MORE VARIETY TO COME

Reba McEntire will return to television Nov. 25 as host of her own network special, this time on NBC. “Reba!,” as the show is tentatively titled, will combine live concert footage shot in Omaha, Neb., with skits based on McEntire’s life and caeer.

“It’s a variety show, and that’s something I’ve been wanting to do forever,” says the singer. “It’s basically our concert, with the choreography and the staging and the lighting and the costuming and all that. Plus we’re doing some other things so I can do some acting and some comedy spoofs. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Jon Sall, who has directed several of McEntire’s music videos, will also direct the special.

“My concerts are very theatrical,” McEntire explains. “I’ve always wanted it to be a stage production, like a Broadway show. That’s pretty much the way it is now. We don’t just sing song after song; we tie them together with a prop or a costume change or some dialogue. We link everything together into one continuous. show.”

When McEntire performs live, the backstage area reels with constant activity. Stage sets shift, props slide in and out, costumes fly--the singer goes through at least eight costume changes a night and her singers and dancers undergo nearly as many.

“It gets kinda tricky,” McEntire says with a laugh. “I came out of a quick change the other day and ran right smack into someone. It’s the hardest I’ve ever run into anybody during the show. We both just steadied ourselves and kept going.”