SAVE THE DATE: Nashville Theater Calendar for October 8, 2018

Looking into the future, you'll find a number of new productions on tap for your entertainment pleasure, thanks to the efforts of theater companies all over Middle Tennessee. Here's our calendar for October 1, 2018, to help you plot your course through the end of the year...

Through October 9 The Mercy Seat, presented by The Roxy Regional Theatre at The Otherspace, 100 Franklin Street, Clarksville. Neil LaBute's gripping and thought-provoking drama THE MERCY SEAT, plays four evenings only, October 1 through October 9, in theotherspace, the 50-seat black-box theatre located upstairs at the Roxy Regional Theatre. The play begins the day after the attacks on the World Trade Center. The world has changed overnight, and on September 12, 2001, Ben Harcourt (played by Sean Kincaid) finds himself in the New York downtown apartment of his mistress and boss, Abby Prescott (played by Mairys Joaquin). Ben's endlessly ringing mobile phone haunts their conversation as he and Abby explore the choices now available to them in an existence different from the one they knew just the day before. Expecting that his family believes that he was killed in the towers' collapse, Ben contemplates using the tragedy to run away and start a new life with his lover. Will Ben let his family know he's alive, or will he and Abby take this chance to create a new life for themselves? For tickets, call (931) 645-7699, or go to www.roxyregionaltheatre.org.

Through October 13 And Then There Were None, presented by Arts Center of Cannon County, 1424 John Bragg Highway, Woodbury. Agatha Christie's best-selling murder mystery will leave you guessing. Cyndie Verbeten directs an ensemble cast, bringing the classic whodunnit to life with a surprise ending. For details, go to www.artscenterofcc.com or call (615) 563-2787.

Read Payton McCarthy's review: /nashville/article/BWW-Review-AND-THEN-THERE-WERE-NONE-knocks-em-dead-at-The-Arts-Center-Of-Cannon-County-20181007

Through October 13 Stupid f-ing Bird, presented by ACT 1 at The Darkhorse Theater, 4610 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville. Mark Cabus directs the 2018-19 season opening production of ACT 1: Aaron Posner's Stupid f-ing Bird, inspired by Anton Chekhov's The Seagull. For tickets, go to www.tickets.ACT1online.com.

Read Jeffrey Ellis' review: /nashville/article/BWW-Review-Posners-STUPID-f-ing-BIRD-Launches-ACT-1s-30th-Season-20181008

Through October 14 The Language Archives, presented by Vanderbilt University Theatre at Neely Auditorium, Vanderbilt University campus, Nashville. Leah Lowe directs the play by Julia Cho. George, a linguist who specializes in dying languages, can't figure out what to say to Mary, his wife, to keep her from leaving. Emma, a student of languages, doesn't know how to tell George she loves him. Alta and Reston, the last speakers of their language, struggle to remain on speaking terms. Quirky and wryly comic, The Language Archive explores what is lost and what is found in the gaps between what we mean and what we say.

Through October 14 Twilight of the Gods, presented by Blackbird Theater at the Williamson County Performing Arts Center at Academy Park, Franklin. Jason Tucker directs the revival of the play by company founders Wes Driver and Greg Greene. Tickets and other information are available at www.blackbirdtheater.com.

Through October 20 The Bad Seed, presented by Towne Centre Theatre, 136 Frierson Street, Brentwood. Jim Himelrick directs the play by Maxwell Anderson, starring Jennifer Bennett, Adele Akin, Melissa Williams, Jim Linney, Carey Thompson, Geoffrey Rommel, Riley Flowers, Tony Shannon, Jonathan Vander Molen, Kathy Crisp and Mia Saliba as Rhoda Penmark. For details, go to www.townecentretheatre.com.

Read Jeffrey Ellis' review: /nashville/article/BWW-Review-Towne-Centre-Theatres-THE-BAD-SEED-Offers-1950s-Flavored-Seasonal-Fun-20181006

Through October 21 Hair, presented by Circle Players at the Z. Alexander Looby Theatre, 2301 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard, Nashville. Directed by Jason Lewis, with music direction by Emily Dennis and choreography by Tosha Pendergrast. For more information, go to www.circleplayers.net.

Read Jeffrey Ellis' review: /nashville/article/BWW-Review-Circle-Players-HAIR-Captures-a-Moment-in-Time-With-Absolute-Confidence-20181008

Through October 21 Jekyll & Hyde, presented by Center for the Arts, Murfreesboro. Renee Robinson directs the Frank Wildhorn musical, with a cast featuring Mark David Williams and Alexius Frost. For more information, go to www.boroarts.org or call (615) 904-2787.

Through October 22 Newsies, presented by Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, 8204 Highway 100, Nashville. Martha Wilkinson directs the popular Broadway musical that is inspired by the Disney film, with a cast that includes Chase Anthony Cooksey, Everett Tarlton (who choreographs), Christian Bare, Chase Michael Miller, Curtis Lemoine, McKenna Driver, Gerold Oliver, Kayla Petrille, Samantha Blake, Natalie Rankin, David Ridley and more. For reservations, call (615) 646-9977, or go to www.chaffinsbarntheatre.com.

Read Jeffrey Ellis' review: /nashville/article/BWW-Review-Spectacular-Cast-Gives-Chaffins-Barns-NEWSIES-A-Fresh-Appeal-20180922

Through October 26 Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, presented by Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville. This classic Tony award winning musical (also a popular movie starring Johnny Depp) is a tasty, thrilling, theatrical treat that has simultaneously delighted, shocked, and awed audiences for decades. An infamous tale, Sweeney Todd, an unjustly exiled barber, returns to nineteenth century London, seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him. 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 adventure has only just begun! Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd and be blown away by the lavish sets, costumes, and top-notch talent that bring this exhilarating story to life. For more information, go to www.ccplayhouse.com or call (931) 484-5000 for tickets.

October 9-14 The Play That Goes Wrong, presented by the national touring company of the Broadway hit, HCA/TriStar Heath Broadway at TPAC Series, at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall. Go to www.TPAC.org for details, or call (615) 782-4040 for tickets.

Read Jeffrey Ellis' interview with Evan Alexander Smith: /national-tours/article/Everythings-Going-Right-for-THE-PLAY-THAT-GOES-WRONGs-Evan-Alexander-Smith-20181005

October 11-20 Wait Until Dark, presented by Actors Point Theatre Company at GodWhy Church, Hendersonville. From the 1967 film starring Audrey Hepburn comes Wait Until Dark, a play about a sinister con man, Roat, and two ex-convicts, Mike and Carlino, who are about to meet their match. They have traced the location of a mysterious doll to the apartment of Sam Hendrix and his blind wife, Susy. Susy knows the only way to level the playing field is to turn off all the lights, leaving both of them to maneuver in the dark until the game ends. For tickets, call (615) 431-9620 or go online to www.actorspointtheatre.com.

October 11-27 The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, presented by The Larry Keeton Theatre, 108 Donelson Pike, Nashville. Directed by Suzanne Spooner Faulk, musical direction by Jane Kelley and choreography by Cary Street. For more information, go to www.thelarrykeetontheatre.org; for reservations, call (615) 883-8375.

October 12 and 13 Falling Out, the world premiere from Phantom Limb at OZ Arts Nashville. The acclaimed New York-based Phantom Limb Company, which premiered its work Memory Rings at OZ Arts in 2015, returns for the world premiere of Falling Out, the final installment in the same trilogy. The company incorporates puppetry, original music, projection design and dance to heighten environmental awareness. Doors open at 7 p.m., with the performance set to start at 8 p.m. Run time is 80 minute, with no intermission. Tickets are available at www.OZArtsNashville.org.

October 12-20 Steel Magnolias, presented by Maury County Arts Guild, Columbia. The ladies of Chinquapin Parish, Louisiana, are brought to life in another production of the Robert Harling classic comedy drama that audiences flock to see. Starring Kelly Serafino, Mindy Sue Robison, Kristen Mathis, Sarah Tatom, Susan Pobst and Pamela Edwards. For reservations, go to www.ticketpeak.com/res/mcag.

October 12-November 3 Evil Dead: The Musical, presented by Radical Arts at Music Valley Event Center, Nashville. An interactive performance, Evil Dead: The Musical thrusts its audience into the bloody world of Candarian demons with a "Splatter Zone" in the first few rows of seating. VIP ticket purchases include access to the Splatter Zone, possible cast interactions, and a Radical Arts t-shirt to shield from (fake) blood staining. Don't miss this groovy show presented by Middle Tennessee's edgy independent theater. Catch this cult-classic-turned-musical at the Music Valley Event Center every Friday through Sunday, with a special Halloween performance, from October 12 through November 3. As the Candarian demons say, "JOIN US" for this bloody hilarious show. Doors open at 7 pm. Beverages and concessions will be available in the lobby, along with displays of props used in the show. For tickets, go to www.radicalarts.org.

October 12-November 10 The Old Man and The Old Moon, presented by Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville. A one-of-a-kind theatrical experience, The Old Man and the Old Moon will enchant audiences of all ages with spellbinding storytelling, ingenious puppetry, and a rousing Celtic-inspired folk score! The beguiling tale begins with the Old Man, whose job is to periodically fill the leaky moon with light. When his wife sails off in search of a mysterious song, he abandons his duties, throwing the world into chaos, as he searches for his lost love, his fading memory, and ultimately, himself. New York Magazine calls it "an all-ages journey into the frontiers of undiluted imagination." For details, go to www.ccplayhouse.com or call (931) 484-5000 for tickets.

October 13-November 3 A Doll's House, Part 2, presented by Nashville Repertory Theatre at TPAC's Andrew Johnson Theatre. Nashville Rep artistic director Rene D. Copeland directs the regional theater premiere of Lucas Hnath's Tony Award-winning play starring Cheryl White as Nora. For more information, go to www.nashvillerep.org.

October 18-27 Spirit, presented by the Bell Witch Fall Festival, Adams. Paul Cook directs a cast that includes JJ Rodgers, Danny Proctor, Jeffrey Austin Smith, Howard Snyder, Lane Wright and more in this retelling of the Bell Witch legend in the town where the Bell family continues to live. For tickets and other information, go to www.bellwitchfallfestival.com.

October 19-21 Hookman, presented by Gadabout Theater Company at The Barbershop Theater, 4003 Indiana Avenue, Nashville. Freshman year at college is hard when your roommate is weird, you're feeling homesick, and a hook-handed serial killer is slashing girls' throats. But if Lexi can discover what really happened to her high school best friend on that car ride to the movies, everything will be okay. In this existential slasher comedy, Lexi and her friends learn what it means to grow up - and it's not pretty. Hookman is a lethally sharp and witty examination of death, young adulthood and the power of the stories we tell each other and ourselves. Oh, and there's blood...lots and lot of blood.

October 19-27 The Rocky Horror Show, presented by the Roxy Regional Theatre, 100 Franklin Street, Clarksville. Sean P. Kincaid and Jessica Caracciolo star as Brad Majors and Janet Weiss, two cleancut young people on their way to visit an old college professor. When they run into trouble and seek help at the freaky Frankenstein mansion, little do they know that Dr. Frank N. Furter - played by a stiletto-wearing, fishnet stocking-clad Drew Stairs - is in the midst of one his maniacal experiments! For more information, go to www.roxyregionaltheatre.org or call (931) 645-7699 for tickets.

October 23 Pinot & Puppets, presented by Next Chapter Society at The Barbershop Theater, 4003 Indiana Avenue, Nashville. Join us for a spooky evening benefiting the Nashville Public Library Foundation. Wear your costume to win prizes for the best dressed during this festive fall fete. Your ticket includes access to our open bar of local craft beer and wine, and some of Nashville's finest fare. Pinot & Puppets will feature a 30-minute performance of The Ordeal of Dr. Trifulgas, a creepy Jules Verne short story performed by the Nashville Public Library Puppet Truck.

October 24-November 4 The Phantom of the Opera, presented by the national touring company of the Broadway hit, HCA/TriStar Heath Broadway at TPAC Series, at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall. Go to www.TPAC.org for details, or call (615) 782-4040 for tickets.

October 26-November 10 Brooklyn: The Musical, presented by Street Theatre Company at Z. Alexander Looby Theater, 2301 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard, Nashville. Hallie Long plays the title role, with Terrell Hunt, Brooke Leigh Davis, Teal Davis, Carly Rose, Kaylea Frezza, Sydney Hooper, Tyler Inabinette and Mindy Tolbert in supporting roles.

November 1-3 It Can't Happen Here (Part 1), presented by The Humanity Theatre Project at Darkhorse Theater, 4610 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. Based on Sinclair Lewis' dystopian novel of the same name, It Can't Happen Here presents a cautionary, semi-satirical look at the fragility of democracy. Suggested donations of $10 will be accepted at the door. Reservations and additional information is available at www.humanitytheatreproject.com.

November 2-10 Neighborhood 3: Requistion of Doom, presented by Vanderbilt University Theatre at Neely Auditorium, Vanderbilt University campus, Nashville. Steve Moulds, Coe artist in residence, directs the play by Jennifer Haley. In a claustrophobic suburban landscape, everyone's playing the new video-game sensation, Neighborhood 3. Teenagers are desperate to hack their way through an army of zombies. Parents, on the other hand, are frantic about their children's growing addiction. Hilarious and haunting, this horror-comedy hybrid blurs the line between the virtual and the real.

November 2-11 A Midsummer Night's Dream, presented Center for the Arts, Murfreesboro. For more information, go to www.boroarts.org or call (615) 904-2787.

November 2-11 Godspell, presented by Lipscomb University Theatre at Collins Auditorium, Lipscomb University campus, Nashville.

November 2-17 Hello Dolly!, presented by Arts Center of Cannon County, 1424 John Bragg Highway, Woodbury. Directed by Matt Smith. In 1890s New York City, the bold and enchanting widow Dolly Levi is a socialite-turned-matchmaker. Her latest clients seeking assistance are the cantankerous "half-a-millionaire" Horace Vandergelder and a young artist named Ambrose, who is in love with Horace's niece, Ermengarde. Dolly's scheming soon involves Horace's employees as well as a New York hatmaker, as she tries to cover up her own secret romantic designs. For details, go to www.artscenterofcc.com or call (615) 563-2787.

November 2-December 22 Holiday Inn, presented by Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville. Opening our Christmas season on the Mainstage is a new smash hit Broadway musical - Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn. Based on the classic film with music and lyrics by Irvin Berlin, Holiday Inn is a whole year of holidays in one wonderful musical! It features thrilling dance numbers, laugh-out-loud comedy, and a parade of Berlin hits including "Blue Skies," "Easter Parade," "Steppin' Out With My Baby," "Heat Wave," "White Christmas," "Cheek to Cheek",and many more! Jim has left showbiz behind to settle down on his Connecticut farm...but life just isn't the same without a bit of song and dance. Jim's luck takes a spectacular turn when he meets Linda, a spirited schoolteacher with talent to spare. Together they turn the farmhouse into a fabulous inn with dazzling performances to celebrate each holiday, from Thanksgiving to the Fourth of July. But when Jim's best friend Ted tries to lure Linda away to Hollywood, will Jim be able to salvage his latest chance at love? Don't miss this heartwarming, high energy, tap dancing extravaganza! For more information, go to www.ccplayhouse.com or call (931) 484-5000 for tickets.

November 9-24 The Romancers, presented by ACT 1 at The Darkhorse Theater, 4610 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville. Directed by Scott Hutcheson. For tickets, go to www.tickets.ACT1online.com.

November 9-25 A Gentleman Mind Reader, presented by Razorglass Productions at The Barbershop Theater, 4003 Indiana Avenue, Nashville. The Gentleman Mind Reader follows an evening with Christopher Ellis, a man who can actually read minds. Out of work and chasing the success of his now deceased grandmother, he is confronted with one final chance to prove his worth in a family "blessed" with clairvoyance. This one-man show is written and starring reformed magician Will Pryor.

November 13-18 Irving Berlin's White Christmas, presented by the national touring company of the Broadway hit, HCA/TriStar Heath Broadway at TPAC Series, at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall. Nashville's own Jeremy Benton stars. Go to www.TPAC.org for details, or call (615) 782-4040 for tickets.

November 15-December 29 Elf, presented by Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, 8204 Highway 100, Nashville. Directed by Martha Wilkinson. For more information, go to www.ChaffinsBarnTheatre.com or call (615) 646-9977.

November 16-18 Side Show, presented by Belmont University Musical Theatre at Massey Auditorium, Belmont University campus, Nashville.

November 16-December 23 A Sanders Family Christmas, presented by Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville. THE FINAL SEASON: Celebrate and rejoice with the Sanders family one last time in this heartwarming sequel to Connie Ray and Alan Bailey's wildly successful bluegrass gospel musical Smoke on the Mountain! It's December 24, 1941, and America is going to war. So is Dennis Sanders of the Sanders Family Singers. Join Pastor Mervin Oglethorpe and the spirit filled Sanders Family as they send Dennis off with hilarious and touching stories and twenty-five Southern Gospel Christmas favorites.

November 23-December 22 A Christmas Story, presented by Nashville Repertory Theatre at TPAC's Andrew Johnson Theatre. Nashville Rep will pack away its sets and costumes for their annual holiday season offering of the play based upon the hit film after a decade-long run. For more information, go to www.nashvillerep.org.

November 23-December 29 The Game Show Show, presented by Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, 8204 Highway 100, Nashville. For more information, go to www.ChaffinsBarnTheatre.com or call (615) 646-9977.

November 29-December 8 Mary Poppins, presented by Audience of One Productions at The Capitol Theatre, Lebanon. Mary Poppins is the story of the Banks family who live in a big house in London on Cherry Tree Lane. Things are not going well for the family, the children, Jane and Michael, are out of control and are in need of a new nanny. Jane and Michael have their own ideas about what sort of caretaker they should have, while their parents-and, in particular, Mr. Banks-are insistent on someone strict for the job. When a mysterious young woman named Mary Poppins appears at their doorstep, the family finds that she's the answer to their prayers, but in the most peculiar way. Mary Poppins takes the children on many magical and memorable adventures, but Jane and Michael aren't the only ones she has a profound effect upon. Even grown-ups can learn a lesson or two from the nanny who advises that "anything can happen if you let it." Tickets: http://prod1.agileticketing.net/WebSales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=164148~c27b6327-1c15-4c85-84f1-e763f23c38a2&epguid=194fd3f0-e86f-4164-85ad-c27cc81b985e&

November 29-December 15 A Tuna Christmas, presented by The Renaissance Players at the Gaslight Dinner Theatre, Dickson. - November 29-December 15. Brett Myers and Bryce Conner will star in this hilarious sequel to Greater Tuna. It's Christmas in the third smallest town in Texas. Radio station OKKK news personalities Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie report on various Yuletide activities, including hot competition in the annual lawn display contest. In other news, voracious Joe Bob Lipsey's production of "A Christmas Carol" is jeopardized by unpaid electric bills. Many colorful Tuna denizens, some you will recognize from Greater Tuna and some appearing here for the first time, join in the holiday fun! Matinees - Doors open at 11:30 a.m. - Lunch is served at 12 noon; Dinner - Doors open at 6 p.m. - Dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. Food will be provided by Dickson's own Front Porch. Tickets can be purchased at www.renplayers.com, or by calling (615) 593-5520.

November 29-December 16 A Christmas Carol, the Musical, presented by The Larry Keeton Theatre, 108 Donelson Pike, Nashville. For more information, go to www.thelarrykeetontheatre.org; for reservations, call (615) 883-8375.

November 30-December 9 It's a Wonderful Life, presented by The Renaissance Players at the Renaissance Center at Freed-Hardeman University, Dickson. In our American culture It's a Wonderful Life has become almost as familiar as Dickens' A Christmas Carol. The story is a natural for a stage adaptation: the saga of George Bailey, the Everyman from the small town of Bedford Falls, whose dreams of escape and adventure have been quashed by family obligation and civic duty, whose guardian angel has to descent on Christmas Eve to save him from despair and to remind him-by showing him what the world would have been like had he never been born-that his has been, after all, a wonderful life. This faithful adaptation has all your favorite characters: George and Mary Hatch, Clarence, Uncle Billy, Violet, and, of course, the Scrooge-like villain, Mr. Potter. This fine dramatization not only celebrates the faith of the season, it also celebrates the American philosophy of life: hard work, fair play and the love and support of one's family and community will be rewarded. Auditions are October 8 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.renplayers.com, or by calling (615) 593-5520.

November 30-December 16 Miracle on 34th Street, Center for the Arts, Murfreesboro. For more information, go to www.boroarts.org or call (615) 904-2787.

November 30-December 16 Lips Together, Teeth Apart, presented by Rogue Stage Ensemble at The Barbershop Theater, Nashville. A beachside home on Fire Island proves a strange setting for two straight couples - sister and brother Chloe and Sam, and their spouses John and Sally - on the Fourth of July. Upon his recent death from AIDS, Sally's brother David bequeathed her the Fire Island house, surrounded by friendly, partying gay neighbors on either side of the fence. Terrence McNally's play is an indictment of ignorance and stagnancy in the fight against AIDS, as well as a powerful look inside dissolving marriages, lost hopes and dreams and the looming capricious nature of death.

December 6-22 It's a Wonderful Life (Radio Play), presented by Artists Community Theatre at 12545 Old Hickory Boulevard, Antioch. Directed by Teri Beck.

December 7-22 A Christmas Carol, presented by Towne Centre Theatre, 136 Frierson Street, Brentwood. For details, go to www.TowneCentreTheatre.com.

December 7-30 Disney's Beauty and the Beast, presented by Studio Tenn at Jamison Theater, The Factory at Franklin. For tickets, go to www.studiotenn.com, or call (615) 541-8200.

December 13-23 Peter Pan and Tinker Bell: A Pirate's Christmas, at TPAC's James K. Polk Theatre. Nashville's own Diana DeGarmo plays Tinker Bell in the production that will introduce an English holiday tradition to Nashville audiences: Christmas Panto. Go to www.TPAC.org for details, or call (615) 782-4040 for tickets.

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