Marissa McGowan News

Voting is now underway for the Nashville Awards and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the live standings below!

On Monday, November 5th, songwriter Bobby Cronin presented an evening of his theater songs as part of the Broadway at Birdland concert series. Check out photos from the event inside!

Bobby Cronin & Friends return to Birdland tonight, November 5 at 7pm.

Today, November 4, 2012, a troupe of Broadway's most promising young performers will stage an evening of song and dance at St. Luke's Theatre, 308 West 46th Street, New York City. Lee Godburn, an artist and a producer, and Mamma Mia! cast member Sharone Sayegh are producing the event.

On the heels of winning the Alec Baldwin Fellowship for his music & lyrics on ‘Til Death Do Us Part, and recording the International Studio Cast Recording of The Concrete Jungle with Nick Lloyd Webber and James D. Reid in London, award winning composer/writer Bobby Cronin returns to the Broadway at Birdland concert series with a night of all new material interpreted by some of today's top Broadway and West End performers. This one-night event will be produced by Karie Koppel, with orchestrations by Michael Haslam and Drew Overcash. Musical Direction by William Demaniow, Direction by Johanna Pinzler.

On the heels of winning the Alec Baldwin Fellowship for his music & lyrics on ‘Til Death Do Us Part, and recording the International Studio Cast Recording of The Concrete Jungle with Nick Lloyd Webber and James D. Reid in London, award winning composer/writer Bobby Cronin returns to the Broadway at Birdland concert series with a night of all new material interpreted by some of today's top Broadway and West End performers. This one-night event will be produced by Karie Koppel, with orchestrations by Michael Haslam and Drew Overcash. Musical Direction by William Demaniow, Direction by Johanna Pinzler.

For anyone who's looked at the night sky and felt seemingly alone yet utterly connected, there's Poems & Moon Songs. Presented by Libra Theater Company (2012 IT Award, "Outstanding Original Music"), Poems & Moon Songs is a journey through the soaring melodies and sharp style of rising composer Will Reynolds (The Greenwood Tree), linking his singular lyrical voice with some of the greatest poets of all time.

Bobby Cronin & Friends return to Birdland on Monday, November 5 at 7pm.

On November 4, 2012, a troupe of Broadway's most promising young performers will stage an evening of song and dance at St. Luke's Theatre, 308 West 46th Street, New York City. Lee Godburn, an artist and a producer, and Mamma Mia! cast member Sharone Sayegh are producing the event.

Apparently, it is Elvis Week in Nashville (at least according to the fine folks at Loveless Cafe), so before we head out to the theater for a full weekend of show openings and the like, a trip to West Nashville for a slice of the Loveless' Elvis pie is in order (for the uninitiated, that's peanut butter, banana, bacon and homemade whipped cream-the four basic food groups, according to The King.), so before we slip into a diabetic coma, here's installment #7 of Music City Confidential, all the news that's fit to print from onstage, offstage, backstage and beyond…

It's becomes very clear very quickly, when talking to Rupert Holmes, that writing the libretto for The Nutty Professor-which paired him with composer Marvin Hamlisch-has been an astonishing and inspiring experience for the man whose resume is filled with noteworthy achievements in theater, music, publishing and, practically, any endeavor of self-expression that one can name. Yet, as Holmes remembers his friend, his collaborator and his fellow musical theater legend, it is apparent that Hamlisch's sudden death this week has left an indelible imprint upon him.

Nashville and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) host the Broadway-bound world premiere of "The Nutty Professor" Musical. Directed by Jerry Lewis, the show is a new musical comedy based on the 1963 film of the same name. The Broadway at TPAC Special Event began previews on July 24, and officially opened on July 31- running through August 19 in TPAC's James K. Polk Theater. Featuring music by Oscar, Emmy, th erecently deceased Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Marvin Hamlisch (A Chorus Line) and a book and lyrics by three-time Tony Award winner Rupert Holmes (The Mystery of Edwin Drood), "The Nutty Professor" is a musical treat for the whole family, based on the classic 1963 film in which Lewis starred and co-wrote. BroadwayWorld brings you highlights from the Broadway-bound production below!

Throughout the day, company members had taken to social media to express their shock and grief at the news of Hamlisch's death. Hamlisch, one of the most honored music composers in history, had been scheduled to fly to Nashville this week to see the show for the first time. He was last in Nashville at the start of the company's rehearsals in Music City.

Tonight, in TPAC's James K. Polk Theatre, Michael Andrew, Marissa McGowan, Mark Jacoby, Klea Blackhurst, Jamie Ross and the rest of the ensemble will take to the stage to bring The Nutty Professor to life once more for a Nashville audience. Today, however, the company has been quietly reflective, taking to social media to express their shock and grief at the loss of their show's composer…

Composer Marvin Hamlisch, whose latest musical theater work is on display in Nashville in the Broadway-bound production of The Nutty Professor, has died in Los Angeles, according to the Associated Press. He was 68 years old, and his death was made public by a family spokesperson. He is survived by his wife, Terre.

Fairly exploding onto the stage, The Nutty Professor-the new musical based on the classic 1963 film comedy-opened at Nashville's James K. Polk Theatre last night in a vibrantly told and visually stunning production helmed by Jerry Lewis, the man who co-wrote the movie and, at this moment, is probably booking a ticket to Broadway . The story of nerdy Professor Julius Kelp and his transformation into the suave and sophisticated (if boorish) Buddy Love offers plenty of laughs to be certain, but perhaps surprisingly, there's a whole lot of heart to be found in Rupert Holmes' book, set tunefully to a classic Marvin Hamlisch score.

Tonight's the night: The brain trust behind The Nutty Professor, The New Musical will officially roll out the red carpet for the new musical's opening night at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center's James K. Polk Theatre. Directed by "the king of comedy" himself, Jerry Lewis, upon whose classic 1963 film comedy the brand new musical is based upon, The Nutty Professor company has already delivered a week of preview performances, garnering rave reviews from audience members. Nashville photographer Rick Malkin has captured some of the show's best moments in a collection of photographs we're happy to share with you today, only hours before the opening night curtain.

Tonight's the night: The brain trust behind The Nutty Professor, The New Musical will officially roll out the red carpet for the new musical's opening night at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center's James K. Polk Theatre. Directed by "the king of comedy" himself, Jerry Lewis, upon whose classic 1963 film comedy the brand new musical is based upon, The Nutty Professor company has already delivered a week of preview performances, garnering rave reviews from audience members.

Nashville and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) host the world premiere of "The Nutty Professor" Musical this month. Directed by Jerry Lewis, the show is a new musical comedy based on the 1963 film of the same name. The Broadway at TPAC Special Event began previews on July 24, and officially opens tonight, July 31- running through August 19 in TPAC's James K. Polk Theater. Featuring music by Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Marvin Hamlisch (A Chorus Line) and a book and lyrics by three-time Tony Award winner Rupert Holmes (The Mystery of Edwin Drood), "The Nutty Professor" is a musical treat for the whole family, based on the classic 1963 film in which Lewis starred and co-wrote.

We've been doing our part to prepare ye the way, watching the action onstage, taking some furtive peeks backstage, listening to all the offstage gossip and venturing beyond the confines of the theater to gain the informed knowledge to see more shows in the Volunteer State than you ever thought possible. So, good people of the theaterati, read on and get all the information you need to know in this, our latest installment of Music City Confidential. This is #6…