Brian Russell News

From the iconic songbook of Johnny Cash comes a unique musical about love and faith, struggle and success, rowdiness and redemption, and home and family. Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, Indiana, ignites their 2014 season of Premieres with RING OF FIRE- THE MUSIC OF Johnny Cash tonight, February 20 through March 30 with a press opening Sunday, February 23.

From the iconic songbook of Johnny Cash comes a unique musical about love and faith, struggle and success, rowdiness and redemption, and home and family. Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, Indiana, ignites their 2014 season of Premieres with RING OF FIRE- THE MUSIC OF JOHNNY CASH Thursday, February 20 through March 30 with a press opening Sunday, February 23.

The idyllic Scottish country town of Kilbride hides a bloody past. Once home to a murderous tyrant and site of an epic battle for independence from England, now the quiet town's biggest source of excitement is the pub band led by local beauty Moira McLeod. In Brian Russell's SCRIBE (Kengorus Publishing/Amazon; September 23, 2013), the arrival of Hollywood director John MacIntyre and his beautiful movie star wife, Valerie, means things are about to get a lot more interesting. And deadly.

Building on their reputation for presenting quality theatrical productions that are simultaneously entertaining and enlightening, Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, IN announced today their exciting 2014 season, an unprecedented season full of never before seen Chicagoland premieres. The area premiere of RING OF FIRE: THE MUSIC OF JOHNNY CASH, a unique musical about love and faith, struggle and success, rowdiness and redemption, and home and family runs February 20 to March 30. Another Chicago area premiere, MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION STREET, a warm and humorous play about a working class family living in Buffalo, New York runs May 1 to June 1. Fans of the television hit The Beverly Hillbillies should mark their calendars for the World Premiere of THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, THE MUSICAL. Featuring many well-known and beloved characters from the series, the production runs from July 10 to August 10. In the first North American production since its Broadway debut at the Lincoln Center, the madcap musical WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWNbased on the Spanish film of the same name runs September 11 to October 19. For the holidays, the Chicago area premiere musical A CHRISTMAS MEMORY, based on Truman Capote's famous short story, runs November 13 to December 14.

Investigation Discovery Bursts with an Explosive 'Love Line-Up' this 4th of July. Highlights include encores of 'Scorned: Love Kills,' 'Poisoned Passions,' 'Fatal Vows' and 'Happily Never After.'

This Upfront season, Investigation Discovery (ID), the leading mystery and suspense network on television, launches its largest-ever slate of original programming, designed to keep viewers coming back for more stories of revenge, betrayal and love gone horribly wrong.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company, recipient of the 2012 Regional Theatre Tony Award, probes the burdens of leadership and the price of power in its Hero/Traitor Repertory of Coriolanus and Wallenstein. In the hands of The Studio Theatre's Artistic Director David Muse and STC's Artistic Director Michael Kahn, this pairing of Shakespearean and German epics challenges the concept of control among military and government institutions. Coriolanus and Wallenstein play at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) from tonight, March 28-June 2, 2013.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company, recipient of the 2012 Regional Theatre Tony Award, probes the burdens of leadership and the price of power in its Hero/Traitor Repertory of Coriolanus and Wallenstein. In the hands of The Studio Theatre's Artistic Director David Muse and STC's Artistic Director Michael Kahn, this pairing of Shakespearean and German epics challenges the concept of control among military and government institutions. Coriolanus and Wallenstein play at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) from March 28-June 2, 2013.

The world premiere of a brand-spanking new musical with Broadway in its sights, a relatively young but awe-inspiring theater company and a sparkling, witty new play about Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald led the list of Tennessee's outstanding theatrical achievements in 2012 that was revealed Sunday night at Midwinter's First Night.

Matt Chiorini directs Macbeth-one of the bard's best-known political tragedies-to kick off 2013 for Nashville Shakespeare Festival at Belmont University's Troutt Theater January 10-27. Eric D. Pasto-Crosby and Shannon Hoppe lead a cast of NSF veterans and newcomers in the much-anticipated production.

Investigation Discovery's newest series, FATAL VOWS, takes a new twist on tales of love turned lethal. Each hour-long episode explores tumultuous, shocking, and disturbing divorces, and delves into the criminal psychology behind what actually happens when one spouse determines that the only way out is murder.

Investigation Discovery's newest series, FATAL VOWS, takes a new twist on tales of love turned lethal. Each hour-long episode explores tumultuous, shocking, and disturbing divorces, and delves into the criminal psychology behind what actually happens when one spouse determines that the only way out is murder.

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang will be on hand for the opening night performance of Nashville Opera's production of The Difficulty of Crossing a Field, his treatment of a fanciful Ambrose Bierce short story from 1888.

We've been doing our part to prepare ye the way, watching the action onstage, taking some furtive peeks backstage, listening to all the offstage gossip and venturing beyond the confines of the theater to gain the informed knowledge to see more shows in the Volunteer State than you ever thought possible. So, good people of the theaterati, read on and get all the information you need to know in this, our latest installment of Music City Confidential. This is #6…

It's supposed to be 108 degrees in the Nashville area by week's end, which means stepping outside will likely leave you melted, quite literally and figuratively. But if you do have to venture out of doors, perhaps a trip to the theater is a good idea…it'll be dark and cool (with any luck, the AC will be working-and you know which theaters we're talking about) and you'll be entertained, perhaps even transported to another world. Or not. In the meantime, we present you with installment number four of Music City Confidential-our continuing effort to create a sense of community and build up some enthusiasm and excitement for the live theater industry here in our alarmingly sweaty region. So, press on, gentle readers and catch up on the latest adventures of the theaterati…

What better way to kick off Sunday-and to celebrate Father's Day!-than with the latest installment of Music City Confidential! Here's where you'll find all the news that's fit to print (or not-depending on your perspective) from Nashville's ever-growing, ever-fascinating live theater industry. Amid the florid prose and flowery praise, you'll find all the stories that don't quite fit anywhere else, some of 'em kind of gossipy, some of 'em stone-cold serious, some of 'em just lists of names you need to know. You'll also find photos from our new "Intermission@" series, details about the latest cast parties and various and sundry minutiae-the veritable flotsam and jetsam-from backstage, onstage, offstage and beyond…

Just when you thought it was safe to go to the theater once again, we welcome you to the debut installment of Music City Confidential, all the news that's fit to print (or not-depending on your perspective) from Nashville's ever-growing, ever-fascinating (okay, so we obviously don't have enough to occupy ourselves) live theater industry (we're trying that out-does it work? Let us know, theaterati!) Here amid the florid prose and flowery praise, you'll find all the stories that don't quite fit elsewhere, some of 'em kind of gossipy, some of 'em stone-cold serious, some of 'em just lists of names you need to know. You'll also find photos from our new "Intermission@" series, details about the latest cast parties and various and sundry minutiae-the veritable flotsam and jetsam-from backstage, onstage, offstage and beyond…

Audiences throughout the country have fallen into the habit of standing up because they think it's expected, as if it's part of their unwritten contract with the people creating art in darkened theaters night after night. Rather than rewarding a cast and crew for a job truly well done, many people stand up simply because "it's the thing to do." And woe be unto you who remains seated!

The Nora Theatre Company (Cambridge, MA) will present the World Premiere production of the new play Operation Epsilon by Alan Brody (The Housewives of Mannheim) at Central Square Theater in Cambridge, MA. The play will be directed by Tony Award-winning director/producer Andy Sandberg (Hair, The Last Smoker in America). No casting has been announced.