NASHVILLE THEATER REVIEWS

In a delightful production helmed by veteran director Melissa Carelli, and starring a trio of very capable Nashville actors, Twain and Shaw Do Lunch treats audiences to an imagined afternoon affair in which the two literary lions-Mark Twain and George Bernard Shaw at the top of their parlor game-swa...

Nashville gets a taste of chivalry, sword fighting, and magic with the tour of Lerner & Loewe's Camelot, which plays at Tennessee Performing Arts Center through November 9th. Most people grew up with some version of the story of King Arthur, his wife Queen Guenevere, and Arthur's favorite knight, La...

Looking for a fun fright this Halloween? The Circle Players production of THE ADDAMS FAMILY sure to give you all the giggles and screams you'll need. Directed by Brett Meyers, this show brings to life the beloved characters from the comic panels of Charles Addams and subsequent TV shows and movies....

Chicago makes its way back to Nashville this week, making a tour stop at Tennessee Performing Arts Center this week. Tuesday night marked the opening for this sexy, yet satirically funny musical. With catchy and memorable music by John Kander and Free Ebb, and a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, this ...

Nashville Repertory Theatre begins their 30th anniversary season with a bang. Sporting a new name (they were formerly known at Tennessee Repertory Theatre), Nashville Rep presents Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. With direction by Rene D. Copeland, a book by Hugh Wheeler and music and...

Once: The Musical brings a taste of Ireland to Nashville this week as the national tour makes a stop at Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Once: The Musical, based on the 2006 indie film, is set in Dublin and centers on two characters known only as Guy and Girl. Their story is as much about the love ...

Street Theatre Company has yet another edgy rock musical on their hands. Opening today, Passing Strange explores life and the journey one young man takes to self-discovery. With direction by Jon Royal and musical direction by Rollie Mains, Passing Strange is a simple story, but one that will resonat...

This week Nashville is gifted the chance to see War Horse at Tennessee Performing Arts Center. It isn't often that a person can say that a horse is the main character of a play, but that's just what War Horse gives you. Set in World War 1 era England, War Horse explores the relationship between a ho...

Currently on stage in the Sarratt Cinema at Vanderbilt University is the Circle Players' production of Bare: A Pop Opera. With a book, music, and lyrics by Jon Hartmere Jr and Damon Intrabartolo, Bare: A Pop Opera touches on so many things that young people are facing in today's world. The Circle Pl...

When you enter Andrew Jackson Hall at Tennessee Performing Arts Center this week, you'll be greeted with a backdrop with these words: "On December 4, 1956, one man brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley together to play for the first and only time. His name was Sam Phi...

Currently running at Street Theatre Company, Violet is a beautiful love story of self-discovery and self-acceptance. With music by Jeanne Tesori and lyrics and book by Brian Crawley, Violet takes us on a journey across the country on a greyhound bus during the mid-sixites....

While some may think this could be a boring musical for children, trust me when I say that it is far from that. While this is a show that children will enjoy, Wicked delves much deeper into human nature than most "children's" shows. Wicked gives a hard look at how the choices we make define our live...

Company is the kind of show that married people will love (they'll see themselves at every turn) and single people will understand (who hasn't watched their married friends with curiosity and wonder?). If you're a lover of the musical, but desire a more contemporary storyline, Company is for you....

This ninety minute rock musical, written by the great Alex Timbers, with music & lyrics by Michael Friedman, is one of a kind. It's history at its best…and worst. I hesitate to call it satire, but in a way it is. It's a harsh, satirical look at the youth and presidency of Tennessee's own Andrew J...

On Tuesday night, Sister Act: The Musical opened at Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville. Based on the 1992 movie of the same name, the musical has music by Alan Menkin and lyrics by Glen Slater. If you are a fan of the movie, you'll see many of your favorite moments, along with a few new t...

Tennessee Repertory Theatre is currently running a production of Red by John Logan. This play was originally done as part of their REPaloud series a few years ago, and a full production finally made it to Tennessee Rep. With direction by Rene D. Copeland, as well as some amazing scenic and lighting ...

It's the people that matter in Circle Players and Tennessee State University's production of Dreamgirls....

Cookeville Performing Arts Center is currently showing Love, Loss and What I Wore as part of their Backstage Series. An intimate showing of an intimate show, the pairing goes well together. Love, Loss, and What I Wore, by Nora and Delia Ephron and based on the book by Ilene Beckerman, explores the e...

This is the type of show that you take your girlfriends to, or your mother and sister or your daughter. The Dixie Swim Club explores the wonderful friendships that can happen between women if they just put forth the trust and effort, and lay aside the unimportant differences and embrace each other a...

Take a night and fly back fifty years to a live taping of the 'I Love Lucy' show in 'I Love Lucy' Live on Stage....

Man and Superman, a rarely performed play by George Bernard Shaw, is currently being produced by The Blackbird Theater in Nashville. In its entirety, Man and Superman is said to be around five hours in length, but The Blackbird Theater has adapted the play, with direction by Beki Baker, and it now s...

Grey Gardens tells the story of the reclusive aunt and cousin of Jaqueline Kennedy. In the 70s, Edith Bouvier Beale and her adult daughter, "Little" Edie Beale, were found to be living in their once grand home on Long Island. The home, known as Grey Gardens, was falling down around them, full of fi...

Tennessee Repertory's Theatre's production of A Christmas Story is heartwarming and funny, with all the heart and joy that audience members have grown to love....

Friday night was the second even for The Absinthe Cabaret in Nashville. Their first event came off with flying colors, bringing in the lovely Eden Espinosa to our fair city and wowing those in attendance. Call me a skeptic, but with most things, I always wonder if it was beginner's luck. I'm very ha...

When attending a musical, some not so usual theatre goers prepare themselves for overly dramatic people narrating their lives through their belting vibratos and jazz squares. We Will Rock You takes the generic stereotypes and throws them out the window with a swift guitar toss and transforms those ...