Weekend Entertainment Roundup for June 13, 2024

Here’s the latest Weekend Entertainment Roundup from Eric E. Harrison, culture reporter at the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

MUSIC

James Taylor and His All-Star Band performs at 8 p.m. Saturday at North Little Rock’s Simmons Bank Arena. The stars in the band include Jimmy Johnson, bass; Steve Gadd, drums; Michael Landau, guitar; Larry Goldings, keyboards; Luis Conte, percussion; Walt Fowler and “Blue” Lou Marini, horns; Andrea Zonn, fiddle and vocals; and Kate Markowitz and Dorian Holley, vocals. simmonsbankarena.com.

Bad Habit and Tragikly White perform for River Market Live!, 6-9 p.m. today at the River Market Pavilions, 400 President Clinton Ave. Admission is free. (501) 370-3274; littlerock.com.

Grammy-winning drummer Ulysses Owens performs at 7:30 p.m. today for Jazz at The Joint, 301 Main St., North Little Rock. (501) 372-0210; jazzatthejoint.org.

And country star Tracy Byrd, with opening act Big Shane Thornton, performs at 7 p.m. Saturday at Magic Springs, U.S. 70 (1701 E. Grand Ave.), just outside Hot Springs. (501) 624-0100; magicsprings.com.

THEATER

Teen improv group Armadillo Rodeo returns to the stage after a long, covid-19-caused hiatus (since 2020, in fact), 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday at the Public Theatre, 616 Center St., Little Rock. The troupe is open to actors between 13 and 18; the logo notes it has been “Lassoing Laughs since 2007.” Each performance is fully improvised. Admission is by a suggested donation of $10. thepublictheatrelittlerock.com.

“She Kills Monsters” by Qui Nguyen continues onstage at the Weekend Theater, West Seventh and Chester streets, Little Rock, 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday through June 23. The theater describes the play as “a comedic romp into the world of fantasy role-playing games — a high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres and ‘90s pop culture” that pays “a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all.” centralarkansastickets.com.

With a volcano set to erupt and destroy their Bikini Bottom homes, SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends come together to save their beloved undersea world in “The SpongeBob Musical,” which the Royal Players are staging, 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday through June 23 at the Royal Theatre, 111 S. Market St., Benton. TheRoyalPlayers.TicketLeap.com.

And “Smoke on the Mountain,” involving a preacher and a musical family performing traditional and bluegrass gospel songs and share stories and beliefs at a North Carolina Baptist church during the Depression, continues through June 29 at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, 6323 Colonel Glenn Road, Little Rock. (501) 562-3131; murrysdp.com.

Tune in every Thursday at 4:44pm to hear Eric’s roundup for arts and culture events in Central Arkansas during All Things Considered on Little Rock Public Radio.