Review Roundup: MUSIC CITY Returns Off-Broadway

Music City just celebrated its opening night at St. Luke’s Theatre.The show features original and existing songs by multi-platinum songwriter J.T. Harding, including showstoppers “Smile,” “Sangria,” and “Somewhere In My Car,” written for such artists as Darius Rucker, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Uncle Kracker, Dierks Bently, and Florida Georgia Line, an original book by playwright Peter Zinn (Rumspringa, Somewhere With You), and is directed by BEDLAM’s artistic director Eric Tucker. 

The cast of Music City features Drew Bastian as Newt, Jonathan Judge-Russo as Drew, Julianne B. Merrill as Wyn, Lauren "Lolo" Pritchard as ‘23,’ Leenya Rideout as Tammy/Leeanne, Andrew Rothenberg as Bakerman/Stucky Stiles, and Stephen Michael Spencer as T.J. Understudies are Grace Bernardo, Danny Hayward and Megan Loomis. Band members include Ann Klein (Lead Guitar, Mandolin, Lap Steel), Julianne B. Merrill (Keys) and Tony Tino (Bass).
 
Music City follows two young singer-songwriters into The Wicked Tickle, an East Nashville bar that serves up cheap beer, open mics, and dreams of big breaks. The bar regulars bravely pursue love and music in the face of addiction, poverty, and haunting pasts. But in Nashville, heartbreak is the only thing they hand out for free. Music City is an intimate, gritty, and thrilling take on the world of beers, guitars, sawdust, and sunshine.
 
Let's see what the critics are saying about the return production...

Caroline Cao, New York Theatre Guide: And Music City has its darkness. When Act 2 takes surprising turns, don’t think about the military-industrial complex. Don’t think about a sudden unnamed war, laughably opaque as if to dodge controversy, beneath the shiny surface of the patriotism that sells much country music. But it’s harder not to think of the script glossing over the gravity of 23's mother overlooking possible sexual harassment. It’s not a fault that Music City embraces country melodrama, but it pulls its punches whenever it’s tempted to spiral into darkness. From the darling mother/daughter duet “Clean” and the ensemble barnburner of “Sober as a Drunk,” Music City tests how much you’re willing to swallow the musical tonic to drown out its more questionable plot points.

Zachary Stewart, Theatremania: Every little flourish and design choice has been carefully considered under Eric Tucker’s resourceful direction, which conveys so much with so little. Clifton Chadick’s much expanded set somehow manages to feel even more intimate than it did in the tiny West End Theatre, with music memorabilia and Christmas lights occupying every inch of wall space. Although the script takes us to multiple locations (a recording studio, Tammy’s trailer, Stucky’s mansion), we never fully leave the mystical sanctuary of the bar. It is a testament to Tucker’s steady directorial hand that this fantastical violation of the rules of time and space never leaves us confused, but arrives like a live film with jump cuts and cinematic montages.

Lindsay B. Davis, One-Minute Critic: Clifton Chadick’s fun, chill bump scenic design, with floor-to-ceiling vintage posters, autographed album covers, signed guitars, and kitschy Christmas lights, transports you to Nashville from the moment you walk into the space (arrive 30 minutes early for the audience-participation open mic). Music City oversells itself early and earns you back late—and somehow, that’s enough.

Elysa Gardner, New York Sun: Mind you, at the performance I attended, the crowd didn’t need much prodding. The pleasures offered by “Music City” may be modest, but its unflagging energy ensures an enjoyable visit.

Average Rating: 80.0%