Critic's Choice: This Weekend's Openings...'And All That Jazz'

Shows are opening, shows are closing and the newly reimagined national tour of The Phantom of the Opera continues its run at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center this weekend. Theater in Tennessee continues its fast-paced run through 2016 with a number of new openings this week, thanks to Bongo After Hours Theatre, Nashville Rep, Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, Circle Players and more - and Cumberland County Playhouse, Arts Center of Cannon County, Street Theatre Company, Lakewood Theatre Company and ACT 1 continue runs of their latest shows - to give you even more opportunities to celebrate the magic of live theater in the Volunteer State! And on Monday night, The Chicago Talking Machine Company premieres its first Nashville show at the Centennial Black Box Theatre.

Whew! We need a nap! But only to be rested and prepared for a busy slate of shows that are highlighting our schedule (and we've got rehearsals in anticipation of the April 14 opening of Beth Henley's The Miss Firecracker Contest at The Larry Keeton Theatre in Donelson).

We're always ready to help you plan your weekend (and beyond...into the start of the new week) activities with BWW Nashville's Critics Choice, offering up a compendium of what's available, what we recommend you see, and - in the cases of show's we've seen already - snippets of our reviews to help you make up your mind!

And if you're one of those people who plans ahead (they do exist, I am assured by people in the know), you might take a look at our weekly compilation of all things theatrical to be found in Nashville's Theater Calendar: /nashville/article/Nashvilles-Theater-Calendar-31416-20160314

Opening today at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre is the nostalgic musical The Taffetas, directed by Bradley Moore and starring Jaclyn Lisenby Brown, Audrey Johnson, Rae Robeson and Sydney Caroline Hooper. Call (615) 646-9977 for reservations. We're seeing it tonight, so check back tomorrow for our review!

Somewhere Between - Cidny Bullens' "one wo/man show" opens at Nashville's Bongo After Hours Theatre tomorrow night, March 18. Produced by Ken Bernstein, the Grammy-nominated musician's autobiographical show lifts the veil on love, death and gender through storytelling and song.

Somewhere Between is an autobiographical solo show written and performed by Cidny Bullens, directed by Tanya Taylor Rubinstein and produced by Bernstein. Somewhere Between is described as a multimedia theatrical production with live performances of songs past and present.

The show's emotional journey begins with Cindy Bullens' arrival in Los Angeles in the mid-1970's, taking us through her fateful meetings with Bob Crewe and Elton John - brushing ever so close to stardom - and covers her unlikely journey as a wife and mother, then as a bereaved parent, and finally as a grandparent. Throughout the story's dramatic arc, we learn about Cindy's private struggle with gender identity and how, finally, she decides to jump headlong into the fire of gender transition-to become Cidny, the person he always felt he was.

Cidny Bullens' Somewhere Between is a personal, poignant and powerful story of perseverance, tragedy, triumph - and ultimately unconditional love. With a unique perspective on life, Bullens tells his story in an intimate setting with a guitar, images and a healthy sense of humor, and will be performed at Bongo After Hours Theatre over two weekends, with shows on Friday and Saturday, March 18 and 19, and March 25 and 26.

The show is being brought to Nashville by producer Ken Bernstein who has also brought the premieres of Steve Earle's Karla, Jeremy Child's Vampire Mononlogues and Bruce Arnston's The Doyle and Debbie Show to stages in Nashville.

Mix together fable, biblical stories, music and a cast filled with talented local performers, and the result is Circle Players' production of Children of Eden, running March 18-April 3, at Nashville's Z. Alexander Looby Theater. This epic musical by the award-winning creators of Wicked (Stephen Schwartz) and Les Miserables (John Caird) continues Circle's 66th season, as the oldest community theater organization in Middle Tennessee.

Children of Eden is a twist on two Old Testament stories Genesis, set to Schwartz's musical score. Act One tells the story of Adam and Eve; Act Two tells the story of Noah and The Flood. The score uses a variety of musical styles (gospel, pop, world music, classical) to convey the family relationships and conflicts that often get passed from generation to generation.

While the musical is loosely based on religious text, it offers a fresh perspective on these stories by framing them in terms of the relationship between parents and children. It is the human tale of families experiencing love, rage, guilt and their consequences as well as second chances that should resonate most with audience members, according to Josh Waldrep, who directs the Circle Players' production.

"Whether it be love, hardships, compassion, pain, forgiveness or heartbreak - each person will hopefully find that human experience in this show," says Waldrep, who has had a passion for Children of Eden for years, and is thrilled to finally be able to direct the show. "I believe this show has a power in its message and that people will fall in love with it like I did many years ago."

Performances are March 18-April 3, at Z. Alexander Looby Theater, 2301 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard. Show times are: Thursday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 3:00 p.m. Tickets for Children of Eden may be purchased online at www.circleplayers.net at $18 for adults, $15 for students (elementary through college) and seniors (60-plus). Prices are higher at the door. Thursdays (March 24 and 31) are Pay-What-You-Can. Discounts available for groups of 10 or more. For group sales and to make all reservations, email boxoffice@circleplayers.net or call (615) 332-7529.

2015 First Night Honoree Martha Wilkinson - the winner of nine First Night Award as outstanding lead actress in a musical - leads the Nashville Repertory Theatre cast of the Oscar- and Tony Award-winning Chicago, running March 19-April 16 at the Andrew Johnson Theater at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.

Nashville Rep's producing artistic director Rene D. Copeland directs the murderous musical, which features a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. Music direction is by Jason Tucker and choreography by Pam Atha. Designers are Gary C. Hoff (Scenic Designer), Trish Clark (Costume Designer), Phillip Franck (Lighting Designer), and Jeff Ent (Sound Designer). Technical Director is Tyler Axt.

"We're inviting the audience into a 1920's nightclub where most people are only looking out for number one" says Copeland. "Murder, gin, and jazz will be the vibe, and with some of the audience at stage-front cabaret tables, each performance will be a rowdy delight. The music is the best, and it's great fun to take a well-loved show like Chicago and make it our own. Nashville Rep is as excited about its approach as the audience is."

In addition to Wilkinson, Nashville Rep's cast includes Corrie Maxwell (Velma), Geoff Davin (Billy), with Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva (Matron "Mama" Morton), Shawn Knight (Amos/Ensemble) and J. London (Mary Sunshine). Members of the ensemble include DeVon Buchanan, Wesley Carpenter, Jess Darnell, Billy Ditty, Rosemary Fossee, Mia Rose Lynne, Neely Scott and Everett Tarlton.

Tickets are $25 for previews and start at $50 for regular run. Cabaret tables close to the stage seat four and begin at $60 per person. Tickets can be purchased online at nashvillerep.org or by calling the Box Office at (615) 782-4040. Preview performances of Chicago are March 17 and 18, and opening night is Saturday, March 19. Chicago runs through April 16.

Opening Monday night, Kristin McCalley Landis and Tamara Todres will star in the Nashville premiere of Jenny Magnus' The Strange, produced by The Chicago Talking Machine Company at the Centennial Black Box Theater, 211 27th Avenue North, March 21-26.

Tickets for The Strange are now available at www.thestrange.brownpapertickets.com. Nashville-based playwright Nate Eppler (whose critically acclaimed Good Monsters is now in its world premiere production by Nashville Repertory Theatre) will lead a conversation with Jenny Magnus following the March 25 performance.

In Magnus' play, a woman and a girl meet by chance late one night. They candidly trade truths and tales and try to figure each other out. Over time, they meet twice more in the same room and wonder if their first meeting changed each other. The Strange asks if one person can ever truly influence another, and if we have any control over how others absorb the things that we share with them.

The Chicago Talking Machine Company is a music, theatre and film production company. Founded in Chicago in 2009, it is now based in Nashville. To learn more, go to www.chicagotalkingmachine.com.

Updated, reconceived and reimagined by creative genius Matthew Bourne, the national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, continues through Sunday at TPAC's Andrew Jackson Hall. Go to www.tpac.org for ticket information and performance details.

The Voice's Chris Mann - an alumnus of Vanderbilt University - stars as The Phantom with Katie Travis as Christine and Storm Lineberger as Raoul.

Here's a snippet from our review: "Bourne's reimagining (in concert with scenic designer Paul Brown, lighting design by Paule Constable and video and projections by Nina Dunn for Knifedge) of Phantom is, even without a boat silently gliding through the murky waters of abduction and potential sexual subjugation and towering candelabra, is visually stunning and a startling realization of what theater technology has become in a quarter century. There's this towering edifice that becomes a variety of settings in the tale, most notably the entrance to the Phantom's lair: a remarkably constructed set of stairs that plunge you into the darkly brooding musician's realm. The grand staircase might be gone, but it replaced by a gorgeous ballroom built of smoke and mirrors that showcases the performers and, not inconsequentially, the still-beautiful costumes designed by the late Maria Bjornson for the original production.

"While some may argue that Webber's style of music - for this or any other of the musicals to his credit - is perhaps schmaltzy and overly sentimental, the sheer volume of his work represents a wide-ranging skill and integrity to his musical compositions. His score for Phantom is sumptuous, reflective of the time and setting of this particular musical, evoking theater and opera of the 19th century (his pseudo-operas, if you will, of Hannibal and Don Juan Triumphant are certain to evoke both laughter and adulation for his witty renderings) to glorious effect. And, quite frankly, if you are unable to appreciate "Music Of the Night," "All I Ask of You," the deceptive simplicity of "Think of Me" or the pathos of "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again," might we suggest you make your way hence to a musical theater appreciation class. Musical theater exists to help fictional characters and, by extension, anyone to express themselves more eloquently and emotionally, to give voice to what exists in their minds - what could be better for the heart or more freeing for the soul?"

As the national touring company of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera continues its run at TPAC, a brand new theater company debuts in White House this weekend, with another much-anticipated production of The Phantom of the Opera, based upon the novel by Gaston Leroux and featuring music by Donizetti, Mozart, Puccini and Gounod. Adapted by Tracy Wells, Ron Lee directs a cast that includes Deron Ryan Martel, Rebecca Nelson and Jonathan Hunter.

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, adapted for stage by Tracy Wells, with music by Donizetti, Mozart, Puccini and Gounod. Performance dates are Friday March 18 at 7 p.m. and Saturday March 19 at 2 and 7 p.m. Matinee tickets are $10 and evening performances are $15.00 Reservations can be made by calling (615) 334-6127. Due to loud unexpected noises and scenes of violence, this show is not recommended for small children.

2015 First Night Honoree Darryl Deason directs Memphis: The Musical, the latest offering at Woodbury's Arts Center of Cannon County, starring Melinda Paul and Michael Adcock as Felicia Farrell and Huey Calhoun. Memphis: The Musical runs March 11-26, featuring choreography by Regina Wilkerson Ward, with music direction by Robert Hiers.

Memphis is set in the places where rock and roll was born in the 1950s: the seedy nightclubs, radio stations, and recording studios of the musically-rich Tennessee city. With an original score, it tells the fictional story of DJ Huey Calhoun, a good ol' local boy with a passion for R&B music and Felicia Farrell, an up-and-coming black singer that he meets one fateful night on Beale Street. Despite the objections of their loved ones (Huey's close-minded mama and Felicia's cautious brother, a club owner), they embark on a dangerous affair. As their careers rise, the relationship is challenged by personal ambition and the pressures of an outside world unable to accept their love.

Here's what we wrote about the show in our review: "The musical's obvious affection and abiding respect for the city is evident in the show's penultimate number - "Memphis Lives in Me" - performed by Huey to explain why he chooses to remain in the Jim Crow South rather than escape to the more accepting climes of New York City. Adcock's performance of the song, though imperfect, is filled with a surprising depth of emotion that translates winningly onstage, speaking for the silent of their appreciation for the big-shouldered, smooth-talking Memphis of musical legend and American history.

"DiPietro's book conveys the conflicting elements that could be found in any American city of the time, but which were felt more strongly in Southern ones. While the civil rights movement doesn't figure prominently in the plot of Memphis - unsurprisingly, since it was later in the decade before its impact was measurably felt there - the undercurrent of the simmering hostilities among whites and blacks is palpable, certain to make your own thoughts percolate with memories long forgotten. "

Performances run March 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m. and on March 13 and 20 at 2 p.m. In addition to the two leading players, the cast includes Michael McGee, Jordan McCullough, Quantavius Rankin, Susan Arnold Walsworth, Bill White, Zavior Phillips, Laurie Burger, Sam Wright, Shayna Brown, Maryam Mohammed, Julie Kelley, Eli Ragland, James Bessant, Tim Kelley, Kristin Taylor, Mckenzie Turney, Zoe Mulraine, Toyin Edogun, Mary Grace Bouldin and Alexander Sanford.

Tickets are $15 with discounts available for students and seniors and can be purchased by calling (615) 563-2787 Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., or online at www.artscenterofcc.com and (subject to availability) at the door one hour prior to show time.

In Crossville, at Cumberland County Playhouse, the company last week opened its latest: Larry Shue's The Nerd, starring the inimitable Daniel W. Black and Jason Ross, running through April 16.

This unpredictable, side-splitting comedy from the author of The Foreigner centers on the dilemma of one Willum Cubbert, a young architect, who is visited by Rick Steadman - a man he's never met but who, years before, saved Willum's life. Rick turns out to be an incredibly inept "nerd" who outstays his welcome with a vengeance, leading to one uproarious incident after another. Need tickets? Go to www.ccplayhouse.com and go have some fun at the celebrated Cumberland County Playhouse.

2011 First Night Star Award winner Cathy Street bids farewell to Music City with her final directorial effort for the eponymous Street Theatre Company: In The Heights, playing through Sunday, March 20. Street Theatre Company launches its 11th season with the smash musical that took Broadway by storm and paved the way for Miranda's new Broadway blockbuster Hamilton. The musical fuses the classic styles of musical theater showtunes with hip-hop and Latin rhythms to tell the heart-warming and universal story of family and belonging.

Here's what we had to say about the opening night performance: "The first thing you are apt to notice in STC's 11th-season opener, when entering the theater at Bailey Middle School, is Randall Tye Pike's extraordinary set design which transforms the stage into the Washington Heights neighborhood - overseen by the saintly Abuela Claudia (Nancy Allen, glowingly maternal as the block's adopted grandmother) and punctuated on three corners by businesses that have served the people in the barrio for multiple generations: Usnavi's bodega, Daniela's "unisex beauty salon" and Rosario's Car and Limousine Service - taking every audience member on a transformative trip to New York to become immersed in the culture and longevity of the neighborhood.

"Randy Craft's five-man orchestra perform - perched up high above the action that transpires down upon the stage - the show's score impeccably, providing strong accompaniment to the onstage ensemble. Steven Steele's lighting design guarantees a warm effect on the action, making the story come alive amid the heat of the July 4th weekend during which the plot takes place. Jessica Mueller's costume design, without question, helps the cast find their characters as she clothes them in garments that perfectly suits each person.

"Tosha Pendergrast's choreography is electric and athletic, helping to keep the action moving onstage with inventive and imaginative dancing that allows each person onstage to look their best and to infuse the proceedings with a Latin beat that's sure to have you, the average audience member, moving in your seats and exiting the theater with a certain style to your step.

"Street's direction is sharply focused, while remaining thoughtfully and engagingly heartfelt, ensuring that In The Heights is delivered to her audiences with the same care and creativity as every show she's been involved with in her remarkable decade in Nashville theater. Her casting choices are on-target and may represent her true legacy in Nashville theater: She's introduced a whole new half-generation (if a generation is considered 20 years, of course) of actors to local stages, assuredly casting them in the right roles that have highlighted their talents to make certain audiences would follow them from one company to the next, one show to the next."

In The Heights is onstage at Street Theatre Company's current home - Bailey Middle School in East Nashville - through March 20. Curtain is at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with Sunday shows at 5 p.m., along with one 2 p.m matinee performance on Saturday, March 12. Tickets are $20 for adults and $16 for students and seniors, and are available by contacting the Box Office at (615) 554-7414. All tickets are pay-what-you-can on Sundays.

Closing this weekend, Bradley Moore puts his own unique spin, directing and adapting Aristophanes' Lysistrata, as ACT 1 presents its fourth show of the 2015/2016 season, featuring a cast of respected Nashville actors.

Moore's version of Aristophanes' classic play focuses on a group of women in confinement who are fighting for their basic rights and privileges, which have been all but revoked by the Athens Prison authorities while a great territorial war is being fought on the outside. When the free women of the town catch wind of Lysistrata's plan to regain peace on the inside, they join in the crusade by withholding sex themselves to demand peace on the outside. With hugely comedic elements of physical theatre and exaggerated characters, this offbeat adaptation is a vibrant take on an Ancient Greek classic - and there's not a toga in sight.

Moore's cast for the premiere production include Cat Arnold (who starred in August: Osage County for ACT 1, directed earlier this season by Moore) as Lysistrata; Austin Olive as the Magistrate; Terry Occhiogrosso as Lampito; Maggie Pitt as Cleonice; Christen Heilman as Myrrhine; Michael James Thomas as Cinesias; with Holly Butler, Sarah Shepherd, Megan Blevins, Cate Eunyoung Jo, Philip Boston, Steve Howie and Eric Ventress as "the people."

It's the final weeked of Murder's In the Heir, a farcical comedy directed by Lipscomb University favorite Brooke Muriel Ferguson and starring a cast of TCT. Go to www.townecentretheatre.com for details and ticket information.

Turn the game Clue into a play and you have the masterfully entertaining Murder's in the Heir. Simon Starkweather, the tyrannical billionaire, gathers his family and employees to announce the contents of his will. His lawyer, reveals that he has bequeathed vast fortunes to a few odd relatives and his servants. The rejected heirs are not pleased and roam the old mansion carrying such items as an ax, a gun and poison. When Simon is discovered murdered, his grandson is determined to find his grandfather's killer. Almost every character in this hilarious mystery has the weapon, opportunity and motive to commit the unseen murder, and it will be up to the audience to decide who actually did it!

Michael Rex directs a cast of veteran actors and newcomers in Lakewood Theatre Company's production of Arthur Miller's acclaimed All My Sons, which closes after Sunday's matinee performance. Written in 1947 - and inspired by events of World War II and the true-life story of a woman who alerted authorities to her father's wartime wrong-doing.

All My Sons focuses on the story of a businessman who once narrowly avoided financial ruin by shipping cracked machine parts to the military. He blames his business partner and builds an empire, but eventually his crime comes back to haunt him in Miller's riveting play, which is now considered a modern American classic.

Rex's cast includes: Doug Allen as Joe Keller; Kathleen Jaffe as Kate Keller; Ben Gregory as Chris Keller; Andrea Coleman as Ann Deever; Daryl Ritchie as George Deever; Ron Veasey as Dr. Jim Bayless; Andrea Crowe as Sue Bayless; Zach Parker as Frank Lubby; Adrienne Hentschel as Lydia Lubby; and Chloe McKanna as Betina.

All My Sons runs through March 20, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. For reservations, call (615) 847-0934, or tickets may be purchased online at www.ticketsnashville.com. Lakewood Theatre is located at 2211 Old Hickory Boulevard. Season passes are available now.

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