Tennessee Audiences Have A Lot of Theater Options This Weekend

For Tennessee theater audiences, this weekend presents a bounty of theatrical riches, with six shows opening: Blackbird Theatre's Red (that's Justin Boccitto on the left), Sideshow's Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake), Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre's Spreading it Around, Boiler Room Theatre's Parade, Tennessee Women's Theater Project's Shooting Star and Street Theatre Company's latest incarnation of Macabaret.

These new shows join the productions already up and running: Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure at Nashville Children's Theatre, Studio Tenn's Smokey Joe's Café, Jim Reyland's Stand (which this weekend moves to Actor's Pointe Theatre in Hendersonville, midway through its run that continues until November), dueling productions of 9 to 5: The Musical at the Roxy Regional Theatre and the Gaslight Dinner Theatre at Dickson's Renaissance Center, Alice in Wonderland is onstage at Steeple Players in Hendersonville, and The Last Night of Ballyhoo directed by Melissa Williams at Towne Centre Theatre. Meanwhile, up in Crossville-at Cumberland County Playhouse-theater-goers have four musicals to choose from: Backwards in High Heels, Five Guys Named Moe, Big River and Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge.

And, no doubt, we've left something and someone out of our list. But the point is there's a lot of great theater just waiting for audiences and now is the time to experience the magic of live theater in the Volunteer State.

So, what about the show's opening this weekend? Why should you go see them? That's the question we put to the folks responsible for ushering them to the stage…

• Crumble (Lay  Me Down, Justin Timberlake), presented by Actors Bridge Ensemble's Sideshow at The Darkhorse Theatre October 4-7. Directed by JP Schuffman, it stars Sara Gaddis, Ricardo Puera, Matt Marcum, Erin Randolph and Hayley Rose. Look for: Celebrity impersonation contests, dance-offs, video-karaoke, and mayhem as Sideshow brings sexy back for one explosive weekend. Producer Jessika Malone explains why you need to see this one…

Why should we come see Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake)? Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake), is unlike anything else happening in town. It's part costume-party, part-play, and entirely new to Nashville. Sideshow is committed to producing live theatrical events in increasingly innovative ways that help build a community invested in the future of performing arts. If you're into what's new, what's fresh, what's just the right amount of weird... this is the show for you. 

How did this show find a space on your season schedule? Sideshow brings fresh voices in theatre, challenging traditional perceptions of what theatre ought to be in order to explore the possibilities of what it could be. We fell in love with Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake) because it was loaded with powerful truths told in a funny, provocative, and compelling way. It gave our ensemble actors the opportunity to stretch with quirky characters like a foul-mouthed 11-year-old, an anthropomorphized apartment, and of course, Justin Timberlake himself. The play presents fabulous opportunities for emerging designers to think outside the box and for our director to try his hand at a more unconventional narrative structure. Plus, it's just really fun, different, and just plain cool. We had to make it happen!

Here's a tip for you: Sideshow launches its second season of fringy self-producing with a one-of-a-kind theatrical event you have to see to believe-and it's for ONE WEEKEND ONLY!

• Red, presented by Blackbird Theatre, at Lipscomb University's Shamblin Theatre October 4-20. Directed by Mike Fernandez, it stars Ronnie Meek and Justin Boccitto (First Night's 2011 best director of a musical for Hairspray at Lipscomb). The 2010 Tony Award winner for best play, Red delves unflinchingly into the work and ideas of famed artist Mark Rothko as he struggles to finish his paintings for the Four Seasons restaurant, one of the most lucrative and notorious commissions in the history of modern art. Producer Wes Driver offers some insight to help you make your decision about seeing the show…

Why should audiences come see your show? Well, first off, Red is one of the most acclaimed shows of the last five years. It won six Tony awards in 2010, including Best Play, and yet most people know little to nothing about it. It's about the famed painter Mark Rothko and one of the most notorious commissions in the history of modern art. It's a fascinating story, and one that delves so brilliantly into questions about the act of creation and the uneasy relationship of art and commerce, that people need to be exposed to and experience it. That's why we're proud to be bringing the first full production to the region. And though I could go on and on about the masterful script, with its many layers of meaning, the simple fact is that it's a thoroughly entertaining show. It's trenchant and touching, at times frightening, at other times funny, and ultimately inspiring. It's a powerful play. 

One other thing-the show will be a revelation to a lot of local audiences because it boasts powerhouse performances by two actors very few people in the region will have ever seen on stage: Ronnie Meek and Justin Boccitto. They're going to surprise and impress people.  

What about this show earned it a place on your season schedule? For us, it always starts with the literary quality of the script, and when I first looked at Red, I thought it was one of the tautest, sharpest plays I'd seen. It was not only the power of what was being said-but who was saying it. The central character Rothko, as imagined by writer John Logan, was one of the most compelling, enthralling characters I'd ever come across. An actor's dream role. And because the story explores one of my favorite subjects-art-I knew immediately I wanted us to produce it. It conveys the potential grandeur of art, which I think is an important message in our culture where so much of what is produced is shallow and disposable. The play is rich in ideas, has such scintillating dialogue, is so visually expressive in its theatricality-it just seemed like a perfect fit for Blackbird.

Here's a tip for you: The Christian Scholars Conference, which is hosted alternately between Lipscomb and Pepperdine University each summer, has invited Blackebird to produce a show to coincide with the 2013 conference on the theme "Crises in Ethics." David Mamet's Oleanna will open June 6 or 7.

• Shooting Star, presented by Tennessee Women's Theater Project at the Z. Alexander Looby Theatre, October 5-21. The Nashville premiere of this bittersweet romantic comedy by Steven Dietz stars veteran actors Mary Tanner Bailey and Brandon Boyd. Director Maryanna Clarke, 2012 First Night Honoree and the founder and artistic director of TWTP, offers her take on Shooting Star and why it should be on your play-going schedule…

Why should audiences come to the Looby to see Shooting Star? It is a funny, touching, thoughtful play that will speak to anyone who has ever wondered "what if…"

What about this Steven Dietz script earned it a place on your season schedule?  It surprised me – and it touched my heart!

Here's a tip for you: TWTP has Tuesday matinees! And there's an opening night reception after curtain (which will, no doubt, feature Maryanna Clarke's decadently delicious homebaked cookies)!

• Parade, presented by Boiler Room Theatre at their home venue at The Factory at Franklin October 5-20. This acclaimed musical, with a book by Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy and The Last Night of Ballyhoo) and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years and Songs for the New World), is given its Middle Tennessee premiere, featuring an all-star cast led by Megan Murphy Chambers, Paul Cook, Bakari King, David Davis and Hope Dyra. "In 1913, Leo Frank, a Brooklyn-raised Jew living in Georgia, is put on trial for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan, a factory worker under his employ. Already guilty in the eyes of everyone around him, a sensationalist publisher and a janitor's false testimony seal Leo's fate. His only defenders are a governor with a conscience, and, eventually, his assimilated Southern wife who finds the strength and love to become his greatest champion." Director Sondra Morton elaborates on Parade's impact…

Why should audiences come see your show? Parade is making its Middle Tennessee premiere on our stage this weekend in a limited 10 performance run. It tells the true story of Leo Frank and Mary Phagan. This story was once at the height of all news outlets; talked about from east to west; debated in the halls of houses, churches, and bars. This once notorious case is now nearly forgotten amongst current news and political headlines. Parade seeks to rejuvenate and humanize the story of Leo Frank and Mary Phagan. This musical through all the prejudice and embittered sentiments shows the lives of two people that were placed on a pedestal but where the simple human tragedy of the story is often forgotten. 

Having the opportunity to watch Paul Cook stars as Leo Frank with Megan Murphy Chambers as his wife Lucille Frank is truly beautiful. The entire cast has such energy, talent, and passion with this musical which provides such a driving force for a musical like Parade.

What about this show earned it a place on your season schedule? The Boiler Room Theatre's mission is to bring cutting edge theatre to the Middle Tennessee region and Parade fits into our mission perfectly. For several years we have debated producing Parade. It's a little known musical with such a volatile and powerful message that without the right cast and production team can be difficult to produce, but we felt that the 2012 Season was the season to tackle this monumental piece.  

Here's a tip for you: The house opens 30 minutes prior to show time. Seating is open, in other words, the early bird gets the better worm. We do not, however, oversell performances, so if you have a ticket, you will have a seat.

• Macabaret, presented by Street Theatre Company at its venue at 1933 Elm Hill Pike, October 4-25. This cabaret-style show will make you laugh 'til it hurts with its outrageous look at the morbid and the macabre. Being performed for the fourth consecutive year at Street Theatre Company, Nashville's version of the cult hit joins New York, Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Madrid, in producing the show. Join your host, Phil Graves, and his cadaverous cohorts as they perform songs such as "Marriage is Murder," "Grave Mistake," and "Dead End Job" that deal with love gone bad, obsessions, and strange things that go bump in the night. Macabaret features some of Nashville's most talented performers: Janette Bruce, Erica Lee Haines, Stephen Henry, Janna Landry, and Tyson Laemmel. Choreographed by Pam Atha with musical direction by Rollie Mains. The show runs Thursday nights at 8:00pm October 4-25. Tickets are $18 for adults and $16 for students and seniors. For more information, call (615) 554-7414.

"Macabaret is a great option for those who just want to have a great time laughing and celebrating the Halloween season," says Cathy Street, artistic director and founder of STC.  "This will be the fifth time we have done the show, and it features the return of Stephen Henry who originated the role in 2005 with us, and the addition of the fantastic new Nashville talent, Janette Bruce, who just starred in Caroline or Change."

• Spreading it Around, presented by Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre October 4-November 11. This light-hearted comedy finds Angela Drayton, a wealthy widow, in a retirement community.  Tired of handing out money to her unappreciative children, she starts the S.I.N. (Spreading it Now) Foundation, to give to those truly in need.  This terrifies her greedy son and his money-grubbing wife, driving them to devise a plan to have Angela committed! Starring Debbie Kraski, Charlie Winton, Will Sevier, Lisa Marie Wright and Layne Sasser, this comedy is sure to spread plenty of laughter around! The gala opening night is Thursday, October 4th and features an hors d'oevres buffet and a glass of champagne per person (over 21) at no additional charge-call (615) 646-9977 for reservations.

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