Wendi Reichstein

The famous diary of Anne Frank has been recreated, republished, and reproduced in perhaps every form imaginable. Since its original publication in Amsterdam in 1947, The Diary of a Young Girl has been translated into over 67 languages, with over 30 million copies sold to this day. It has inspired the 1955 Tony Award-winning play, The Diary of Anne Frank (revived on Broadway in 1997), and the 1959 film version under the same name. The University of Texas' Department of Theatre and Dance kicks off their 2015-2016 theatrical season with the famed play.

If there's one thing we can all agree on, it's this: there's very little that Neil Patrick Harris cannot do. Whether it's swinging from a giant Tony Award at Radio City Music Hall, penning a best selling memoir, or suiting up as everyone's favorite eternal bachelor, it's safe to say Mr. Harris is a man of many talents. So when it was announced he would be starring in his own variety hour this fall, there was little doubt he'd be able to pull it off. That being said, there were also expectations. Large expectations. But more on that later.

If you're looking for theatre during the summer, you aren't exactly short of options in Austin, Texas. You may be, however, a bit short on cash. Enter the annual Zilker Summer Musical: a professionally produced, family friendly, fun filled musical, put on in the heart of Austin for free. Yes, you read that correctly- if you can get over the humidity, you're in for a rare theatrical treat.

Heading into the third season finale, we're definitely not short of drama here in NASHVILLE. Juliette's diagnosis is postpartum depression. Faced with Avery, her doctor, and her staff, she's faced with what a pretty serious issue. Enraged (of course), she leaves- but this is the beginning of an entirely new issue, and another heartbreaking story arc for Juliette Barnes.

Gunnar and Scarlett are sitting in the same spot they were nearly two years ago, listening to Rayna James go on about how talented they are, and how much she needs to work with them. Although this time around, The Exes are barely making eye contact. I want to say I like them better in a personal relationship than a professional one, but damn they do make good music.

Couples fever is in the air... though the happiness isn't quite. Rayna is jet setting for work, terrified to leave Deacon, Juliette and Avery (but mostly Juliette) and struggling to find the balance between mother and career, Scarlett and Dr. Rand... well, they're pretty good. But they're also still in the honeymoon phrase. As our Jade St. John and Luke Wheeler. Juliette has no reason to feel like the worst mother in the world- Micah's mom (whose name escapes me) knocks on Gunnar's door, oblivious to the fact that a) Gunnar knows the truth and b) her son hasn't lived with him in nearly three months. Mother of the Year she is not.

Miss Christina Aguilera is back as the pop singer superstar Jade- desperately trying to record a country album, and hoping to use Luke Wheeler and her powers of persuasion to do so. Rayna's family is as adorable as ever- singing together and *trying* to live as happily as possible, despite Deacon's obviously deteriorating health.

If you asked me to pick a musical I loved based on nostalgia alone, it would be, without a doubt, Annie. Probably for the same reason most theatre kids will tell you; it was the very first musical I was ever in. I was in 6th grade, and I played Kathy. You probably don't know this character- that's because she doesn't actually exist. She was an addition to the script's gaggle of 6 little orphans (I believe our production had 12).

Three weeks later in TV time- Deacon and Rayna are lovey dovey, despite a distant Maddie, and Avery and Juliette are in full-on newborn parent mode. Layla, in a typical passive aggressive meeting with Jeff, introduces tonight's famous and anticipated guest star- Jade St. John, otherwise known as Christina Aguilera.

Tonight's episode starts just hours from where we left off. Sadie is being booked at the police station- and for at least a quick minute the victim has become the murdurer. Her first (and only) call- to Rayna- has her in tears. Leaving Deacon behind with the exhausted, shaken, and, thankfully, still sleeping girls, she rushes off- just hours before the baby shower she's planning for Juliette Barnes. Pretty uneventful day, huh?

With the true irony of the world (and of primetime dramas), it only makes sense that the moment Rayna and Deacon reconcile, the truth emerges of his potentially life-threatening cancer. Following suit, the first arena the Triple Exes play (opening for Rascal Flatts- no small gig), is the same one Scarlett had her meltdown (cowering underneath the piano) in.

Nearly150 students filled the Rollins Studio Theatre at the Long Center Friday morning for an early- and unforgettable- Greater Austin High School Musical Theatre Awards (GAHSMTA) nominations ceremony. Surrounded by eager theatre students, excited teachers and directors, and local Austin media outlets, the GAHSMTA Select Ensemble (in true musical theatre fashion), under the direction of the Long Center's Education and Outreach Director Ginger Morris, performed an impressive Broadway-style opener leading up to the morning's big announcement.

Last week was a whirwind of backstabbing, WTF moments, and OMGs... in true NASHVILLE style, of course. Jeff Fordham is where the majority of us want him to be... screwed over and left with (almost) nothing. Except the opportunity to expose and humiliate Teddy, that is. Layla has been signed to Rayna's label, Highway 65, though what can come of that is anybody's guess. Sadie Stone has finally come clean to Rayna regarding her past, and the label has stepped up and in to hopefully solve all problems- though we know that's most likely not the case. Lastly, Gunnar, Avery, and Scarlett have temporarily reunited their band- to everybody's satisfaction- but especially the Bluebird Cafe's. The record labels' worlds are flipped upside down, but for the first time in a while, things at the Bluebird- and for Gunnar, Avery, and Scarlett, and their band, are right-side up.

'And the nominees are...' This Friday, March 6th, the Long Center takes a page from the Tony Awards handbook when it hosts the second annual nominations announcement for the Greater Austin High School Musical Theatre Awards. Surrounded by hundreds of talented Austin students, local sponsors and supporters, teachers, and representatives from the University of Texas, the Long Center for the Performing Arts, and ZACH Theatre's Education Director Nat Miller; nominees for 15 categories will be announced in preparation for the awards ceremony on April 14th.

There's nothing like a multi-thousand dollar diamond necklace to welcome your newest recruit to a record label… especially when it's send in care of her mother- Rayna James. We haven't seen Rayna as desperately passionate about anything this entire season (her wedding doesn't count- she handled that very calmly and rationally, albeit a bit emotionally). It's absolutely fantastic, and why I love Connie Britton. Rayna's fury isn't the only conflict of the night, however; Deacon is frantically Googling his potential life expectancy- while attempting desperately to avoid Maddie.

I've seen three productions of Avenue Q in my life, all of them ranging from the Broadway national tour to a local community theater performance, to Sunday's matinee performed by the Austin Theatre Project. Bottom line: Avenue Q smart, funny, and relatable show. It's crude, sometimes a bit cringe-worthy, but simultaneously downright hilarious. Throw in an equally humorous and catchy soundtrack, and it's no wonder the show won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical (beating Wicked, mind you).

ast week's episode- albeit insanely fast paced- dropped a lot of information without resolving too much. Sadie Stone, hiding from her abusive and violent ex-husband, is now armed with a gun. Will Chase is turning the wedding that didn't happen into a PR stunt (when he's not lashing out at Rayna), Rayna and Deacon are attempting to sort out their feelings for one another while Deacon secretly (against Scarlett's wishes) battles with his newfound, potentially terminal issue. Avery and Juliette, who we want to turn into the cutest and happiest newlyweds of all time, are slowly but surely trying to iron out some of their many petty issues. Gunnar confronts Micah about the truth regarding his paternity, and Layla and Will are (seemingly) off the hook for their incriminating reality show, following Layla's near overdose. With so much being squeezed into last wee's 45 minutes, here's hoping tonight the NASHVILLE writers slow it down a bit, and dive into the nitty gritty of the show's most intriguing story arcs.

To say the winter finale was full of cliffhangers, curveballs, and straight up anxiety (that last one was on my part, not NASHVILLE's) would be an understatement. The December 10th episode managed to catch up on the storylines of almost every major character, and still leave us patiently awaiting tonight's spring premiere.

"Mamma Mia- here I go again" weren't just familiar song lyrics I was thinking of when I walked into Bass Concert Hall Tuesday night. No, it was also literal thinking going through my head. Why? The opening night of Broadway in Austin's Mamma Mia! was my fifth time seeing the production. From seeing the first national tour back in 2002, to the dragging my dad to the production in Las Vegas, to seeing it twice more through Broadway Across America Houston before sitting in the audience at Bass, here I go again may have been the understatement of the evening.