GOOD MORNING, THEATERATI for June 9, 2017
GOOD MORNING, THEATERATI! Welcome to Friday, June 9, 2017 - we're awfully glad to have you here! It's a big weekend in Nashville, maybe the biggest ever, thanks to the perfect storm of events and celebrations all across the region. It's CMA Music Festival weekend, Bonnaroo is pulsating some miles down the road (taking most of the attendees through Music City on their way to Manchester) and the Nashville Predators take on a team from Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup Final's sixth game on Sunday night at Bridgestone Arena.
Photo Coverage: Midwinter's First Night 1/6/13
The world premiere of a brand-spanking new musical with Broadway in its sights, a relatively young but awe-inspiring theater company and a sparkling, witty new play about Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald led the list of Tennessee's outstanding theatrical achievements in 2012 that was revealed Sunday night at Midwinter's First Night. Photographer Rick Malkin was on hand to capture the evening's highlights with his camera.
BWW Reviews: Trio of Leading Ladies Provide the Heart for Keeton Theatre's SWEET CHARITY
Despite terrific performances by the show's three leading ladies, The Larry Keeton Theatre's production of Sweet Charity, that 1966 musical theater oddity that spawned two of pop music's favorite showtunes-"If My Friends Could See Me Now" and "Hey, Big Spender"-lacks the polish and pizzazz expected from a theatre company known for its top-flight musical revivals.
Photo Coverage: The 2013 First Night Honors Gala Concert
Theater people from throughout Tennessee gathered at Belmont University's Bill and Carole Troutt Theatre on Sunday night for the 2013 First Night Honors to pay tribute to a group of eight remarkable people who have made indelible marks on the theater scene throughout their storied careers. Hosted by Holly Shepherd and Joel Diggs, the gala evening honored the eight leading lights of Tennessee theater as they were recognized as members of the First Night Class of 2013 Honorees.
BWW Reviews: Circle Players Opens its 2012-13 Season with Stylish AIDA
Featuring a triumvirate of capable, confident and consummately talented actors-LaToya Gardner, Kevin Mead and Lisa Graham-in the show's leading roles, it is a beautifully sung, interestingly staged and tremendously affecting musical that succeeds even despite the limitations of director Ralph Gabriel's sometimes questionable choices.
Photo Coverage: INTO THE WOODS at The Keeton Theatre
Directed by Kate Adams-with musical direction by Ginger Newman-The Larry Keeton Theatre will present Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim's musical retelling of classic fairy tales, July 12- 28 at the Donelson venue. Nashville photographer (and drummer!) Rick Malkin captured the show's all-star cast in some great promotional shots.
All-Star Cast Leads Audiences INTO THE WOODS, Opening Thursday Night at The Keeton Theatre
Directed by Kate Adams-with musical direction by Ginger Newman-The Larry Keeton Theatre will present Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim's musical retelling of classic fairy tales, July 12- 28 at the Donelson venue. Appearing in the Keeton Theatre production are an all-star group of actors and actresses including Mallory Gleason as The Witch, Janette Bruce as The Baker's Wife, Anthony Just as The Baker, Laura Crockarell as Cinderella and Jonathan Perry as Jack.
MUSIC CITY CONFIDENTIAL #2: Offstage, Onstage, Backstage and Beyond With The Theaterati
What better way to kick off Sunday-and to celebrate Father's Day!-than with the latest installment of Music City Confidential! Here's where you'll find all the news that's fit to print (or not-depending on your perspective) from Nashville's ever-growing, ever-fascinating live theater industry. Amid the florid prose and flowery praise, you'll find all the stories that don't quite fit anywhere else, some of 'em kind of gossipy, some of 'em stone-cold serious, some of 'em just lists of names you need to know. You'll also find photos from our new "Intermission@" series, details about the latest cast parties and various and sundry minutiae-the veritable flotsam and jetsam-from backstage, onstage, offstage and beyond…
BWW Reviews: KISS ME, KATE at The Keeton Theatre is Musical Theatre At Its Best
With a score filled with so many Cole Porter tunes that you're fairly drunk with delight after hearing them, the expert direction and choreography of musical theatre aficionado Kate Adams-Johnson, and a cast of extraordinarily gifted performers breathing vigorous life into the time-honored text, the new production of Kiss Me, Kate at The Keeton Theatre should be atop your list of must-see theatrical events in this very busy month of February. Sam and Bella Spewack's witty, sparkling script is brought to life with flourish, proving this period piece-which was named winner of the very first Tony Award for best musical-to be, in fact, a timeless classic, a musical theatre masterpiece that deserves to be seen over and over again.
Photo Coverage: Midwinter's First Night 2012, Part 2
Named as First Night's Outstanding Musical of 2011 was Lipscomb University Theatre's production of Hairspray, directed and choreographed by Justin Boccitto. ACT 1's production of American Buffalo, directed by Ryan Williams, claimed top honors as First Night's Oustanding Play of 2011, and the national touring company's Memphis, the Musical, which played Andrew Jackson Hall at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, was named as First Night's Outstanding Touring Production of 2011, besting productions of Spring Awakening, In The Heights, Wicked and Les Miserables.
Photo Coverage: Midwinter's First Night 2012
With a capacity crowd of 200 people on hand at The Keeton Theatre, First Night founder and executive producer Jeffrey Ellis, who covers theater, opera and dance throughout Tennessee for BroadwayWorld.com, unveiled his choices via First Night's Top 11 of 2011, while the winners of the BroadwayWorld.com Nashville and Tennessee Theatre Awards were announced by co-hosts Britt Byrd, Jamie Free, Katherine Sandoval Taylor and Lar'Juanette Williams.
First Night's Top 11 of 2011 Winners Announced at Midwinter's First Night Event
Playwright Nate Eppler, Mas Nashville's FIVE, the Boiler Room Theatre, Lipscomb University's Hairspray, ACT 1's American Buffalo and the national touring company of Memphis, the Musical were the top winners at Sunday night's Midwinter's First Night at Nashville's Keeton Theatre, which also featured the presentation of the BroadwayWorld.com Nashville and Tennessee theatre awards.
BWW Reviews: A CHORUS LINE at The Keeton Theatre
There comes a moment, very early on in Kate Adams-Johnson's A Chorus Line (which opened last night at The Keeton Theatre) in which, one by one, each of the actors is caught in the spotlight, with some portentous musical underscoring that heightens the emotional impact of the moment. But what's really telling about that sequence of illumination is how evocatively it telegraphs the stories of each of the actors in the cast. You can tell, almost imperceptibly, what it is that separates the pretenders from the contenders...
