ozark Arts Council will present a tribute to a wonderful lady and the glorious sketch comedy and variety she shared with us through her weekly CBS TV series—a tribute to The Carol Burnett Show, performed #LiveAtTheLyric June 11–13! Tickets are available through The Lyric’s ticketing page with Advance Tickets priced at $8 children, $10 seniors, $12 adults. Ticket prices at the door will be $11 children, $13 seniors, $15 adults. Face coverings for disease transmission are not required, but no one will object if you still wish to wear one.

Eight comedy sketches from Carol Burnett’s televised shows will be performed, including such favorites as “The Old Folks,” the deadbeat “Fusco” family, and a parody of Bonnie and Clyde. Cherished memories of Carol, Harvey, Tim, and the gang are sure to flood back for you, just as they have for the cast.

But that’s not all…

The show is nonstop with entertainment between the sketches, as well, and a half time intermission. Concessions will, of course, be available in the lobby and libations up upstairs.

The Theatre Company is sponsoring this event as a fundraiser for the Lyric to help pay for repairs from water damage sustained during the winter storm.  We will also gladly accept donations (see the potty in the lobby!).

The cast and crew are so excited to have the Lyric open after nine months being dark.

Harrison, welcome back to the Lyric!

 

Join us at The Lyric for some of the greatest comedy sketches in TV history, for the first time ever #LiveAtTheLyric! Performances will be June 11–13. Tickets for our Tribute to Carol Burnett are available now here at TheLyric.org by clicking any “Get Tickets” link or by calling (870) 391-3504 (please leave a detailed message if you get our voicemail).

OAC Ticketing Link

Farce of Habit, August 14–15 & 21–22 at 7pm, 16 & 23 at 2pm! #LiveAtTheLyric!

 

The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and
the Ozark Arts Council Present a
Jones Hope Wooten Comedy:

Farce of Habit

Friday–Saturday, August 14–15 & 21–22, 7:00PM
Sunday, August 16 & 23, 2:00PM

 

The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and The Ozark Arts Council, will present Farce of Habit, a typically raucous Jones Hope Wooten comedy, #LiveAtTheLyric the middle two weekends of August, 2020 (August 14–16 & 21–23)! Tickets are available through The Lyric’s ticketing page with Advance Tickets priced at $8 children, $10 seniors, $12 adults. Ticket prices at the door will be $11 children, $13 seniors, $15 adults.

Just when you thought it was safe to fish in the Ozarks…

Kay Arthur

Comic fireworks explode in Farce of Habit (the sequel to 2016’s Farce of Nature), an absurdly funny Southern-fried romp that takes us back to the Reel ’Em Inn, the finest little fishing lodge in the Ozarks. The proprietor, D. Gene Wilburn (Preston Garrison), is looking forward to a peaceful weekend on the lake. But there are only two chances of that happening: slim and none!

Why, for example, has his wife, Wanelle (Michelle Dees), picked these three days to white-knuckle her way through caffeine withdrawal? Why is his son Ty’s (Shade Roberts) marriage to Jenna (Shelby Waters) falling apart so fast? Could it have something to do with the French can-can costume Ty is wearing? How on earth would D. Gene’s feisty sister, Maxie (Kay Arthur), allow herself to get caught up in such a bizarre undercover police assignment?

L-R: Emily Still, Carl Palmer, Michelle Dees

And that’s just his family. If this isn’t enough to thwart D. Gene’s weekend plans, he’s got a gaggle of nuns who’ve converged on the Inn, hell-bent on experiencing a nature retreat—which might be tolerable if D. Gene didn’t have a chronic fear of anything in a habit. Add to this the presence of Jock McNair (Carl Palmer), a nationally known relationship guru whose colossal ego threatens everyone’s sanity; a shy retiree, Huddle Fisk (Joseph Cotton), anxious to cut loose and embrace his “inner caveman,” and a couple of wild women, Barb Stratton (Emily Still) and Sister Myrtle Agnes (Emily Perkins), who may or may not be who they claim to be. Throw in the storm of the century that’s fast bearing down on Mayhew, Arkansas, and D. Gene has no prayer of baiting a hook any time soon. Oh, and did we mention there’s an ax murderer on the loose?

L-R: Shade Roberts, Joseph Cotton, Michelle Dees

If you enjoy gloriously preposterous hilarity, then laughing your way through the take-no-prisoners lunacy of a Jones Hope Wooten comedy is one habit you’ll never want to break! Tickets on sale right here on our websiteand don’t forget to check out our new Theatre Company Season Passes!  When you become an Ozark Arts Council member, you become eligible for these exclusive passes, which will save you money on our upcoming season, including Farce of Habit, Nunsense II, Freaky Friday, and…Arsenic and Old Lace! Visit the ticketing page or call 870-391-3504 for more info!

In trying times, what could be better than a healthy dose of Jones Hope Wooten comedy? Three of the most popular and widely-produced playwrights in the country, with Broadway, film, and TV credits (e.g., The Golden Girls and Disney’s Teacher’s Pet), Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten specialize in laugh-out-loud comedies, and this will be a great one!

Please Note for Your Safety and Comfort: We have our patrons’ health and well-being first and foremost in our minds as the Covid-19 numbers rise but we’re all learning to work around it, so please make sure you read the guidelines below that we have put into place (per the Arkansas Department of Health’s directives) to keep you protected. Please read carefully, as we are required to abide strictly by these guidelines—and please note that, as we’ve seen these past several months, these guidelines may change at any moment. If they do, we will be sure to update you. We are doing everything we can in our cleaning procedures and following of the ADH guidelines to keep you safe, and we appreciate your doing the same for our volunteers and performers.

The ADH Requirements

  • Patrons must be required to wear a mask if over 10 years of age.
  • Every patron’s temperature must be checked upon entrance and will be asked several questions pertaining to travel and health. Patrons will not be able to enter if:
    • They have fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, or loss of taste or smell.
    • They have had known exposure to someone with Covid-19 in the past 14 days.
  • A 6-foot gap must be maintained between patrons who do not “shelter together,” so only groups with family members should get tickets with adjoining seats. If you plan on going with anyone who does not live in the same household with you, please call 870-391-3504 for our help on getting you seats as close together as possible, while still allowing for the “social distancing” regulations.
  • We are allowed to serve refreshments, so our concession stand and the upstairs Immortal BarD will be open. However, we will have signs posted reminding patrons to keep a 6 foot distance, and we will not be able to accommodate clustering of groups at the counters.
  • Though it is a tradition at the Lyric to allow audience members to come up and greet the cast at the end of plays, we will forego this for now to keep the required 12 feet of distance between those on stage and those in the audience. If you wish to tell the cast “good job!” you can leave comments right here on this page!

If you have any questions about how we are protecting our volunteers, or about any of the guidelines, please don’t hesitate to call 870-391-3504 or send an email here.

Join us at The Lyric for great southern comedy August 14–16 & 21–23. Tickets for Farce of Habit are available now here at TheLyric.org by clicking any “Get Tickets” link or by calling (870) 391-3504 (please leave a detailed message if you get our voicemail).

OAC Ticketing Link

Always a Bridesmaid, June 25-27 at 7pm, 28 at 2pm! #LiveAtTheLyric!

The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and
the Ozark Arts Council Present a
Jones Hope Wooten Comedy:

Always a Bridesmaid

Thursday-Saturday, June 25–27, 7:00PM
Sunday, June 28, 2:00PM

The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and The Ozark Arts Council, will present Always a Bridesmaid  #LiveAtTheLyric the last weekend of June, 2020 (June 25–28)! Tickets are available through TheLyric.org with Advance Tickets priced at $8 children, $10 seniors, $12 adults. Ticket prices at the door will be $11 children, $13 seniors, $15 adults.

In trying times, what could be better than a healthy does of Jones Hope Wooten comedy? Three of the most popular and widely-produced playwrights in the country, with Broadway, film, and TV credits (e.g., The Golden Girls and Disney’s Teacher’s Pet), Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten specialize in laugh-out-loud comedies, and this will be a great one!

Please Note for Your Safety and Comfort: We have our patrons’ health and well-being first and foremost in our minds as the Covid-19 numbers rise but we’re all learning to work around it, so please make sure you read the guidelines below that we have put into place (per the Arkansas Department of Health’s directives) to keep you protected. Please read carefully, as we are required to abide strictly by these guidelines—and please note that, because the play is still a month away, these guidelines may change. If they do, we will be sure to update you. We are doing everything we can in our cleaning procedures and following of the ADH guidelines to keep you safe, and we appreciate your doing the same for our volunteers and performers.

Wedding Season is just around the corner…

…and we can’t wait to see our darling Southern Belles marry their soulmates this month (June 25-27 at 7:00pm and June 28 at 2:00pm) at our own beautiful and historic “wedding venue,” The Lyric Theater! More about the story will follow the ADH guidelines for attending plays this Summer.

The ADH Requirements

  • Patrons must be required to wear a mask if over 10 years of age.
  • Every patron’s temperature must be checked upon entrance and will be asked several questions pertaining to travel and health. Patrons will not be able to enter if:
    • They have fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, or loss of taste or smell.
    • They have had known exposure to someone with Covid-19 in the past 14 days.
  • A 6-foot gap must be maintained between patrons who do not “shelter together,” so only groups with family members should get tickets with adjoining seats. If you plan on going with anyone who does not live in the same household with you, please call 870-391-3504 for our help on getting you seats as close together as possible, while still allowing for the “social distancing” regulations.
  • We are allowed to serve refreshments, so our concession stand and the upstairs Immortal BarD will be open. However, we will have signs posted reminding patrons to keep a 6 foot distance, and we will not be able to accommodate clustering of groups at the counters.
  • Though it is a tradition at the Lyric to allow audience members to come up and greet the cast at the end of plays, we will forego this for now to keep the required 12 feet of distance between those on stage and those in the audience. If you wish to tell the cast “good job!” we will have a digital guestbook set up where you can leave your well wishes!

If you have any questions about how we are protecting our volunteers, or about any of the guidelines, please don’t hesitate to call 870-391-3504 or send an email here.

The Story

Always a Bridesmaid is a Jones Hope Wooten Southern Comedy.

If you’ve ever elbowed a stranger out of the way to catch a brideís bouquet, seriously questioned the mental stability of the duo saying “I do” or been forced to wear the world’s ugliest bridesmaid dress, this deliriously funny Jones Hope Wooten comedy is definitely for you—and your dearly beloved!

In this hilarious comedic romp, four friends have sworn to keep the promise they made on the night of their Senior Prom: to be in each other’s weddings—no matter what. More than thirty years later, these Southern friends-for-life are still making “the long walk” for each other, determined to honor that vow. Libby Ruth (Julianna Hamblin), the hopeful romantic with the perfect marriage, believes—in spite of all evidence to the contrary—that her friends can find the very same happiness. Headstrong Deedra’s (Spree Hilliard) “rock-solid” union hangs by a thread when she discovers her husband of many years not only has a wandering eye, but the hands to match. Monette (Kirstyn Walker), flashy, high-spirited and self-involved, continues to test her friends’ love and patience with all-too-frequent trips down the aisle. And salt-of-the-earth, tree-hugging Charlie (Emily Akins) discovers—the hard way—that marital bliss is not the end of her rainbow and panics in outrageous style when the opportunity presents itself.

Narrated hilariously by blushing bride Kari (Callie Johnson) and with energetic life-force Sedalia (Linda Henson) running the show, this is sure to make you believe in what friendship can do. Libby Ruth, Deedra, Monette and Charlie are committed to the notion that careers, waistlines and even marriages may disappear, but real friendships last a lifetime. Forsaking all others, in sickness and in health, they repeatedly struggle to stage the perfect wedding in spite of fistfights at the altar, runaway brides and the mistaken, and unfortunate, release of a flock of white doves on the first day of hunting season.

Hop on this marriage-go-round for a laugh-out-loud journey with these beleaguered bridesmaids as they navigate the choppy waters of love and matrimony. Always a Bridesmaid is the rollicking tale of four loyal and determined women who definitively answer the question, “Just how far are you willing to go to keep a promise to a friend?”

Join us at The Lyric for great southern comedy June 25–28. Tickets for Always a Bridesmaid are available now here at TheLyric.org by clicking any “Get Tickets” link, by stopping by the OAC office at 115 W. Rush Ave. between 9 & 1 Tuesday through Friday, or by calling (870) 391-3504 (please leave a detailed message if you get our voicemail).

OAC Ticketing Link

RESCHEDULED: Nunsense II: The Second Coming, September 10-12 at 7pm, 13 at 2pm! #LiveAtTheLyric!

The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and the Ozark Arts Council Present:

Nunsense II:
The Second Coming!

Thursday-Saturday, September 10–12, 7:00PM
Sunday, September 13, 2:00PM

The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and The Ozark Arts Council, will present the raucous comedy, Nunsense II: The Second Coming  #LiveAtTheLyric the second weekend of September (September 10–13)! Tickets are available through TheLyric.org with Advance Tickets priced at $8 children, $10 seniors, $12 adults. Ticket prices at the door will be $11 children, $13 seniors, $15 adults.

Nunsense II: The Second Coming takes place six weeks after the convent has staged its first benefit. The sisters are back presenting a “thank-you” show for all the people who supported them in the past. They’re a bit slicker, now, though, having been “bitten by the theater bug”…

Things get to off to a rousing start as the sisters sing Nunsense, the Magic Word, but before long. chaos erupts. Two Franciscans come to claim Sister Mary Amnesia (who has won the Publishers’ Clearing House Sweepstakes) as one of their own. At the same time, the nuns hear that a talent scout is in the audience to see them strut their stuff. From the riotous bingo game run by Sister Amnesia to the hilarious duet, “What Would Elvis Do?”, to the rousing finale (“There’s Only One Way to End Your Prayers and That’s to Say Amen!”, this show will have you rolling in the aisles!

Join us at The Lyric for music and laughter September 10–13. Tickets for Nunsense II are available now here at TheLyric.org by clicking any “Get Tickets” link, by stopping by the OAC office at 115 W. Rush Ave. between 9 & 1 Tuesday through Friday, or by calling (870) 391-3504 (please leave a detailed message if you get our voicemail).

OAC Ticketing Link

Over the Hills and Far Away: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin — Saturday, September 14, 2019 at 7:00 — #LiveAtTheLyric!

Fifty Years Later, the Music of
Led Zeppelin Still Holds Up…
Especially, when It’s…
LIVE at the Lyric!
Saturday, September 14 at 7:00PM

Join us September 14 at 7:00pm for the rock you’ve loved your whole life! When Tim Taylor, Billy Youngblood, and Will Youngblood won the OAC’s 2018 Battle of the Bands, they decided not to use the concert opportunity that was part of their prize simply to put their band on the stage for a full-length show, but to gather other musicians to pay tribute with them to the most influential rock band in history.  Tickets are available now…for only $5, if you buy now!

LZ_Trib_Poster
Poster courtesy of Susan Boone of SR Graphics, (870) 204-3316. Click image to see more.

All seats are just $5 in advance or $10 at the door and may be purchased online, by visiting the Ozark Arts Council office at 115 W. Rush Ave. (one door to the left of the theater) Thursday–Friday 9:00–1:30, or calling (870) 391-3504.OAC Ticketing Link

Blues Matters Top International Solo Artist, Eli Cook! — Saturday, October 5, 2019 at 7:00 — #LiveAtTheLyric!

Top Solo Blues Artist Eli Cook Heads to The Lyric for a Class and a Concert!
Saturday, October 5 at 7:00PM

Join us on October 5 at 7:00pm, for the guitar mastery and rich baritone voice that brought the writers of Blues Matters magazine to rank him as a “top international solo artist” above Devon Allman and Elvin Bishop…before he had reached his 30th birthday: Eli Cook’s busy hands and feet (resonator and 12-string, plus tambourine and stompbox) are coming to the Lyric this Fall!

PLUS: Eli Cook’s Acoustic Blues Guitar Workshop October 5 from 3:00–5:00! Ages 13 and up with moderate to advanced skill levels and an interest in “Blues based music.” You must bring an acoustic guitar (no electric instruments will be allowed this time). If you know basic chords and want to play the Blues or incorporate its influences into your playing, there will be something here for you; if you know more than that, there will be something here for you, too! BUT: Get your concert tickets first, so that you save $10 on this class! (More info below!)

AllMusic noted that Eli Cook “has what it takes to be the best blues singer of his generation.” Blues Matters! stated that Cook is “among the top 3 solo blues artists world-wide.” Arnie Goodman’s words in Elmore Magazine immediately make sense when you consider Eli’s main influences—John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Soundgarden, and Rage Against the Machine—

What Eli is doing is giving an authenticity to the blues, but giving it the energy a modern rock band would give it. That’s the key to it.

As Eli himself says, “Everything I do is always deeply rooted in classic blues—meaning the feeling of it and the music theory aspect of it. It’s especially rooted in what they call pre-war blues, the more acoustic, rootsy stuff.” Joe McSpadden, writing in the roots music quarterly No Depression sums it up this way:

On the seventh album of his career the phenom from Nelson County, Virginia reins in his inner guitar god and makes his most focused roots blues album yet. High-Dollar Gospel finds Cook showcasing his acoustic mojo and the result is the most satisfying record of his career.

That album—released to universally rave reviews in 2017—was a blend of Cook’s love of country pickers to blues rockers and included covers from Muddy Waters and Roosevelt Sykes that have been in his live shows for years, as well as an outstanding cover of Bob Dylan’s “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight.”

Through the years, Cook has performed and recorded both acoustic and electric blues, and his Primitive Son album (2014), contained guest appearances by Vinny Appice and Artimus Pyle (drums); Tinsley Ellis, Eric Gales, Leslie West, Pat Travers and Harvey Mandel (guitar); Sonny Landreth (slide guitar); Rod Piazza (harmonica); and Reese Wynans (Hammond B3 organ). He has shared the stage with B. B. King and other greats from Johnny Winter, Robert Cray, and Robin Trower to Shemekia Copeland and Parliament-Funkadelic, appearing every where from the Kennedy Center to the South by Southwest festival…and now we are pleased to welcome him to The Roots Music Palace of the Ozarks, Harrison’s historic Lyric Theater!

“Everybody knows the story of the crossroads, where blues guitarists go at midnight to trade their souls to the devil for musical prowess. It’s just a myth, of course, but if it were true, firebrand Eli Cook could have bragging rights, as his scarifying solo-country blues chill like a hellhound on your trail.” –  Guitar Player (2007)

Eli Cook is a mystifying soul. He’s a keen observer and a provoking thinker…but with swagger!

Under the messy blonde hair is a passionate heart with fingers of silver and gold that recalls John Lee Hooker, Chris Smither, and Chet Atkins, mixed in with a dirty, grungy sound. It’s clean playing mind you; it’s just his fingers are covered in the dirt left over from the crossroads.

Coming from Albemarle County in Virginia at the Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Eli Cook grew up listening to the blues, country, classic rock and alternative rock. He grew up with no TV and radio shows like Prairie Home Companion were his Saturday night entertainment. Life moves slowly in this rural area of the world giving him time to hone his skills with his voice and guitar chops. At 18 he was opening up for B.B. King—a few years later he’s playing in Canada the one week and then the next week he’s blending in with his hometown locals.

“It’s what was around me, and I just tried to pick up on everything and everybody, including Doc Watson and Chet Atkins. In fact, hearing Chet fingerpick made me realize I didn’t need a band.” –  Guitar Player (2007)

Tickets are available now for Eli Cook’s Saturday, October 5 performance at Harrison’s historic Lyric Theater, now celebrating its 90th year. This is a venue perfectly constructed for a performer like Eli, with the maximized ‘live’ acoustics that were necessary for the first generation of talking motion pictures—and the dedicated Lyric fans that consistently fill our seats for blues concerts will make for the sort of electric environment this acoustic blues concert deserves, so choose your seats early for what promises to be an outstanding evening!

All seats are $15 in advance or $20 at the door and may be purchased online, by visiting the Ozark Arts Council office at 115 W. Rush Ave. (one door to the left of the theater) Thursday–Friday 9:00–1:30, or calling (870) 391-3504.

Acoustic Blues Guitar Workshop tuition is $45—but only $35 if you have a concert ticket and use the code on it when you register! In this class, we will discuss the key elements of Blues based guitar playing. This entails crucial rhythmic and melodic concepts and touches on both acoustic and electric styles as well as various finger- and thumb-picking techniques and provides an overview of what makes good Blues guitar.

Classic turnarounds, walking patterns, tricks for transitioning between chords, and signature riffs and licks will all be included and discussed from both a player’s technical standpoint and from a historical perspective, using examples from players such as Robert Johnson, Son House, Albert King, and Stevie Ray Vaughn. This class will have something for anyone who wants to play Blues guitar or just enjoys the music and wants to learn more about it.

OAC Ticketing Link

Cody Ray Slaughter in Concert — Saturday, June 15 at 7:00pm — #LiveAtTheLyric!

Devoted to the King…
…Devoted to His Fans…
…Devoted to Harrison!

Tony Award-nominated and recognized by Elvis Presley Enterprises as the “Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist”
Cody Ray Slaughter!
Saturday, June 15, 7:00PM

Photo by Eva Brand

Cody Ray Slaughter is a Harrison original: a true Southern boy whose passion for the music and memory of Elvis has driven him to a life dedicated to serving the King’s fans. Cody has performed all across the country as “Elvis” in the traveling production of the Tony Award-winning sensation  “Million Dollar Quartet” and was nominated as best featured actor for his role. This June 15, he returns home to Harrison’s historic Lyric Theater with the raw talent and passion that Elvis himself exhibited. Tickets go on sale online at 12:01 am on Saturday, March 16 and the Lyric box office will be open to sell tickets for his concert to those attending the Lyric’s 90th Anniversary concert with Guinness World Record setter Screamin’ Freeman that evening.

Cody Ray Slaughter is hailed as one of the most talented, young Actors, Singer and Elvis Tribute Artist in the country. Born and raised in Harrison, Arkansas, gateway to the beautiful Ozark Mountains, Cody Slaughter began entertaining at the young age of 13.  A true Southern boy, Cody’s true passion for Elvis’ music and memory has directed his career path.

Cody has performed all across the country as Elvis in the traveling production of the Tony Award-winning sensation  Million Dollar Quartet and was nominated as best featured actor for his role. Slaughter has performed in many theaters in Branson, MO, such as Tony Roi’s Elvis Experience, Legends In Concert, 50’s At The Hop and The Liverpool Legends as well as in Pigeon Forge, TN where Cody was the featured entertainer at The Tennessee Shindig for over a year at the young age of 17. Cody also appeared on MTV’s My Super Sweet 16 and Late Night with David Letterman. Slaughter has performed at special events, corporate functions, and entertainment venues throughout the United States, Canada, and the UK.  His uncanny portrayal of Elvis Presley exhibits his amazing love for whom he calls, “the greatest entertainer of all time.”

“My greatest joy is when I’m paying tribute to Elvis, his music, and keeping his spirit alive with his fans. 

Cody Ray Slaughter, 2011 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist  
Harrison, AR

Among some of Cody’s most exciting accolades were winning The People’s Choice Award during Elvis Week 2008. In July of 2011. At the Las Vegas Elvis Fest, Cody received The New Horizon Award for best new Elvis Tribute Artist. The award was given on the same stage where Elvis made history at the Las Vegas Hilton

It Hurts Me from Elvis’s ’68 Comeback Tour,
performed by Cody Ray Slaughter

Representing Tupelo, Mississippi (Elvis’ Birthplace) Elvis Presley Enterprises’ named Cody the 2011 ‘Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist’ in Memphis TN in 2011.

Cody Slaughter has the raw talent and passion that Elvis himself exhibited when he first started. Apart from his tribute to Elvis, Slaughter has a budding career as a country music singer and songwriter. But in spite of his repertoire and building a reputation with his own music Slaughter still says “My greatest joy is when I’m paying tribute to Elvis, his music and keeping his spirit alive with his fans.”

Don’t Leave Me Now live in Memphis,
performed by Cody Ray Slaughter

The doors of the Roots Music Palace of the Ozarks—Harrison, Arkansas’s historic Lyric Theater—will open at 6:00 for a 7:00 performance on Saturday, June 15. Adult beverages and general concessions will be available throughout the concert, and tickets are available in advance for $25.00–$35.00; at the door, they will be $5 more.

tickets

Brick Fields: Blues Therapy – April 5 @ 7:00 – #LiveAtTheLyric!

Rough Winter?
The Mother of Ozark Gospel Blues is Bringing the Cure:
Brick Fields is Coming to the Lyric!
Friday, April 5 at 7:00PM

If the ‘official’ end of winter on March 20 finds you not quite recovered from it all, join us at ‘The Roots Music Palace of the Ozarks’ on April 5 at 7:00, because Brick Fields is coming to provide you with the Blues Therapy you need to have a healthy outlook for Spring—and the rest of the year! “An unleashed cleansing of the soul” is how the Nashville Blues Society described Brick Fields’ music, and the New Classic Music of Tomorrow music review blog makes it clear why: “Brick Fields is by far the most soulful artist I’ve heard in years!” 

Brick Fields is an Arkansas original musical group fronted by the ambrosial voice of Rachel Fields. With her husband, Larry Brick, who has spent over 40 years in the music business as a guitar player and songwriter (and was a worship leader during the California Calvary movement of the 1970s), there is a ‘two talents expressing one flesh’ vibe throughout the music—a unity of purpose in music and vocals that is neither forced nor self-conscious, but just is. Rachel cut her musical teeth first in the Arkansas River valley, by way of her Uncle Mike “Burger” Scoggins, then in the jam band circuit touring in the late ’90s east and west coast festivals, opening for acts like Government Mule and later singing on a tour with the Jerry Garcia Band. Together, they bring a true Americana Soul feel—weaving Folk, Gospel, and Blues together in such a way that former Buffalo River Concert Association president Rick Hinterheuer told Rachel, “You’re going to have a good time playing at the Lyric!”…because Rick knows what we like!

Brick Fields’ current core band is a treasure of solid creativity including Ben Sass, Kevin Bonner, Hoobie Daniels, and Chris Parker.

  • Ben Sass of Jerusalem, Israel is the vibrant enthusiastic steed on and off stage, possibly one of the world’s finest up-and-coming harmonica players on the scene.
  • Kevin Bonner is from Northwest Arkansas and honed his drumming chops in the Cate Bro’s garage; he has been the backbone for numerous of NWA’s most loved bands.
  • Bass player, Hoobie Daniels, of Southern Mississippi (via Austin Texas), joined Brick Fields in 2016 after retiring to the Ozark Mountains where he is continuing his musical journey.
  • Chris Parker adds his Tulsa guitar stylings with influences that largely play themselves out between Chet Atkins and BB King.

Comfortable with themselves and numerous surprise guests, it’s not unusual at a Brick Fields show for the night to end with a few or as many as 20 players on stage. As musicians’ musicians, Brick Fields has been called a magnet for other musicians and music lovers alike.  Ever evolving, this couple’s original music can charm venues in an intimate relaxed setting with the acoustic duo telling stories of musical roots or bring a full-on band experience that brings the house to its feet.

The Ozark Arts Council is pleased to welcome Brick Fields to The Roots Music Palace of the Ozarks, Harrison’s historic Lyric Theater, on Friday, April 5 at 7:00. Tickets are just $10 in advance, but $15 at the door; just click any of the ‘Get Tickets’ links here on our website and you’ll be taken to our ticketing page, or call Jules or Dill at (870) 391-3504 or visit Dill at the OAC office M-W-F 8:00–2:00 (or Jules by appointment).

OAC Ticketing Link

Leadfoot 65 – March 30 @ 7:30 – #LiveAtTheLyric!

Put the Pedal to the Metal and Keep on Rockin’ with Leadfoot 65!
Saturday, March 30 at 7:30PM

Join us on March 30 at 7:30, as Leadfoot 65 speeds onto the Lyric stage! If you heard them at last Summer’s Battle of the Bands or elsewhere, you know that they waste no time in getting your adrenalin flowing and keep it building throughout their set with both riffs and lyrics so solid that you not only can taste the music in the theater’s rarefied air, but chew on it all the way home and through the weekend. As the title track from their just-released second album says, there is “More than Meets the Eye” in the rock from Tomahawk!

Sean Bing’s vocals are a good match for his guitar playing.  Even in something as ‘pretty’ as the introduction to “Black Smoke Rollin’” (and later, in the melodic solo), there is an edge and you know that at any moment it could become all edge; Sean can actually both sing and growl — with both instruments — and he knows when to do each (or both) for best effect. At the same time, Skip Reed’s drum work and Nathan Popejoy’s bass are singing their own deep and steady song for Sean to play off of. This is a great rhythm section and a guitarist that has a feel for how to keep attached to what they’re playing, not just go off and show off his chops in some barely-related way. If you like rock music that puts the emphasis on both the music and the rock, you will love Leadfoot 65.

Leadfoot 65’s two albums reveal a band that is bringing in what we might call ‘The New Mainstream of Southern Rock’. That is, they display a broad set of roots and influences that include the same background as the earlier wave of Southern rockers, plus all the music that has come since then. They move easily from a Molly Hatchet-like sound to one that is clearly akin to Pantera, without ever falling into the sometime-muddiness of Dixie Witch. Southern Rock with a power groove and the soloing sensibilities of melodic and neo-classical metal without losing the focus of the main musical and lyrical intent; Leadfoot 65 is clearly ‘coming of age’ and not to be missed.

The Ozark Arts Council is pleased to welcome Leadfoot 65 back to the historic Lyric Theater on Saturday, March 30 at 7:30. Tickets are just $5 in advance, but $10 at the door; just click any of the ‘Get Tickets’ links here on our website and you’ll be taken to our ticketing page, or call Jules or Dill at (870) 391-3504 or visit Dill at the OAC office M-W-F 8:00–2:00 (or Jules by appointment).

OAC Ticketing Link