Jim Manning News

Circle Players opens its 2010-2011 season at The Keeton Theatre with Frank Galati's adaptation of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, running August 13-29.

Performed by Hillwig's large cast against the backdrop of Jim Manning's beautifully conceived and exquisitely realized set that magically transforms the Keeton's intimate stage into a panoramic view of dustbowl Oklahoma, the fiery Southwest and the lush, verdant fields and orchards of California, The Grapes of Wrath is a visual tour de force that other community theater companies - frankly, any theater company of whatever ilk - should aspire to achieve.

Circle Players opens its 2010-2011 season at The Keeton Theatre with Frank Galati's adaptation of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, running August 13-29.

Circle Players opens its 2010-2011 season at The Keeton Theatre with Frank Galati's adaptation of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, running August 13-29.

A revival of Circle Players' 2008 production, which was staged at the company's then-home at the Z. Alexander Looby Theatre, this 'new and improved' mounting (a collaboration between Circle and SCA) is astounding in its sheer chutzpah. Who'd have ever thought a community theatre could take on such a daunting task and be so imminently successful in doing so? Frankly, it boggles the mind.

Jason Robert Brown's musical about a young Jewish boy making the move from New York to Indiana, 13, is among the highlights of Circle Players' 61st Season as one of Tennessee's oldest community theatre companies. Circle board president Jim Manning made the announcement of the new season's offerings prior to curtain of the 60th Season's To Kill a Mockingbird last week.

It's a completely winning production from top to bottom: Osborne's direction is sure-handed and confident, his players' readings of their roles pitch-perfect and the technical elements and design aesthetic for the piece are delightfully on-target. It's essential, of course, in a comedy of British origins for the pacing to be quick, effortless and skilled or else the whole blessed thing becomes a bloody mess. Osborne obviously approaches the play with affection and skill, assembling a strong cast of players to bring Coward's near-iconic characters to life.

No matter what anyone else may say, Johnny Peppers is definitely the hardest working man in Nashville theatre. Sure, there are those people who might give him a run for his money, but this week there's just no contest. Not only is he producing two shows opening on successive nights, he's playing the lead in one of them.

The inspired lunacy of Michael Frayn's Noises Off is a good choice for any theatre company seeking to offer a glimpse into the wacky antics of life on the boards and Circle Players continues its 60th annual season with a largely successful production that features the aforementioned stellar performances of Maggie Pitt and Jeremy Maxwell in the roles of Poppy and Tim (the techies in Frayn's show-within-a-show structure). Pitt and Maxwell deliver disarmingly natural performances amid all the hilarious hijinks taking place in Frayn's wonderfully funny farce and they very nearly-actually, they do it outright-steal the show.

Circle Players, Middle Tennessee's oldest community theatre, is seeking directors who are interested in mounting productions for the company's 61st anniversary season in 2010-2011.

Perhaps the most remarkable element of Circle Players' Fame, the Musical is its talented cast--an amazing amalgam of age-appropriate actors assaying the roles in this now-iconic tale of the last four years of New York's High School of Performing Arts. Credit director Tim Larson's casting abilities for this feat which, combined with strong production values, inventive staging and laudable choreography by Kate Adams-Johnson, makes the show an excellent choice to open Circle's 60th anniversary season.