Joe Robinson News

Nashville Shakespeare Festival kicked off its 23rd year of Shakespeare in the Park on Thursday, August 19, with the opening night of Love's Labor's Lost at Centennial Park. Photographer Rick Malkin, one of Nashville's busiest artists, captured some of the highlights of opening night with his camera, sharing them with Nashville.BroadwayWorld.com.

Thanks to Street Theatre Company's stellar production of the William Finn-Rachel Sheinkin-Rebecca Feldman musical comedy, I'll be wallowing in self-pity (or maybe I'll be just a little melancholy and sanguine) until I find better ways to occupy my time and better memories to fill my mind - or a bright, shiny object catches my eye. But for now I am happy to reflect on the joyous and frivolous fun that is director Lauren Shouse's superb and sparkling staging of the musical that somehow manages to be both completely contemporary and gloriously traditional in a musical-comedy-sort-of-way. Shouse's exceptional cast of actors, accompanied by music director Rollie Mains' talented musicians and featuring the sprightly choreography of Paul Cook, are sheer perfection as The Bee's crew of over-achieving - sometimes cringeworthy, yet always lovable - middle school spelling phenoms. You'd be hard-pressed to experience a more satisfying night at the theatre.

While the women in Nashville theatre might garner more critical attention, showier roles and sparklier costumes, the men, clearly, are no slouches themselves. Capable and committed, the men who assay roles on Nashville stages are a pretty impressive collection of actors who can take on the most traditional of roles one week, while tackling parts that require them to be more experimental and brave the next. In 2009, Nashville's best actors showed their range while strutting themselves in some of the best productions we've seen in years.

While there were plenty of productions to be excited about during the 2009 Nashville theatre season, as with any year the most memorable theatrical moments were due to the many fine individual performances seen on local stages. Featuring a blend of both veterans and newcomers, the 2009 season proved once again that Music City has an impressive retinue of actors to call upon. Whether it's in an emotionally draining drama, a laugh-out-loud comedy or a joyously inspiring musical, there are actors here who can deliver the goods, time after time.

Created by Jean Doumanian, Jeffrey Richards and Rick Steiner ('in association with Janet Pailet,' according to the program), The Great American Trailer Park Musical is about all the rednecks, hicks and white trash you've ever met - well, if you know anybody from the aforementioned groups - and the whole set-up is beyond hilarious and so inspired by the tasteless that you simply cannot go and not enjoy yourself. Unless, of course, you hope to hear every word and see every bit of onstage business.

The Boiler Room Theatre (BRT), Williamson County's resident professional theatre company, will present the musical comedy CLUE The Musical, based on the popular board game. CLUE The Musical will begin on Oct. 9, 2009 at thetheater, located in the historic Factory at Franklin, 230 Franklin Rd., Building Six, for arun through Nov. 7, 2009.

Luisa Ramirez has all the news from Snappy Title, the New Musicals Network launch event.

The Boiler Room Theatre (BRT), Williamson County's resident professional theatre company, will present the musical comedy CLUE The Musical, based on the popular board game. CLUE The Musical will begin on Oct. 9, 2009 at thetheater, located in the historic Factory at Franklin, 230 Franklin Rd., Building Six, for arun through Nov. 7, 2009.

Kirsty Hoiles, who has spent the summer wowing audiences as the young Viv Nicholson in Spend Spend Spend at the Watermill Theatre, has now joined the all-star cast of Snappy Title, (the charity cabaret at Piccadilly's Pigalle Club in aid of MMD and the Actors' Benefit Club.

July continues to be a busy month for Nashville-area theatre companies as five new productions are slated to open by week's end, including the world premiere of a new musical, the Nashville premiere of a new comedy by Sarah Ruhl and a production of Fame, the Musical, from Middle Tennessee's oldest community theatre organization.

The Metropolitan Room (34 West 22 St. between 5th & 6th) announces its upcoming September concert schedule. Guests include Suzanne Carrico, Jimmy James, Penny Fuller, Cary Hoffman and Marilyn Maye.