(Nov. 4 2:22 PM) - Nashville Opera's upcoming production of Phillip Glass's The Fall of the House of Usher seamlessly melds contemporary opera, bold cinematic effects, and the "undead."
(Nov. 4 1:27 PM) - Celtic Thunder, the hit Irish and Scottish male pop vocal group that has been dazzling audiences worldwide, makes is first Nashville appearance November 19 at TPAC’s Andrew Jackson Hall.
(Nov. 4 10:17 AM) - The Boiler Room Theatre (BRT), Williamson County's residentprofessional theatre company, will present two Christmas shows in repertory for theupcoming holiday season. The Last Night of Ballyhoo will open on Nov. 27, 2009 for arun through Dec. 20, 2009 and the world premiere of A Hard-Boiled Christmas will open on Nov. 29 for a run through Dec. 23.
(Nov. 2 3:40 PM) - What do great cities like Sante Fe, Los Angeles, Miami, and Nashville have in common? They all have internationally-acclaimed opera companies, and they now share in the distinction of hosting an Opera Volunteers International (OVI) Focus Meeting.
(Nov. 2 11:08 AM) - If there are a million stories in the Naked City, then surely there have to be at least half a million in the Music City - and a couple dozen of those stories are recounted in The Nashville Monologues, the new play onstage through next weekend at Darkhorse Theatre.
(Nov. 1 11:30 PM) - Roles are available for actors, dancers and singers of all ages (children, teens, and adults). Auditionees should prepare 16 bars of an up-tempo song. Pre-recorded accompaniment is preferred, but an accompanist will also be provided, and auditionees should be dressed in clothing appropriate for movement and be prepared to learn a short dance combination. Resumes and headshots will be accepted, but they are not required.
(Nov. 1 11:12 AM) - Opening weekend of the Roxy Regional Theatre's production will feature two very special evenings: opening night is "Pay What You Can" night, where each audience member decides their own ticket price. Saturday's performance features a themed dinner at Lovin' Spoonful Café at 6:30 p.m., and then a performance at the Roxy. The Louisiana-inspired menu features andouille sausage gumbo, mixed green salad with orange-honey dressing, Creole corn bread and pineapple-apple bread pudding with bourbon sauce.
(Nov. 1 11:11 AM) - Jean Shepherd's classic memoir of growing up in the 1940s Midwest - A Christmas Story - will usher in the holiday season at Tennessee Repertory Theatre, as the venerable Nashville professional company presents the stage adaptation of the film cult classic for a November 21-December 19 run at TPAC's Andrew Johnson Theatre.
(Nov. 1 11:11 AM) - AUDREY II, the people-eating plant who stars in Little Shop Of Horrors, the frightfully freaky rock musical, has invaded Donelson's Senior Center for the Arts (SCA), for a run through November 15 at Nashville Dinner Theatre. Directed by veteran Nashville director Tim Larson, Little Shop introduces audiences to Seymour, an ill-fated florist shop worker who pines for fortune, fame and his flame, comely co-worker, Audrey. He later discovers an alien plant with a hankering for human blood and a dastardly desire to overtake the world. A perilous pact is made between the two, and mayhem ensues.
(Oct. 31 2:30 AM) - Actor Jay Doolittle and three accomplices will bring to life favorites such as "The Cask of Amantillado," "The Masque of the Red Death," "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Raven," allowing audiences to "descend iinto the macabre madness of murderers, merry-makers and haunted souls described in grosteque detail by a mater of language."
(Oct. 31 2:00 AM) - Roles are available for actors, dancers and singers of all ages (children, teens, and adults). Auditionees should prepare 16 bars of an up-tempo song. Pre-recorded accompaniment is preferred, but an accompanist will also be provided, and auditionees should be dressed in clothing appropriate for movement and be prepared to learn a short dance combination. Resumes and headshots will be accepted, but they are not required.
(Oct. 30 11:40 AM) - Country and pop music icon Kenny Rogers is the latest addition to the Nashville Symphony's 2009/10 concert season as the Symphony announces a special performance with Rogers at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Friday, February 5, 2010, at 8 p.m. The concert will be Rogers' first-ever appearance with the orchestra.
(Oct. 30 1:30 AM) - Written by artistic director Trish Crist, The Nashville Monologues "explores the dark side of diversity through Halloween season performances of frightening, dramatic, revealing and (yes) comic monologues inspired by public submission" of those personal accounts.
(Oct. 29 3:47 PM) - OF SPECIAL NOTE IN NOVEMBER:
Thursday, November 5 Lecture 6:30 p.m. "Thomas Hart Benton: An Epic Life"
Auditorium Henry Adams, Benton biographer and scholar
(Oct. 29 2:15 PM) - As a special bonus to this impressive season, Nashville Ballet will present Emergence: The Studio Series, at the Nashville Ballet Martin Center for Dance November 13 - 14 at 7:30 pm. A fresh take on Nashville Ballet's previously successful Emergence performances, the innovative new Emergence: The Studio Series allows audience members to select a "dance list" of performances to watch, much like one puts together a play list of songs on their MP3 players.
(Oct. 28 10:58 PM) - Even the presence of Melissa Gilbert - who so memorably played "Half-Pint" in the Little House TV series of the 1970s and '80s and now is cast as Caroline Ingalls - can't save this musical from mediocrity. Try as they might, Gilbert and her castmates unfortunately just can't get past Sheinkin's overly earnest and plodding book, Portman's completely unmemorable score or Di Novelli's clumsily crafted lyrics. Sheinkin's book does offer some glimmer of hope: There are some lovely moments to be found in the script, but they are too few and far between. Portman's score fares worse, since there is not one melody that can be recalled and all the musical numbers sound alike. Di Novelli's lyrics are even worse. When "I'm sick with wind sickness" is the only lyric you can remember, you know the show's in trouble. And, clearly, the material is not served well by director Francesca Zambello's seemingly uninspired staging (save for some creatively conceived horse-racing sequences).
(Oct. 28 1:02 PM) - This holiday season, Mannheim Steamroller will celebrate a quarter-century of being America's favorite Christmas music artist with a 58-city, 25th Christmas Anniversary Tour of their spectacular and beloved holiday show.
(Oct. 27 12:05 PM) - Boiler Room Theatre presents their annual Double Header Holiday with two great holiday shows playing in repertory. Two completely different holiday entertainment experiences! Season Passes include choice of one of the holiday productions. The Last Night of Ballyhoo, a comedy by by Alfred Uhry, will run November 27 through December 20, 2009. A Hard-Boiled Christmas, by Jamey Green and Lewis Kempfer, will run November 29 through December 23, 2009.
Theatre Vomit
Grosses & Quote...
The Great White Yay!
STAGE TUBE: The GLEE Cast Sings National Anthem at the World Series Game
Photo Coverage: Bette Midler's HULAWEEN 2009
Photo Coverage: Paper Mill's ON THE TOWN in Rehearsal
Photo Coverage: A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC Meets the Press
Photo Coverage: GLEE's CD Signing at Borders NYC
Photo Flash: THE ADDAMS FAMILY Revealed
STAGE TUBE: RAGTIME's New Viral Video
BWW TV: Lin-Manuel Sings in DC!
Bdwy Beat Sneak Peek - FINIAN'S
Photo Coverage: FINIAN'S Gypsy Robe Ceremony!