Vapors plans Christmas shows
The management of The Legendary Vapors is not letting a pandemic prevent them from getting into the holiday spirit, announcing plans for four Christmas shows this month and the return of a favorite Spa City character.
“We are going to do Christmas shows; the first Christmas shows held in the Vapors for years,” Tom Wilkins, executive manager at the venue, said. The shows are scheduled for Dec. 12, 18, 19 and 20, and each is set to start at 7 p.m.
Wilkins has a lot of experience with putting on Christmas shows in downtown Hot Springs. “When I was at my other theater (The Five Star Dinner Theatre, previously The Bathhouse Show) for over 30 years, we always prided ourselves on our Christmas shows,” he said.
Wilkins said this will be the first time he has held a holiday show in around five years.
Buford Pressley, a popular character of Wilkins’, will be included in the shows. “Buford is the second cousin, twice removed, of a guy who once took
out Elvis’ garbage … he had quite a following and over the years kind of became a local legend,” he said.
Wilkins said he hasn’t performed as Pressley in years and hasn’t performed in any capacity in front of a crowd in several years.
“It’s been a few years, you get older, not younger, I’m looking forward to it, to see if I still have it in me,” he said.
Joining Wilkins in the Christmas shows are six other performers: Shannon Tiernan, Rebecca Seewald, Susan Wilkins, Doug Lackey, Shane Graves and Randy Bright. Wilkins said the seven of them will be performing both traditional and newer Christmas songs, and there will be comedy involved in the shows.
The shows are being done both for the benefit of the general public, and the performance community, he said, noting, “A lot of people say that we are missing so much (by not) going out. Good, oneon- one communicating with people other than our immediate family. Human beings are made to socialize, and it’s been 10 months now.”
As for the entertainers, Wilkins said many found themselves unable to find work during COVID-19. “We’re really excited to gather folks from the community, some new faces, some longtime, to put together some of the best shows we’ve ever had,” he said.
“There have been a lot of my friends in the hospitality/ entertainment area not working right now. Their livelihoods taken away from them. That really saddens me as a human that cares,” Wilkins said.
The shows will provide entertainment for the community while also getting the performers back to work. “It works both streets,” he said.
The performers were immediately interested when he pitched the shows to them, Wilkins said, noting the atmosphere was similar to “The Blues Brothers” getting the band back together. The group has been rehearsing the shows for around a month.
There will be safety measures in place for COVID-19, Wilkins said, such as all attendees will have their temperatures checked, and will have to answer some pandemic- related questions before they can enter. Attendance will be limited to 96 seats per show.
Wilkins said normally The Vapors can seat 400 people, but under current rules set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and by Gov. Asa Hutchinson, “we could seat 260 people safely.” He said they have decided to keep the attendance lower because having a large crowd is “not our goal. Our goal is to please the customer.”
“I’m at the age, personally, where if I get COVID, it would be tough on me,” Wilkins said. “But I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in quarantine.”
“We ask the community not to feel like (they cannot) safely come out and be entertained and have fun. Not be afraid to do so, health-wise,” Wilkins said.
Wilkins also announced the Vapors 2021 season will start on Feb. 14.
Tickets for the shows are available at https:// www. eventbrite. com and those wishing to attend need to preorder their tickets online, he said.