STAGE TUBE: UNDER THE STREETLAMP heads to Nashville for TPAC Performance

Under the Streetlamp will bring the sounds of early rock and roll, doo wop and Motown classics to an entirely new generation, reminding the original fans why great music is timeless. The four young men who make up Under the Streetlamp will bring their acclaimed new show to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center's James K. Polk Theater on Thursday, June 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are on sale now and available at www.tpac.org, by calling (615) 782-4040, or visiting the TPAC Box Office at 505 Deaderick Street in downtown Nashville.

Formed in Chicago in 2010, Under the Streetlamp quickly earned a devoted local following and came to the attention of Charlie Blum who runs the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Indiana.

"I've put on and seen thousands of shows but was instantly struck by the boys clearly authentic love for this music, their amazing showmanship and rapport with one another, their numerous standing ovations and their total commitment to delivering these classics songs in a phenomenal fun filled way," Blum said. "They are having a big party and the audience is invited to join in. I noticed that their audience included all ages and everyone left the theatre smiling."

As a result of the huge following Under the Streetlamp has developed in the Chicago area, Blum confirmed that the first leg of their national tour will start in May and include performances in Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Nashville and New York.

All four members of Under the Streetlamp-Shonn Wiley, Michael Cunio, Michael Ingersoll and Christopher Kale Jones-appeared at one time or another in the Chicago or national company of Jersey Boys.

"When we all started doing cabaret together in the Chicago area, we realized that the audience was responding not just to these great songs but the synergy between the four of us," explains Michael Ingersoll.

For more information, please go to www.underthestreetlamp.com.

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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