L.T. Kirk News

Next up is Emily Apuzzo, Rulon's oldest daughter (the younger, Sofia Apuzzo, is an acclaimed dancer), who has the unique experience of playing opposite her mom in bringing McNally's play to the stage. A noted opera singer in the Nashville area, she's been featured as a soloist in many concerts and recitals in addition to her work with the Nashville Opera chorus. She's also been a fixture on a variety of local stages throughout her life: Clearly, the Rulon-Apuzzos are a theatrical family and Pat, Emily and Sofia have appeared in numerous stage productions over the years.

First up is Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva, one of the Nashville's most sought-after actresses, who in 2011 made headlines with her performances as MotorMouth Maybelle in Street Theatre Company's Hairspray and in the all-star cast of Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre's latest iteration of Annie, which ran last summer. She capped that off with a knock-your-socks-off performance at The First Night Honors, delivering a soul-stirring rendition of "Random Black Girl" that still has people talking.

Playing opposite Rulon as Sophie, the first soprano, is her daughter Emily Appuzzo, a well-known actress and singer in her own right, who is a member of the Nashville Opera Chorus. Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva plays Sharon, the second soprano, and L.T. Kirk is cast as Anthony Candolino. John Todd doubles as musical director for Master Class and plays Manny, the accompanist. Patrick Goedicke completes the cast as a stage hand.

I can now feel the tiny pin pricks of the needles piercing the flesh of the Jef Ellis voodoo dolls held about the neck by various members of the cast and crew as they exact their revenge while they continue reading this review. I say: Bring it on! Sticks and stones and all that...

Nashville theater mavens and the fans of internet-borne musicals (it's a sub-genre of some group, look it up!) are fairly a-dither in anticipation of this week's opening night for ACT 1's production of A Fann-Made, Permission-Granted, Unofficial Production of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (yep, that's the unwieldy name, thanks to the fine print, legal kinda stuff at the bottom of the page), as it takes over Darkhorse Theatre for six performances (Friday and Saturday nights only) November 18-December 3.

Nashville audiences will be treated to a stage adaptation of one of the internet's biggest pop-culture phenomenon as ACT 1 presents a Fann-made, Permission Granted, Unofficial production of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, running November 18-December 3 at The Darkhorse Theatre.

There is so much energy, enthusiasm and heart found in Street Theatre Company's Hairspray that it's certain to keep your spirits buoyed for a long time after leaving the theater. Brought to the stage by a competent creative team and a huge cast of committed performers, the Scott Wittman-Marc Shaiman musical - featuring a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan based on John Waters' wholly original film - Hairspray is great big fun, featuring some lovable characters and one of the most infectious musical theatre scores around.

Make no mistake about it: Street Theatre Company's Chess in Concert is filled to overflowing with an embarrassment of riches. If for no other reason, you should see the concert (onstage through Sunday, February 27) for Laura Matula's bravura performance as Florence Vassy - the American chess champion's second who falls into a torrid affair with his Russian counterpart - which is as stunning as any star turn you will see by any woman in musical theater anywhere. (There. I've said it and I mean it with all my heart: Laura Matula has a spectacularly expressive voice and her dramatic performance in this role is richly shaded and nuanced. In short, she should be a very big star!)

ACT 1, one of Nashville's oldest community theatre groups, staged the Gilbert & Sullivan classic The Mikado as the first production of its 20th anniversary season. Running August 7-22, The Mikado was directed by Bob Fish, with music direction by Lee Druce, the cast featured Francine Berk, Whitney Rose Cone, Steven Luboniecki, Valerie Navarre, James Rudolph, Daniel Sadler, Vicki White, John Wilson, L.T. Kirk, Amber Boyer, Megan Hunt, Jamie Janiszewski, Brenda Jones, Tricia Musser, Becca Nelson, Andrew Drumheller, Jamie Helms, Josh Matthews, Danny Proctor and Daniel Vincent. The show was produced by Donald Powell, Jennifer Rybolt and Sue Stinemetz.

History tells us that London was caught up in some sort of Japanese fervor in 1885 when Gilbert and Sullivan debuted their newest comic opera, The Mikado or The Town of Titipu at the Savoy Theatre. And now, 124 years later, Nashville theatre-goers may find themselves in a similar state, thanks to a superior production of the entertaining work, which bows as the first show in the 20th anniversary season from ACT 1, one of Tennessee's best community theatre groups.