Nathan W. Brown News

Bye Bye Birdie-conjuring up memories of Elvis Presley and the fan fervor that greeted a lot of musical acts in the 1950s and '60s-takes center stage at Dickson's Renaissance Center in June as the Renaissance Players present the musical theater classic June 1-17.

It makes no difference the region in which you were raised or now live, nor does the church in which you grew up or now worship and, seemingly, it doesn't matter what your ethnic heritage is: There is a commonality, a universality that binds us all together as a society. And while all of that is a given, it's driven home with the gentle humor and the good graces of Church Basement Ladies, the sweetly evocative and sometimes hilarious musical onstage at The Gaslight Dinner Theatre, in a warmly acted production directed by Nathan W. Brown.

Church Basement Ladies will serve up fun, food and a "delicious musical comedy," April 24-May 26, at The Gaslight Theatre in Dickson. Written by husband and wife team Jim Stowell and Jessica Zuehlke, with music and lyrics by Drew Jansen, the musical comedy is based on the humorous novel Growing Up Lutheran by Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson.

Church Basement Ladies will serve up fun, food and a "delicious musical comedy," April 24-May 26, at The Gaslight Theatre in Dickson. Written by husband and wife team Jim Stowell and Jessica Zuehlke, with music and lyrics by Drew Jansen, the musical comedy is based on the humorous novel Growing Up Lutheran by Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson.

The musical review was created by David Grapes (the former artistic director of Tennessee Repertory Theatre), with musical arrangements and medleys by Andrew Philip Herron, and traces the careers of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney from early on, as the two made their way to Hollywood and became America's Sweethearts, through their sensational careers both in Hollywood and on Broadway.

Granted, Babes in Hollywood isn't for all theater audiences-although, frankly, it should be…what's with you people?-and you'll certainly love it more if you're at least somewhat informed about the Garland/Rooney film oeuvre or the legendarily close relationship the two young stars forged as children and continued throughout their lives. Although that friendship was abruptly ended in 1969 when Garland died in London (I remember reading the news in the Memphis Press-Scimitar as a sixth grader), I've no doubt Mickey Rooney still has conversations with his old pal, somewhere within the recesses of his memory and his heart.

Dickson's Gaslight Dinner Theatre kicks off 2012 by bringing Hollywood and Broadway legends Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney to life via the musical revue Babes in Hollywood: The Music of Garland and Rooney, February 14-March 10.

The musical review was created by David Grapes (the former artistic director of Tennessee Repertory Theatre), with musical arrangements and medleys by Andrew Philip Herron, and traces the careers of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney from early on, as the two made their way to Hollywood and became America's Sweethearts, through their sensational careers both in Hollywood and on Broadway.

Ever wonder how those other Cratchit kids must have felt cast in the shadow of their younger brother Tiny Tim's star-making turn in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol? Let's face it, the kid's a ringer: he's lovable, cute and wise beyond his years and his health, or lack thereof, make him a sentimental favorite of audiences - and clearly, a favorite of his parents. While poor Martha is off being apprenticed to a milliner (who, granted, gives her a day off for Christmas), Tiny Tim is treated tenderly and attentively by dear ol' mum and dad (who fairly dotes on his youngest offspring-now even I can understand why my older siblings dislike me so).

Featuring a cast of actors from throughout Middle Tennessee, The Renaissance Players will present the musicalized version of a holiday classic, A Christmas Carol, The Musical, December 2- 18 in the Anne Deason Performance Hall at The Renaissance Center in Dickson. The Charles Dickens classic gets the full Broadway treatment with music by Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid) and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime, Seussical).

Now onstage at Dickson's Renaissance Center, in a sparkling production from The Center's Mind Enriching Theatre sure to delight, A Year With Frog and Toad is a delightful romp of a tale that explores the importance of friendship between two very similar, yet very different, people. 'People?' you ask. Yes, people; anthropomorphic though they may be, Frog and Toad are as multi-dimensional as any person could possibly be. Richly drawn, artfully crafted and winningly enacted by the five-person cast, A Year With Frog and Toad is sweetly charming, featuring a musical score that's sure to set your feet a-tapping.

You don't necessarily have to be a fan of Johnny Cash or his music to enjoy Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash now onstage at Dickson's Renaissance Center in a professional production from The Gaslight Theatre. But you can be certain that when you leave the theater you will be a Johnny Cash fan of the highest order, humming the songs you've just heard performed by a remarkable group of artists.

Ring of Fire - The Music of Johnny Cash opens September 15 at the Gaslight Dinner Theatre at Dickson's Renaissance Center, running through October 13. The 'jukebox musical', which opened on Broadway in March 2006, is not a biography of Cash, but instead it's described as 'a unique mosaic that follows the life and times of Johnny Cash through his most famous songs.'

Ring of Fire - The Music of Johnny Cash opens September 15 at the Gaslight Dinner Theatre at Dickson's Renaissance Center, running through October 13. The 'jukebox musical', which opened on Broadway in March 2006, is not a biography of Cash, but instead it's described as 'a unique mosaic that follows the life and times of Johnny Cash through his most famous songs.'

There's a new tenant at Armadillo Acres - and she's wreaking havoc all over Florida's most exclusive trailer park. When Pippi, the stripper on the run, comes between the Dr.Phil-loving agoraphobic Jeannie and her tollbooth collector husband, the storms begin to brew. Directed and choreographed by Bryan J. Wlas, with music direction by Nathan W. Brown, the musical stars Jama Bowen, Chris Egging, Emma Jordan, Alan Lee, Jenny Norris-Light, Paula Makar and Margie Mills.

Directed and choreographed by the multi-talented Bryan Wlas, who plays Ambrose Kemper in this musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker, The Renaissance Players' production is lovingly brought to the stage by a large cast of locals - some making their stage debuts, some coming out of self-prescribed stage retirement, and still others adding the show to their professional acting resumes - who represent the very best of community theater, cheerfully and resolutely giving their all to infuse Hello, Dolly! with spirit, verve and camaraderie. Sure, the production has its flaws (so what if Horace Vandergelder sounds like a Confederate Army veteran, the show's being done in a small Southern town for goodness' sake!), but the cast and crew are having so much fun that you can easily overlook almost anything to be transported by one of musical theater's most appealing and enduring scores.

One of Broadway's biggest musical hits ever - Hello, Dolly! - winner of 10 Tony Awards, is next onstage at Dickson's Renaissance Center as The Renaissance Players present the musical comedy by Jerry Herman, known to many as 'the king of showtunes,' running through June 26, starring Marilyn Fair, Linda Sue Simmon Runyeon, Bryan Wlas, and Nathan W. Brown.