Michael Miller News

Looking into the future, you'll find a number of new productions on tap for your entertainment pleasure, thanks to the efforts of theater companies all over Middle Tennessee. Here's our calendar for October 1, 2018, to help you plot your course through the end of the year...

The United States, above all other countries, is beset with an epidemic of random killing, usually by a weapon which seems to have held a mythic aura in the American psyche since the arrival of the first Europeans. The gun is the weapon of choice for Americans who want to do harm, especially semi-automatic assault rifles which can be modified to be even deadlier than their makers' intentions. Most of us are exposed to the biggest massacres through the major media, the most recent of which are listed in the footnote below. If the scope, circumstances, and number of dead and wounded are not sufficiently shocking, it is important to know that multiple and mass shootings, if not consistently a daily occurrence, occur regularly several times a week. These are only reported locally, because the limited body counts don't merit national attention. Only a few days passed without an incident during the month of September, 2018, and not seldom multiple mass shootings occurred in one day, as one can see on Gun Violence Archive. It is only too true that we are living in an age of random, senseless mass murders.

Looking into the future, you'll find a number of new productions on tap for your entertainment pleasure, thanks to the efforts of theater companies all over Middle Tennessee. Here's our calendar for October 1, 2018, to help you plot your course through the end of the year...

Looking into the future, you'll find a number of new productions on tap for your entertainment pleasure, thanks to the efforts of theater companies all over Middle Tennessee. Here's our calendar to help you plot your course...

For plenty of fast-paced action, along with some stellar performances by a fresh-faced cast of eager young theatrical triple threats and a coterie of Nashville stage favorites, one need look no further than Disney's Newsies, the latest onstage offering from Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, the iconic Music City venue that's been entertaining audiences for more than half a century. In its way, The Barn (as it is affectionately known in these parts) and its laudable history ensure that its treatment of the popular musical theater title lend the show's historical basis more than a little gravitas in the making of a stage spectacle.

Bay Area rock band STIMULI create thoughtful and heavy rock music about the human condition, delivered through Jimmy Tomahawk's melodic and edgy vocals and spacious and heavy guitar riffing, Tai Hake's solid and snarling bass tones, and Cole Andrew's intricate and powerful drumming. STIMULI will release their first official full-length album titled THEY ARE WE in stores and online worldwide on August 17, 2018. The album is a winding 11-track explosion of the trio's dense, ambitious, and fiercely original sound.

None of the three pieces that I saw at the Glimmerglass Festival near Cooperstown, NY, last weekend was exactly what it seemed to be: Is CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN a fairy story or a cautionary tale? Is WEST SIDE STORY simply in a class of its own? Does SILENT NIGHT find that war is hell—or that hell is simply other people? Let's begin with SILENT NIGHT.

This summer, Hell in a Handbag Productions is pleased to bring back Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia for THE GOLDEN GIRLS: The Lost Episodes, Vol. 2. Following last year's sold-out, seven-month run, Handbag's parody of the beloved TV sitcom returns with all new adventures written by Artistic Director David Cerda* and directed by Becca Holloway. THE GOLDEN GIRLS will play June 19 - September 7, 2018 at Mary's Attic, 5400 N. Clark St. in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood. Tickets are now on sale brownpapertickets.com or by calling (800) 838-3006. 

The Cleveland Orchestra offers captivating opportunities for children and families to learn about and experience classical musical in an energetic, kid-friendly environment. The 2018-19 PNC Music Explorers series, for children ages 3-6, and American Greetings Family Concert series, for ages 7 and older, are designed to introduce young people to the magic and wonder of classical music. Subscriptions for each series are now available by visiting the Severance Hall Ticket Office, clevelandorchestra.com, and by calling 216-231-1111 or 800-686-1141. Tickets to individual performances go on sale in late summer. The Orchestra's popular "Under 18s Free" program is available for all concerts (see below for more information.)

The cast has been finalized for the upcoming reading of THE GIRL IN THE RED DRESS on Monday, May 14th (8p-10p) at the National Arts Club (Gramercy Park, South).

Young pianist Thomas Nickell, an artist with 'an ever-increasing reputation as a player's player and composer' (Litchfield Live, 23 Jul 2017) will perform as soloist in Beethoven's Second Piano Concerto with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago under maestro Mina Zikri at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall (corner of 56th Street and Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019) on Sunday afternoon, June 3, 2018 at 1:30 pm, presented by the Alexander & Buono Foundation. The program will also include Liszt's Totentanz, as well as solo piano selections from the classical repertoire and Mr. Nickell's own compositions.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra's Baroque Conversations series explores “Nighttime in Four Great Cities” led by Principal Keyboard Patricia Mabee on harpsichord on Thursday, March 22, 2018, at Zipper Hall in downtown Los Angeles.  The program includes Vivaldi's Concerto, “The Storm at Sea,” the first of his six flute concertos, which features LACO Principal Flute Joachim Becerra Thomsen; Sarabande from Trios for the King's Bed Chamber by Lully, who was in service to Louis XIV of France; Biber's Ciacona, “Night Watchman” from Serenade for Five; and Boccherini's evocative string quartet Night Music of the Streets of Madrid.  A complimentary wine reception for ticket holders begins at 6 pm.

freeFall Theatre Company presents The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, February 2 - February 25, 2018. Widely regarded as an American classic, The Glass Menagerie stars Rob Glauz (Tom Wingfield), Stephanie Lynge (Amanda Wingfield), Ali Foley (Laura Wingfield) and Michael David (Jim O'Connor). The Glass Menagerie opens February 2 and marks the return to freeFall's newly refurbished black box space. freeFall sustained extensive damage to performance space during Hurricane Irma.

On Saturday, January 13, 2018, the National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) announced the appointment of Sarah Arison as Chair of the Board of Trustees during the organization's largest annual fundraiser, the Backyard Ball performance and gala. Ms. Arison will assume the position immediately. The celebratory evening honored Academy Award-winning playwright and YoungArts master teacher Tarell Alvin McCraney (1999 YoungArts Winner in Theater) with the 2018 Arison Alumni Award for his contributions and commitment to the arts.

Miami City Ballet's new redesign of the magical George Balanchine's The Nutcracker will feature enchanting new costumes and sets by the designer-artist power couple Isabel and Ruben Toledo, Balanchine's glorious choreography and Tchaikovsky's beloved score.

Break out the cheesecake and eggnog Chicago's favorite gals are headed back to Andersonville for the holidays, where it all began! Following an 18-week sell-out run, including six-weeks at Lakeview's Stage 773, Hell in a Handbag Productions' campy world premiere parody THE GOLDEN GIRLS THE LOST EPISODES will return to Mary's Attic (5400 N. Clark St., Chicago) for six additional performances from December 6, 2017 January 10, 2018. Written by David Cerda and directed by Shade Murray, AJ Wright and David Lipschutz, the campy parody of one of TV's most beloved sitcoms will feature the best of the original run plus a new holiday-themed episode! THE GOLDEN GIRLS will run in conjunction with the return of Handbag's holiday favorite RUDOLPH THE RED-HOSED REINDEER. Tickets for both productions are currently available at www.handbagproductions.org or by calling (800) 838-3006.

Shakespeare & Company is excited to announce a very successful 40th Anniversary Season. Between May and October 2017, the Company sold more tickets per performance than during any other period of its 40-year history. The full run of The Tempest, which inaugurated the newly constructed outdoor Roman Garden Theatre, was at capacity. To meet popular demand, the Company added performances to 4000 Miles, Intimate Apparel, and God of Carnage.

A pair of whimsical opposites explore the excitement of travel and motion in The Rose Theater's latest First Stage production, Point A to Point B. The 50-minute interactive production designed for very young audiences opens at The Rose Theater on its Hitchcock Stage on Oct. 21 and continues through Nov. 12.

Frog & Peach Theatre Co., Inc will present a Halloween-themed benefit reading October 23, 2017 at The Greenwich House School of Music.

On Wednesday, July 19th, the City of Houston became the epicenter of the entertainment world as it played host to an exclusive screening premiere event for HBO's hit shows Ballers and Insecure at White Oak Music Hall, one of Houston's most buzzed about new venues. Talent from each show, London Brown (Reggie) and Jazmyn Simon (Julie Greane) from Ballers, and Amanda Seales (Tiffany) and Natasha Rothwell (Kelli) from Insecure, attended the premiere and conducted interviews with local media outlets in advance of the screenings of the first episodes of each show's new season.