Alan Smith News

From the same writing team that created Frankly, My Dear-Duke Ernsburger and Virginia Cate-comes the latest comedy opening at Nashville's Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre: Elvis Has Left the Building. Running through March 18, the comedy is directed by Martha Wilkinson, artistic director of the company that is celebrating its 45th season of bringing theater to Nashville audiences.

Try as they might, director Martha Wilkinson and her talented ensemble of actors just can't breathe enough life into a thin, tepid script to make it work onstage for audiences eager to be entertained. Virginia Cate and Duke Ernsberger's Elvis Has Left The Building is pleasant enough, with a promising premise, yet it falls flat despite the best efforts of the cast and crew putting forth the new production at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre.

From the same writing team that created Frankly, My Dear-Duke Ernsburger and Virginia Cate-comes the latest comedy opening at Nashville's Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre: Elvis Has Left the Building. Running February 16-March 18, the comedy is directed by Martha Wilkinson, artistic director of the company that is celebrating its 45th season of bringing theater to Nashville audiences.

From the same writing team that created Frankly, My Dear-Duke Ernsburger and Virginia Cate-comes the latest comedy opening at Nashville's Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre: Elvis Has Left the Building. Running February 16-March 18, the comedy is directed by Martha Wilkinson, artistic director of the company that is celebrating its 45th season of bringing theater to Nashville audiences.

The Pasadena Symphony welcomes GRAMMY-nominated Peter Boyer as its Composer in Residence for the 2012-2013 season, and has commissioned his Symphony No. 1 to premiere in its landmark 85th anniversary season.

Dominant as ever in the concert hall this winter, Christine Brewer - styled "the ideal modern Wagnerian soprano" by the Los Angeles Times - joins the San Francisco Symphony and guest conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen for three concert performances of excerpts from Gotterdammerung, the closing chapter of Wagner's monumental Ring cycle (Dec 8-10). Following her recent account of the German composer's Wesendonck Lieder with Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony, "a performance that was a model of vocal allure and musical intelligence" (South Florida Classical Review), Brewer reprises the work - coupled with Beethoven's "Ah! perfido" - with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Ward Stare (Jan 20 & 21). She returns to Beethoven for four performances of the Missa solemnis with the Boston Symphony led by Kurt Masur, first at the orchestra's Boston home (Feb 23-25) and then at New York's Carnegie Hall (March 6). Early in the new year, the "superlative Strauss singer" (New York Times) assays the great late Romantic's Four Last Songs with the St. Louis Symphony under David Robertson (Jan 13 & 14).

Dominant as ever in the concert hall this winter, Christine Brewer - styled "the ideal modern Wagnerian soprano" by the Los Angeles Times - joins the San Francisco Symphony and guest conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen for three concert performances of excerpts from Gotterdammerung, the closing chapter of Wagner's monumental Ring cycle (Dec 8-10). Following her recent account of the German composer's Wesendonck Lieder with Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony, "a performance that was a model of vocal allure and musical intelligence" (South Florida Classical Review), Brewer reprises the work - coupled with Beethoven's "Ah! perfido" - with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Ward Stare (Jan 20 & 21). She returns to Beethoven for four performances of the Missa solemnis with the Boston Symphony led by Kurt Masur, first at the orchestra's Boston home (Feb 23-25) and then at New York's Carnegie Hall (March 6). Early in the new year, the "superlative Strauss singer" (New York Times) assays the great late Romantic's Four Last Songs with the St. Louis Symphony under David Robertson (Jan 13 & 14).

The Hartt Wind Ensemble and Symphony Band on Friday, December 9, at 7:30 PM, in Lincoln Theater, University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford.

The Hartt Wind Ensemble and Symphony Band on Friday, December 9, at 7:30 PM, in Lincoln Theater, University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford.

The Hartt School presents Hartt Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, December 10, at 7:30 PM, in Lincoln Theater, University of Hartford.

Upcoming Events have been announced at The Hartt School for December 2011.

Upcoming Events have been announced at The Hartt School for December 2011.

The Theatre @ Boston Court presents 'The Dinosaur Within,' a West Coast Premiere play by John Walch, directed by The Theatre @ Boston Court Co-Artistic Director, Michael Michetti. The play opens tonight on the Main Stage at Boston Court Performing Arts Center, 70 North Mentor Avenue.

The Hartt School 2011-2012 Instrumental Studies Division performance schedule begins.

Street Theatre Company scores yet another great big hit with its inspired production of Altar Boyz - the musical tale of four devout young Catholics and one very talented Jew, on a divine path toward pop music superstardom. Impressively sung and acted, STC's Altar Boyz is great fun from start to finish, as the earnest young men attest to their faith while delivering a fast-moving concert that sends up every boy band group ever to be created by some Machiavellian agent on the make.

Street Theatre Company's ALTAR BOYZ - aka Michael Holder, Taylor Casey, Bakari King, Humberto Figueroa and Alan Smith - made a special video appearance at First Night 2011, opening the show with their introduction of host David Compton.

The Theatre @ Boston Court presents 'The Dinosaur Within,' a West Coast Premiere play by John Walch, directed by The Theatre @ Boston Court Co-Artistic Director, Michael Michetti. The play opens Saturday, October 8, 2011 on the Main Stage at Boston Court Performing Arts Center, 70 North Mentor Avenue.

The musical comedy and critically-acclaimed hit of the New York Musical Theatre Festival, ALTAR BOYZ, is a hilarious musical comedy about a fictitious Christian boy-band (with one nice Jewish boy) on the last night of their national 'Raise the Praise' tour. The Boyz are five all-singing, all-dancing heartthrobs from Ohio: Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham. With their tight harmonies and spectacular choreography, the ALTAR BOYZ will delight audiences.