Andrew Jackson News

Faith, politics, pride, scandal, community, THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY now playing at Diversionary Theatre through December 9th, may be based on past events, but finds that's its themes are still current today.

The Delaware Valley will light up for the holiday season with Christmas Tree lighting ceremonies in four major neighborhoods and towns. Downtown Ardmore, South Street Headhouse District, East Passyunk Avenue and Old City District will all light up their Christmas and Holiday trees in the coming weeks - with Downtown Ardmore on Black Friday, November 23rd at 6:00pm in Schauffele Plaza, East Passyunk Business Avenue Business Improvement District on Thursday, November 29, 2018 at 5:00pm at the Singing Fountain, Old City District and Historic Holidays in Old City continues on Thursday, November 29, 2018 at 5:00pm at the Betsy Ross House, and South Street Headhouse District on Sunday, December 2, 2018 at 4:00pm at the Historic Headhouse Shambles. Santa Claus is coming to town and will join the celebration in Downtown Ardmore, on South Street and on East Passyunk Avenue. He will arrive by Fire Truck in Ardmore and on South Street. On East Passyunk, look for him to make a surprise entrance. 

If there is a musical theater moment more joyous that what occurs at the top of Act Two in Irving Berlin's White Christmas, then we must respectfully demand it be performed in front of us as quickly as possible. Certainly, we recognize there is much joy to be found in musical theater, but sitting in the audience at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall - six years to the day we last found ourselves awash in the nostalgia and sentimentality so abundant in this particular holiday favorite - we simply couldn't recall anything more engaging or more entertaining than watching Jeremy Benton and Kelly Sheehan, backed by a cadre of 12 other fleet-footed dancers, tapping their hearts out to "I Love a Piano.'

Celebrated performer and writer Justin Sayre will bring his "Camp-Horror-Soap Opera," Ravenswood Manor: The Box Set to Joe's Pub (425 Lafayette Street) on Saturday, November 17 and Sunday, November 18 at 9:30 PM.

Looking ahead, you'll find a number of new productions on tap, including a whole slew of holiday favorites, for your entertainment pleasure, thanks to the efforts of theater companies all over Middle Tennessee. Here's our calendar for November 12, 2018, to help you plot your course through next February...

This week finds Jeremy Benton - Broadway's favorite tap-dancing man - in Paducah, Kentucky, with the rest of the cast and crew of Irving Berlin's White Christmas, preparing for tonight's opening performance of the quintessential holiday season musical. He's spent so many holiday seasons performing in White Christmas, in fact (he joined the show back in 2005 and has been a part of the company off and on ever since) that it's become second nature to him now.

Laguna Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham, Executive Director Ellen Richard and Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP) are thrilled to announce that Laguna Playhouse favorite Andrew Barnicle (Twelve Angry Men, Fallen Angels) will join Ashley Argota ("True Jackson VP," "Lab Rats"), Thomas Hobson (Ain't Misbehavin', Recorded in Hollywood), Heath Calvert (Amelie, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson), Riley Costello ("Hairspray Live," Peter Pan and Tinker Bell: A Pirate's Christmas) Roland Rusinek (The Phantom of the Opera) and David Engel (Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, La Cage Aux Folles) in Lythgoe Family Panto's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: A CHRISTMAS ROSE.

Doctuh Mistuh Productions and Penfold Theatre Company are pleased to bring Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe back to Austin. Nevermore made its regional premiere in Austin in October 2016 and subsequently was the winner of five B. Iden Payne Awards, including Best Musical. The Nevermore revival will run October 25 - November 10 and plays at the Ground Floor Theatre.

This week finds Jeremy Benton - Broadway's favorite tap-dancing man - in Paducah, Kentucky, with the rest of the cast and crew of Irving Berlin's White Christmas, preparing for tonight's opening performance of the quintessential holiday season musical. He's spent so many holiday seasons performing in White Christmas, in fact (he joined the show back in 2005 and has been a part of the company off and on ever since) that it's become second nature to him now.

New York based producers Jason Jude Hill and Daniel Sears of GrumpyFilms & Productions are announcing the fall 2018 RSVP at Arlo performance dates with four brand new shows in October.

A brand new production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, produced by NETworks Presentations, is making its Akron premiere December 4 and 5, 2018 at E.J. Thomas Hall as part of the 18-19 Broadway in Akron Series.

A brand new production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, produced by NETworks Presentations, is making its Albuquerque premiere January 24-27, 2019 at Popejoy Hall as part of a North American tour. To purchase tickets, visit unmtickets.com, popejoypresents.com, call 505-925-5858, or visit the UNM Ticket Offices at the UNM Bookstore and Dreamstyle Arena (The Pit). For more information, please visit www.SoundOfMusicOnTour.com.

Looking ahead, 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 November 5, 2018, to help you plot your course through the end of the year...

THE GREEN ROOM 42 in association with THE CIVILIANS, is proud to present Michael Friedman's The State of The Union Songbook to benefit The Civilians "Michael Friedman Legacy Fund" on Election Night, Tuesday, November 6, for two shows at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM. The cast will include Jill Sobule, Jaime Cepero, Julian Fleisher, Kristolyn Lloyd, Nick Blaemire, Lauren Molina, Michael Winther, Conor Ryan, Wayne Pretlow, Johnny Shea, and Robbie Sublett, who will serve as the host for the evening, in addition to other names to be announced.

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, will present A Charlie Brown Christmas as part of our 2018 Holiday Series! Created by Charles M. Schulz, based on the television special by Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson, this stage adaptation by Eric Schaeffer is presented by special arrangement with Arthur Whitelaw and Ruby Persson, and will be directed by Resident Artist James McHale. A Charlie Brown Christmas will preview from December 7th through 9th; regular performances will begin December 13th and continue through December 23rd on the Fyda-Mar Stage at Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center.

Philly's favorite holiday tradition is back! KeyBank presents: A Philly POPS Christmas: Spectacular Sounds of the Season returns to the Kimmel Center stage with ten performances from December 1-22.

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 29, 2018, to help you plot your course through the end of the year...

Thirty years after its Broadway premiere - and just two-and-a-half years since its last run at Nashville's Tennessee Performing Arts Center - Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera returns to Music City in celebration of that momentous anniversary with another stand in Andrew Jackson Hall, replete with all the firepower and starpower one so readily associates with the production. And Nashville aduiences once more respond with rapt attention and thunderous applause, almost as if they are witnessing the Phantom's exploits for the very first time.

Doctuh Mistuh Productions and Penfold Theatre Company are pleased to bring Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe back to Austin. Nevermore made its regional premiere in Austin in October 2016 and subsequently was the winner of five B. Iden Payne Awards, including Best Musical. The Nevermore revival will run October 25 - November 10 and plays at the Ground Floor Theatre.