Critic's Choice: What's Playing in Tennessee? Nashville Theater Calendar for June 21, 2017

Feeling the urge to let your imagination run wild, your spirit to soar or to just leave the world in which you live and go on an adventure? Sounds like a trip to the theater is in order! Luckily, companies all over the Volunteer State have been hard at work, creating new productions to transform and to transport, shows that will entertain you this summer. That's where THE NASHVILLE THEATER CALENDAR comes in handy: Peruse our listings every week to find out what shows you should see!

Your show missing from our calendar? Send details about your production to jeffrey@bwayworld.com (and be sure to include an illustration or photo).

Through August 10 Smoke on the Mountain - Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville. Smoke On the Mountain, the ever popular bluegrass/gospel musical, kicks off its 24th year at Crossville's Cumberland County Playhouse, on Friday, June 2, as director Weslie Webster welcomes two new members to the famEd Sanders Family Singers. DeAnna Etchison (Gypsy) and Cory Clark (The Little Mermaid) make their Sanders Family debuts as twins Denice and Dennis in the 2017 rendition of Smoke on the Mountain, with the production headed by Playhouse veterans Lauren Marshall (The Odd Couple) and Daniel W. Black (now playing Carl Perkins in Million Dollar Quartet) as the family matriarch and patriarch. Joining them are the recently married Jensen Crain-Foster (The Addams Family) as June Sanders, Brett Mutter (A Sanders Family Christmas) as Pastor Mervin Oglethorpe and Joseph Wilson (Mamma Mia) as Uncle Stanley. Smoke on the Mountain runs June 2 through August 10. Tickets? (931) 484-5000. Details? www.ccplayhouse.com

Through July 22 Sister Act - Chaffin's Barn, A Dinner Theatre, 8204 Highway 100, Nashville. Meggan Utech and Gracie McGraw will make their Chaffin's Barn debuts this summer, joining Barn favorite Martha Wilkinson in Sister Act, the hilarious, five-time Tony Award-nominated musical, opening June 8 and running through July 22. When disco diva Deloris Van Cartier (Utech) witnesses a murder, she is put into protective custody in the one place cops are sure she won't be found-a convent! Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with both the rigid lifestyle and an uptight Mother Superior (nine-time First Night Award winner and 2015 First Night Honoree Wilkinson). Bradley Moore, assistant artistic director at Chaffin's Barn, directs, with musical direction by Kelsi Fulton and choreography by Everett Tarlton. His cast includes McGraw as Sister Mary Patrick and Caitlyn Porayko as Sister Mary Robert, along with Vicki White, Katie Bruno, Jenny Norris Light, Anna Carroll, Lynda Cameron-Bayer, Megan Arrington, Devin Bowles, Stewart Romeo, Curtis Reed, Gerold Oliver, Alex Piniero, David Arnold and Brett Cantrell. Before each show, Chaffin's Barn presents a delicious prime rib buffet featuring choices for everyone from the carnivore to the vegan, as well an a la carte menu which includes several choices for all appetites and wallets: Small plates include hummus and veggies and the special Farmer's Caviar and chips, or Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches, sliders or a fresh house salad. Tickets? Call (615) 646-9977. Details? www.dinnertheatre.com

Through June 24 Reefer Madness - ACT 1 at Darkhorse Theater, 4610 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville. Jason Lewis directs the regional premiere of Reefer Madness the Musical to close out ACT 1's 2016-17 season, opening June 9. A musical satire based on the 1936 cult film classic, Reefer Madness the Musical opened in Los Angeles in 1998. The book and lyrics were written by Kevin Murphy with music by Dan Studney. This musical tells the tale of the Harper Affair, in which young Jimmy Harper (Cameron Gilliam) finds his life of promise turn into one of debauchery and murder thanks to the new drug menace marijuana. Along the way, he receives help from his girlfriend Mary and Jesus himself, but always finds himself in the arms of the Reefer Man and the rest of the denizens of the Reefer Den. The show opened Off Broadway on September 15, 2001. Director Lewis is joined on the creative team by choreographer Stephanie Jones-Benton and musical director Rollie Mains. Cast members include Ben Gregory as the Lecturer, MAggie Wood as Mary Lane, Trey Palmer as Jack Stone, LaDarra Jackel as Mae, Andy Riggs as Ralph and Nikki Berra as Sally. Reefer Madness opens June 9 at the Darkhorse Theater and runs through June 24. Thursday-Saturday shows begin at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 at www.tickets.act1online.com.

Through June 25 Pippin - Street Theatre Company at Holy Trinity Ciommunity Church, 6727 Charlotte Pike, Nashville.Pippin tells the story of the eponymous young man as he searches for meaning and his place in the world. Along the way, he tries his hand at war, gluttony, sex, politics, and domesticity but never quite finds his "Corner of the Sky." Meanwhile, a troupe of players led by The Leading Player strive to convince Pippin to help them achieve "a climax justly famous throughout the civilized world!" STC's production of Pippin is charging into the 21st century by embracing social media to help tell the story. Audiences will be invited to keep their devices out and share with the cast on Twitter and Instagram throughout the performance. (Standard prohibitions of photography and audio/video recording will still be in effect.) STC's cast for Pippin includes Ryan Greenawalt as Pippin, David Ridley as The Leading Player, Elliot Robinson as Charlemagne, Amanda Elend, as Catherine, and Natalie Rankin as Fastrada. Pippin is directed by STC artistic director Jason Tucker with musical direction by Randy Craft and choreography by Mallory Mundy. Designers include Sarah Levis (props) and Christen Heilman (costumes). Jason Tucker designs the lights in consultation with Katie Gant. Pippin performs Thursday Friday, and Saturday nights at 7:30, Sunday June 11 at 2:00, Sundays June 18 and 25 at 5:00. Tickets are $24 for adults and $20 for children, students, and seniors (60+) with two Pay-What-You-Can performances on Thursday June 15 and Thursday June 22 (minimum ticket price of $10). There is a $3 fee for every ticket sold.

Through June 25 Legally Blonde, The Musical - Center for the Arts, 110 W. College Street, Murfreesboro. A fabulously fun international award-winning musical based on the adored movie, Legally Blonde The Musical, follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes, snobbery and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. This action-packed musical explodes on the stage with memorable songs and dynamic dances. Equal parts hilarious and heart-warming, this musical is so much fun, it should be illegal! Tickets? www.brownpapertickets.com

Through July 1 Mary Poppins - The Larry Keeton Theatre, 108 Donelson Pike, Donelson. Mary Poppins, based on the P.L. Travers book that was adapted into the hit 1964 Disney film that blended animation with live action photography, opens June 15, running through July 1. Music is by Robert B. Sherman, Richard M. Sherman and George Stiles, with lyrics by the Shermans and Anthony Drewe. The musical's book is by Academy Award-winning Julian Fellowes, the creator of the wildly popular PBS series Downton Abbey. Co-directed by Jamie London and Noah Rice (who serves double-duty as musical director), Mary Poppins will be choreographed by Melissa Carlson. London, Rice and Carlson first worked together last summer in Cabaret, in which Rice appeared as the Emcee and Carlson was a Kit-Kat Girl, under London's direction. For the upcoming production, Jim Manning is scenic designer, with Allen Stokes as sound designer. Suzanne Spooner-Faulk is production stage manager and properties designer. London, who is the artistic director of the Senior Center for the Arts at FiftyForward Donelson Station, home of the Keeton Theatre, will produce. Adelaide Leonard stars in the title role, with Austin Jeffrey Smith as Bert. Tickets? Call (615) 883-8375. Details? www.thelarrykeetontheatre.org

Through August 20 Disney's Beauty and the Beast at Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville. Tickets? (931) 484-5000. Details? www.ccplayhouse.com Beauty and the Beast takes place in a small provincial town in France. When Maurice (Bill Frey, Southern Fried Nuptials), the town's eccentric inventor, becomes lost in the woods, he seeks shelter in an old castle, only to find its master to be a horrible beast (Blake Graham, The Little Mermaid) that takes him captive. The inventor's daughter, an adventurous young woman named Belle (Harli Cooper, The Little Mermaid), trades herself for her father's freedom when she finds him in the castle. She discovers that the beast is, in fact, a prince who was trapped in his current form by an enchantress, as punishment for his cruel, selfish ways. So that he may become human again, the Beast must earn Belle's love before it's too late. The 31-member cast also features Molly Dobbs (Million Dollar Quartet) as Babette, Ross Griffin (Million Dollar Quartet) as LeFou, Brett Mutter (Smoke on the Mountain) as Cogsworth, Playhouse newcomer Natasha Ricketts as Madame de la Grande Bouche, Weslie Webster (A Second Helping) as Mrs. Potts, Joseph Wilson (Smoke on the Mountain) as Monsieur D'Arque and Playhouse newcomer Grayson Yockey as Gaston. Kyra Crosby (Seussical) and Chavin Medina (The Little Mermaid)) will alternate in the role of Chip. Playhouse artistic Director Britt Hancock (The Little Mermaid) will direct the production, which features choreography by Leila Nelson (Mamma Mia), sets by Curtis Phillips (The Little Mermaid), and musical direction by Ron Murphy. Beauty and the Beast runs through August 20.

June 27-July 2 Something Rotten! at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall, Nashville. Tickets? (615) 782-4040. Details? www.tpac.org The completely original new musical Something Rotten!, directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw, with music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner, Tony Award nominee, and Nashville's own Wayne Kirkpatrick and Golden Globe Award and Tony Award nominee Karey Kirkpatrick, with a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and best-selling author and Tony nominee John O'Farrell, makes its Music City debut at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall June 27-July 2, 2017. From the director of Aladdin and co-director of The Book of Mormon and the producer of Rent, Avenue Q and In the Heights, this hilarious new musical comedy tells the story of brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom, two playwrights stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rock star Will Shakespeare. When a soothsayer foretells the next big thing in theatre involves singing, dancing and acting at the same time, the Bottom brothers set out to write the world's very first MUSICAL!

June 29-July 9 Uncanny from Woven Theatre at Belmont Little Theatre beneath Hail Hall, Nashville. Kicking off Season #2 for Woven Theatre is the original Uncanny by Miles Gatrell, directed by Kyle Odum, running June 29-July 9 at the Belmont Little Theater beneath Hail Hall: Imagine if Wes Anderson directed the Buffy Cast in an X-Men movie. High school senior Eileen Monroe (played by Rachel Woods) has been reading minds since she was thirteen. As her faith in the world dwindles, she is offered the opportunity to join a team of teenage superhero called The Uncanny Youths. Under the tutelage of English teacher Paul Paton (Josh Kiev), Eileen and her crew of super-powered oddballs discover if they have what it takes to be the next generation of heroes. Gatrell helped kick start the theatre's first season in the summer of 2016 with the world premiere of Giant Squid. In addition to Woods and Kiev, Odum's cast includes Ævar Jónsson (Levi Watson), Sarah Wood (Tabatha Berry), Bret Carson (Traiteur) and Michele Richardson (Villian). Individual tickets and season tickets are available at www.woventheatre.org. Tickets are $10 online and $15 at the door.

June 30-July 8 The Water's Edge from KB Productions at Darkhorse Theater, Nashville. Jaymes Campbell directs the latest from Nashville-based KB Productions - The Water's Edge by Theresa Rebeck - running Friday, June 30 through July 8 at The Darkhorse Theater. After an absence of 17 years, Richard (Gerald Pitts) has finally come back to the now shabby lakeside home occupied by his wife, Helen (Anastasia Zavaro), and their children, Erica (Elisabeth Yancy) and Nate (Eric Butler). Richard and Helen were separated years ago after suffering a devastating loss. Helen, who has thwarted every effort by Richard to see his children, has been steeping in grief ever since. When Richard arrives with his young girlfriend, Lucy (Maggie Pitt), the family's hospitality and humanity find their limits as their painful history is resurrected. KB Productions' board member Jaymes Campbell will direct this Rebeck play for Darkhorse audiences. He is originally from Atlanta, where he worked in the professional entertainment field for over ten years before moving to Nashvillle. Shortly after moving to Tennessee, he helped produce as well as act in several shows with The Other Me Theatre Group before cofounding the Vortex Theatre Group in Spring Hill.

July 13-22 & July 27-August 5 If I Were You - The Theatre Bug, 4809 Gallatin Pike, Nashville. If I Were You is an original musical by Cori Anne Laemmel and Laura Matula that follows one year in the life of four young people who do not know each other, but share something in common. They were all born on the same day. The show opens at the birthday celebrations for Phoebe (8), Bailey (12), Noorah (15), and Jonah (18). We watch the four children have similar experiences in their schools, homes and relationships, but see how they experience them completely differently. Phoebe struggles with anxiety that can make small things in the day feel difficult. Bailey is on the verge of becoming a young woman with recently separated parents and is trying to navigate through what seems to be ceaseless change. Noorah is a Muslim student in a school where she is the minority and is feeling the pressure of her teen years amplified by the feeling of being the sole representation of her culture for most of her friends. Jonah has been home schooled his entire life and is getting ready to start his life away from home and family. At the end of act one Noorah sings about how we might perceive each other differently if we couldn't make assumptions based on what we see, and who we might baselessly fear each other when we don't take the time to get to know one another in the song "I'm not Afraid of the dark." Act two opens on the lives and families of our four, Phoebe, Bailey, Jonah and Noorah, but while the stories continue on their trajectory, the actors have switched roles. Each of the leading actors now play each other and we watch an 18-year-old male walk through the life of a 15-year-old female, a young child experience life in the world of a teen on the brink of adulthood. The audience must ask themselves how they empathize differently for each character when they are portrayed by someone new. The show closes with our actors returned to their original roles, at their next birthday, a year further into each of their beautiful life journeys. The show will feature 70 young actors in two casts between the ages of 6-18.Performances will take place July 13th-Aug 5th, Thursday-Saturday at 7pm. All performances will take place at The Theater Bug, located at 4809 Gallatin Pike, Nashville in the back building of New Life Baptist Church. Tickets? www.ticketsnashville.com

July 14-23 Disney's Beauty and The Beast - The Renaissance Players at The Renaissance Center, 855 Highway 46 S., Dickson. Bonjour! Step into the enchanted world of Broadway's modern classic, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, an international sensation that has played to over 35 million people worldwide in 13 countries. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature, the stage version includes all of the wonderful songs written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice. The original Broadway production ran for over thirteen years and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed into his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity. Tickets? www.squareup.com

July 21-September 8 Sister Act - Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville.

August 1-6 Disney's The Little Mermaid - HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC Series, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville

August 3-19 Smoke on the Mountain - Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, 8204 Highway 100, Nashville.

August 11-27 Bring It On - Circle Players at Z. Alexander Looby Theater, Nashville.

August 17-September 2 Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - The Larry Keeton Theatre, 108 Donelson Pike, Nashville.

August 18-October 6 Lying in State - Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville.

September 7-17 The Battle of Franklin - Studio Tenn at Jamison Hall, The Factory at Franklin.

September 7-October 21 Mamma Mia - Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, 8204 Highway 100, Nashville.

September 9-24 Part of the Plan - HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC Series, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville

September 9-23 Sense & Sensibility - Nashville Repertory Theatre at TPAC's Andrew Johnson Theatre, Nashville.

September 15-October 27 The Drowsy Chaperone - Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville.

October 6-21 Love, Loss and What I Wore - ACT 1 at Darkhorse Theatre, 4610 Charlotte Pike, Nashville.

October 10-15 Fun Home - HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC Series, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville

October 12-28 Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific - The Larry Keeton Theatre, 108 Donelson Pike, Nashville.

October 13-November 11 Sleepy Hollow, A New Musical - Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville.

October 14-November 4 Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson - Nashville Repertory Theatre at TPAC's Andrew Johnson Theatre, Nashville.

October 26-November 18 Southern Fried Funeral - Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, 8204 Highway 100, Nashville.

October 27-November 12 The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Circle Players at Z. Alexander Looby Theater, Nashville.

October 31-November 5 An American in Paris - HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC Series, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville

November 3-December 17 Inspecting Carol - Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville.

November 10-25 Laughter on the 23rd Floor - ACT 1 at Darkhorse Theatre, 4610 Charlotte Pike, Nashville.

November 14-19 An American in Paris - HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC Series, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville

November 17-December 22 A Sanders Family Christmas - Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville.

November 24-December 23 It's A Wonderful Life: The Musical - Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, 8204 Highway 100, Nashville.

November 25-December 22 A Christmas Story - Nashville Repertory Theatre at TPAC's Andrew Johnson Theatre, Nashville.

November 30-December 17 Winter Wonderettes - The Larry Keeton Theatre, 108 Donelson Pike, Nashville.

December 1-17 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - Studio Tenn at Jamison Hall, The Factory at Franklin.

January 9-14 Jersey Boys - HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC Series, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville

January 12-28 The Full Monty - Circle Players at Z. Alexander Looby Theater, Nashville.

January 30-February 4 The King and I - HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC Series, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville

February 10-24 Smart People - Nashville Repertory Theatre at TPAC's Andrew Johnson Theatre, Nashville.

February 15-March 3, 2018 9 to 5: The Musical - The Larry Keeton Theatre, 108 Donelson Pike, Nashville.

February 15-25 Doubt: A Parable - Studio Tenn at Jamison Hall, The Factory at Franklin.

February 16-18 The Illusionists - HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC Series, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville

February 27-March 4 Cabaret - HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC Series, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville

March 2-17, 2018 The Pillowman - ACT 1 at Darkhorse Theatre, 4610 Charlotte Pike, Nashville.

March 23-April 8 Steel Magnolias - Circle Players at Z. Alexander Looby Theater, Nashville.

March 24-April 21 Inherit the Wind - Nashville Repertory Theatre at TPAC's Andrew Johnson Theatre, Nashville.

March 28-April 22 Wicked - HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC Series, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville

April 12-28, 2018 West Side Story in Concert - The Larry Keeton Theatre, 108 Donelson Pike, Nashville.

May 4-19, 2018 The Little Foxes - ACT 1 at Darkhorse Theatre, 4610 Charlotte Pike, Nashville.

May 10-20 Grease - Studio Tenn at Jamison Hall, The Factory at Franklin.

June 1-17 Disney's Beauty and the Beast - Circle Players at Z. Alexander Looby Theater, Nashville.

June 5-10 Waitress - HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC Series, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville

June 14-30 Annie - The Larry Keeton Theatre, 108 Donelson Pike, Nashville.

June 19-24 Love Never Dies - HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC Series, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville

June 22-July 7, 2018 - Measure for Measure - ACT 1 at Darkhorse Theatre, 4610 Charlotte Pike, Nashville.

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