Caldwell, Shepherd lead cast of TCT's MUSICAL COMEDY MURDERS OF 1940

Do the names "Joe Shepherd" or "Corey Caldwell" ring a bell? No? Well, I just bet their voices would: Both men have been featured in numerous radio and television commercials, whether as the voice of Brentwood Jewelers (in the case of Corey Caldwell) or as the creator of a Peabody Award-winning program in Washington, D.C. (as Joe Shepherd was).

This week the two actors take to the stage for the opening of Towne Centre Theatre's production of The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, running at the Brentwood theater March 25-April 16.

The play is about a group of actors gathered together for an audition at a secluded New York manor when, all of a sudden and quite unexpectedly, one of them ends up quite murdered.

According to Matt Grimes, the director of the show, The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 caters to the actors' unique talents: "The two [Shepherd and Caldwell] have such a vibrant energy to them, it is almost impossible not to smile when they walk into a scene. That passion spills over into the rest of the cast, too."

However, neither man provides the voice of "The Radio" in the show; instead, that daunting assignment goes to Ryan Arthur, who makes his first appearance at Towne Centre in the comedy.

Rounding out the cast are Annaliese Higgins, Beth Henderson, David Thoreson, Kathy Crisp, Lynn Yates, Dan Linney, and Paula Higgins.

Show dates are March 25, 26 and 31 and April 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15 and 16, with an 8 p.m. curtain each night. Matinees are slated for Sunday, April 3 and 10 at 2:30 p.m.

For further details, visit the company website at www.townecentretheatre.com, and for reservations, call (615) 221-1174.

Pictured: Corey Caldwell in The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940

Jeffrey Ellis is a Nashville-based writer, editor and critic, who's been covering the performing arts in Tennessee for more than 25 years. He is the recipient of the Tennessee Theatre Association's Distinguished Service Award for his coverage of theatre in the Volunteer State and was the founding editor/publisher of Stages, the Tennessee Onstage Monthly. He is a past fellow of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center and is the founder/executive producer of The First Night Honors, held during Labor Day Weekend, which honor oustanding theater artists in Tennessee in recognition of their lifetime achievements and includes The First Night Star Awards and the Most Promising Actors. Midwinter's First Night, held the first Sunday in January after New Year's Day, honors outstanding productions and performances throughout the state. Further, Ellis directed the Nashville premiere of La Cage Aux Folles, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and An American Daughter, as well as award-winning productions of Damn Yankees, Company, Gypsy and The Rocky Horror Show, with Ellis honored by The Tennessean as best director of a musical for both Company and Rocky Horror.

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