The Rep went batty in February 1999 when it presented Steven Dietz’s retelling of Bram Stoker’s DRACULA.
Directed by Brad Mooy, the show starred Vincent Lamberti as the titular Count.
Others in the cast were Joy Schiebel, Christopher Zorker, Eva Kaminsky, Ronald J. Aulgur, David Heckel, Colly Carver, Stephanie Crenshaw, Lakeetra Gilbert, Paula Isbell, and Daryl D. Minefee. All in the cast except Schiebel had previously appeared in shows for the Rep.
The angular set was designed by Mike Nichols. The costumes (including a velour cape lined in purple satin) were designed by Patricia Martin. David Neville provided the lighting design, while Ryan C. Mansfield was the sound designer.
In June 2003, the Arkansas Rep went back to the dying days of vaudeville when it presented Gypsy. Written by Arthur Laurents, Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim, this musical fable looks at the end of vaudeville and the rise of Gypsy Rose Lee. It was directed by Rep founder Cliff Fannin Baker.
Baker said he had long wanted to do the show, but credited Bob Hupp (his successor as the Rep’s Producing Artistic Director) with figuring out a way to make it happen.
Mary Robin Roth took on the role of Mama Rose. She had previously played Miss Hannigan in Annie at the Rep. Broadway vets Trista Moldovan and Joyce Chittick played Rose’s daughters Louise and June. In real life those grew up to be Gypsy Rose Lee and June Havoc. Others in the cast of approximately 30 included John Kudan, Nicholas Dromard, and Steve Wilkerson.
The creative team included Mike Nichols (scenery), Margaret A. McKowen (costumes), David Neville (lighting) and M. Jason Pruzin (sound). Ron Hutchins choreographed, and Eric Alsford was the musical director.
Even before opening night, the production was extended a week and ended on July 6 instead of June 29.
In 1996, the Arkansas Rep presented Tony Kushner’s Angels in America: Millennium Approaches. It was one of seven professional theatres granted the rights to do the show that season. The production ran from February 29 to March 17 of that year.
Directed by Brad Mooy, the production came about due to lobbying of the Broadway producers by Rep Artistic Director Cliff Baker. There was skepticism in New York as to how Little Rock audiences would respond. And, to be honest, there was skepticism in Little Rock, too. But the rights were granted, and Little Rock embraced the play.
The next season, the Rep brought Part I back to be joined by Part II for the opportunity experience a theatrical marathon. The Rep’s production was unprecedented in Little Rock. It was not just a rarity for the Rep, such an undertaking had never been done by any theatre in town.
Directed by Brad Mooy, the 1997 dual production required five weeks of rehearsals (more than the usual amount). Six of the eight actors from the 1996 production returned for the second go around.
As it had been in 1996, the cast was led by Rep favorite Steve Wilkerson. Others in the cast were Caitlin Hart, Jo Anne Robinson, Jonathan Lamer, Jonna McElrath and Ray Ford. The two new additions were Christopher Swan and Ken Kramer. They played the roles which Barry Stewart Mann and Fred Baker had played the prior year.
The design team included Mike Nichols (sets), Don Bolinger (costumes), David Neville (lighting), Melissa Wakefield (properties), Rob Milburn (sound), and ZFX Inc. (flying).
N. Richard Nash’s romantic drama with comedy, The Rainmaker took over the Arkansas Rep stage in January and February 1995. Following the run in Little Rock, it toured the US through April of that year.
The production was directed by Rep founder and Artistic Director Cliff Fannin Baker. It reunited him with several long-time Rep actors Vivian Morrison, Ronald J. Aulgur, Steve Wilkerson, Richard Glover, and Mark Johnson.
Baker had previously directed Robert Standley in a production of the show, and brought him in to reprise his role as the title character. Rounding out the cast was Rep newcomer John Stiritz.
The creative team included Mike Nichols (sets), Don Bolinger (costumes), David Neville (lighting) and Chip Salerno (sound). Salerno also wrote and recorded the music which underscored the production.
Twenty-five years ago (1993), Tony Kushner’s Angels in America: Millennium Approaches won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was joined on Broadway in late 1993 with its second half Angels in America: Perestroika.
The Rep’s production was unprecedented in Little Rock. It was not just a rarity for the Rep, such an undertaking had never been done by any theatre in town.
As it had been in 1996, the cast was led by Rep favorite Steve Wilkerson. Others in the cast were Caitlin Hart, Jo Anne Robinson, Jonathan Lamer, Jonna McElrath and Ray Ford. The two new additions were Christopher Swan and Ken Kramer.