ACT 1's FANN-MADE, PERMISSION-GRANTED, UNOFFICIAL PRODUCTION OF DR. HORRIBLE SING-ALONG BLOG opens Friday 11/18

Nashville theater mavens and the fans of internet-borne musicals (it's a sub-genre of some group, look it up!) are fairly a-dither in anticipation of this week's opening night for ACT 1's production of A Fann-Made, Permission-Granted, Unofficial Production of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (yep, that's the unwieldy name, thanks to the fine print, legal kinda stuff at the bottom of the page), as it takes over Darkhorse Theatre for six performances (Friday and Saturday nights only) November 18-December 3.

Taking the place of Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS Pinafore in the ACT 1 2011-12 season (makes perfect sense to me), A Fann-Made, Permission-Granted, Unofficial Production of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (thank you, Jevus, for "copy and paste") is the stage-bound version of the internet sensation that came to be during the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike.

Created for the web in 2008, Dr. Horrible is a musical comedy created by Joss Whedon, Zac Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen. The "tragicomedy" was produced exclusively for Internet distribution. The team (those crafty little devils) wrote the musical to create something small and inexpensive, yet professionally done, in a way that would circumvent the Writers Guild of America strike. Since its 2008 debut, Dr. Horrible has achieved critical acclaim (would I lie?), as well as, a devoted cult following.

ACT 1's production is adapted from the screenplay and directed by Anne-Geri' Fann, and the musical's setting is Los Angeles, telling the story of Dr. Horrible (played by Patrick Kramer, who claims to be "beloved" on his Facebook page), an aspiring super villain; Captain Hammer (Daniel Vincent, who claims to have a "following" on his FB page), his nemesis; and Penny (Lindsay Terrizzi Hess, who is threatening her FB friends with "serious repercussions" if they don't buy tickets), their shared love interest. Also featured in the Dr. Horrible cast are Eric Ventress, April Hardcastle-Miles, L.T. Kirk, JoNathan Burgess, Memory Strong, Jama Bowen and Michael Welch, all of whom have esteemed reputations, according to their Facebook pages.

At any rate, we contacted the director - the aforementioned (I really love that word in case you haven't noticed) Anne-Geri (who has one of them funny accent marks over the "I" in her name, but I can't make them on my computer for some reason, but don't get me started on that...) Fann - and politely requested she answer a few questions. She finally did so, but not before we swore to always refer to the show as A Fann-Made, Permission-Granted, Unofficial Production of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. So, read on, good people and make your reservations post-haste (that means before they're all gone).

Who the hell are you and what's the name of this "show" you're opening this Friday night? (Make it clever and snappy!) Anne-Geri Fann, A Fann-Made, Permission-Granted, Unofficial Production of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

Why should people come see A Fann-Made, Permission-Granted, Unofficial Production of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog? People should come see DR. HORRIBLE for Joss Whedon's odd mix of comedy, tragedy, the mundane, and the grandiose...and for one of the most absurd lines ever:  "Home is where the heart is, so your real home's in your chest."

So, who the hell's in this thing? Patrick Kramer [editor's note: aka "The Beloved One"], Daniel Vincent, Lindsay Terrizzi-Hess, Eric Ventress, Jama Bowen, Memory Strong, April Hardcastle-Miles, JoNathan Burgess, Michael Welch, and L.T. Kirk. Oh, and Buffy - Whedon's famous vampire slayer will make an appearance. 

What should audiences look for when they see your show? What sets your show apart from the hundreds of other shows opening this weekend? Look for shameless Joss Whedon references and the copious amounts of followers who have bought block tickets and plan to attend this cult classic (with grand regalia) in costume. The witty lyrics set this show apart are perhaps the best thing about the whole spectacle and the music is the same. From the bubbly piano chords in "My Freeze Ray," to the edgy feel of "Brand New Day," to the mockingly majestic trumpets of "Everyone's a Hero," the music constantly readapts to the tone and keeps the audience deliberating about what will happen next. Although most people will already know and plan to unabashedly sing along!

How did this show make it onto ACT 1's season calendar? How do you pick shows you do? This show was originally planned and in preparation by Codworthy-Badcrumble Productions when ACT 1 came to our little company and cast with the sad news of losing a show that would usually fund their entire season during an important time slot. When they have a successful season it subsidizes their free tickets to students; they really needed to make up the projected profits and were in a bit of a pinch. So, we continued communication with Timescience Bloodclub, the Whedon Production Company, and they gave us the performance rights because of this plight, even though all other stage performances have gone into blackout. Them's good peeps, those Whedon characters.

Okay, enough about you, what about me? Why should someone make theater a part of their holiday traditions? Memories, man. A theatre excursion, when the perfect show is chosen, is an unforgettable experience and time well-spent laughing or crying with your loved ones. You'll save the program and remember that particular holiday forever!

Is ACT 1 offering season tickets for what lies ahead (they make great gifts, after all)? And how can they be purchased? For ACT 1's 22nd season, they're bringing back their popular multi-use tickets from last season: instead of just a ticket to each show, patrons get a punch card that can be used five times at their shows. If you've got a card and want to bring someone along, good news, they're covered with the card; it just counts as two visits. If you just want to come to each show once, like a regular season ticket, you can do that too.

Tickets for the unofficial ACT 1 production of A Fann-Made, Permission-Granted, Unofficial Production of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog are $12 each. Due to the short run, no special discounts apply (except for ACT 1 Season Ticket holders). Your own Dr. Horrible costumes are encouraged, best three costumes of the night will receive gift cards for 2 tickets to one of ACT 1's spring productions Master Class, The Man From Earth and The Memorandum. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays: November 18, 19, 25 and 26, and December 2 and 3, at 7:30 p.m. each evening.

Darkhorse Theater is located at 4610 Charlotte Avenue. For further details,call (615) 726-2281 (box office inquiries only) or visit www.act1online.com and/or www.darkhorsetheater.com. Pre-sale tickets are available through www.TicketsNashville.com; patrons may buy tickets at the door; however, it is strongly advised to purchase tickets in advance to guarantee admission.