Patty Payne News

Mary Poppins is set to fly over the rooftops of London and into the Cumberland County Playhouse today, June 12 to August 16!

It's another busy theater week in Tennessee, and in Nashville there are an extra 50,000 to 100,000 country music fans jamming up traffic and increasing wait times at local restaurants, thanks to CMA Music Fest, which natives and longtimers will remember as Fan Fair. So while you're steering clear of our version of Broadway in downtown Nashville, which will be teeming with more people than you can shake a stick at (as my mama would say),  you should instead make reservations to see some local talent onstage at some of the shows included in our Critic's Choice column today!

It's another busy weekend of new shows opening and many others continuing to delight audiences, with ACT 1's Dog Sees God and Street Theatre Company's Dogfight both opening tonight, while two shows that opened yesterday will continue to treat audiences to some especially wonderful music. Plus, there's a whole slate of shows being performed at Crossville's Cumberland County Playhouse, a revival of Osborne & Epplers' Southern Fried Nuptials down in Woodbury at the Arts Center of Cannon County, and John Chaffin's Cliffhanger enters its final weekend at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre. Go to the theater, young man (and woman) and let yourself be transported to a whole new world of magic and enchantment!

No matter what the calendar says, we're in early summer already - insofar as theater in Tennessee is concerned, at least - and there are four new shows opening this week that should command your attention. Along with a number of shows that are continuing their runs (like John Chaffin's Cliffhanger at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre), you have plenty of diverse and intriguing onstage offerings to keep you in the relative, air-conditioned comfort of a darkened theater. We've done the necessary research, made the calls to the people-in-the-know and have included the dates, the phone numbers and the websites to make it as easy as possible for you to buy tickets and go show some support for the arts while indulging in the magic of live theater…

Sometimes it seems there is so much theater happening that it's difficult to keep track of it all. From personal experience, despite all the datebooks, smart phones, tablets, desktop computers and laptops...it's hard to keep everything straight in this wacky business of the show.

Mary Poppins is set to fly over the rooftops of London and into the Cumberland County Playhouse June 12 to August 16! This high-flying family musical features delightful songs from the classic Disney film including the Academy Award-winning 'Chim Chim Cher-ee,' 'A Spoonful of Sugar,' 'Step in Time' and 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.' Winner of 44 major theatre awards from around the globe, Mary Poppins has captivated audiences for generations with its enchanting story, unforgettable songs and dazzling dance numbers. Mary Poppins is the story of a mysterious nanny who magically appears at the Banks household in Edwardian London to care for Jane and Michael Banks. Adventure abounds as she whisks them away to meet dancing chimney sweeps, shopkeepers and an array of colorful characters. Ms. Hackmann will return to the Playhouse stage as Mary Poppins and Mr. Delaney will play Bert.

The weekend is upon us and that means that tonight is opening night for a couple of new shows (with performances continuing through the weekend) and closing performances of several others, including Newsies (at TPAC), Circle Players' The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and the farewell production of GroundWorks Theatre's Starlite Waltz. Meanwhile, John Chaffin's Cliffhanger continues at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre and Cumberland County Playhouse continues its 50th anniversary season with a whole slate of terrific shows.

Disney's Newsies will claim Nashville as their own hometown with a weeklong run at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center beginning Tuesday, Osborne and Eppler's Southern Fried Nuptials takes the stage in Woodbury, and local favorite Geoff Davin unveils his latest theatrical creation - Adamenses Huckster…and there's plenty of theater continuing this week to keep you occupied all week long!

Sometimes it seems there is so much theater happening around us that it's difficult to keep track of it all. Thus, we are happy to present a new feature: The Nashville Theater Calendar, which is a comprehensive listing of theatrical openings,that will be updated each week, for the 2015/16 season.

It's the official kick-off to summer, what with the Memorial Day Weekend upon us already - seriously, where did the time go? - and while we're certain your calendar is filled with cookouts, fireworks (we don't save all the sparklers for July 4th do we?) and swimming (if it warms up enough here in frosty Tennessee, where it's in the 50s as I type). But being the theatrical fanatic that we (using either the editorial "we" or the royal "we"…just take your pick) are, we would like to humbly suggest you make your way to the theater in the next few days to get some artistic inspiration.

It's been a busy spring in Tennessee and as we head into summer, you can rest assured that things are only going to get busier - and more interesting. Our advice? Hydrate yourself (drink plenty of water before heading out), dress comfortably (but tasteful) and head out for a night at the theater. You'll be inspired, entertained and possibly even transported to some far-away world of wonder and imagination. 

Cumberland County Playhouse's 2015 Golden Anniversary Season features stories of Tennessee, the South, and families, in new comedies and musicals by nationally recognized Tennessee playwrights and songwriters. The Playhouse continues to feature strong local talent, in both new works and great family favorites like The Wizard of Oz and the professional regional premiere of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins. Unlike movies and touring shows, attending a performance at the Playhouse keeps millions of entertainment dollars in the Tennessee economy, creating performance and production jobs and career opportunities!

First Night Award winning playwrights Dietz Osborne and Nate Eppler's Southern Fried Funeral will be featured among productions celebrating the Golden Anniversary of Crossville's Cumberland County Playhouse in 2015.

Beginning tonight, October 31, A Sanders Family Christmas, the heartwarming sequel to Connie Ray and Alan Bailey's wildly successful bluegrass/gospel musical Smoke on the Mountain, returns to Cumberland County Playhouse for its sixteenth year! It's Christmas Eve, 1941, and America is going to war. So is Dennis Sanders of the Sanders Family Singers. So the family gathers for one last holiday sing at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church before Dennis ships out to boot camp. Join Pastor Mervin Oglethorpe and the rest of the family as they share their music and witness - and send Dennis off with hilarious and touching stories and twenty-five Southern Gospel Christmas favorites.

Beginning Friday, October 31, A Sanders Family Christmas, the heartwarming sequel to Connie Ray and Alan Bailey's wildly successful bluegrass/gospel musical Smoke on the Mountain, returns to Cumberland County Playhouse for its sixteenth year! It's Christmas Eve, 1941, and America is going to war. So is Dennis Sanders of the Sanders Family Singers. So the family gathers for one last holiday sing at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church before Dennis ships out to boot camp. Join Pastor Mervin Oglethorpe and the rest of the family as they share their music and witness - and send Dennis off with hilarious and touching stories and twenty-five Southern Gospel Christmas favorites.

Starting June 13, Cumberland County Playhouse will present what just might be its most spectacular production yet, Shrek The Musical! Featuring 19 all-new songs, big laughs and amazing special effects, Shrek The Musical is part romance, part fairy tale and all fun! Based on the Oscar winning DreamWorks film, Shrek brings the hilarious story of everyone's favorite ogre to life on stage as our unlikely hero Shrek and his loyal friend Donkey set off on a quest to rescue the fiery Princess Fiona. Add a villain with a SHORT temper, a cookie with attitude and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits in an irresistible mix of adventure, laughter and romance and you've got a must-see musical comedy for all ages!

The ever-popular Smoke on the Mountain returns to Tennessee's Family Theater today, May 30th. Now in its twenty-first consecutive year at Cumberland County Playhouse, Smoke continues to play to sold-out crowds and delight audiences again and again.

The ever-popular Smoke on the Mountain returns to Tennessee's Family Theater on May 30th. Now in its twenty-first consecutive year at Cumberland County Playhouse, Smoke continues to play to sold-out crowds and delight audiences again and again.

Beginning tonight, March 28, Cumberland County Playhouse will present a thrilling new adaptation of one of the most widely read books in the world, The Diary of Anne Frank. This unforgettable story dramatizes the true events of a teenaged Jewish girl, her family and others in danger - including a boy near her age - as they hide from the Nazi occupiers of wartime Amsterdam in the 1940's. Adapted by Wendy Kesselman from the original version by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, the Playhouse production returns to Anne's original diary, sharing her thoughts and dreams of growing up, and the adventure of life amid the dangers of war and the fear of capture.

Beginning March 28, Cumberland County Playhouse will present a thrilling new adaptation of one of the most widely read books in the world, The Diary of Anne Frank. This unforgettable story dramatizes the true events of a teenaged Jewish girl, her family and others in danger - including a boy near her age - as they hide from the Nazi occupiers of wartime Amsterdam in the 1940's. Adapted by Wendy Kesselman from the original version by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, the Playhouse production returns to Anne's original diary, sharing her thoughts and dreams of growing up, and the adventure of life amid the dangers of war and the fear of capture.