CRITIC'S CHOICE: Scaring Up Theatrical Fun for Halloween

It's Halloween weekend and every dramatic personage and theatrical type we've ever encountered is caught up in the annual rush to find just the right costume for their holiday revelries (we confess we've never had the knack for coming up with Halloween get-ups - not since we went in drag to a party at the First Baptist Church as the age of 12...tongues were wagging, we are certain, but we lived to tell about it, so it couldn't have been that bad). In the meantime, there are all sorts of onstage happenings this weekend to keep you otherwise engaged should the difficulty of selecting your costume prove to be too much.

In the meantime, we are in the planning stages for Midwinter's First Night (Sunday, January 10, 2016 - for the love of God, where is the time going people?), which will include the presentation of the BWW Nashville Awards (you have until Halloween to make some really scary award nominations before voting starts in early November) and the eagerly anticipated announcement of First Night's Top 10 of 2016 (bribes are encouraged and appreciated). Justin Boyd, Britt Byrd, Katherine Morgan and Taylor Novak join me to host the event (details are forthcoming...we'll trying to build interest here by withholding some of the most pertinent details in order to roll them out in a timely fashion, as it were...) and the ever-helpful Michael Adcock provides the accompanying artwork.

Here, gentle readers - whether you are wearing a mask or not - are our suggestions, which we like to call our Critic's Choices, for immersing oneself in something stageworthy over the coming days:

Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods opened last night on the stage of Collins Alumni Auditorium on the campus of Nashville's Lipscomb University, featuring some of our favorite young actors in an entertaining production helmed by Scott Baker. It runs for two weekends.

Scott Baker directs one of Sondheim's most popular stage works: A Tony Award-winning Broadway musical and an Oscar-nominated film in 2014, Into The Woods intertwines the plots of Brothers Grimm fairy tales, bringing them together for a timeless yet relevant piece and a rare modern classic. Enchantingly comedic with a dark twist, the story brings together everyone's favorite characters from "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Rapunzel" and "Cinderella," among many others. Will the Baker and his wife get their wish to have a child? Can Cinderella attend the King's Festival, and can Jack feed his family with riches plundered from atop the beanstalk? Will Little Red arrive at Granny's house? When the Baker and his wife learn that they cannot have a child because of a Witch's curse, the two set off on a journey that sees that everyone's wish is granted, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later with disastrous results.

Kari Smith (whom we first reviewed in a 1989 production of Annie at Nashville Playhouse...does that scare you as much as it does me?) stars as The Witch, backed up by a bevy of extraordinary young actors, including Emily Marie Hughes, Jonah Jackson, Sarah Zanotti, Scott Patrick Wilson, Scout Pittman, Hunter Martin, Brooke Ferguson, Bekah Purifoy, MacKenzie Lewis, Elijah Wallace, Ann Marie Bagge - the list of impressive talents goes on and on...Randy Craft is musical director and Kari's the choreographer. You won't want to miss it!

And, if you are looking for something to frighten you out of your wits, consider this: I had an epiphany last night: The Walking Dead is actually just Into the Woods without the swell score by Sondheim. Think about it: The Lady Giant and her late, lamented husband are the ultimate walkers; the Witch is sorta Carol (with Rapunzel as Lizzie), Rick is clearly a rip-off of The Baker (ergo, Lori is The Baker's Wife, just written more annoyingly and with less heart and soul), Little Red is Michonne, Jack is Carl (you know always running off and doing stupid shit, "Where's Jack?" "Where's Carl?" they're both the same), Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters are some cowardly types who chose to go to Birmingham instead of staying in Atlanta, and Cinderella's Prince is Shane. Am I right or am I right? The whole plotline - let's face it all post-apocalyptic societies are virtually the same - the setting in the woods, the whining and wailing... The Walking Dead = Into the Woods without the score. Think about it, people (there are elements of the musical found in Fear the Walking Dead, as well!)...

Performance dates are October 29-31, November 5-7 at 7:30 p.m. and November 1 at 3:30 p.m.

Circle Players continues its 2015-16 season with its production of John Steinbeck's literary classic Of Mice and Men, opening tonight at Nashville's Z. Alexander Looby Theatre. Daniel DeVault and Heather Vaughn Alexander team up to direct the show, starring Mitchell Stevenson as George and Tony Nappo as Lennie, the two migrant workers and pals whose woeful life and tragic experiences have made Steinbeck's novel - and its subsequent stage version - among the best-loved tales found in all of American arts and letters.

Heather Alexander and Daniel DeVault direct the stage adaptation of John Steinbeck's classic tale of George and his lumbering friend, the gentle giant Lennie. Tony Nappo plays Lennie, with Mitchell Stevenson as George. Other cast members include Eric Butler, Morgan Fairbanks, Joseph Lovell, Ethan Treutle, Nick Boggs, Ron Veasey, Christian McLaurin and Craig Hartline. Of Mice and Men runs through November 15. For tickets and further information, go to www.CirclePlayers.net

Along with ghost stories and other sinister tales of the season comes the annual production of playwright David Alford's SPIRIT: The Authentic Bell Witch Experience, the final event of this year's Bell Witch Fall Festival in his hometown of Adams, Tennessee. The show opened last week and if you believe in the Bell Witch, you're not alone: for almost 200 years, the elusive Spirit has had a hold on the minds and memories of Middle Tennesseans. If you're a skeptic who feels that "seeing is believing," you're in luck.

Community Spirit, Inc. and the City of Adams host the 13th season presentation of Alford's play, directed for the second year by critically acclaimed Nashville director/actor Derek Whittaker. This year's production of SPIRIT opened Thursday, October 22, continuing through Halloween night, October 31, at the Bell School Community Complex's Brooksher Outdoor Pavilion, just off Highway 41N in Adams. Curtain is at 7 p.m. each evening. SPIRIT is produced by Anna Filippo.

Based upon Richard Williams Bell's memoir Our Family Trouble, SPIRIT explores the infamous haunting of the Bell Family which is said to have occurred in Robertson County in the early 19th century.

"I have been fascinated by this story since I was a child," says Alford, an Adams native well-known for his portrayal of Rayna James' manager, Bucky Dawes, on ABC's hit show, Nashville. "I learned 'the witch' was actually scarier than my childhood image: an invisible entity whose motives were unknown, and whose actions caused injury and death."

Whittaker, who acted in the 2013 production, says he is thankful for another opportunity as director to shed new light on this beloved local legend: "The legend of the Bell Witch is one of our nation's greatest ghost stories. We have such a wonderful and unique opportunity to explore her legacy on the actual ground where these events are said to have taken place. Even if you remember this story from childhood or you've seen the show in years past, I promise you've never seen it like this! It is such a tremendous celebration of the season, of community, of live theatre and the art of storytelling, as well as the history and the mystery of this time-honored tale."

Among the cast members of the 2015 production: Lauren Braddock Harvey, Jamila Hunter, Meghan Judd, Jenny Norris Light, Julia Nolan, Joy Tilley Perryman, Elena Spradlin, Elizabeth Walsh, Jarvis Bynum, Benjamin Jones, Jackson Nolan, Danny Nolan, Alex Maynard, Paul O'Connor, Scotty Phillips, Jake Rullman, Brett Runge, Evan Taylor Williams and Francis A. Wolff.

The 4th Annual Bell Witch Fall Festival is sponsored by F&M Bank, the Tennessee Arts Commission and The Memorial Foundation. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 students, and Thursdays are $8 student night. For more information or to reserve tickets, visit: www.bellwitchfallfestival.com.

Verge Theater Company opened Allison Moore's Slasher two weeks ago, running through Halloween night at Main House, 709B Main Street in Nashville - the entrance is in the alley, but you don't need a special password...ten bucks will do the trick (or $15 on Halloween) - go to www.vergetheaterco.org for details.

In Slasher, Sheena works at a crappy restaurant while going to school and supporting her family. When she's offered the part of "last girl" in a slasher film she jumps at the chance. Her pain addled, pill-popping, scooter driving, feminist mother isn't going to let the movie Blood Bath turn her daughter into a victim, figurative or literal, and will protect her no matter the cost. Throw in an overzealous church group, a desperate director, a bag of Sonic tots, and hold on because it's gonna get bloody. This dark comedy is an immersive theater event (wear comfortable shoes) with a donation bar available to those over 21.

Nettie Kraft does double duty in the Verge Theater Company version of Slasher: she not only directs, but is also in the cast! Among the other local favorites onstage with her are Ashley Glore, Tamara Todres, Kristin McCalley Landiss, Aaron Roston, Michael Joiner, LaTrisha Talley, Fiona Soul, Grace Mason, Christy White and Audrey Johnson.

Destiny Theatre Experience' STEREO-type, continues its run through tomorrow night, October 31, at the Darkhorse Theatre, 4610 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville. Written and performed by Shawn Whitsell, STEREO-type is a one-man show, depicting the lives of five very different black men, empowered by the hip hop music that blasts through their stereos, while navigating their way through the highs and lows of life and battling stereotypes that attempt to hold them hostage.

Nashville Repertory Theatre's critically acclaimed production of Tom Stoppard's (whose son, Ed, can now be seen in PBS' Home Fires) Tony Award-winning comedy Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, closes this weekend, running through October 31, in the Andrew Johnson Theater at Tennessee Performing Arts Center.

This Tony Award-winner is a tragicomedy of Shakespearean proportions: Known for their minor roles in Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are at the center of the story this time, finding themselves continually befuddled by their circumstances, never sure of what they're supposed to be doing. Here, in the scenes behind the Hamlet story, the duo hilariously questions their every action, feeling like maybe they are being manipulated (they are) but worrying that to resist may be interfering with fate. Whether you're a Hamlet lover or not, this is a comedy that will tickle your funny bone while making you wonder if any of us are actually the star of our own story.

René Copeland, Nashville Rep's producing artistic directoer, says, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is a brilliant classic of tragicomedy that is absurd and funny most of all. It's a great and accessible way to dabble in the Elizabethan era, which is fun for our designers, and satiates my desire to present a classic when we can."

Nashville Rep's cast for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead includes Matt Garner (Guildenstern), Patrick Kramer (Tragedian), Steven Kraski (Tragedian), John Mauldin (Polonius), Jeremy Maxwell (Tragedian), Tony Morton (Claudius), Shelean Newman (Gertrude), Matthew Rosenbaum (Hamlet), Patrick Waller (Rosencrantz), Jacob York (Player) and acting interns Isaiah Frank (Alfred), Andrew Johnson(Tragedian) and Delaney Keith (Ophelia).

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is directed by René D. Copeland. Nashville Rep's Producing Artistic Director is René D. Copeland. Designers are Gary Hoff (Scenic/Properties Designer), Trish Clark (Costume Designer), Darren Levin (Lighting Designer) and Kyle Odum (Sounds Designer). Technical Director is Tyler Axt. For details, go www.NashvilleRep.org, then go see the show!

Continuing at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre is Alone Together, directed by Lydia Bushfield. Starring Charlie Winton and Bonita Allen, the show opened a couple of weeks ago. You can call (615) 646-9977 for reservations. In addition to the aforementioned Winton and Allen, the cast includes Brett Cantrell, Austin Olive, Andy Griggs and Corinne Bupp. Cantrell, Bupp and Winton were last onstage at the Barn in Arsenic and Old Lace.

Murfreesboro's Center for the Arts hosts the final performances of The Addams Family, A New Musical - the Broadway musical by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (Jersey Boys) and Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party) - through November 1.

The weird, wacky and well-known Addams Family, who first appeared in cartoons by artist Charles Addams in The New Yorker magazine (where they made their debut in 1938), are brought to life in the musical via an original story that juxtaposes the other-worldly Addams family against a typical, perhaps "normal" family whose son becomes involved romantically with Wednesday Addams.

The Addams Family is directed by Renee Robinson, and includes several well-known Murfreesboro actors including David Cummings (who starred in one of the first plays we ever reviewed at MTSU when we were both undergrads there) as Gomez Addams, Alexius Frost as Morticia, and Shelby Jones as Wednesday Addams. The family is rounded out by Slate Bowers as Pugsley, Miranda Johnson as Grandmama, John Frost, Jr. as Uncle Fester and Matthew Wells as Lurch. Payton McCarthy is featured as Lucas - Wednesday's boyfriend, with Stephen Belk and Kat Manning as his parents. The cast is filled with numerous singers and dancers playing ancestors of the infamous family, who will have you wanting to join them by the end of the opening number.

The Addams Family runs through November 1, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. A special matinee performance has been added on Saturday, October 31 - aka Halloween - during which patrons are encouraged to come in costume. After the show trick or treating and costume contests will take place in the Gallery. Tickets for the performances are $15.00 for adults and $13.00 for seniors, students and military and $11.00 for children age 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased on the Center's website at www.boroarts.org, by calling (615) 904-2787 or by stopping by the Center during business hours. Group ticket rates are available. The Center for the Arts is located at 110 West College Street in Murfreesboro.

On Tuesday night, Nashville Repertory Theatre will host a staged reading of Nate Eppler's Good Monsters. Good Monsters tells the story of Frank, a Gulf War veteran and police officer who moonlights as a security guard to make ends meet. Safira was a shoplifter. It was dark. Frank thought she had a gun. She didn't. Now Frank's the guy who shot an unarmed teenager, with ramifications for his wife, his best friend, Safira's father, and a media spin doctor looking for a story. While he waits for the grand jury, Safira haunts Frank every night and soon she begins to make terrifying demands of him.

The cast of Good Monsters includes Megan Murphy Chambers (Josie), David Compton (Zell), Alexandra Huff (Zero), Carey Van Driest (Darlene), Nathaniel McIntyre (Frank), R. Alex Murray (Dumptruck). Good Monsters is directed by Nashville Rep's Producing Artistic Director Rene Copeland.

Eppler wrote Good Monsters as part of The Rep's Ingram New Works Project two years ago. The situations and controversies in the plot were met with strong debate and emotion by those who attended the earlier readings, which excited the artists involved with the script, prompting them to think the story will engage the audience. Good Monsters contains adult themes, a lot of adult language, and is for mature audiences.

The staged reading of Good Monsters will include a post-show discussion with audience, cast, playwright, and director and is free for Nashville Rep members. Donations are welcome from other attendees. Reservations should be made online at nashvillerep.org/good-monsters-reading.

Opening on Thursday, November 5, N&XT presents Manuscript at Gallery Luperca, 604 Gallatin Avenue, Suite 212, in Nashville, running through November 14 and starring Parker Arnold as David, Jesse W. Smith as Chris and Sadie Elizabeth Hart as Elisabeth.

In the bedroom of a Brooklyn Heights brownstone, three ambitious college freshmen confront the discovery of an unpublished manuscript that can guarantee success. It's winter break; the parents are out of town; and David is the host of this gathering. His best friend, Chris, is coming over with his new girlfriend from college, Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a famous author and David an aspiring one. They've come to party before a fancy holiday ball. But when Chris makes a run to get their drugs for the evening it becomes clear that David and Elizabeth have a secret history. To make matters worse, Chris returns with shocking news and a stack of pages that will change their lives forever. It appears that their supplier, a famous and famously reclusive author, has died of a drug overdose. After discovering the body, Chris managed to salvage the only copy of his final work from the scene. As the bright young things scrap over what to do with the manuscript, their plotting is by turns hilarious and startlingly cruel. They spin out of control on their manipulative quest for fame and, ultimately, revenge. Little is what it seems, and no one can be trusted as plot twists pile up, and the play hurtles towards a surprise ending.

Manuscript runs November 5-14: Thursday-Saturday at 7 p.m. Go to www.nandxt.com for more information.

Daron Bruce once again pushes the envelope and gives his Hume-Fogg Academic High School Theatre Department students the opportunity to challenge themselves in Sweeney Todd School Edition, running through November 5-7.

Directed by 2014 First Night Honoree Daron Bruce, with vocal music direction by Lisa Forbis and choreographed by 2011 First Night Honoree Pam Atha (and with a set by 2012 First Night Star Award winner Jim Manning), Sweeney Todd has become a bloody, worldwide success since being awarded eight Tony Awards (including Best Musical), for its Broadway premiere and has now been adapted for high school performers in Sweeney Todd School Edition.

Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler (A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures) crafted a tasty, thrilling, theatrical treat that has simultaneously shocked, awed, and delighted audiences across the world. An infamous tale, Sweeney Todd, an unjustly exiled barber, returns to 19th century London seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. The road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop, above which he opens a new barber practice. Mrs. Lovett's luck sharply shifts when Todd's thirst for blood inspires the integration of an ingredient into her meat pies that has the people of London lining up, and the carnage has only just begun!

Reserved seats are $13 at the website; general admission seats are $10 for adults, $5 for students and are sold half an hour before curtain. For tickets and other details, go to www.hfatheatre.com.

This special School Edition has been masterfully adapted, working directly with Mr. Sondheim, to retain the dark wit and grand scope of the original work, with a few lyric and key changes to facilitate high school productions. At the show's core is a challenging score of epic proportion with two tasty tour de force roles in Sweeney and his comic female accomplice Mrs. Lovett.

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