Waller and Wilkinson Team Up for 'John & Jen' at Backstage at the Barn, 2/4-2/20

Martha Wilkinson and Patrick Waller, lauded by both the Nashville Scene and Nashville.BroadwayWorld.com as the best actress and actor in Nashville, will team up to star in a production of the Andrew Lippa musical john & jen, playing the Backstage at the Barn venue for a limited run February 4-20. Tim Fudge will music direct the production.

Waller and Wilkinson have shared the stage together on several occasions, most recently in Tennessee Rep's award-winnng production of Sweeney Todd, in which they played Toby and Mrs. Lovett respectively. They've also appeared onstage together in Johnny Guitar at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre and in The Underpants at Tennessee Rep.

"I had the opportunity to perform john & jen a few years ago at Tibbit's Opera House in Michigan and just fell in love with it," says Wilkinson, who will do double duty as director of the musical. "It's not often you find a musical that deals with familial love versus the normal musical storyline of 'boy meets girl' love. This exploration of this kind of relationship (brother and sister and mother and son), I find extremely intriguing and unique and, of course, put it to music and you got me! Musical theatre is my asolute fave and my passion."

Lippa's "truly original" musical takes a look at the complexities of relationships between Brothers and Sisters and parents and children. Set against the background of a changing America between 1950 and 1990, john & jen "is a gem of a show brimming with intelligence, wit and beautiful melodies." Music for john & jen is by Andrew Lippa, who co-wrote the book with lyricist Tom Greenwald.

"A musical is very much a living art form - possessing a brain, a heart and courage," Wilkinson surmises. "The brain being its intelligence and style, the heart being the genuineness and honesty with which it's perormed and the courage or 'guts' to do something exciting and different with it."

Wilkinson says she thinks john & jen "has all these qualities and hopefully Patrick and I can bring it to a fully realized, wonderful life!"

Produced by Johnny Peppers, through his 3PS Productions, john & jen isn't a Chaffin's Barn production although it takes place at Backstage at the Barn.

"We are renting the space from the Chaffins," Wilkinson, who is artistic director at Chaffin's Barn, explains. "Of course the Chaffins are very excited to have the Backstage functioning outside its holiday only schedule and have been extremely supportive and encouraging to us during this venture."

Backstage at the Barn will experiencing something of a creative renaissance this season with the 3PS production of john & jen, followed by John Chaffin's own Sherlock Holmes adaptations, with 3PS presenting the comedy Mixed Nuts in the spring at the venue.

Martin Brady, theatre critic for the Nashville Scene, called Waller "a young, handsome and very talented actor who seems to fit easily among the classics, musicals and kiddie fare," referring to Waller's appearances in productions for Tennessee Rep, Nashville Shakespeare Festival and Nashville Children's Theatre.

Wilkinson, called "a local treasure" by Brady, also received the 2009 Tennessean's Toast of Music City Award as Nashville's best actress for her performance in Sweeney Todd, and is the recipient of nine First Night Awards, all for her performances in musical theatre.

"When I approached Johnny Peppers about doing this show, I could think of no other person I'd rather perform it with than Patrick Waller," Wilkinson says. "During Sweeney Todd we had such a great time working together and developed this truly wonderful bond and mutual respect for each other as performers and friends. That's one of the perks of performing - you meet some of your best friends in life while doing what you love! And Patrick is one of my best friends in life - plus he's pretty darn talented, which doesn't hurt, huh? We're both very excited at this gift of an opportunity!"

The show runs February 4-20, with performances Thursday through Saturday nights with an 8 p.m. curtain each evening, and with one matinee performance set for Sunday, February 14 at 2 p.m. The house opens one hour before each performance. Tickets are $25 each and reservations are required. For details, call (615) 646-9977, ext. 0. Desserts and bar service will be available, but no buffet will be offered for patrons of john & jen.

Patrick Waller and Martha Wilkinson, photographed by Mary Evelyn Henderson