Jeffrey Ellis - Page 87

McGovern creatively opens and closes the musical with an image that evokes all the glitter and glamor of old Hollywood: the presentation of the Academy Awards in 1941, the year that Ginger Rogers beat out such adversaries as Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Joan Fontaine and Martha Scott for the best actress Oscar for her performance of "knocked-up shopgirl" Kitty Foyle.

Angels Without Wings, described as "the patriotic story of six women who beat the odds to become the first women in flight in the Army Air Corps during the World War II era" will land at Nashville's Darkhorse Theatre for an August 2-5 world premiere engagement.

Dance Theatre of Tennessee celebrates strong female voices, stories and the diversity of the arts with its 2012/2013 line-up The Many Faces of Eve. Christopher Mohnani, DTT artistic director, promises "the upcoming season will hold something for everyone with its rich offering of professional performances."

Inspired by BroadwayWorld.com's Friday Six, welcome to Nashville.BroadwayWorld.com's latest installment of The Friday Five: five questions designed to help you learn more about the talented people you'll find on stages in the Volunteer State. Today-which is Thursday, not Friday, a fact of which I am well aware-we focus our spotlight on Jessica Wockenfuss, the lovely star of Cumberland County Playhouse's Backwards in High Heels, which opens tomorrow night (which actually is a Friday-July 27) and continues through November 2.

Who's who in Tennessee theater? Sometimes, without a program in your hand, it's difficult to know who's playing whom-hence, our newest feature: Hey, Jef, Here's My Headshot...featuring some of the Volunteer State's best-known-or soon-to-be-known all over the freakin' world-thespians. And have you ever wondered who the amazing photographers are who make them look so damn good? We're gonna tell ya…Today's actor/subject/model is the hot, beautiful, funny, capricious and talented Britt Byrd, photographed by Mike Chow.

Inspired by BroadwayWorld.com's Friday Six, welcome to Nashville.BroadwayWorld.com's latest installment of The Friday Five: five questions designed to help you learn more about the talented people you'll find on stages in the Volunteer State. Yes, I'm well aware that the calendar says today is Wednesday, but there's a method to my madness: Opening Friday night at Cumberland County Playhouse in Crossville is Backwards in High Heels: The Ginger Rogers Musical which stars today's Friday Fiver-Douglas Waterbury-Tieman-in the pivotal role of Fred Astaire!

Who's who in Tennessee theater? Sometimes, without a program in your hand, it's difficult to know who's playing whom-hence, our newest feature: Hey, Jef, Here's My Headshot...featuring some of the Volunteer State's best-known-or soon-to-be-known all over the freakin' world-thespians. And have you ever wondered who the amazing photographers are who make them look so damn good? We're gonna tell ya…Today's actor/subject/model is the timelessly beautiful and ultra-talented Bonnie Keen, photographed by Samatha Stables Bean, with her make-up and styling by Susannah Smith White.

To think that Hamlisch's involvement in The Nutty Professor goes back to the handshake that sealed the deal between him and the show's creator Jerry Lewis is at once down-to-earth and almost shockingly unbelievable. It could well be the genesis of another musical in and of itself, but make no mistake about it, that's exactly how the story began…

Eight individuals, whose names attest to the depth and breadth of live theatrical performance in Nashville, have been named as members of the 2012 Class of First Night Honorees and will be feted with a special tribute concert on Sunday, September 2, at Belmont University's Troutt Theatre.

In an ensemble filled with impossibly gorgeous and charming triple threats, Kyle Vaughn (who has one deep dimple on the right side of his face) stands out from the crowd-his sunny disposition and leading man good looks are readily apparent, but even when he's standing onstage just waiting for the music to start, you can see that there's a bit of the scamp just itchin' to get out.

Pacer Harp and Bryan J. Wlas are serving up the laughs at Dickson's Gaslight Dinner Theatre via Red, White & Tuna, the third installment in the four-part "trilogy" (get it-four-part trilogy? Trilogies are actually three parts, so this is funny, y'all!) about Tuna, Texas, the third-smallest town in that reddest of red states (Jimmy Carter in the appropriately red, white and blue Bicentennial year of 1976 was the last Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state)

Members of the 2012 First Night Honors' Class of Honorees will be revealed to the public tonight, July 23, during the First Night Preview Party, which will be held at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, 8204 Highway 100 in Nashville.

There's just something about Klea Blackhurst: The very first moment you meet her you know you're gonna like her and that, given the chance to perform for you, she's sure to wow you, to put you in your place, to make you fall in love with her. Consider yourself forewarned.

Today, our spotlight focuses in on the show's leading lady, the luminously beautiful Marissa McGowan, the actress who plays Stella Purdy, the love interest of the musical's repressed and shy Professor Julius Kelp and his suave and sophisticated doppelganger Buddy Love. During a media look-in at the company's rehearsals, McGowan knocked the socks off of all those cynical folk, delivering a beautiful rendition of a new Hamlisch-penned power ballad that we're likely to hear for years to come.

After a protracted four-year battle with an especially virulent form of cancer, Murfreesboro actor-director-producer-artist Bryan M. Sunday-Booth died in the early hours of Friday morning, July 20. As the news of his death made its way through the theater community in Middle Tennessee, several of his friends and associates shared their memories of Bryan, seeking to cope with their own stages of grief while coming to terms with the realities of the day.

In fact, in his answer to our very first query, Jason Sparks (who is a swing in the show's ensemble) actually made me laugh out loud as he painted a picture of a childhood fairly brimming over with adventure and happy memories-not to mention an experience that may have destined him to time spent on an analyst's couch. Actually, though, Jason seems enormously well-adjusted and, it should come as no surprise that everyone seems to love him

Today, we have two unique-and we daresay spectacular and wonderful-women who are paired together, thanks to director Paul J. Cook, in helping to bring Pippin to life at the Boiler Room Theatre: Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva and Lynda Cameron-Bayer. Jennifer is part of the powerhouse cast of the Stephen Schwartz musical (which has been acclaimed by every critic in town), while Lynda is the production's costume designer, dressing the ensemble in a gorgeous assortment of circus-inspired garb. Each woman, at any particular time, is sure to knock your socks off, so be prepared to lose 'em…

Today the spotlight falls on Sarah Marie Jenkins. And I've gotta tell you, there's just something about Sarah-she's charming and funny and disarmingly appealing, she's pretty and talented and, well, you're just gonna love her. Hell, I've only shared emails and Facebook messages and posts with her and I'm already crazy about her (but in a talented girl-crush sort of way, not like some creepy stalker kind of way)! Seriously, if you're not just absolutely taken with her after reading this interview, then read it again.

Save the date: On Saturday, August 4, the Arts Center of Cannon County will host a special evening of fun and games that includes a reverse raffle-with a grand prize of $5,000-and gourmet dinner. Tickets are $75 each and is your passport to an entertaining and fun-filled evening-and you don't even have to be there to win.

The Full Monty, with book by Terrence McNally, music and lyrics by David Yazbek, runs through Aug. 4, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays, except for the Friday, July 27 performance, which will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $16 for students and seniors age 65 and older.