Archives for July 2022

Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins may not be as well-known, as some of his other works like Company, Sweeney Todd or Into the Woods, but it’s one of his most ambitious and though-provoking shows, and I definitely count it among my personal favorites. In the hands of Bucket List Productions’ Dave Davis as producer and Cat Eberwine as director, and with the killer cast they’ve assembled, I was quickly reminded why it’s among my favorites.

Now, anyone who knows me, knows I often have a bit of a twisted sense of what I find entertaining. My frequent viewing of everything from murder mysteries to serial killer docs stands as proof. That said, since it had been quite some time since I had seen a production of Assassins, I was excited to attend opening weekend. I was not disappointed.

From the moment the curtain rose of Darkhorse’s intimate stage and I took a little sinister delight in Jim Mannings evocative set design as I spotted a furry animal skin headdress draped over a government podium, a la the now infamous Qanon Shaman. Manning’s set also features a what appears to be a slightly off-balance marbled judge’s bench. Perhaps a nod to the ever-present imbalance of justice. Half of the stage floor is even covered with a very realistic looking enlarged pattern of the familiar stars of Old Glory against a field of blue. To me, a statement of the disrespect of the union we’ve all felt at some point or other, but most universally during our country’s history of assassinations and assassination attempts of our leaders, the subject of this musical.

In particular, Assassins gives a glimpse, however fictionalized for entertainment purposes, into those who attempted—some successfully, some not—to assassinate U.S. Presidents including Lincoln (by John Wilkes Booth), James Garfield (by Charles Guiteau), William McKinley (by Leon Czolgosz) and John F. Kennedy (by Lee Harvey Oswald). The unsuccessful attempts on the lives of Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt (by Giuseppe Zangara), Richard Nixon (by Samuel Byck), Gerald Ford (by both Squeaky Fromme and Sara Jane Moore) and Ronald Reagan (by Joh Hincley, Jr).

Director Eberwine has indeed assembled a hot shot group of assassins. As their stories unfold, I was reminded of some sort of twisted representation of the Seven Deadly Sins, as each cast member, even when just being present on stage while others are the primary focus, embodied their characters fully, with the slightest of movements, twitches and ticks. That may sound far-reaching, but it was indeed my initial thought, as these characters before me possessed passionate emotions, jealousy, anger, even devotion and love and those emotions became the driving force of their seemingly unspeakable acts. Quite a feat, especially when you take into consideration this production is Eberwine’s first-ever musical. Heck, it’s only her second time to direct, her first being Way-Off Broadway Productions’ The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in 2019.

As for the cast, I recognized some from having seen them in a number of shows around town. Still others seem new to me. Of the more familiar, Melissa Silengo is a stand-out as Lynette Squeaky Fromme the former Manson Family member who attempted to kill President Ford in 1975. In fact, aside from the show opening, Everybody’s Got the Right, it’s Silengo’s duet with Micheal Walley’s John Hinkley on the oddly poppy love ballad, Unworthy of Your Love, that’s among the show’s musical highlights. But it’s Silengo’s crazy eyes and sinister grin as Fromme that truly kept my attention. No matter what was happening on stage, or who was featured at the moment, I couldn’t stop glancing at Silengo to see what subtle and not so subtle scene-stealing she was up to.

A one-act with ten musical numbers, the majority of the remaining tunes are mostly forgettable, save the late-hour all-in Another National Anthem. That’s not to say anything disparaging of the this production’s musical director, Noah Rice, whose recently created original music for Tennessee Playwrights Studio’s That Woman: The Dance Show and who music directed Circle Players’ Priscilla Queen of the Desert. While Sondheim’s Assassins score may not contain the earworm of Company’s Ladies Who Lunch, with Rice at the helm, and in the moment, the score sets the perfect mood for the action at hand. It should be mentioned though that due to the limited space of the venue, the orchestra did overpower the vocals, especially near the top of the show, again, by no fault of Rice’s musical direction. Having known Rice and followed his career since seeing him as Archie in Circle Players’ 13: The Musical a decade ago…yes, he’s that young, it’s a joy to see him become a true force to watch in the Nashville theatre community.

Back to the on-stage action…Silengo’s aforementioned duet partner, Walley also kept me entertained with his nervous twitching. A testament to Eberwine’s direction and the actor’s abilities that even when not speaking, these characters are being developed. Shea Gordon, one of the stronger vocalist of the cast is enjoyable as both the show’s narrator, The Balladeer and Lee Harvey Oswald.

Among my other favorites in the cast, Dan Kevorkian’s Samuel Byck. Dressed in a disheveled Santa suit ad seated near the back of the stage during the majority of the show, Kevorkian’s Byck can be seen mumbled angrily into a tape recorder. These actions and this look are based on Byck’s having picketed the White House Christmas Eve 1973 dressed as Santa and carrying a sign that said “All I want for Christmas is my constitutional rights to peaceably my government for redress of grievances. In the following year, Byck attempted to hijack a plane in hopes of crashing it into the White House.

Dustin Davis, who I believe was a late addition to the cast, following a last-minute withdrawal of the actor originally cast, is near-perfection as John Wilkes Booth. As his story unfolds, you genuinely get the feeling he truly only assassinated Lincoln because his acting career never got noticed. Ah, the things we’ll do for fame and notoriety.

Anna Carroll’s Sara Jane Moore presents herself as a bumbling housewife of a women who just so happens to attempt to kill Gerald Ford. While Moore and Fromme’s attempts were historically separate, Assassins cleverly teams the two and under Eberwine’s direction, Carroll and Silengo’s ensuing bumbling scene, in which they nearly prematurely discharge their respective weapons, put me in mind of Carol Burnette and Vicki  Lawrence in a skit that could easily have come straight from Burnette’s classic 70s tv variety show.

Andy Kanies’ Charles Guiteau is perhaps the most subtly portrayed, for he seems so gentle and upbeat, until he isn’t. On the opposite scale, Teal Davis is brilliantly unhinged as FDR’s attempted assassin, Giuseppe Zangara. Zach William approaches Leon Czologsz with a quiet unassuming air.

Rounding out the cast are ensemble members Daniel Vincent, Will Lasley, Anthony Just, Jessica Heim, Cat Glidwell and Willem Bragg playing various citizenry throughout the history of presidential assassinations in our great country.

Following their opening night earlier this month, the show had to unexpectedly go dark. To assure the audiences of their cancelled shows got their shot to experience Assassins, once they returned to the stage, they added additional shows during this, their final week of performances. Assassins continues with 7pm performances Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 21-23 at Darkhorse Theatre. CLICK HERE for tickets.

For more on Bucket List Production’s Assassins, CLICK HERE. To see what’s coming next to Darkhorse Theatre, including various presentations presented as part of Kindling Arts Festival, CLICK HERE.

As always, if you wanna follow JHPEntertainment to find out who I’m chatting with for my next Rapid Fire Q&A, or for my take on the latest local and national theatre, music and movie offerings, find us at JHPEntertainment on Facebook, JHPEntertainment on Instagram  and JHPEntertainment on Twitter.

Got an event or show we should know about, drop us a line at the Contact tab. Till then, #GoSeeTheShow!

Everyone’s heard of Christmas in July, but what about a night of theatre celebrating the six month mark before the birth of The King? I didn’t say The King of Kings, just The King…you know, the one whose palace sits behind music-themed gates in the Whitehaven neighborhood of Memphis, TN. Now you’ve got it, and so does Playhouse 615 (11920 Lebanon Rd, Mt. Juliet, TN), for that’s where you can find Thank You Very Much: A halfway to Elvis’ Birthday Celebration featuring Graceland, a one-act play by Ellen Byron. Co-Directed by Playhouse 615’s Joel Meriwether and Ann Street-Kavanagh, Graceland stars Diane Bearden-Enright and Addison Myatt with performances continuing thru Sunday, July 17.

Enright, who’s currently an Adjunct Theatre instructor at MTSU, with an acting resume including stage appearances ranging from Nashville to New York and back again, whose recent theatre credits include Ouiser in Steel Magnolias and a fantastic turn as Rosie in a pre-pandemic run of Mamma Mia, stars as Bev Davies, a middle-aged, polyester-wearing, fiery redhead…or is she? Myatt, who recently assistant stage managed Playhouse 615’s production of Next to Normal, and was among the ensemble of their fabulous production of Dracula, plays Rootie, an attractive, thin, small-town girl on a mission. But there’s more to both these ladies as the show soon reveals. As an added bonus, following the one-act, Elvis Tribute Artist, Wess Aaron presents some of EP’s best-known hits, done…his way.

Graceland’s plot is simple, two seemingly polar-opposite Elvis fanatics, Bev Davies (Enright) and Rootie Mallert (Myatt) are both hoping to be the first devotee of the King of Rock and Roll to enter the hallowed halls of his former home on June 7, 1982 as it opens for the public for the very first time.

As Graceland begins, Enright’s Bev enters the small bare stage carrying with her a cooler, a folding lawn chair, a tote-bag (emblazoned with an image of Elvis, of course) and various pieces of what will eventually be a pop-up tent. Thus begins at least five minutes of Enright’s Bev in a silent struggle with said tent as she lays claim to her premium spot just outside the gates of Graceland. With not a single word of spoken dialogue, save the occasional frustrated swear-word under her breath as she fights the aluminum rods and nylon fabric to build herself a temporary shield from the elements, Enright’s Bev elicits howls of laughter from the audience as she awaits entrance to the sacred halls of Elvis’ former abode. What a way to start the show! Enright’s physicality during this scene pulls out all the stops, a true masterclass in conveying humor and exasperation without words.

As Bev gets things situated just as she wants them, and all seems calm, here comes Myatt’s Rootie wearing a midriff top and jeans and sporting a short curly blonde hairstyle reminiscent of any number of late 70s/early 80s pop culture icons. By their wardrobe alone, you just know they’re gotta butt heads, and they do. As I said previously…polar opposites.

That opposition takes center stage when Rootie throws down her blanket, and the proverbial gantlet as it were, proclaiming she was technically the first one there as her blanket touched the ground just before Bev unfolded her chair and sat.

As the two explain why they are the ultimate Elvis fan, and therefore should be the first to enter Graceland, Bev reveals that Elvis basically saved her marriage because any time she and her husband had any discord, she’d simply think of the joy Elvis and his music…and his pelvis, no doubt, had brought her, she’d just smile and find contentment. There’s even a funny line in which Bev reveals that her husband was ok with her crush on The King, stating that if she’s in love with another man, at least he’s dead.

Meanwhile, Rootie’s reasons for wanting to enter Graceland first are quite different. As she explains to Bev, she feels a spiritual connection to Elvis and to a lost friendship and it’s her hope that she could reach out to Elvis to have him then, in turn, reach out to her late friend as a way of expressing her gratitude for what he meant to her. She even mentions some hippie-dippy cosmic stuff about bringing Elvis back, citing the plot of Gene Kelly’s 1954 musical Brigadoon, in which he seemingly resurrects an entire town that only comes to life once every hundred years.

Byron’s script finds Bev the stronger character, both in her ability to find humor I life and in her resilience, devoting a bit more time to her development and in the hands of Enright, she’s nicely revealed.

By contrast, Myatt’s Rootie, though she has the more serious backstory, a story of being bullied and an abusive boyfriend who devalues her in front of others, falls a bit short. Perhaps a bit of direction to vocalize might have helped. Yes, the character is meek, but at the top of the show, several of her lines were missed during the performance I attended. Whether that was due a lack of projection or technical issues with the sound, the character and its development suffered.

Like any good formulaic script, or any mediocre sitcom, by then end of the half-hour+, our two Elvis fans find common ground, understanding for each other’s situation and an unexpected kinship. They even share a hilarious duet of Heartbreak Hotel.

Graceland has all the basics of a clever, often touching and funny show, too bad it’s limited to only about a 45 minute run-time. For were it fully fleshed out into a two-act play, this could definitely be something Elvis fans, and fans of sweet little theatrical productions would love. As it is, Playhouse 615 has found the best aspects and showcased them. Heck, they even have Peanut Butter and Banana sandwiches as part of the concessions…and of course the forethought to follow the all-too-brief one-act with their very own Elvis impersonator.

As for Wess Aaron‘s post-play Elvis tribute, right from the get, he revealed to the opening night audience that he’s usually backed by his full ensemble, billed as Wess Aaaron and The CC Riders, but is performing at Playhouse 615 with only pre-recorded backing tracks. Nonetheless, there are moments when the vocals are just right enough, the stage energy choreographed altogether appropriately for the situation and the cockiness of The King, personified. Now, it must be said, if you’re going in expecting a young Elvis, a la Austin Butler as seen in the current box-office smash hit film from Baz Luhrmann, you might wanna check out the movie. Think of later Elvis, a little tour-warn, a little over himself, but still hitting the stage. That’s the Elvis Wess Aaron showcases. With Aaron’s gusto, bravado and a few humorous quips between tunes, it’s somehow the perfect companion to Graceland.

As the show goes into the final weekend of performances, there’s three chances left to see Enright and Myatt make you shake, rattle and roll with laughs. Tickets are $18 and may be purchased online CLICK HERE or at the door. For details on upcoming shows at Playhouse 615, check out their website or find them on Facebook.

As always, if you wanna follow JHPEntertainment to find out who I’m chatting with for my next Rapid Fire Q&A, or for my take on the latest local and national theatre, music and movie offerings, find us at JHPEntertainment on Facebook, JHPEntertainment on Instagram  and JHPEntertainment on Twitter.

Got an event or show we should know about, drop us a line at the Contact tab. Till then, #GoSeeTheShow!

The Tennessee premiere of The Hiding Place, based on Corrie ten Boom’s inspirational work, and adapted for the stage by A.S. Peterson, not only marks the debut production of the newly formed Rabbit Room Theatre, but also the first presentation of Matt Logan Productions whose founder and namesake is one of our area’s most creative individuals. Both the playwright and producer Logan, who also serves as the show’s director, are well-known to Nashville area theaterati, having collaborated previously on a local production of the historical musical, The Battle of Franklin, as well as a visually stunning adaptation of Frankenstein—both for Studio Tenn, the Franklin-based theatre company Logan co-founded alongside Jake Speck. Speaking of Speck, it was during his time with A.D. Players in Houston that The Hiding Place made its world premiere just a couple years ago. But back to the current presentation…For their debut, Rabbit Room Theatre has taken residence in the beautiful Soli Dio Center on the campus of Christ Presbyterian Academy, as the show continues through July 23. It’s a full-circle mention that not only did Logan attend CPA, but he was also a member of the team who designed the gorgeous venue of Soli Did Center. Heck, he even created the initial sketches for the design of the theatre’s beautifully intricate proscenium.

As I revealed in the intro to my recent Rapid Fire 20 Q with cast members of A.S. Peterson’s adaptation of Corrie ten Boom’s The Hiding Place, other than my own childhood memory of somehow being aware of a mid-70s movie version, starring Julie Harris, Jeanette Clift and Arthur O’Connell, my knowledge of ten Boom’s book was strangely limited. I say strangely limited because virtually everyone I mentioned the show to, either they had read ten Boom’s work, or their parents and grandparents were devotees of her inspiring story.

While I may have only known the basics of ten Boom’s story—that of her Dutch Christian family aiding in the hiding and relocating of Jewish citizens during Germany’s Nazi invasion of Holland during the 1940s—I was indeed very familiar with many members of the creative team Logan assembled for this beautiful retelling.

As she had done in the above-mentioned World Premiere in Houston, Nan Gurley, a venerable presence of the Nashville theatre community leads the cast as Corrie ten Boom. Due to a brief illness, Gurley was unable to perform the role during the show’s opening weekend, so her understudy, Rona Carter, stepped in and stepped up. Having seen Carter in a number of shows over the years, most recently as Anne Marie in Nashville Repertory Theatre’s A Dolls House Part 2, I knew she would turn in a brilliant performance. I was not disappointed. As Logan said in his opening night speech when noting the cast change, “the theatre community could not work if we didn’t have understudies who are dynamite and are ready to go”. He was right. Carter’s portrayal of Corrie ten Boom as written by playwright Peterson, breathes a breathe of beautifully balanced confidence, faith, unconditional caring for her fellow man, and yes, even a touch of humor in times so desperately in need of all. Not being the biggest history buff myself, I have to admit I was apprehensive about reviewing this show because I don’t feel qualified to speak on things of which I’ve paid only the minimal attention, but Carter’s, and I’m certain, Gurley’s portrayal of ten Boom made me want to know more. From the opening scene, I was invested. It should be noted that Gurley returned to the production, assuming the lead role from the second weekend and will continue through the final performance, thus allowing Carter to assume a trio of supporting roles, covered opening weekend by swing cast member, Wesley Paine.

Even though the story takes place in the distant past, a past many would rather forget, there’s no denying recent events indicate we might not be so removed from the horrors as we’d like to be.

Lending magnificent support to the lead actress as the other members of the ten Boom family are Carrie Tillis as younger sister, Betsie ten Boom, John Schuck as the family patriarch, Casper ten Boom and Garris Wimmer as brother, Willem ten Boom.

Tillis’ Betsie is a constant reminder of something my parents used to tell me. No matter what you’re dealing with, there are others dealing with much worse. As Betsie, Tillis not only finds the light in even the darkest of situations, she radiates it. Some of that is acting, some of that is the actress herself. A joy to watch on stage and a joy to know in real life.

John Schuck was last seen onstage in Love Letters earlier this year. With an acting resume that ranges from film, TV and the stage with projects equally as varied, from a memorable role in Robert Altman’s award-winning film, M*A*S*H and appearing alongside Reba on Broadway in Annie Get Your Gun,(side note: Reba was there opening night supporting her former Broadway co-star) to equally versatile roles in TV classics like McMillan and Wife, The Golden Girls, and even a wonderfully fun, tongue-in-cheek turn as Herman Munster in a late 80s-early 90s The Munsters Today, rebooting the 60s horror/comedy family sitcom, The Munsters, John Schuck is, in every sense of the word, an actor’s actor.  His presence, his voice, his experience all influence and illuminate his performance whether starring in musical theatre, like my favorite, White Christmas, or, in this case, a heart-wrenching serious drama. In early scenes with real-life young sisters, Annabelle and Caroline Wolfe, playing pre-teen versions of Corrie and Betsie, Schuck is jovial but stern, caring, but authoritative. Once the sisters become adults, Schuck’s Casper grows with them, positioning and encouraging them to take their rightful places as the new generation of ten Booms.

Garris Wimmer, rounding out the ten Boom family as brother Willam, has more limited stage time, but makes the most of his portrayal as their kindhearted male sibling. He also appears later on in the production in a couple of minor roles including a jewish prisoner and a Red Cross worker.

The remaining members of the ensemble cast are a great mix of familiar faces to the Nashville  theatre community, as well as some impressive newcomers. Familiar faces in The Hiding Place include Chip Arnold, Ross Bolen and Matthew Carlton. With decades of stage experience between them, as always, all three actors a joy to watch. Then there’s Christi Dortch. Dortch falls somewhere between familiar and newcomer, only because since her return to Nashville a couple decades ago, she’s become more familiar behind the scenes, at TPAC, no less. This production marks a bit of a return to performing onstage. I’m here to tell you, her performance as The Beast, a female guard in the Nazi concentration camps, is eerily entertaining. Yes, I know how that sounds, given the subject matter, but she’s just so good at being bad.

Nathaniel McIntyre as Pickwick, one of the key figures in the underground network offering aide and solace to the jews, finds a wonderful balance between dedication to the cause and a much-needed occasional lightheartedness regarding Betsie. Also of note is Jonah M. Jackson as Otto, a seemingly stalwart young man who, early on, works closely with the ten Booms at their watch shop, but who later figures prominently in an altogether different manner. It’s his late interaction with Corrie that brings the primary theme of the show—the idea of unwavering forgiveness—home.

Quite different from the story structure of ten Boom’s original book, or the aforementioned 70s film, this stage iteration begins in the time just before the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands. As time passes, and Germany’s occupation of the Dutch countryside grows, the ten Booms learn of—and make the decision to become part of—the Dutch underground.

Thanks largely to require reading of The Diary of  a Young Girl by Anne Frank, this overall subject matter isn’t completely unfamiliar to even the less studious like myself. What makes the ten Booms story their own is their religious beliefs. As Christians, they felt it their faith, their fortune, their privilege and duty to help those in need, in spite of their religious differences.

On the subject of religion, given the fact that the production is about a Christian family, coupled with this presentation taking place on the campus of a Christian school, it should be no surprise that the spiritual overtones are plenty. In act two of the 2 1/2 hour-long production, there’s even a clever, if ever-so-mildly heavy-handed visual reference likening a restrained Jewish prisoner to Jesus on the Cross. In the more than capable hands of director, Logan, that scene actually works, for it is, after all, a story of faith and the basic practice of human kindness that ten Boom lived by example.

I’ve said for years that Logan is a master of his craft. Whether designing the perfect set, complete with the smallest of almost unnoticeable, but key, details, or directing with a keen eye, unmatched by most, Logan leaves nothing undone. A creative assist from Mitchell White, another of Logan’s longtime collaborators, working herein as Associate Scenic Designer and Scenic Construction, brings Logan’s vision of the ten Boom watch shop (on an impressive rotating stage designed by White). Later in the show, when the action turns to the more devastating locale of the Nazi camps, Logan proves he’s just as adept at creating a more somber environment outfitted by the sparseness of prison bunks of drab grey. Throughout the show, there’s a creative usage of translucent panels for the hint of walls, with the shadows on the other side simply amplifying the drama. Moss Lighting’s Stephen Moss is also key in focusing the audience’s eye on all the action with his keen expertise and astute attention to Logan’s vision as both set designer and director.

Mention should also be made of the show’s wig and makeup supervisor, Allison Hearn, and wardrobe supervisor, Lauren Terry for further manifesting both the playwright’s and the director’s visions. Adding to the realism, drama, intensity of the piece, Don Chaffer’s music score is precise and poignant. Light and joyful when needed, and dark and thoughtful during the more serious and intense moments. The musical score is purposefully and effectively underproduced, lending believability that it might have actually been composed during the time in which the play takes place and is the perfect companion to the story of faith, forgiveness and kindness.

The Hiding Place continues its run through July 23 at Christ Presbyterian Academy‘s The Soli Deo Center, with performances Thursday, July 14 thru Sunday, July 17 this week and Friday & Saturday, July 22 and 23, next week. For specific date and times or to purchase tickets, CLICK HERE. Check out The Rabbit Room online or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

As always, if you wanna follow JHPEntertainment to find out who I’m chatting with for my next Rapid Fire Q&A, or for my take on the latest local and national theatre, music and movie offerings, find us at JHPEntertainment on Facebook, JHPEntertainment on Instagram  and JHPEntertainment on Twitter.

Got an event or show we should know about, drop us a line at the Contact tab. Till then, #GoSeeTheShow!