Ann Sharp

Hello, Dolly! will be the opening musical at Theatre Memphis on August 27, 2021, to inaugurate the celebration of the 100th consecutive season that the community theatre has produced. 

Hello, Dolly! will be the opening musical at Theatre Memphis on August 27, 2021, to inaugurate the celebration of the 100th consecutive season that the community theatre has produced. 

Using a unique and newly conceived way to audition for stage productions due to the COVID-19 limitations on assembling, Theatre Memphis received audio and video submissions via the internet to select its cast for its opening musical, Hello, Dolly!, for its 100th anniversary season. The production is scheduled to open August 21, 2020, in a renovated and expanded facility at 630 Perkins Extended at Southern Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee.

Interestingly, Playhouse on the Square has opted to produce Thornton Wilder's THE MATCHMAKER rather than HELLO, DOLLY, the legendary musical that it spawned - and therein lies both the blessing and the curse: There are so many lines here that served as song cues that the specter of Jerry Herman's 'ear-candied' score keeps hovering over the play. To add to the dilemma, the ever-arranging 'matchmaker' herself is none other than that talented musical performer Ann Sharp (surprisingly making her theatre debut at Playhouse): Because she doesn't have the opportunity to use that particular talent, and because those darned Herman songs keep popping up in the mind, THE MATCHMAKER might prove frustrating for those familiar with its melodic offspring. That's too bad, as Herman's score is rather like some pushy first grader who breaks in line; without it, the audience is left with . . . a fine romantic comedy, filled with mistaken identities and matches and mismatches - and more than just a touch of Wilder's warm , incisive writing.

Playhouse on the Square is proud to present the classic American comedy, TheMatchmaker. The Matchmaker follows the exploits of Dolly Levi, a widow who arranges marriages for New Yorkers at the turn of the 20th century. Hired by a local merchant to find a wife, Dolly sets her sights on the eligible bachelor herself! Slapstick, mistaken identity, and secret rendezvous ensue in this uproarious comedy from the Pulitzer-prize winning playwright, Thornton Wilder. 

Playhouse on the Square is proud to present the classic American comedy, The Matchmaker. The Matchmaker follows the exploits of Dolly Levi, a widow who arranges marriages for New Yorkers at the turn of the 20th century. Hired by a local merchant to find a wife, Dolly sets her sights on the eligible bachelor herself! Slapstick, mistaken identity, and secret rendezvous ensue in this uproarious comedy from the Pulitzer-prize winning playwright, Thornton Wilder. 

It's early June in Memphis, but, with the recent success of Playhouse on the Square's KISS ME, KATE and, now, Theatre Memphis' sparkling production of ANYTHING GOES, we seem to be having, as my late grandmother might say, 'another 'cole' snap' - Cole Porter, that is. Who would not welcome the giddy book by the great P.G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton, with a reworking by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse? And who has not delighted to such songs as 'You're the Top,' 'I Get a Kick Out of You,' 'Blow, Gabriel, Blow,' 'It's De-Lovely,' and, of course, the title tune?

 Anything Goes opens tonight, June 5 and runs through June 28, 2015, on the Lohrey Stage at Theatre Memphis. A shining example of classic musical theatre with epic tap dancing, a madcap book and a wonderfully unexpected and romantic happy ending, the unforgettable Cole Porter score includes 'De-Lovely,' 'I Get a Kick Out of You,' 'All Through the Night' and, of course, the great title song, 'Anything Goes.'  Set aboard the S.S. American, the singing-dancing ocean liner overflows with wealth, sailors, a stowaway, gangsters, an evangelist, Wall Street brokers and the most irresistible of showgirls, the brassy-but-lovable Reno Sweeney.

 Anything Goes opens June 5 and runs through June 28, 2015, on the Lohrey Stage at Theatre Memphis. A shining example of classic musical theatre with epic tap dancing, a madcap book and a wonderfully unexpected and romantic happy ending, the unforgettable Cole Porter score includes "De-Lovely," "I Get a Kick Out of You," "All Through the Night" and, of course, the great title song, "Anything Goes."  Set aboard the S.S. American, the singing-dancing ocean liner overflows with wealth, sailors, a stowaway, gangsters, an evangelist, Wall Street brokers and the most irresistible of showgirls, the brassy-but-lovable Reno Sweeney.

A 2013 Pulitzer Prize finalist fresh from off-Broadway, the regional premiere of Rapture, Blister, Burn, by Gina Gionfriddoushers into the Next Stage at Theatre Memphis and runs April 3 - 19, 2105.

While watching the Next Stage production of Gina Gionfriddo's RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN at Theatre Memphis, I was reminded of John Van Druten's screenplay for the 1943 Warner Brothers film OLD ACQUAINTANCE. It was one of those 'women pictures' which provided thespic opportunities for the likes of actresses like Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins, who, in fact, were the lead players in this particular film. In their youth, the two women had been friends, but as their paths parted in life, the Davis character, brittle and alone, became a critically acclaimed (if financially challenged) author, while the Hopkins character, finally penning a bestseller (trash that it is, it rakes in the 'big bucks'), jealously desires what Davis has. I couldn't help thinking, if Gionfriddo's RAPTURE had fallen into the hands of a director like Vincent Sherman, I could see Davis as the 'Catherine Croll' character, who, despite national recognition and an evidently fulfilling career, begins to have doubts about her life choices. (If you've ever seen the famous car scene in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's ALL ABOUT EVE, also starring Davis, you'll hear the character of stage actress 'Margo Channing' lament what a woman gives up when she devotes herself entirely to a career: I wonder if this very scene influenced Ms. Gionfriddo in her characterizations.) The other character, 'Gwen,' would obviously have been given over to Hopkins, who would have shone as the once promising woman who jettisoned her own burgeoning promise to marry 'Don Harper,' who once had been Catherine's intended (George Brent, anyone?).

?A 2013 Pulitzer Prize finalist fresh from off-Broadway, the regional premiere of Rapture, Blister, Burn, by Gina Gionfriddo ushers into the Next Stage at Theatre Memphis and runs tonight, April 3 - 19, 2105.

?A 2013 Pulitzer Prize finalist fresh from off-Broadway, the regional premiere of Rapture, Blister, Burn, by Gina Gionfriddo ushers into the Next Stage at Theatre Memphis and runs April 3 - 19, 2105.

THE HEIRESS, Ruth and Augustus Goetz's 1947 adaptation of Henry James' WASHINGTON SQUARE and currently occupying the Lohrey Stage at Theatre Memphis, has had a long and steady run on stages throughout the world - and why not? Tightly corseted, polite to a fault, and observing proprieties, this intelligently written script captures the essence of the James source material without the convoluted, complex sentences that, alas, repel many readers. As tautly drawn as the material on one of the samplers for which its heroine is noted, when one of the characters punctuates the prevailing politeness with a barbed or telling line of dialogue, it's as if a sharp and jagged blade suddenly ripped through the fabric of the needlework itself. All this play needs for a successful run is a handsome set, period costumes - and four or five gifted players.

The Heiress opens October 17, 2014 and runs through November 2, 2014 on the Lohrey Stage at Theatre Memphis. A timeless story of New York society and status by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, the cost of love in this story focuses on Catherine Sloper, a shy, withdrawn young woman living under the tyranny of her father. Conflict comes as she is suddenly exposed to a world of hope by a handsome young suitor, Morris Townsend. Is it true love? Can the suitor triumph for love nor money? It comes to light that heartache has a long memory.

The Royal Family, a classic comedy set in the home of Broadway's most legendary acting family of the century, takes center stage at Theatre Memphis on the Lohrey Stage as the Cavendish clan struggles with fame, egos and career-altering decisions. Playing August 16 - September 1, 2013, three generations of actors act out with outrageous road bumps and hilarious mix-ups that are the daily fare for this eccentric, lovable group of stars and the supporting players in their lives.

The Summer Showcase Series at Theatre Memphis this year will include a restaging of a Sondheim review first performed in November of 2011 and a newly envisioned compilation of Broadway songs performed by young people. Both are being performed in the Next Stage at Theatre Memphis and are not part of the season ticket membership.

The Summer Showcase Series at Theatre Memphis this year will include a restaging of a Sondheim review first performed in November of 2011 and a newly envisioned compilation of Broadway songs performed by young people. Both are being performed in the Next Stage at Theatre Memphis and are not part of the season ticket membership.

After record-setting attendance during the 34th annual 2011 performances of A Christmas Carol at Theatre Memphis, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest opens on the Lohrey Stage on January 27, 2012, and runs through February 12, 2012. There is much excitement by Theatre Memphis that the world's most popular comedy of manners will be as well received as the prior 2011-12 season offerings and will contribute to the continuing tickets sales increases that Theatre Memphis has experienced so far this season.

After record-setting attendance during the 34th annual 2011 performances of A Christmas Carol at Theatre Memphis, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest opens on the Lohrey Stage on January 27, 2012, and runs through February 12, 2012. There is much excitement by Theatre Memphis that the world's most popular comedy of manners will be as well received as the prior 2011-12 season offerings and will contribute to the continuing tickets sales increases that Theatre Memphis has experienced so far this season.