Critic's Choice: What's Playing in Tennessee? THE NASHVILLE THEATER CALENDAR 5/26/17

Feeling the urge to let your imagination run wild, your spirit to soar or to just leave the world in which you live and go on an adventure? Sounds like a trip to the theater is in order! Luckily, companies all over the Volunteer State have been hard at work, creating new productions to transform and to transport, shows that will entertain you this summer. That's where THE NASHVILLE THEATER CALENDAR comes in handy: Peruse our listings every week to find out what shows you should see!

Your show missing from our calendar? Send details about your production to jeffrey@bwayworld.com (and be sure to include an illustration or photo).

Friday, May 26 Much Ado About Nothing - Inebriated Shakespeare at City Winery, 609 Lafayette Street, Nashville. Watch seven serious Shakespearean actors get drunk, while trying to act their way through an abbreviated version of Wild Card Production's Much Ado About Nothing. The audience can purchase shots for the performers throughout the show. It is unpredictable, wild, and highly entertaining! Inebriated Shakespeare is recommended for audiences 18+. Bring some cash for shot donations to help the actors get inebriated!

May 25-June 4 Smoke on the Mountain - Friends of White Bluff at Bibb-White Bluff Civic Center, 1054 Old Charlotte Road, White Bluff. Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 7 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.M. Starring Quintin Burlingame, David Bagget, Nina Allbert, Taft McNeal, Lexie Cline, Drew Holley and Abigail Haggard.

May 26-June 11 Second Annual Tennessee Playwright Festival - Lakewood Theatre Company, 2211 Old Hickory Boulevard, Old Hickory. Featuring Danielle Allen's Candy Salad and one act plays by John Carpenter, Lindsey Grah and Danna Sims. Tickets are $10 each or purchase a Festival Pass online or at the door for only $20 to see all five plays: Candy Salad, May 27, June 4 and 9; When I See You and Reunion, May 28, June 2 and 10; Choices and Dance Queens of Maple Street, May 26, June 3 and 11. Tickets? www.ticketsnashville.com

Through May 27 Noises Off - ACT 1 at Darkhorse Theater, 4610 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville. Michael Frayn's classic farce Noises Off debuted at Nashville's Darkhorse Theater on May 12, in a production helmed by Bradley Moore. Moore's cast for ACT 1's Noises Off includes an ensemble featuring some of Nashville's best-known actors: Cat Arnold plays Dottie, Meggan Utech as Belinda, J. RoBert Lindsey as Frederick, Christina Candilora as Brooke, Brett Myers as Garry, Gregory Alexander plays Lloyd, Jackson Rector plays Tim, Elizabeth Walsh plays Poppy and Phil Brady plays Selsdon. Arnold, Utech, Candilora, Alexander and Walsh all performed alongside Moore earlier this season in ACT 1's production of both parts of Tony Kushner's acclaimed Angels in America. Thursday-Saturday shows begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday Matinees at 5 p.m. Tickets are only $15 online at www.tickets.act1online.com and at the door. Details? www.ACT1online.com

Through May 27 A Second Helping - The Church Basement Ladies' Sequel at Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville. You might be surprised by this, but A Second Helping, the musical now onstage through the weekend at Cumberland County Playhouse' Adventure Theatre, has more in common with The Godfather, Part II than you might expect. Both of them, as sequels to the original material that spawned them, do something sequels usually are incapable of: They're better than their precursors. That, thankfully - and perhaps disappointingly, depending on your perspective - is good news, since A Second Helping is a sweetly genuine and completely authentic, small-scaled musical about the lives of Lutheran church women in Minnesota. And the other one is about ruthless men who are involved in illicit business affairs that often results in something being offed. The women in A Second Helping - The Church Basement Ladies of the original musical - share their lives, family stories and tales from their tight-knit community (which should never be considered gossip, mind you) with one another while toiling in the kitchen of the local church, pastored by a god-fearing minister who they think isn't as sharp or as worldly or as on-the-mark as they consider themselves to be. Intimate and heartfelt, A Second Helping isn't outlandish or overly theatrical, rather it is a self-effacing, gently amusing tale of friendship that endures because of shared experiences and a bright and breezy outlook. Tickets? (931) 484-5000. Details? www.ccplayhouse.com

Through May 27 Beau Jest - Chaffin's Barn, A Dinner Theatre, 8204 Highway 100, Nashville. Funny and familiar, James Sherman's Beau Jest might well be considered perfect dinner theater fare: spread across two hours, the comedy is easily digested and the players - this time, the estimable ensemble assembled by director Martha Wilkinson for the latest incarnation at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre - charming and likable. The plot remains relevant, even years after it was first produced, and the dialogue flows at an accessible pace, spoken by characters who are altogether believable. And while Beau Jest likely won't push any envelopes or venture outside anyone's pre-conceived creative box, it nonetheless seems current and up-to-date. Tickets? Call (615) 646-9977. Details? www.dinnertheatre.com

Through May 27 Reasons to be Pretty - Woven Theatre at Belmont University Little Theatre, Hail Hall Basement, Nashville. Recent Belmont University graduate Sam Lowry directs the first show of Woven Theatre's second season - Neil LaBute's Reasons to Be Pretty - which opened Thursday, May 18. Stuck in the monotony of a dead-end job, Greg (played by Craig Fairbanks), Kent (Ævar Jonsson), Carly (EmElise Knapp) and Steph (Eliza Hare) struggle to find meaning in their lives. Throughout, they face the fallibility of human language and the pressures of societal expectations. There are hook-ups and break-ups, as well as struggles to keep friendships alive. Amid all of this, the four learn the effect that the power of language and how to find your place in the world. Lowry's artistic team includes Daniel Baunmgarder (set), Henry Beach (ights), Kyle Odum and Andrew Timms (sound) and Aliza Ferguson (costumes). Curtain time is at 7:30 p.m. each evening with performances slated Thursday-Saturday May 25-27.

Through May 28 Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall, Nashville. HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC Series. Carole King is an American treasure: a singer/songwriter of much renown, she possesses the showbiz bona fides that place her among the highest echelons of creative endeavor and for more than 50 years, she has provided the soundtrack for the lives of so many of us that you can't help but be caught up in an emotional fervor of remembrance and revelry when you hear one of her hit songs. However, if you're sitting in a darkened theater, hearing song after song that has resonated with you since adolescence, tunes that have seen you through a myriad of personal experiences, be forewarned: those tears in your eyes (the ones you have to physically battle to keep from overflowing lest you "ugly cry" your way through the end of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) can be off-putting to those seated around you. Take it from me, Beautiful is tremendously entertaining and astonishingly cathartic. Should you find yourself, on the morning after experiencing the musical, contending with the unrelenting earworm of "One Fine Day," we suggest you take it stride and thank your lucky stars that you have lived in a world set to the music of Carole King. Indeed, that's a very good thing. Now onstage at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall through Sunday, May 28, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is a splendid example of the particularly theatrical practice of finding a composer's catalogue of songs and fashioning a story and then a show around those tunes. Known pejoratively as "jukebox musicals," revues of that ilk can either sink or swim, it would seem when considering the shows that have come and go, but some - Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia! come readily to mind - transcend the mundane and predictable to become top-flight examples of musical theater achievement. Performed with energy and passion by a skilled ensemble of performers, led by Julia Knitel as Carole King, Liam Tobin as Gerry Goffin, Erika Olson as Cynthia Weil and Ben Fankhauser as Barry Mann, Beautiful is a fast-paced cavalcade of musical memories of the last century presented in a beautifully designed production that unspools onstage with a cinematic sensibility that is engaging and captivating. Tickets? Call (615) 782-4040. Details? www.tpac.org

Through June 9 Million Dollar Quartet - Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville. Cumberland County Playhouse will present Million Dollar Quartet, the Tony Award-winning musical that electrified Broadway. Playhouse stalwart Daniel Black (The Addams Family) will play the "King of Rockabilly" Carl Perkins, and Ross Griffin (A Sanders Family Christmas) will perform as the feisty and flamboyant Jerry Lee Lewis. Two Playhouse newcomers complete the legendary quartet: Edward La Cardo as Elvis Presley and Stephen Edwards Horst as Johnny Cash. Director Bryce McDonald's cast also includes Molly Dobbs (A Chorus Line) as Presley's girlfriend, Dyanne, and Playhouse artistic director Britt Hancock (The Odd Couple), who will portray Sam Phillips, who brings the group together for this historic jam session. Playhouse musicians Tony Greco and Chet Hayes round out the cast as bassist Brother Jay and Fluke the drummer. All of the performers in Million Dollar Quartet will be playing instruments live on stage as their iconic characters, under the musical direction of Ron Murphy. Tickets? Call (931) 484-5000. Details? www.ccplayhouse.com

Friday, June 2 Headshots & Acting Workshop/NYC Comes to Nashville! Grace Chapel, Nashville, 2 to 3 p.m. Top New York City headshot photographer, Barry Morgenstein and NYC acting coach, Lisa Regina, join for a One-Day Acting Event. Actors, Veterans, Keynote Speakers & Public Fiigures will have a chance to get a professional headhsot 'INCLUDES' hair/make-up, PLUS participate in an ALL-DAY ACTING workshop! There are currently only 3 spots remaining. Don't miss out Nashville! Call (212) 647-1288 or email bmorgensteinphoto@gmail.com.

June 2-August 10 Smoke on the Mountain - Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville. Smoke On the Mountain, the ever popular bluegrass/gospel musical, kicks off its 24th year at Crossville's Cumberland County Playhouse, on Friday, June 2, as director Weslie Webster welcomes two new members to the famEd Sanders Family Singers. DeeAnna Etchison (Gypsy) and Cory Clark (The Little Mermaid) make their Sanders Family debuts as twins Denice and Dennis in the 2017 rendition of Smoke on the Mountain, with the production headed by Playhouse veterans Lauren Marshall (The Odd Couple) and Daniel W. Black (now playing Carl Perkins in Million Dollar Quartet) as the family matriarch and patriarch. Joining them are the recently married Jensen Crain-Foster (The Addams Family) as June Sanders, Brett Mutter (A Sanders Family Christmas) as Pastor Mervin Oglethorpe and Joseph Wilson (Mamma Mia) as Uncle Stanley. Smoke on the Mountain runs June 2 through August 10. Tickets? (931) 484-5000. Details? www.ccplayhouse.com

June 2-11 Arsenic and Old Lace - Murfreesboro Little Theatre, 702 Ewing Boulevard, Murfreesboro. What's one more body where the family is concerned! Murfreesboro Little Theatre is proud to present Joseph Kesselring's dark comedy Arsenic and Old Lace. Sisters Abby and Martha Brewster are happy in their quiet Brooklyn home near the cemetery, the serenity only interrupted by their delusional nephew's antics as Teddy Roosevelt. As they busy themselves with many 'charities,' their other nephew Mortimer decides to come back home. Mortimer is a dramatic critic who wants nothing more than to marry the minister's daughter and return to the world of real estate. But before he can settle into suburban bliss, he discovers a corpse in the window seat and begins to wonder which member of his family is a killer! As Mortimer attempts to sort this out, his criminally insane brother Jonathan decides to join the family reunion, bringing along his own personal plastic surgeon ... and another body! One more blow of Teddy's bugle may bring the law, and then it'll be curtains for them all! Directed by Melvin Springs, 'Arsenic and Old Lace' stars Jessica Wells, Tyson Pate, Thomas Esson, Lisa Fisher, RJ Polito, Jess Townsend, Sean Richardson, Russell Richardson, Perry Poston, John Mark Redding, RJ Palhegy, and Josh Jennings. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7 p.m., with an additional Thursday night showing on June 8. Sunday matinees begin at 2 p.m. Tickets? (615) 893-9825. Details? www.mltarts.com

June 2-17 Peter and the Starcatcher - Arts Center of Cannon County, 1424 John Bragg Highway, Woodbury. Peter and the Starcatcher provide a humorous and fantastical back story for the beloved character of Peter Pan and his arch-nemesis Captain Hook. In this wickedly imaginative play, we meet a poor orphaned child on the high seas simply called Boy because in the absence of a mother and a father, he was never given a name. His sad and lonely world is turned upside down when he meets Molly. The daughter of famous Starcatcher Lord Astor, our heroine is on a mission to save the world and protect a treasure trunk filled with magical star stuff from getting into the hands of evil and greedy pirate Black Stache. As they travel aboard the Neverland ship headed for a faraway land, Molly and Boy learn about love, friendship and forge an unbreakable bond. Sponsored by Saint Thomas Stones River Hospital and directed by Tara Winton, this production features Adam LaPorte as Boy and Julia Kelley as Molly. The cast also includes Justin Winton, David Cummings, Spree Star, Jeffrey LaPorte, Ted Verbeten, Ric Kinkade, Nolan Ragland, Noah Brady, Matthew Connors and Eli Ragland. Tickets? Call (615) 563-2787. Details? www.artscenterofcc.com

June 2-17 The Whale and Beneatha's Place - Verge Theatre at Belmont Black Box Theater, 1575 Compton Avenue, Nashville. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. for each performance. Samuel D. Hunter's The Whale, directed by Jaclynn Jutting, plays June 2, 3, 10, 11 and 14. Beneatha's Place, by Kwame Kwei-Armah, is co-directed by David Ian Lee and Summer Shack; it runs June 8, 9, 15, 16 and 17. Tickets? (615) 306-6183. Details? www.vergetheaterco.org

June 8-July 22 Sister Act - Chaffin's Barn, A Dinner Theatre, 8204 Highway 100, Nashville. Meggan Utech and Gracie McGraw will make their Chaffin's Barn debuts this summer, joining Barn favorite Martha Wilkinson in Sister Act, the hilarious, five-time Tony Award-nominated musical, opening June 8 and running through July 22. When disco diva Deloris Van Cartier (Utech) witnesses a murder, she is put into protective custody in the one place cops are sure she won't be found-a convent! Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with both the rigid lifestyle and an uptight Mother Superior (nine-time First Night Award winner and 2015 First Night Honoree Wilkinson). Bradley Moore, assistant artistic director at Chaffin's Barn, directs, with musical direction by Kelsi Fulton and choreography by Everett Tarlton. His cast includes McGraw as Sister Mary Patrick and Caitlyn Porayko as Sister Mary Robert, along with Vicki White, Katie Bruno, Jenny Norris Light, Anna Carroll, Lynda Cameron-Bayer, Megan Arrington, Devin Bowles, Stewart Romeo, Curtis Reed, Gerold Oliver, Alex Piniero, David Arnold and Brett Cantrell. Before each show, Chaffin's Barn presents a delicious prime rib buffet featuring choices for everyone from the carnivore to the vegan, as well an a la carte menu which includes several choices for all appetites and wallets: Small plates include hummus and veggies and the special Farmer's Caviar and chips, or Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches, sliders or a fresh house salad. Tickets? Call (615) 646-9977. Details? www.dinnertheatre.com

June 9-23 Reefer Madness - ACT 1 at Darkhorse Theater, 4610 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville. Jason Lewis directs the regional premiere of Reefer Madness the Musical to close out ACT 1's 2016-17 season, opening June 9. A musical satire based on the 1936 cult film classic, Reefer Madness the Musical opened in Los Angeles in 1998. The book and lyrics were written by Kevin Murphy with music by Dan Studney. This musical tells the tale of the Harper Affair, in which young Jimmy Harper (Cameron Gilliam) finds his life of promise turn into one of debauchery and murder thanks to the new drug menace marijuana. Along the way, he receives help from his girlfriend Mary and Jesus himself, but always finds himself in the arms of the Reefer Man and the rest of the denizens of the Reefer Den. The show opened Off Broadway on September 15, 2001. Director Lewis is joined on the creative team by choreographer Stephanie Jones-Benton and musical director Rollie Mains. Cast members include Ben Gregory as the Lecturer, MAggie Wood as Mary Lane, Trey Palmer as Jack Stone, LaDarra Jackel as Mae, Andy Riggs as Ralph and Nikki Berra as Sally. Reefer Madness opens June 9 at the Darkhorse Theater and runs through June 24. Thursday-Saturday shows begin at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 at www.tickets.act1online.com.

June 9-25 Pippin - Street Theatre Company at Holy Trinity Ciommunity Church, 6727 Charlotte Pike, Nashville.Pippin tells the story of the eponymous young man as he searches for meaning and his place in the world. Along the way, he tries his hand at war, gluttony, sex, politics, and domesticity but never quite finds his "Corner of the Sky." Meanwhile, a troupe of players led by The Leading Player strive to convince Pippin to help them achieve "a climax justly famous throughout the civilized world!" STC's production of Pippin is charging into the 21st century by embracing social media to help tell the story. Audiences will be invited to keep their devices out and share with the cast on Twitter and Instagram throughout the performance. (Standard prohibitions of photography and audio/video recording will still be in effect.) STC's cast for Pippin includes Ryan Greenawalt as Pippin, David Ridley as The Leading Player, Elliot Robinson as Charlemagne, Amanda Elend, as Catherine, and Natalie Rankin as Fastrada. Pippin is directed by STC artistic director Jason Tucker with musical direction by Randy Craft and choreography by Mallory Mundy. Designers include Sarah Levis (props) and Christen Heilman (costumes). Jason Tucker designs the lights in consultation with Katie Gant. Pippin performs Thursday Friday, and Saturday nights at 7:30, Sunday June 11 at 2:00, Sundays June 18 and 25 at 5:00. Tickets are $24 for adults and $20 for children, students, and seniors (60+) with two Pay-What-You-Can performances on Thursday June 15 and Thursday June 22 (minimum ticket price of $10). There is a $3 fee for every ticket sold.

June 9-25 Legally Blonde, The Musical at Center for the Arts, 110 W. College Street, Murfreesboro. A fabulously fun international award-winning musical based on the adored movie, Legally Blonde The Musical, follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes, snobbery and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. This action-packed musical explodes on the stage with memorable songs and dynamic dances. Equal parts hilarious and heart-warming, this musical is so much fun, it should be illegal! Tickets? www.brownpapertickets.com

June 13-18 Dixie's Tupperware Party at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's AnDrew Johnson Theatre, Nashville. Dixie Longate, who ranks as one of the top Tupperware salespeople in the country, brings Dixie's Tupperware Party to AnDrew Johnson Theater. Dixie brings her colorful brand of southern wit, charm, and extensive knowledge of Tupperware to create a hilarious good ol' fashioned party filled with outrageously funny tales, heartfelt accounts, free giveaways, audience participation, and the most fabulous assortment of Tupperware ever sold on a theater stage. Dixie's Tupperware Party ran off Broadway and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award Nomination in 2008. Tickets? (615) 782-4040. Details? www.tpac.org

June 15-July 1 Mary Poppins - The Larry Keeton Theatre, 108 Donelson Pike, Donelson. Mary Poppins, based on the P.L. Travers book that was adapted into the hit 1964 Disney film that blended animation with live action photography, opens June 15, running through July 1. Music is by Robert B. Sherman, Richard M. Sherman and George Stiles, with lyrics by the Shermans and Anthony Drewe. The musical's book is by Academy Award-winning Julian Fellowes, the creator of the wildly popular PBS series Downton Abbey. Co-directed by Jamie London and Noah Rice (who serves double-duty as musical director), Mary Poppins will be choreographed by Melissa Carlson. London, Rice and Carlson first worked together last summer in Cabaret, in which Rice appeared as the Emcee and Carlson was a Kit-Kat Girl, under London's direction. For the upcoming production, Jim Manning is scenic designer, with Allen Stokes as sound designer. Suzanne Spooner-Faulk is production stage manager and properties designer. London, who is the artistic director of the Senior Center for the Arts at FiftyForward Donelson Station, home of the Keeton Theatre, will produce. Adelaide Leonard stars in the title role, with Austin Jeffrey Smith as Bert. Tickets? Call (615) 883-8375. Details? www.thelarrykeetontheatre.org

June 16-18 Brilliant Traces - Pipeline Collective at Belmont Little Theatre, Nashville. Pipeline-Collective presents the final production of its inaugural season - the Nashville premiere of Brilliant Traces, a two-person play by Cindy Lou Johnson, directed by frequent Pipeline collaborator Laramie Hearn and starring Amanda Card and Taylor Novak - at Belmont Little Theatre on the Belmont University campus June 16-18. In the middle of a blizzard, a young woman appears at a remote cabin in the Alaskan wilderness wearing a tattered wedding dress and satin shoes. Rosannah and Henry, the cabin's reclusive owner, get more than they bargained for - but maybe just what they need - in drama, described as "funny and compelling." Brilliant Tracers premiered in 1989 at New York's Cherry Lane Theatre in a Circle Repertory Company production. This will be its first full production in Nashville. Brilliant Traces is being presented under the auspices of the Actors' Equity Association Members' Project Code. Founding Members of Pipeline-Collective include Lauren Berst, David Ian Lee, Karen Sternberg, and Cheryl White. Performances are set for June 16, 17, and 18 at 7:30 p.m.in the Belmont Little Theatre on the Belmont University Campus. All tickets will be $10. For reservations or more information, visit www.pipeline-collective.com.

June 16-August 20 Disney's Beauty and the Beast at Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville. Tickets? (931) 484-5000. Details? www.ccplayhouse.com

June 27-July 2 Something Rotten! at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall, Nashville. Tickets? (615) 782-4040. Details? www.tpac.org

To post a comment, you must register and login.