Leslie Jordan Returns To His Old Stomping Grounds To Host CTC Fundraising 'Un-Gala'
by Jeffrey Ellis

(Feb. 19 4:46 PM) - Comedian, author and Emmy Award-winning actor Leslie Jordan will have a homecoming of sorts on May 15 when he returns to Chattanooga to headline Tuesday Night Live!, Chattanooga Theatre Centre’s annual fundraising gala, with proceeds going to the Annual Fund.

BWW Reviews: Actors Bridge and Belmont's HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA is 'Fascinating and Mesmerizing'
by Jeffrey Ellis

(Feb. 19 3:38 PM) - Tyrannical and imperious, Bernarda Alba rules her five daughters with an iron-fisted vehemence in Actors Bridge Ensemble and Belmont University Theatre’s presentation of Federico Garcia Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba, which marks the return to the stage of Vali Forrister, Actors Bridge producing artistic director, after a far too long six-year absence.

BWW Interviews: Holly Shepherd Stars as Mrs. Walker in TOMMY IN CONCERT at Street Theatre Company
by Jeffrey Ellis

(Feb. 19 2:08 PM) - In the days before Tommy in Concert bows at STC’s venue (conveniently located at 1933 Elm Hill Pike), we’ll introduce you to the principals who weigh in with their takes on the production. First up: Holly Shepherd, a Nashville stage favorite making her STC debut which follows her recent one-woman show that wowed sold-out crowds and her First Night’s Top 11 of 2011-honored performance as Miss Hannigan in Annie at Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre…

BWW Reviews: ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING Lands Flatly in New Production at Chaffin's Barn
by Jeffrey Ellis

(Feb. 18 11:33 AM) - Try as they might, director Martha Wilkinson and her talented ensemble of actors just can’t breathe enough life into a thin, tepid script to make it work onstage for audiences eager to be entertained. Virginia Cate and Duke Ernsberger’s Elvis Has Left The Building is pleasant enough, with a promising premise, yet it falls flat despite the best efforts of the cast and crew putting forth the new production at Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre.

Tennessee Rep Presents GOD OF CARNAGE, 2/4-18
by BWW News Desk

(Feb. 18 5:00 AM) - Tennessee Repertory Theatre will present the Tennessee premiere of God of Carnage, winner of the 2009 Tony Award for Best Play. Written by Yasmina Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton, this scathing comedy is a recent major motion picture release (Carnage, directed by Roman Polanski and starring Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet). God of Carnage runs February 4 – 18 at TPAC’s Johnson Theater (with preview performances February 2 - 3).

Director Greg Greene Talks About Blackbird Theater's Upcoming PACIFIC OVERTURES
by BWW News Desk

(Feb. 18 5:00 AM) - Nashville audiences—and chattering, anticipatory theater critics—will be given the opportunity to weigh in with their own impressions of Pacific Overtures, thanks to an ambitious production from Blackbird Theater, the acclaimed company now in its sophomore season at David Lipscomb University’s Shamblin Theatre.

BROADWAY AT BETHLEHEM to Feature Wilkinson, Osborne and More
by BWW News Desk

(Feb. 18 5:00 AM) - What is described as "an incredible slice of Broadway" comes to Franklin for the sixth annual Broadway at Bethlehem – Divas & Desserts benefit on Saturday, February 18 with an array of talented performers including Broadwayworld.com award-winning actors Dietz Osborne and Martha Wilkinson co-hosting and featuring singers Megan Murphy Chambers, Melodie Madden Adams, Laura Matula, Kandace Williams and Maggie McNulty at the Bethlehem United Methodist Church, Performing Arts Center, 2419 Bethlehem Loop Road in Franklin, Tennessee.

BWW Interviews: Gina D'Arco Tackles THE FRIDAY FIVE
by Jeffrey Ellis

(Feb. 17 4:01 PM) - First up is Gina D’Arco, one of Belmont University’s most gifted actors, who tonight opens in Actors Bridge Ensemble’s staging of Federico Garcia Lorca’s The House of Bernard Alba (the professional company’s annual collaborative production with Belmont University’s Department of Theatre and Dance), directed by Jessika Malone, who helmed last year’s critically acclaimed and award-winning production of Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl.

MARY POPPINS to Open 3/20 at Tennessee Performing Arts Center
by BWW News Desk

(Feb. 17 6:41 AM) - Producers Thomas Schumacher of Disney Theatrical Productions and Cameron Mackintosh announced today that the award-winning musical MARY POPPINS will begin performances at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Andrew Jackson Hall in Nashville on Tuesday, March 20 for a limited engagement of one week through Sunday, March 25. Opening night is set for Tuesday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Lakewood Theatre Launches 32nd Season with COLUMBO: PRESCRIPTION MURDER
by Jeffrey Ellis

(Feb. 17 5:00 AM) - The play provided the impetus for the venerable Columbo television series, starring the late Peter Falk. The cast includes Eric Link (2011 Lakie Award Winner for Best Lead Actor), Buffi Holland, Pamm Howard (named BroadwayWorld.com’s "Best Featured Actress in a Play" for her performance in A Few Good Men), Rod Streng, April Hardcastle-Miles and Patrick Goedicke as "Lt Columbo."

Vali Forrister Leads Cast of Jessika Malone-directed HOUSE OF BERNARDA ELBA
by Jeffrey Ellis

(Feb. 17 5:00 AM) - Vali Forrister retuns to the stage for the first time since her 2006 triumph in How I Learned to Drive to lead the cast of Actors Bridge Ensemble and the Belmont University Department of Theatre and Dance’s production of Frederico Garcia Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba. Jessika Malone, artistic associate at ABE, directs the cast of Emily Mann’s adaptation of Lorca’s work which has been described as "a cross between Downton Abbey and The Bachelor with an added splash of Mommie Dearest."

Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre's ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING Opens
by Jeffrey Ellis

(Feb. 15 5:54 PM) - From the same writing team that created Frankly, My Dear—Duke Ernsburger and Virginia Cate—comes the latest comedy opening at Nashville’s Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre: Elvis Has Left the Building. Running February 16-March 18, the comedy is directed by Martha Wilkinson, artistic director of the company that is celebrating its 45th season of bringing theater to Nashville audiences.

STAGE TUBE: THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA from Actors Bridge and Belmont University
by Jeffrey Ellis

(Feb. 15 5:08 PM) - Jessika Malone, artistic associate at ABE, directs the cast of Emily Mann's adaptation of Lorca's work which has been described as "a cross between Downton Abbey and The Bachelor with an added splash of Mommie Dearest." Opening, Friday, February 17, and running through February 26, The House of Bernarda Alba plays Belmont University's Troutt Theatre at 2100 Belmont Boulevard. General admission tickets are $18, with tickets for seniors at $12.

What's Nashville's Favorite Love Song from a Broadway Show?
by Jeffrey Ellis

(Feb. 14 11:15 AM) - In a town where everyone from your next-door neighbor to your favorite barista – from your dental hygienist to your manicurist, your seatmate on the bus, your friendly neighborhood bartender and maybe even the guy who does your taxes – is a songwriter, you'll find that there's never a shortage of opinions on the topic of favorite songs. Ask a cross-section of Nashville theater-types what their favorite love song is from the annals of musical theater and you're going to get a barrage of answers.

Musical Legacy of Garland and Rooney Spotlighted in BABES IN HOLLYWOOD at Gaslight Theatre
by Jeffrey Ellis

(Feb. 14 5:00 AM) - Dickson’s Gaslight Dinner Theatre kicks off 2012 by bringing Hollywood and Broadway legends Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney to life via the musical revue Babes in Hollywood: The Music of Garland and Rooney, February 14-March 10.

Master Class with Playwright Tina Howe Highlights Southern Literary Festival at Lipscomb University in March
by Jeffrey Ellis

(Feb. 14 1:01 AM) - Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Tina Howe (her Painting Churches was a 1984 finalist for the prize and Pride’s Crossing was a Pulitzer finalist in 1997), and Mark Richard, the author of the best-selling House of Prayer No. 2, will be among the special guests at this year’s Southern Literary Festival, held March 29-31 on the Lipscomb University campus in Nashville.

ELMER GANTRY, Which Had Its World Premiere at Nashville Opera, Wins 2 Grammy Awards
by Jeffrey Ellis

(Feb. 13 6:13 PM) - What began as a commissioned opera in Boston, and which was shelved during a management shake-up, and what eventually turned into a 17-year odyssey for composer Robert Aldridge and librettist Herschel Garfein, came full-circle Sunday, February 12, when their original work, Elmer Gantry, won two Grammy Awards.

Nashville Symphony's Giancarlo Guerrero and Percussionist Christopher Lamb Win GRAMMY Award
by Jeffrey Ellis

(Feb. 13 3:25 PM) - Nashville Symphony’s recording of Joseph Schwantner’s Concerto for Percussion & Orchestra was honored with a GRAMMY Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo on Sunday at the 54th Annual GRAMMY® Awards. This latest recognition is the seventh GRAMMY® Award to be presented to a recording by the Nashville Symphony.