Jonathan

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!

Matt Logan, a founding partner of one of the area’s most prolific theatre companies, and one of my favorite theatre crushes in the Nashville theatre community, has not only formed a new production company, Matt Logan Productions, but is also teaming with Rabbit Room Theatre’s A.S. “Pete” Peterson, playwright extraordinare of 2016’s highly-praised The Battle of Franklin and 2018’s lavish adaptation of Frankenstein, to present another of the scribe’s noted works, The Hiding Place, opening Thursday, June 30 at Soli Deo Center on the campus of CPA.

Peterson’s stage play, making it’s Tennessee debut after having enjoyed a World Premiere in Texas just a couple years ago, expands upon Corrie ten Boom’s 1971 autobiographical account of her Dutch Christian family’s unlikely activism during the 1940s when Nazis invaded their homeland of Holland and the ten Boom family made the decision to hide Jews in their family home.

When I was a kid, I remember knowing there was a movie starring Julie Harris that was based on ten Boom’s book. Beyond that, I was mostly unfamiliar with the story, but knowing Logan is involved as this production’s producer, director and designer, then finding that among the cast are John Schuck, Nan Gurley and Carrie Tillis, three more of my theatre crushes, I knew I had to chat with them all for my latest Rapid Fire 20Q interview.

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RAPID FIRE 20Q WITH DIRECTOR AND CAST OF THE HIDING PLACE

RAPID FIRE Q&A WITH THE HIDING PLACE PRODUCER, DESIGNER, DIRECTOR, MATT LOGAN

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Producer, director, designer…is there anything you can’t do? But seriously, what’s it been like to tackle so much with this inaugural production with The Rabbit Room Theatre? 

MATT LOGAN: It has been amazing to work with a company like Rabbit Room. The steadfast support for quality theater is strong. They understand that if we are gonna do this, we are doing everything to the best of our ability. Nothing will be halfway or cheap. That is empowering to a creator. Doing all the jobs I do is tough but it’s not worth it unless it is quality. Rabbit Room is quality, folks. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT:  As a designer, I understand you not only designed the set, but also the theatre space itself. I hear the set design is quite unique. What can you tell me about it?

MATT LOGAN: Yes! I was a lead on the committee that was formed for the theater. Then, I stopped in as the interior designer for most of the spaces as well. Being an alum of CPA (Christ Presbyterian Academy), it is truly an honor to have been a part of the process, but now to step in and produce in the space is a whole new level that I did not see coming. As we started developing the show one of the major themes was time and clocks. With that as our central theme, it struck me that a turntable that would allow us to go inside multiple rooms of the home was necessary. It would not only add a bit of spectacle but it would functionally take us swiftly through the interiors of the home. In Act II, it takes us through different places in the camp. Altogether it has been a very difficult set to pull together but thankfully Mitch White as my associate created something truly spectacular and gorgeous. As usual, he brings all of my designs to life in a spectacular way.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: The Hiding Place marks your first theatrical stage production since 2018. While I know you’ve kept busy with other aspects of your creativity, how excited are you to be back behind the scenes of a theatrical production?

MATT LOGAN: Honestly, I feel like I’m back where I belong. A sabbatical in my life has been a great blessing for me to plan for the future. This show has allowed me to change some aspects of my career but also continue the things that I feel like are a calling — or at least a passion. I love the theater so much and the artists that I get to collaborate with both onstage and off in Nashville are truly some of the best in the business. Their hearts, their passions and their talents humble me daily. You’re only as good as your team and the team that I’ve assembled over the last 18 years gives me the inspiration to find new opportunities for collaboration. Being back together feels so right! 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: That’s a perfect lead to my next question. The adage of the theatre community being a family seems prolifically evident when you consider a few behind the scenes aspects of this production of The Hiding Place…you, yourself attended Christ Presbyterian Academy, where this production is being presented. The Hiding Place playwright is the artistic director of Rabbit Room Theatre. Your former Studio Tenn co-founder, Jake Speck who recently returned from a few years in Texas where he worked with A.D. Players, was instrumental in securing the World Premiere of The Hiding Place at A.D. Players, and is now back in Nashville to helm CPA’s arts program…oh and one more, beloved Nashville-based actress Nan Gurley starred in that World Premiere production and is returning to the role of Corrie ten Boom in your presentation at The Rabbit Room Theatre. How fortunate do you feel that all these aspects have aligned for this staging of The Hiding Place?

MATT LOGAN: You are so right that it is wild to see all these circles intertwining in this production. I laughed with Jake saying that everybody’s gonna think that we planned this but truly it happened in an instant, and all of a sudden, it fell into place. I truly take that as a sign that it’s meant to be and a confirmation that the timing is right. It’s not anything that I was able to control but it is humbling to find yourself in the midst of it. And this cast is full of people that I have directed at all points in my life, including my directorial debut at 19 years old. It is incredible all the echoes and circles of life that are coming together in this one production.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: I’m about to chat with members of your cast, including the aforementioned Nan Gurley, as well as John Schuck and Carrie Tillis. What’s been your favorite aspect of working with these three mega-talents as you prepare to open the show?

MATT LOGAN: I’m their biggest fan. It’s entirely selfish to cast them and hold them together in one room. This work is stressful but my gratitude for the opportunity overshadows the stress. Also the rest of the cast too! Truly great artists! Thank you, Jonathan!!

RAPID FIRE Q&A WITH NAN GURLEY CORRIE TEN BOOM IN THE HIDING PLACE

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Nan, before we get into questions about the show itself, I just gotta say, whenever I’ve written about you in the past, I typically include the moniker, ‘Nashville’s Grande Dame of the Theatre’. How does it feel to be thought of in such regard?

NAN GURLEY: Well, first of all, let me thank you for using such a moniker for me! You are very kind. As to how it feels to be thought of that way, it’s very humbling. It also makes me want to live up to peoples’ expectations of me so there is a bit of pressure involved too. I want to bring everything I’ve got to every performance. I want to be honest and real and vulnerable in the roles I play and I want the audience to see authenticity in my performances. So I put a lot of pressure on myself. It’s very gratifying when people enjoy what I bring to the stage. I’m also very grateful to have played so many roles in my own hometown and to have audiences that know me. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: What can you tell me about Corrie ten Boom, the character you play in The Hiding Place?

NAN GURLEY: Corrie was the first trained female watchmaker in Holland, so she was a pioneer of sorts. She and her sister and father lived in the rooms above the clock shop they owned and they were known all over Harlem, Holland, as people of great hospitality. They loved having people in their home. They also took in the children of missionaries who were serving in foreign countries and raised the kids while their parents were away. To me, this is extraordinary. But in many ways they were your ordinary, average, everyday people who did not seek fame and recognition. They did what they did without fanfare. If they had never been caught as part of the underground resistance, we would not know their story today because they would not have felt they needed recognition for doing the right thing. Corrie and her family are known because they got caught and went to Ravensbruck. Corrie is the only one who survived. When she left the camp and the war ended, she decided to go back to Germany and turn a concentration camp into a rehab center. She refused to be bitter. She learned to forgive the ones responsible for the deaths of her dad and sister and brother. She spent the rest of her life traveling to 60 countries around the world telling people of the power of God to enable you to forgive the unforgivable. This is what makes her so remarkable. Everywhere she went and shared her story, she told people that on her own she could never forgive, but that God’s power within her made it possible.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Earlier, I spoke with Matt Logan, the show’s director, producer and designer. I mentioned that you’re actually returning to this role, having originated it in the 2019 World Premiere. Having debuted the role in A.D. Players’ presentation, and now revisiting her, have you discovered anything new about Corrie ten Boom that you’re bringing to this production?

NAN GURLEY: Corrie is a deep well. There are always more things to discover about a character as rich as Corrie ten Boom. And Pete Peterson has added some very lovely monologues for Corrie that were not in the first production. He has crafted it so that Corrie is in the process of looking back on all that happened to her and is processing these memories and experiences out loud in front of the audience as she is trying to understand and figure out what to make of all that happened. So that device is helping me bring a new layer of vulnerability to Corrie. The tough thing about playing a person who has become a sort of sainted icon is that you’re tempted to play her as a fully developed saint from the very start of the play. If I did that, the audience would never see what the journey really cost her in terms of suffering. What I’m trying to do is show that Corrie was fully human and struggled with the tragedy that happened in their lives. I want my portrayal of her to have a journey, an arc of development so that she is changed and different by the end of the play. Her story needs a beginning, a middle and an end in terms of character development.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: The show’s subject matter is heavy and daunting as it centers around a WWII Christian family in Holland who offer to hid Jews from the Nazis. What do you do to both prepare for the role and to decompress afterwards?

NAN GURLEY: I’ve been preparing for months for this production, and memorizing the lines is ONLY the beginning. I’ve read books and researched and watched Corrie on YouTube and immersed myself in the abundant subject matter about her. I guess I’ve been preparing all my life in all my roles to play such a character as Corrie. Learning the Dutch accent has also been very helpful. I love to do accents and it always helps me lose myself in the character when the character doesn’t sound at all like me! I try to make some decisions about how Corrie would have felt in the moment and what thought processes she would have had. She was human. She’s not different from me in that way. She would have been scared and angry and would have wondered at times where God was in all this horror. Her faith may have been shaken at times. Mine would surely have been. So I just remember that we’re not different from each other in many ways. As far as decompressing, I go home to my husband and talk and relax with him. He’s amazing.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: What’s one line, one through, one scene or one theme included in The Hiding Place that you hope audiences will take with them after seeing the show?

NAN GURLEY: One of my favorite scenes is where Corrie visits her friend Fred Koornstra (played by Matt Carlton) at the food office. He is in charge of giving out ration cards. There are so many Jews going in and out of the ten Booms’ home that they are running out of food and she needs more cards in order to feed them. Jews are not able to get ration cards so Corrie goes to Fred for help. The Germans heavily monitored ration cards and Fred knows he is risking his life if he helps her. But Corrie is able to talk him into stealing 100 ration cards for her. It’s really a funny scene and I look forward to it every day. Plus, it helps that Matt and I have done dozens of shows together over the years so we have an instant connection onstage all the time.

I hope the audiences will walk away inspired and encouraged after seeing The Hiding Place. All of us have experienced loss. It’s how we handle it that will see us through to victory on the other side. The ten Booms were people of great faith. They trusted the sovereignty of God even when they could not understand what was happening all around them. They experienced horrific loss. But one thing Betsie said to Corrie while they were imprisoned that I hope the audience will remember is this: “There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.”

RAPID FIRE Q&A WITH JOHN SCHUCK, CASPER TEN BOOM IN THE HIDING PLACE

JHPENTERTAINMENT: First off, I’m so excited to be able to chat with you, having had the pleasure of getting to know you and your wonderful wife-even if just a little-the last several years. I’m sure I’ve gushed before, but I’ve been a fan since first seeing you in the human/robot buddy-cop sitcom, Holmes and Yoyo when I was a kid. Of course I also was a fan of your film debut in Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H and your many TV roles, including one of my favorite episodes of The Golden Girls. I’ve also been fortunate to see you onstage on tour, on Broadway and regionally, where you’ve performed in shows as Daddy Warbucks in Annie, Buffalo Bill in Annie Get Your Gun, General Waverly in White Christmas (my favorite stage musical of all time) and as a hospital administrator in Studio Tenn’s The Elephant Man. On the topic of your stage career, while researching to chat with you, I noticed your bio cites theatre as your preferred medium. What is it about performing live for an audience that draws you back time and time again?

JOHN SCHUCK: Well, there are a number of reasons for it. It’s what inspired me to become an actor. The film and television was wonderful for 20 or 30 years or so, but the time has passed me by now and the theater is what’s left. [Laughs] Which is fine. It’s not a problem; it’s just a reality of a career and so, I do as much theater as I possibly can. And after two years of COVID, of course, we all have been a little bit thirsty for some theater so I was thrilled when Matt asked me to do this.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: What drew you to the role of Casper ten Boom?

JOHN SCHUCK: Casper ten Boom is an interesting man. He’s very religious, very much a philosopher. He makes his living as a clockmaker so he understands mechanics and indeed in his philosophy, he’s fascinated with the mechanics of the world. So there are a lot of challenges there. Plus, his first skill is that of loving his daughters as a single parent. So there’s lots of gritty stuff to dig yourself into in terms of the story. In other words, the part is a challenge and I like challenges. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: When preparing to portray a real-life person like ten Boom, is your approach different from a fictional character, or do you view each role as a character, regardless? 

JOHN SCHUCK: Well, I’ve only played a couple of “real” characters in my career that I know of. One was in a musical: Capt. Von Trapp. Daddy Warbucks was not a real character. [laughs] But this was definitely a real person. And to be honest, I have done no research into him whatsoever. I’ve relied solely on our author’s script to give me all the clues that I need for him. And that’s been more than enough. I think we have someone that’s true to the story but may not necessarily be an exact replica of the real man. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: With the action of the play taking place in Holland, the native language being Dutch, have you and your fellow cast mates worked with a dialect coach during the rehearsal process?

JOHN SCHUCK: Yes. We have definitely worked with a wonderful dialect coach and she’s been terrific because she’s reduced it down — the Dutch part at least — to two or three, what she calls, “returning to your base.” And it’s simple. Everybody at home thinks I’m crazy because the only way to get it right is to talk like that all the time for the most part. So it doesn’t matter what you’re saying, you can say it in Dutch. But it’s been fun. A lot of fun.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Speaking of your cast mates, I chatted with Nan Gurley earlier and am about to interview Carrie Tillis. They play your character’s daughters, Corrie and Betsie respectively. Since my interview is called Rapid Fire, what one word would you use to describe Nan…and what one word would you use to describe Carrie?

JOHN SCHUCK: Oy! Well, for Nan, it’s definitely Powerful. And for Carrie, in this part, it’s Ethereal. 

RAPID FIRE Q&A WITH CARRIE TILLIS, BETSIE TEN BOOM IN THE HIDING PLACE

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Who is Betsie ten Boom to you?

CARRIE TILLIS: She has a perspective that is so fresh. She’s always looking for beauty and brightness, and not even in the bright and pretty places, but in the dark places. That is really wonderfully unique.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Prior to chatting with you, I began this Rapid Fire 20Q by posing a few questions to your director, Matt Logan. One thing I love about Matt is his attention to detail amongst his set design. Has he continued this within the ten Boom home set?

CARRIE TILLIS: I have always admired Matt. He does so many things well and his talent is all about the big picture, the whole piece. And he’s remarkable at condensing a massive piece into sometimes a smaller set, and it’s magic what he can do, the world he can create, with a very limited set. But then he dresses the set with such great detail and that comes in the set pieces and costumes. You have the big picture and then it has the finite detail. He’s brilliant.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Those that know you, know you come from a musical family. To that end, what can you tell me about the interstitial music that accompanies this show?

CARRIE TILLIS: I was so thrilled to find out that Don Chaffer was going to be writing the music for this. I had the luxury of working with Don on the Legacy series for Studio Tenn. And when I heard Don was on board, I thought, “Oh, we’ve got our A-Team together again.” But clearly this is a very different show, different time period, different feel, so I was very excited when I got to hear the music. It was like a movie score, and there were themes for the family. It’s just beautifully written. It’s poignant when it needs to be poignant and it’s scary when it needs to be scary. I knew he would write something wonderful and it just adds so much to this whole show.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: When speaking to your director and co-stars John and Nan, I keep thinking about the community of theatre. In addition to Nan and John, you’ve shared the stage with a number of the ensemble cast members in previous productions. I’m curious to know, in light of the past two years of isolation, coupled with the seriousness of this work, if there seems to have been more of an effort to connect behind the scenes and how that might effect your relationships on-stage?

CARRIE TILLIS: When we started doing readings for this show, we were still deep in the pandemic. So seeing each other’s faces again for the first time was just a gift and we just looked at each other in a way, like “We’re still here!” I would say that from those rehearsals up until the opening of the show, everyone has been so present and keenly connected because we’ve missed each other so much. We’re a very tight-knit community, but we missed our art as well. To work again with each other added this very palpable layer of gratitude. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: While researching to chat with you, I kept noting the overall theme of Forgiveness, especially as it relates to Betsie ten Boom’s ability to forgive, in spite of everything she endures. What is forgiveness such an important attribute and why do you think forgiveness continues to be such a challenge for so many people?

CARRIE TILLIS: To me, forgiveness allows a person to move forward. The challenge is obvious — no one likes to be hurt personally, no one likes to have parts of the world hurt. It’s hard to feel it personally and I think the challenge for us individually or as a group is that we rarely see the big picture right at the hurt. We only feel the hurt. Betsie always had that resolve from the very beginning. She had forgiveness right at the very beginning. It was just her center. I think forgiveness does allow us to move forward.

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The Hiding Place runs June 30-July 23. For more about the show, CLICK HERE. 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!

Having worked in the book industry for nearly a decade back in my early post-college days, I had the great fortune of not only meeting Stephen King when my local bookstore (remember those?) hosted the celebrated author during a signing. I also saw him and fellow authors Amy Tan, Mitch Albom, Dave Barry, Matt Groening, Scott Turow and others perform their unique music talents under the band name Rock Bottom Remainders during that same time. Plus, who doesn’t love a good Stephen King story, so when I heard Playhouse 615 was presenting the Tennessee premiere of William Goldman’s stage adaptation of Misery, based on King’s 1987 bestseller that then became a hugely successful 1990 film, I was intrigued to say the least. Having opened earlier this month, the show wraps its run this weekend with performances Friday and Saturday evenings June 17 and 18 at 7:30p.m. and a final matinee at 2:30p.m. on Sunday, June 19.

I dare say if you’ve not read Misery, chances are you may have seen the movie. Full disclosure: while I absolutely devoured the book when it was release in ’87, I somehow never saw Kathy Bates’ Oscar-winning turn as Annie Wilkes opposite James Caan’s Paul Sheldon. I also had sort of forgotten that the stage version even existed, even though the 2015 Broadway run starred Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf. The latter of which received a Tony nomination for her performance.

Considering it has been thirty something years since I read the source material, when my friends and I attended a Playhouse 615’s Sunday matinee, I pretty much entered the theatre not knowing what to expect. I gotta admit, I was pleasantly surprised. Playhouse 615, located in a tiny strip of shops at 11920 Lebanon Road in Mt Juliet, TN, is a hidden jewel among the area’s theatre community. From its nondescript exterior, you’d never even know it’s theatre space, and once inside, you just have to marvel that artist director, Joel Meriwether and company are able to achieve what they do in this intimate space.

That’s the thing though, the intimacy of venue is absolutely perfect for this particular work, for all of the action of Misery takes place within the confines of a small farmhouse nestled in the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. As in the book and the film that preceded this adaptation, the story centers ‘round a famous writer, Paul Sheldon who’s known to retreat to Silver Creek, Colorado whenever he’s working on his next novel. Among those who know Sheldon’s penchant for getting away from it all to concentrate on his writing, is his self-professed biggest fan, the seemingly unassuming owner of said farmhouse. The set-up of how these two meet happens before the curtain rises, when Paul’s vehicle careens off the road and crashes near Annie’s farm. As the action begins Paul (played by Harry Marsh) is heard writhing and moaning in pain as he wakes in a strange bed. I’m just gonna say it, when I saw the show, at first I thought the painful cries a tad overdone, but luckily as the action continued, the wailing subsided, but I digress. We soon learn that Annie (played by Ann Street-Kavanagh) happened upon Paul, managed to get him out of the wreckage and brought him to her farmhouse to recover.

We also soon learn the reason she didn’t seek medical attention is that the roads are blocked from a snowstorm and the phone lines dead…or are they? Now, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past three decades, you likely know a little more of the plot. Turns out Annie may or may not be completely obsessed with Paul, to the point of psychotic episodes as he regains his strength and begins to question their extended solitude.

Marsh’s Paul Sheldon is entertaining to watch, a looming presence of a man, confined and captive. But it’s Street-Cavanagh’s Annie that makes the show a truly sinisterly thrill-ride. She manages to find a perfect off-balance between meek, good-natured, christian woman literally and figuratively becoming the good samaritan to helpless Paul to vindictive, abusive captor. One note of concern, whenever Annie is headed into a fit of rage, Mitchell Miller, who’s credited in the show’s playbill as ‘lighting execution’ chooses to flash a strobe erratically. When this first occurred during the performance I attended, I initially thought there was some technical glitch and the lights were malfunctioning. This effect might be better served to begin when Annie starts to rage and the strobe continue throughout her fit, ending when she seemingly returns to her more calm self. Just an observation.

Speaking of technical aspects of the show, kudos to Meriwether, who also serves as the show’s ‘sound execution’….I guess that makes him ‘sound executioner’, befitting the gruesomeness of the piece. Throughout the show I noted time and time again the perfect accompanying interstitial music, from haunting versions of such known tunes as Amazing Grace, Every Breath You Take, I Will Always Love You, Hurt and more, plus a little Liberace for good measure (there’s motion of Lee in the script). These musical interludes quickly became another character for me.

In popular culture, there’s a term called ‘Easter eggs’. It refers to the inclusion of images, sight gags, jokes or other references that fans might recognize. King frequently includes Easter eggs in his work and Misery is no exception. It may contain the ultimate Easter egg. I mean, let’s face it, Paul Sheldon IS basically a fictionalized version of Stephen King, what with retreating to write, being the author of multiple bestsellers and all. So to further wink towards King, Meriwether and the show’s prop  and set departments have peppered the set with winks to the author and his other works. At one point, when the local sherif (Joe Russell) pays a visit, he sips coffee from a mug emblazoned with a graphic from IT, King’s ’86 horror classic that in recent years has become a hugely successful film franchise. There’s also a floor runner in the hallway, the pattern of which will conjure images of creepy twins for anyone who’s seen King’s 1980 masterpiece, The Shining, for it’s the same pattern as the hallways of the Overlook Hotel. Even the religious iconography throughout Annie’s farmhouse is a nod to King’s Carrie. Heck, I may be reaching, but you could even say there’s a bonus nod to Carrie coupled with Firestarter when things between Annie and Paul get a little…shall we say…heated. These little extras, while perhaps unnoticed by some casual audience members, were indeed appreciated by this King fan.

Street-Kavanagh and Marsh also deserve praise for the physicality of the show. From Marsh’s Sheldon attempts to escape while bound to a wheelchair to the height of the action when Street-Kavanagh renders Sheldon immobile by way of the now-classic mallet and woodblock scene, these two performers approach the physical aspects of their respective roles with gusto and visceral emotion. With only two performances left, if you’re looking for something to do this weekend, check out Playhouse 615’s Misery. 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!

Prior to attending the Music City Opening Night performance of the current National Tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, which continues at TPAC’s Jackson Hall through Sunday, May 8, I had heard a wide range of opinions about Daniel Fish’s Tony-winning revival. Heck, I’d even formed a few preconceived notions myself, considering the original 1943 production, and Hollywood’s iconic film adaptation that followed a decade later are the stuff of which legends are made.

Among the rumblings, folks seem to be out of joint for a variety of reasons. Some feel it’s too dark and brooding. Others don’t care for the ‘checking every box’ overly-politically correct nature of the casting, or the striped down consolidation of the action now all taking place at a barn dance, rather than the typical multiple set-changes. Still others apparently have their petticoats in a twist because of the amped-up sexual tension, potentially triggering subject matter and interesting choices concerning everything from the choreography to the over-exaggerated accents.

I’m here to tell you, within the first few minutes, for me at least, very little of that mattered. Even as the audience made their way to their seats, Jackson Hall was lit a little brighter than usual, thanks to the curtain being up on the stage and Scott Zielinski’s overly-saturated bright white lighting making the sparse set almost glow. As for the set, Laura Jellinek’s simply but purposeful stark set which seems to depict the interior of a barn or social gathering spot with a few rows of picnic tables and a wall lined with rows and rows of gun racks full of rifles. The play is set in Indian Territory in 1906, after all.  This might not be the farmhouse, surrey, corale or paddocks to which audience have grown accustomed, nonetheless, it still seems familiar and easy.

In preparation for my recent Rapid Fire 20Q during which I chatted with members of the cast of Oklahoma!, I fell down a YouTube rabbit hole and discovered an old black and white clip of an early stage mounting of the show, so as soon as I saw the scrim that covers the back of the stage with it’s simple graphic of a farmhouse and a barn set along the great expanse of the land, I realized it’s a brilliant nod to Lemuel Ayers’ original Broadway set design for that early scrim is almost identical. From the familiar opening number, Oh What a Beautiful Morning, now presented in a less-than-optimistic slower tempo, it’s indeed evident this is not only a revival, but a complete reimagining. Sean Grandillo’s Curly, completely opposite the usual strapping buck of a leading man, is a slight young young thing…with straight hair at that. But here’s what he has going for him in spite of his less-than-intimidating presence, this Curly’s got swagger, confidence, a strong tenor voice and can play a mean lick on his guitar.

On the subject of the show’s soundtrack, gone are the sweeping full orchestrations of previous incarnations, replaced instead by a 7-piece on-stage orchestra. Alright, calling it an orchestra seems a little grandiose. In keeping with this new Oklahoma!, it’s more like a house-band made up of Andy Collopy who serves as conductor, as well as playing the accordion and drums; associate conductor, Dominnic Lamorte, who also plays upright bass; Rick Snell on mandolin & electric guitar; Liz Faure on pedal steel, acoustic and electric guitar; Justin Hiltner on Banjo, Libby Weitnauer on Violin (come on, that’s a fiddle) and Grace Hartman Parce on Cello. I mention the band early on simply because Daniel Kluger’s new orchestrations and arrangements are a vital part of why this production skews darker than we’re used to.

Another genius aspect of this incarnation is that while the tempo of the tunes and the emotion and intonation of the delivery may have changed, the lyrics, and for that matter, the dialogue is the exact same as it has always been. A prime example of how this affects the mood and meaning of the show is seen when Curly attempts to woo Laurey (Sasha Hutchings) as he describes the fancy horse-drawn surrey he intends to take her to the comping social in. With no change at all in the lyrics, but a slower, more seductive delivery, he describes taking her on a date, keeping her out all night and waking up still in the surrey together. The tune’s lyrics “whoa! You team, and just keep a-creepin’ at a slow clip clop. Don’t you worry with the surrey with the fringe on the top” suddenly take on a new meaning. Is Curley telling Laurey not to worry if anyone see’s their surrey ride of shame the next morning as the top of the carriage will keep their secret? Maybe. Maybe not.

As for Laurey, Hutchings strikes a gorgeous, tall figure of a woman and her voice possesses a raw throaty quality. It’s almost as if she’s singing from the back of her mouth and not at full power, but it kinda works. It adds to Laurey’s predicament of being the object of affection to more than one man. I do have to say this, though. Both my companion for the evening and I noticed Hutchings kept futzing with her hair, constantly doing an almost exaggerated sweeping motion with her hand, pushing it up and presumably away from her face. It became an odd distraction for me and my friend.

Hennessey Winkler is cast in the role of Will Parker, who takes on the next song in the show, Kansas City, a tune that extols the fabulousness of the nearby modern town. In the playfully capable hands of Winkler, who was quoted in a recent interview admitting Ado Annie was a dream role, until he transitioned to male, you gotta wonder though, have they indeed “gone about as far as they can go”? While singing about a particularly voluptuous female he encountered at a burlesque show, he recalls, “One of the gals was fat and pink and pretty. As round above as she was round below”. Y’all! Those lyrics! And again, thanks to his delivery, that description takes on a whole other super-sexualized meaning. Made all the more obvious by Winkler picking up a shucked ear of corn on the nearby picnic table and holding it just so, as to suggest…how shall I say this…the early 1900s equivalent of today’s eggplant emoji. Hilariously, a similar suggestive ideal comes later when the ladies all shuck corn, then violently begin to break the cobs in half as they toss them into a barre during Many a New Day. I can’t be the only person who saw these not so subtle things and thought these bawdy campy thoughts, right?

Speaking of camp, enter Ado Annie played by trans actress and activist, Sis. Here’s the deal, I myself am a member of a couple of less-than-equally-represented demographics, one being I was born with a neuromuscular disorder that now requires I use forearm crutches to walk, so when Fish debuted his Oklahoma! on Broadway coinciding with the show’s 75th anniversary and he cast wheelchair-using actress/singer Ali Stoker as Ado Annie, who subsequently won the Tony, I was all for it. Now, when the tour was announced and Stoker’s star was on the rise, I figured she wouldn’t join the tour, but I had kinda thought they might cast another wheelchair’d actress. Nope. Sis won the role. Again preconceived notions and my own thoughts of the powers that be overcompensating for decades of Broadway literally and figuratively being the great white way, by checking all the boxes was my initial reaction. But the minute Sis breaks into Ado Annie’s signature song, I Cain’t Say No, I was done…in the best way possible. Sis, who is the very definition of a big, Black, beautiful woman, owns that song, the stage and everything that comes with it. As if the first few verses aren’t enough, she goes to the rear of the stage, grabs the mic from the stand by the band, comes back to the edge of the stage and breaks out into a rollicking reprise. Plus, the juxtaposition of Winkler’s Will Parker and Sis’ Ado Annie, is a perfect comedic role reversal in every sense of the word. Yes, it’s ok to laugh, ‘cause guess what, they’re totally in on it.

Other standout performances come by way of Benj Mirman as Ali Hakim and Barbara Walsh as Aunt Eller. Mirman’s Hakim, the Persian peddler who finds himself unexpected betrothed to Ado Annie at her father’s (Mitch Tebo) insistence, gets his shining moment with It’s a Scandal, It’s a Outrage. As for Walsh’s Aunt Eller, she gets a section of choice comebacks and knowing glances throughout the show, as well as featuring prominently during most of the all-in moments.

Then there’s Christopher Bannow’s Jud Fry, in spite of the fact that Jud doesn’t really say much during the first half of the show, thanks to director Fish’s keen sense of anticipation, even when Jud is just sitting there at one of the picnic tables while Curly flirts with Laurey, he can be seen, reacting. Doing things as seemingly inconsequential as shifting in his seat, or sitting up a little straighter when Laurey walks near him or listening more intently when she’s talking. All of this leads up to one of the show’s most volatile and creative scenes.

Curly, realizing Jud also has his eye on Laurey, pays Jud a visit. While there, he goes so far as to suggest that Jud hang hmself, explaining by the lyrically sinister Pore Jud is Daid that if he offs himself, he will finally garner the love and empathy of Laurey and the entire town. Adding to the drama of this scene, the entire theatre goes completely black and the two men talk to each other using handheld mics. Suddenly out of the darkness, Jud’s face is projected in black and white on the scrim behind the stage, thanks to a member of the crew and a handheld video cam. It’s at this precise moment that the rows of seats between the audience and the actors effectively disappear, making the audience truly feel part of the show. Interesting, considering the fact that during the show’s Broadway run, it was housed in the very intimate Circle In The Square Theatre, a 776 seat theatre in the round, where the audience surround the stage on all four sides. Furthermore, during the first act of the Broadway run, the cast literally made chili and cornbread which they served to the audience during intermission.

Of course that intimacy isn’t possible for a National Tour, but the dimming of the lights and then the projection of the actors faces in severe close up, for that moment, bridges the distance and effectively achieves that closeness. Jud’s Lonely Room follows and his isolation and emotion during this song, simply heart wrenching.

The blackout effect is successfully used a second time when Laurey and Curly get a little intimate on a date, unfortunately, the smacking of their lips into their handheld mics during this scene turn a heated romantic moment into an uncomfortable exaggeration.

Another major difference between traditional mountings of the show and the current version is the fact that the Dream Ballet, originally choreographed by Agnes de Mille, and the stuff of which legends are made, has shifted from the end of Act 1 just after Laurey solo’s on Out of My Dreams, to the top of Act 2. Not only that, gone are the stunningly ethereal movements of most of the cast members and they bring to life Laurey’s dream/nightmare of being torn between two men. Instead, a single barefoot dancer emerges wearing an iridescent white t-shirt emblazoned with the message “Dream Baby Dream”. This might be my one biggest disappointment with the update. I get that it’s modern dance, but scooting across the stage like a puppy with a clogged gland, that’s not dance, that’s just bizarre. Now, I’m no dancer, though I did win the dance contest at homecoming in high school one year, but let’s face it, it was a popularity vote, but I digress. Again, my companion for the evening had a little to say about this particular moment. She is a trained dancer, so there’s some merit in her reaction. She too felt as if we were watching the equivalent of a young child performing for the family in the living room after Sunday dinner, noting the lack of proper extensions and a pointless pointe. That said, we both appreciated the final seconds of the Dream Ballet, when an ensemble member joined the soloist onstage and they embrace whilst the lighting shifts, casting their shadow large across the wall. Another beautiful nod to the original and the film version.

The story’s still-shocking conclusion is handled in an interesting way when the groom and his intended are about to say their I Dos and they’re interrupted by a third party. There’s a gunshot, the after effects of which result in the white-clad marital couple staining not only their wedding attire with the red splatter of the moment, but potentially also staining their future happiness. (How’s that for an attempt at not spoiling a 75-year-old musical theatre moment?

With that the rollercoaster of emotion that is Oklahoma! ends, and just like any good traditional musical theatre icon, the cast, even the daid one, returns to the stage for curtain call and one last rousing version of the titular tune. And yes, the audience stood for a well-deserved ovation.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!  continues in Nashville at TPAC’s Jackson Hall with performances thru Sunday, May 8. CLICK HERE for tickets.

Not in Nashville? Oklahoma! continues its North American Tour with dates across the US through the fall. CLICK HERE for show dates and locations or follow Oklahoma! on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For more from Benj Mirman and Christopher Bannow check out their Instas.

As for TPAC, next up is the World Premiere presentation of May We All: A New Country Musical, June 7-July 17. Be sure to check out TPAC online and on socials by clicking any of the following:  TPAC.org, TPAC on Instagram, TPAC on Facebook, TPAC on Twitter and TPAC on YouTube.

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!

Having first been announced Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins as an intended part of their 2020 season, Nashville Repertory Theatre’s Mary Poppins, as directed by Micah-Shane Brewer, made its debut last week on April 28 to a near-sold out crowd at TPAC’s Polk Theatre, featuring some of the Nashville theatre community’s most-beloved actors, as well as a few newer faces. Unable to attend opening night, but it being one of my favorite shows, I was thrilled to catch the show during its second evening performance.

While the literary world was first introduced to self-professed practically perfect nanny Mary Poppins in author P. L. Travers‘ 1934 children’s book of the same name, as well as seven subsequent sequels through 1988, it’s likely Julie Andrews‘ iconic portrayal in Disney’s 1964 film that most think of when they hear the name. In 2004, the theatrical division of Disney, who had already enjoyed success by adapting both Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King for the Broadway stage, did the same for Mary Poppins. With Book by Julian Fellows (yes, that Julian Fellows, of Downton Abbey and The Gilded Age fame) and additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, added to original music featured in the Disney film by Richard and Robert Sherman, the creative team breathed new life into the magical world of Poppins, her jack-of-all-trades friend Bert and The Banks family who reside at No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane.

Upon entering the Polk Theatre last weekend, my eye immediately fixed upon the the scrim concealing the set, as the canvas curtain features the exterior of the familiar row of houses on Cherry Tree Lane. What struck me so what the illustration-like nature of the scene for it looks as if it might have somehow been rendered in pen and ink, not unlike the drawings by Mary Shepard that accompanied the original books by Travers when the stories were first published. According to the program, Scenery for Nashville Rep’s production of Mary Poppins has been provided by Music Theatre of Wichita and designed by J. David Branson. When the scrim rises, the interior set pieces of 13 Cherry Tree Lane continue to pay homage to Shepard’s illustrations with corners and shadows created by hashmarks and layering of color. 

For Nashville Rep’s Mary Poppins, has cast Nashville Rep newcomer, Christine McNeal in the title role. Among McNeal’s theatrical credits, a solo show at 54 Below and an international tour as Daphne in Scooby Doo Live. Near the top of the show, upon decided for herself that she’ll be hired by The Banks family to take charge of their young children Jane and Michael, McNeal’s Mary Poppins extols her qualifications in Practically Perfect, the first of many gloriously infectious tunes; some new, some carried over from the Disney film as mentioned above. Under the direction of director Brewer, McNeal is playing the role with a hint more prudent sternness than I’ve seen in the past. The children seem to have a genuine respect for her as their Nanny. That said, McNeal also finds interesting layers in the often single-dimensional character perhaps taking to heart the lyrics from A Spoonful of Sugar, “In ever job that must be done, there is an element of fun. Find the fun and snap! The job’s a game”. McNeal gets the job of portraying Mary Poppins done, but again, to borrow a lyrical phrase…”in the most delightful way”.

The aforementioned Banks family comes to life by way of Geoff Davin as Mr. George Banks, Natalie Rankin as Mrs. Banks and two sets of young actors alternating the roles of the Banks’ offspring and Mary Poppins’ charges, Michael and Jane Banks. At various performances, Jackson Benfield & Danny Davis play Michael, while Mia Blaise Campbell and Sarah Hedrick alternate duties as Jane. The night I saw the show, the children were played by Benfield and Campbell.

Davin as Mr. Banks, has the daunting task of being the family’s business-minded task master. A role he plays to the hilt, balancing a seemingly stern exterior with the deeper love and first priority of his family’s success and happiness. The softer side of Mr. Banks is revealed in Act 1’s lighthearted Cherry Tree Lane and the thoughtful A Man Has Dreams. The latter of which gets a reprise near the end of Act 2. Interestingly, Mr. Banks’ more self deprecating number, Good for Nothing which is in some stage versions that I’ve seen in the past, was absent from this production.

Rankin is fabulous as Banks’ loving wife with a mind of her own. She hold’s her on as wife, mother and lady of the house with an undeniable feistiness. Musically, Rankin’s high point as Winifred Banks comes in the sentimental but telling, Being Mrs. Banks.

As Jane and Michael, Benfield and Campbell light up every scene they’re in, as I’m sure their cohorts do during their alternate appearances. Their interaction with McNeal’s Mary Poppins and the rest of the cast is truly blissful. I particularly enjoyed Benfield and Campbell’s mischievousness regarding their behavior around Gavin’s Mr. Banks. They also seem to genuinely be having a blast as Michael and Jane during many of the show’s familiar moments with Mary and Bert.

Speaking of Bert, the man of many occupations who’s got the inside track on Mary Poppins. Also making his Nashville Rep debut, Jeremy Benton is happiness personified. Having first seen Benton  in the National Tour of Broadway’s Anything Goes, then again in the tour of White Christmas, I’ve known for a while the Tennessee native is an accomplished singer/dancer/actor…a true triple threat. Benton is front and center in many of the evening’s breathtaking dance sequences, as well he should be. Having seen several iterations of the show, both on Broadway, on tour and regional, I was curious if Nashville Rep would present the full Step in Time experience where Bert magically walks up the wall of the proscenium, then proceeds to perform a tap-tastic upside down dance across the ceiling. Indeed they did and Benton is not only gravity-defying, he does this with excitement, energy and an obvious abundance of joy. Y’all! It’s truly one of the most spectacular theatrical moments I’ve ever been witness to in my life. I think because it happens in a theatrical company I have grown to love and being performed by a talent I’ve come to truly admire and consider one of my theatre crushes, just makes it all the more special.

Christine Zimmerman’s choreography crushes it with her faithful nod to original choreography featured in the Broadway show. An Associate Professor of Dance at Ball State, Mary Poppins also marks Zimmerman’s first Nashville Rep show. Yup. She’ll be back.

Special mention has to be made of Katie Bruno, Jonah M. Jackson and Dennis R. Elkins. Bruno and Jackson play The Banks Family’s house staff, Mrs. Brill and Robertson Ay, respectively. These two obviously feed off each other perfectly giving the audience some of the show’s best snark and silliest slapstick physical comedy moments. I always think of character actresses like Mary Wickes and Hermione Baddeley when I see Bruno in a supporting comedic role. Interestingly, both Wickes and Baddeley themselves have ties to Poppins. Wickes played the lead in a 1949 TV adaptation, while Baddeley played the maid in the Disney film. Jackson goes all in for laughs, pratfalls and all leading into and out of one of the show’s most popular numbers, A Spoonful of Sugar.

As for Elkins, who plays Admiral Boom, the Park Keeper and the Bank Chairman, where has this treasure of a character actor been? According to his bio, he’s got more than two decades of theatre experiences in Tennessee, Georgia and Colorado and is currently working with Encore Theatrical Company in Morristown, but I’ve a feeling now that Nashville Rep has featured him in this myriad of charming character roles, each of which he plays to the hilt, Nashville audiences will surely see more of him.

Then there’s the magical unicorn of a talent, Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva. Whitcomb-Oliva pulls triple-duty in Mary Poppins appearing first near the end of Act 1 as Mrs. Corry, then briefly as the Statue of Queen Victoria, and finally as Miss Andrew, George Banks’ own Nanny, three characters created and expended when the musical was adapted for the stage. When Mary takes the children on a walk in the park, they encounter Mrs. Corry, who runs the Talking Shop, a place to buy conversations and gingerbread stars. What? What else pairs well with letters of the alphabet for sale? Come on, it’s Mary Poppins, just go with it. That leads to an all-in moment and another familiar tune, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. With a brightly colored costume and wonderfully whacky wig for Whitcomb-Oliva it’s another moment in the show I dare anyone who sees it to try not to sing and clap along. On that note, as my friend, Bryce and I were walking into the lobby, I ran into Nashville Rep’s Executive Director, Drew Ogle. As we chatted, he mentioned that opening night he, and the cast were surprised when the audience randomly, unanimously erupted into syncopated applause during a couple of the numbers. I guess they’re used to it by now, because the same spontaneous magic happened the night I attended.

While Whitcomb-Oliva’s Mrs. Corry is a hand-clapping delight, it’s her more playfully sinister turn as the strict Miss Andrew that’s simply marvelous. As the darkly-dressed villainous Miss Andrew, complete with a Jane Russell-esque swirl of gray among her severely styled raven-colored wig, Whitcomb-Oliva revels in the role during the lyrically frightful Brimstone and Treacle near the top of Act 2 and again during a good vs. evil mashup of Brimstone and Spoonful with McNeal’s Mary Poppins towards the end of the show.

Speaking of that moment, the larger than life birdcage that (Spoiler Alert!) soon houses Miss Andrew, features a giant version of Mary Poppins’ parrot umbrella topper, complete with winking eye. Gorgeous!

I can’t review Nashville Rep’s Mary Poppins without special mention of Denise Hicks. Hicks, a legend among the Nashville theatre community, plays not only Miss Lark, the puppy-carrying neighbor to the Banks family, but she’s also featured as the Bird Woman, the elderly lady who sells bird seed for “tuppence a bag”. Knowing Hicks was cast in the role, as Bryce and I settled into our seats, I leaned over and told him to avert his glance away from me during the heart-wrenching moment when Hicks’ Bird Woman sings Feed the Birds, and as certain as Mary Poppins comes in on the east wind, when Feed the Birds happened, I was once again thankful that masks are still being required in the theatre because my eyes began to sweat as I sobbed uncontrollably.

As for the technical aspects of the show, musical director and conductor,Randy Craft and the in-house orchestra, Nate Stasser, Ming Aldrich-Gan, Michael Meadows, Brad Williamson, Melodie Chase, Harry Ditzel, Michelle McClary, Robbie Shankle, Matthew Davich, Garen Webb and Casey Brefka do a tremendous job bringing music—familiar and new—to life.

Sound designer Tanner Roman and Lighting designer Mike Wood and every single person involved in this production deserves high praise for the stunningly beautiful job they’ve done. In particular, Nashville Rep’s resident costume goddess, Lori Gann-Smith and her incredible team, who according to a recent  behind-the-scenes post on The Rep’s socials, reveals they constructed a mind-boggling 80 pieces for the show. From Mary Poppins’ signature blue topcoat, flower-festooned black straw hat and ever-present parrot umbrella to her iconic white with red accented Jolly Holiday dress and from Bert’s chimney sweep tattered clothing to his white and red striped jacket and bright white pants park attire and everything in between it’s all there and looking lovelier than ever.

There’s a line in Anything Thing Can Happen, the show’s final number that says, “If you reach for the heavens you get the stars thrown in”. Nashville Rep’s Mary Poppins has certainly done both, reached for and attained heavenly musical theatre status and the show’ is certainly chocked full of stars!

Mary Poppins continues through May 8 at TPAC‘s Polk Theatre. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets or for more information. In case you missed it, CLICK HERE to check out my recent Rapid Fire 20Q when I got the chance last week to chat with Mary Poppins’ stars Christine McNeal, Jeremy Benton, Geoff Davin and Natalie Rankin.

While Mary Poppins marks the end of Nashville Rep’s current season, they’ll be back with their 22-23 Season in the fall starting with RENT September 16-25, The Cake October 21-30, Elf: The Musical December 21-January 1, August Wilson’s Fences March 3-5, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time March 24-April 2 and Violet May 12-21. Season Tickets just went on sale earlier this week. CLICK HERE to purchase Season Tickets or for more info. Check out Nashville Rep online HERE and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube 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!

Studio Tenn’s much anticipated season closer, Camelot opens Thursday, May 5 and runs through Sunday, May 15 at the theatre’s home stage, Jamison Hall at The Factory in Franklin. As the company prepared for Opening Night, I had the opportunity to chat with four members of the cast for the latest installment of my recurring interview feature, Rapid Fire 20 Q. In conversation this time, I’m putting the spotlight on Brian Gligor, who plays King Arthur, his Guenevere, Steffanie Leigh, her other on-stage love interest, Bryce Dunn, as Lancelot, and Abram Guice, who plays troublesome Mordred.

RAPID FIRE Q&A WITH BRIAN GLIGOR, KING ARTHUR IN STUDO TENN’s CAMELOT

JHPENTERTAINMENT: What’s your favorite character trait—whether good or not so good—about King Arthur?

BRIAN GLIGOR: What most strikes me about King Arthur is his compassion for individuals from all walks of life. The  brilliance in the lore of King Arthur is that he wasn’t born into a royal family. He grew up a peasant, serving as a page to his cousin, and only became King because of the miracle that took place when he removed Excalibur from the stone. Because of this, he understands both the life of a peasant and that of royalty, and he embarks on creating a new order of chivalry where the powerful use their advantages to help those who are less fortunate. His tale is the birth of democracy. His Achilles Heel is that his broad ideals don’t function the same in his personal life.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: This isn’t exactly your first time at The Round Table, having appeared in the 2014 production of Monty Python’s Spamalot at UT Knoxville’s Clarence Brown Theatre where you played Galahad. So, a two-parter….First, Do you think  the bawdiness of Spamalot has helped bring a little more fun to your portrayal as Arthur? And…Second,….stay with me here…Speaking of the Clarence Brown, among your many shows there, you also shared the stage with the inimitable Carol Mayo Jenkins as recently as 2019 during her triumphant turn as Aurelie, the titular role in Madwoman of Chaillot. Totally a selfish question as I’ve adored her since I was a kid and have gotten to know her in recent years. What’s it like to share the stage with her?

BRIAN GLIGOR: Ooooh Yes. I grew up watching Monty Python’s The Holy Grail on repeat, and the Clarence Brown Theatre’s production of Spamalot was outstanding. King Arthur’s tale is of course much more profound in Camelot than in Spamalot, but I approached the mythos and lore of King Arthur much more comically, and I like to think Lerner & Loewe would have approved.

Camelot is a Musical Comedy, but like many in its day this musical mixes larger themes into the narrative. There is a quote from the French theatre-maker Molière that I love: “the duty of comedy is to correct men by amusing them.” I hope the comedy in our show helps engage our audience with its broader themes.

As for Carol, I have had the immense fortune to share the stage with Carol Mayo Jenkins in four productions, and I credit her for teaching me how to handle heightened text. She is a master at this art-form, and I was her student in my graduate studies at the University of Tennessee. She was relentless, and I think I’d make her proud in Camelot. I am extremely grateful for my time with her as a student and as a co-star. Yes, watching her as Aurelie in Madwoman of Chaillot was incredible, but a highlight of my career was playing Charles with Jenkins as Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit. That’s where we really got to make some magic happen together.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: On the subject of working with others, Studio Tenn’s production of Camelot is directed by Phil McKinley, whose directorial credits range from Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus to The Boy From Oz and Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. What’s something unexpected director Phil McKinley has encouraged from you in the role of King Arthur?

BRIAN GLIGOR: I continue to find movement as a profound skill for storytelling on stage. I have studied Suzuki, Corporeal Mime, Viewpoints, and many other movement practices to cleanly and clearly tell stories physicality. Phil and I absolutely connect on this front. We’ve been sharing clips of movement pieces that inspire us. I’ve built much of the Royal formality you’ll see in our show from his expertise with movement and my experience with corporeal mime.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: While prepping questions for these conversations I rewatched the 1967 Richard Harris/Vanessa Redgrave film adaptation. Early on in the film, when Arthur first sees Guenevere, while telling her about Merlin, he say, “He doesn’t age, he youthes”, further explaining that he can see the future and tell you what you’ll do in it. If you could have the ability to do the same, would you? 

BRIAN GLIGOR: That isn’t in this story of Camelot. Merlin can’t see the future, but he does express to Arthur that whatever choice Arthur makes is the right choice. Arthur’s choice is the new reality. Arthur is King, so it is definitely the new reality! 

I ultimately agree with the sentiment, which I see as a commitment to whatever ideal you put in place at a young age. Stay focused on that. Point your arrow in that direction. There are many references in Camelot about finding your path. Find your path.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Arthur also reveals to Guenevere that Merlin would change him into animals to teach him various lessons. If you could be any animal what would it be and why?

BRIAN GLIGOR: Merlin often turns Arthur into a hawk. Oddly that seems very right for me. I’d like to say “turn me into a Labrador,” but I think really I’m a hawk.  They seem peaceful up there, aloft, free, and yet very aware. And they’ll get you if they want to.

RAPID FIRE Q&A WITH STEFFANIE LEIGH, GUENEVERE IN STUDIO TENN’s CAMELOT

JHPENTERTAINMENT: First of all, I have to say how lovely to have met you out and about here in Nashville at our mutual friend Curtis Reed’s cabaret show. If you had to describe Lady Guenevere in five words, and I guess since I’m asking you to, you do…what would they be?

STEFFANIE LEIGH: It was lovely to meet you as well! Guen in five words… I would say vivacious, fiery, naive, an exhibitionist, and carefree. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Having been on Broadway, both as the lead in Mary Poppins and in the company of War Paint starring Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole, I gotta ask…What’s among your favorite memories of those shows and your time in them?

STEFFANIE LEIGH: Ah, so many amazing memories! Mary was my Broadway debut, and I will never forget flying over the audience at the end of the show, looking down, making eye contact with my parents, and immediately welling up. And of course, in War Paint, getting to watch two musical theatre legends leaving their hearts out on the stage every night (and then grabbing the occasional drink with them after) was an opportunity I never dreamed I would be lucky enough to have. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Though she is betrothed to King Arthur, Guenevere falls for Sir Lancelot. To that end, as Guenevere, you’ve got not one, but two leading men. Brian Gligor as Arthur and Bryce Dunn as Lancelot. What’s your favorite aspect of sharing the stage with each of them?

STEFFANIE LEIGH: Yeah, I’m one lucky lady! It is so fun to get to tell this story with both of these actors. Brian brings such a unique blend of warmth, vulnerability, and strength to his portrayal of Arthur that is absolutely riveting to watch, and Bryce has this striking purity that effortlessly emanates from him. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Camelot, thanks largely to this show, and of course Jacqueline Kennedy’s use of the term to describe her late husband’s presidency and their relationship, has come to mean an idyllic existence. To that end, what is your real-life Camelot?

STEFFANIE LEIGH: I suppose it would be an existence where everyone truly realized and valued their own individuality. An existence devoid of competing to be the “better than“ and needing to prove oneself, and instead honored the beautiful uniqueness that everyone has to offer. I know, it sound very pie in the sky, but I guess that is what ideals are for. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: As Guenevere, your costumes must be simply divine. Neno Russell and Lauren Roark are the show’s Costumer Designers. What can you tell me about Guenevere’s various looks?

STEFFANIE LEIGH: Neno and Lauren have done such an incredible job with the design of this show. Because our version of Camelot does not include the actors leaving the stage very often for “normal costume changes,” they have created looks that layer together and convert onstage in front of your very eyes. It’s pretty genius! And I get to live out my full feminine, medieval, royal, Game of Thrones dreams in these beautiful clothes every night! 

RAPID FIRE Q&A WITH BRYCE DUNN, LANCELOT IN STUDIO TENN’S CAMELOT

JHPENTERTAINMENT: What can you tell me about Lancelot?

BRYCE DUNN: Lancelot is an archetype of chivalry itself. He is both pious and courageous, as well as the ultimate hero. At the show’s beginning, Lancelot views himself as a sort of warrior monk. He would consider himself a consecrated virgin and defender of Christendom. However, Lancelot must come to grips with his humanity when he is bewitched by the beautiful Guinevere and finds himself in the middle of an illicit affair. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: As Lancelot, you not only have an affair with Guenevere, but you also defend her honor. To that end, Eric Pasto-Crosby is the show’s Fight Choreographer. Can you speak a little about the process of staging as it relates to the fight scenes?

BRYCE DUNN: The fight scenes are the stuff I dreamed of as a boy, swords clanging, saving damsels in distress. It’s like I’m dreaming. And yet, the fight scenes are challenging, both in skill and physical demand. I’m sure these moments will not disappoint our audience. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Studio Tenn has been promoting the show, as directed by Phil McKinley, as a reimagining and different from previous productions of the Lerner and Loewe classic. You yourself are relatively young, so I have to ask…How familiar were you with the source material prior to joining the cast?

BRYCE DUNN: I have loved the Arthurian Romances, beginning with reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in high school. I adore the score for this show! My favorite piece of Arthurian Literature is The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Lancelot takes the lead on two of the show’s many beloved tunes, C’est Moi and If Ever I Would Leave You. What’s it like taking on such classic show tunes?

BRYCE DUNN: Certainly, there are some big shoes to fill with the legacy of Robert Goulet, but I am very excited about the challenge and hope the audience will be pleased with my work. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Are there any themes within Camelot that you think you’ll take with you once the show wraps?

BRYCE DUNN: I look at Camelot (particularly this production) within the tradition of Tragedy. The most prevalent theme that I have found in Camelot is the duty of the state to hold society together amid the dangers of human frailty. 

RAPID FIRE Q&A WITH ABRAM GUICE, MORDRED IN STUDIO TENN’s CAMELOT

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Who is Mordred as you see him?

ABRAM GUICE: At the end of the day, Mordred a child who has been abused. There are many different iterations of these characters, and this one I feel is the most fun.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Researching to chat with you, I discovered you have been in a number of shows at Act Too Players, the youth theatre company overseen by the fabulous Sondra Morton. How has your time with Act Too prepared you for being amongst the cast of Studio Tenn’s Camelot?

ABRAM GUICE: Yes, it definitely has. I wouldn’t be doing any of this if it weren’t for them. They gave me the confidence to be the performer I am today, and are truly my family. They taught me almost everything I know about the stage. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: As Mordred, you take center stage during the show’s second act, especially during The Seven Deadly Virtues. What can you tell me about this musical moment and the show as a whole, as choreographed by Everett Tarlton?

ABRAM GUICE: It is so much fun! Everett is a king, and truly the best at what he does.  The movement and dance in our version is nothing like you’ve seen before in any production of Camelot. It really keeps the audience as well as the actors as entertained and engaged as possible. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Many people’s first introduction to King Arthur was by way of  T. H. White’s The Once and Future King. For me, it was an old Disney animated movie, The Sword and the Stone. What was yours?

ABRAM GUICE: Initially it was the T.V show Merlin, but after that I fell down a rabbit whole of studying Arthurian Legend all throughout high school. Some was just for fun, and some was to write mini skits or short stories to try and create in my film class. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Camelot first opened on Broadway in 1960. Some sixty two years later, what is it about this story and these characters that still enthralls actors and audiences alike?

ABRAM GUICE: To me, it’s the history. I mean, almost every kid at once in their life wanted to be a warrior or knight, and the idea of King Arthur’s Round Table always kept that alive for me. These Arthurian Legends have been around for a very long time, and it’s hope that they aren’t going anywhere. 

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Studio Tenn‘s Camelot opens at Jamison Hall in The Factory at Franklin on Thursday, May 5 at 7p.m. and continues through Sunday, May 15. For all dates, showtimes and to purchase tickets, CLICK HERE.

Following Camelot, Studio Tenn will once again join forces with TPAC to present a Second Season of their hugely popular Cabaret On Stage series, featuring four intimate evenings at TPAC’s Jackson Hall. First, on July 2 it’s award-winning actor and multi-platinum recording artist, Sam Harris (The Life, The Producers) with composer/pianist/theatrical producer, John McDaniel (Daytime TV’s The Rosie O’Donnell Show, Broadway’s 1999 Annie Get Your Gun revival and Patti LuPone Live!). On August 20, Emmy Award-winning actress and recording artist Liz Callaway (Boston TV’s Ready to Go and Broadway’s Merrily We Roll Along, Baby, CATS) and Broadway, television and film actor Jason Graae (A Grand Night For Singing, Falsettos, Wicked) take the stage together. Next up, on September 10, it’s the incomparable Emmy and Tony-winning actress and singer, Kristin Chenoweth (TV’s Pushing Daisies, Schmigadoon! and Broadway’s Wicked, You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown). Rounding out the series on October 15, four-time Tony nominated actress/singer Judy Kuhn (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Les Misérables, She Loves Me, Fun Home), who also sang the title role in Disney’s animated modern classic, Pocahontas, will be joined by the aforementioned John McDaniel.

For ticket to these special performances, as well as Studio Tenn’s upcoming 2022/2023 season announcement, be sure to check out Studio Tenn online at StudioTenn.com or on social media at Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

As always, if you’re interested in coverage for your latest entertaining endeavor? Click the contact page and drop me a note. You can also follow JHP Entertainment on Instagram and Facebook. Till then, #GoSeeTheShow.

In 2019, Daniel Fish’s bold new interpretation of the musical theatre classic Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! debuted on Broadway. Later that year the show won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. In October of 2021, casting for the National Tour was announced alongside tour dates across the US from November 2021 through October 2022. Just last week, as Oklahoma! prepares for their Music City debut on stage at TPAC’s Jackson Hall with shows Tuesday May 3 through Sunday, May 8, I got the chance to pose a few questions to cast members Benj Mirman and Christopher Bannow for the latest installment of my recurring interview feature, Rapid Fire 20Q.

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RAPID FIRE Q&A WITH BENJ MIRMAN, ALI HAKIM IN OKLAHOMA

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Who is Ali Hakim to you?

BENJ MIRMAN:  A simple man.  He loves the ladies, loves to make money and, perhaps unexpectedly, loves to dance. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Being part of the tour must feel like a bit of a full-circle moment for you, given the fact you played Ali Hakim in the 2015 workshop  of director Daniel Fish’s Oklahoma that preceded this iteration’s Broadway run. Has your Ali changed, first from the original source material then to the 2015 presentation and on to Broadway and the tour?

BENJ MIRMAN: The 2015 Bard production was very much a full production but it’s been a joy to see how much our director, Daniel Fish, has really dug into his ideas.  Choices that were bold in 2015 are all the more bolder and clearer now in our touring production.  I’ve changed (and hopefully grown!) a lot as a person and actor since 2015, but Ali Hakim has always been the same Ali Hakim.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: When first presented at Bard College’s Fisher Center and then on Broadway at Circle in the Square, scenic designer Laura Jellinek’s set truly incorporated the audience into the action. By nature of the venues hosting the National Tour, the proximity between the actors and the audience isn’t physically possible. How has that challenge been addressed?

BENJ MIRMAN:  It’s quite different, that’s for sure.  I think one of the gifts of the proscenium is that the audience really has a chance to take in everything, all at once.  Certainly the physical intimacy between actor and audience has changed, but my hope is that the intimacy of the production as a whole remains intact. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: From what I understand, this is your first National Tour. What’s the best aspect of being on the road?

BENJ MIRMAN: It’s a thrill to eat and drink my way through these new cities. I’m a tour newbie, so I’m surely doing some part of this experience “wrong”, but I’m having a great time just wandering around new places.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: As the world seems to be getting back to pre-pandemic normalcy, are there things you hope to do or see while on tour across the country?

BENJ MIRMAN:  I would love to go see more performances while we are on the road (specifically live music but open to all!).  The COVID anxiety of being at small venues that don’t necessarily have COVID protocols in place can be a bit stressful with our testing regimen.  I look forward to that worry going away!

JHPENTERTAINMENT: If you could step into another role, even if just for one night, and regardless of whether you fit the type or not, what character would it be and why?

BENJ MIRMAN:  I’m not qualified for a variety of reasons, but it’s Curly for me.  I’m a sucker for all the songs he sings (and the cue to the green lights in “Surrey…”).  I couldn’t hold a candle to my good pal Sean Grandillo, but maybe he could teach me a couple guitar chords just for fun.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: As far as Broadway National Tours go, the company of Oklahoma is relatively small. Has that enabled a better sense of family amongst the cast while preparing for the tour and now that you’re on the road?

BENJ MIRMAN:  I’m very grateful that our group is so small.  It really does feel like this rag tag, motley crew.  I’ve been able to spend quality time with the vast majority of our company and I’m not sure that would’ve been the case if there were 30 of us. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Ali Hakim takes the lead on It’s a Scandal! It’s a Outrage! lamenting Ali’s predicament of being forced into marriage. Grammatical titular error aside, what’s your favorite aspect of performing in this particular number?

BENJ MIRMAN:  Somewhere on the internet, there’s a linguistics podcast discussing the title of the song…not sure what it’s called but it’s out there.  I love connecting with both the audience and my castmates during the song, really trying to find someone who truly understands Ali’s frustration and plight. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Speaking of Ali’s proposed pending intended, who much fun are you having sharing scenes with Sis as Ado Annie Carnes?

BENJ MIRMAN:  I’m having a wonderful time.  One of the strengths of this production is we are all encouraged to bring ourselves to our roles and that means that Ado Annie is strong, funny, opinionated and not a pushover.  We have good fun up there. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Is there a message, or an idea within the context of this update of Oklahoma that you hope audiences remember long after the wind has swept down the plain?

BENJ MIRMAN: It’s okay to leave the theater asking questions and it’s okay to be uncomfortable with what’s happening in front of you. 

RAPID FIRE Q&A WITH CHRISTOPHER BANNOW, JUD FRY IN OKLAHOMA

JHPENTERTAINMENT: You play Jud in the National Tour of director Daniel Fish’s boldly reimagined Oklahoma. Who is Jud Fry?
CHRISTOPHER BANNOW: He’s the poorest person on stage, and he’s an employee. He works as a farmhand, he lives in a smokehouse on the farm, he’s been working hard day and night for two years, and he just wants to be with Laurey and finally have a meaningful relationship in his life. He wants his life to have some meaning, and the action of the play shows what happens to him when he tries to make that a reality.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Prior to being cast as Jud in the tour, you appeared in the Tony-winning Broadway revival understudying a multitude of roles, including Jud. Now that you’ve taken on the role full-time, are their nuances of the character that you’ve discovered or now elaborate on?
CHRISTOPHER BANNOW: Yeah it’s been a gift to have both perspectives. There’s so much I was able to learn watching Patrick Vaill do it on Broadway. Watching him change and grow in the role from the outside really gave me a solid foundation to work from. It supplied me with a bunch of options that I knew worked. And being on the inside now, I’m able to marry some of those options with things I’ve found organically. I’ve been interested recently in Jud’s lack of action in the show. He asks Laurey to go to the Box Social, he tries to bid on her hamper, and then the play takes a turn. But before that, for the first 2/3rds of the show, he really is doing nothing wrong. The way that the other characters treat him in those first 2/3rds, the harshness they treat him with, really is not congruent with his actions. So feeling those first 2/3rds of the play catalyze the final 1/3rd has been a recent discovery.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: You made your Broadway debut in the 2014 revival of The Elephant Man which starred Bradley Cooper and Patricia Clarkson. What do you remember about the first time you stepped out onto the Broadway stage?
CHRISTOPHER BANNOW: I remember being backstage with Bradley, we both entered from the same place more or less. And for his first entrance he was shirtless and wearing rags and basically had a bag over his head, but there we were, just so excited, he and I were equally pumped,, and we were both just geeking out together at how cool this moment in time was. And when I entered the stage and I saw all those bodies crammed so closely together and the energy of a sold out house on Broadway, I felt like I was where I was supposed to be.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: While your career focus has been on stage as of late, you also have experience behind the scenes, having assistant directed a couple of productions during your undergrad years at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts. Do you think your experiences behind the scenes have helped your performance on stage?

CHRISTOPHER BANNOW: Most definitely. At BU I assistant directed, and then at Yale I directed two or three productions. I really love that side of it, and who knows maybe that will be a bigger part of my life at some point. But absolutely, understanding the needs of a director is a huge asset for an actor. The director needs to figure out how to tell the story, so that an audience can receive it as fully as possible. There are 1,000’s of options within any given play, and the job of the director and actor is to figure out which version of the story both parties find most compelling. If you can help the director do that, you become sort of a VIP and people will want to have you in the room.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: As you mentioned you followed your BFA at Boston with an MFA from Yale School of Drama. Among your coursework there, you studied Speech/Dialect and Stage Combat. I’m guessing both those classes are coming in pretty handy in your current role as Jud?

CHRISTOPHER BANNOW: You know I’ve never fired a gun in real life, and probably never will. But onstage I have fired many firearms, I’ve punched so many people, I’ve had a couple of duels, and I’ve been thrown around like a paper doll. Rick Sordelet works nonstop over the country and he was our Stage Combat teacher and I really value the time I had with him there. And speech work is so important, and although I don’t warm up as much as I should I still have recordings from speech guru Beth McGuire from 2nd year at Yale that I play every now and then to keep in shape.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: As Jud, you share several scenes with Sasha Hutchings’ Laurey, who was also part of the Broadway production. What’s the best thing about Sasha as a scene partner?
CHRISTOPHER BANNOW: Sasha is the definition of a professional. She shows up every night and never holds back and is always in pursuit of the best possible version of the show. We both understudied on Broadway and so we know that these roles are a huge responsibility and a privilege to be trusted with, and it can’t be taken for granted. She’s really wonderful. Everyone should hire her.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: While Jud is enamored by Laurey, he’s hindered by Curley, played by Sean Gandillo. The two of you are featured in the show’s most volatile scenes. How do you prepare for the gravity of those scenes night after night?
CHRISTOPHER BANNOW: You know a lot of that has to do with our trust in each other. I enter the stage at the very top of the show and listen for about an hour before Sean and I start going in our scene. It’s a huge gift for me that I can be fully present in everything else that is happening on stage and then instantly when Sean and I make eye contact we begin. There’s no prep or warning, there’s no run up. We both take a breath and see where the scene takes us every night. And when we exit we always give each other a little hug. I super appreciate his willingness to be vulnerable with such heavy material.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Speaking of Curley. Near the end of Act 1, Curley comes up with an interesting way to eliminate his competition as laid out in Poor Jud is Daid. What’s your favorite aspect of this particular number?
CHRISTOPHER BANNOW: Mmm yeah. Well for anyone who sees the show they’ll know that it’s both a very private and very public moment. My job every night is to stay grounded in the privateness of it, the intimacy of it, and listen to Sean and be present with him. It’s easier said than done but I love the challenge of it.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Jud’s main musical moment comes with Lonely Room. The revival’s musical arranger, Daniel Kluger’s work during this number is among my favorite in the show as it seamlessly transitions from melancholy to angst-ridden determination. Is there a particular musical moment—your’s or someone else’s—that you truly love hearing each performance?

CHRISTOPHER BANNOW: Yeah I really love Lonely Room too, I never get tired of going through that journey. But in addition to that moment I really love hearing the entire cast (sans me) sing Oklahoma the first time. I’m the only one offstage and I can’t really see what’s happening but I can hear everyone’s voices and the blending of melodies and the energy as it ramps up and the true celebration of the moment that really shines through in that song. This cast really sounds good together and it’s a joy to get to be on the receiving end.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Is there a message, a vibe or a feeling you hope audiences take with them after seeing Oklahoma?
CHRISTOPHER BANNOW: The vibe I hope you take away is Rodgers and Hammerstein meets America 2022 meets You.

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Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! premieres in Nashville at TPAC’s Jackson Hall Tuesday, May 3 with performances thru Sunday, May 8. CLICK HERE for tickets.

Not in Nashville? Oklahoma! continues its North American Tour with dates across the US through the fall. CLICK HERE for show dates and locations or follow Oklahoma! on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For more from Benj Mirman and Christopher Bannow check out their Instas.

As for TPAC, next up is the World Premiere presentation of May We All: A New Country Musical, June 7-July 17. Be sure to check out TPAC online and on socials by clicking any of the following:  TPAC.org, TPAC on Instagram, TPAC on Facebook, TPAC on Twitter and TPAC on YouTube.

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!

Earlier this week, while the cast of Nashville Repertory Theatre‘s Mary Poppins was in the midst of their final rehearsal before opening night Thursday, April 28, four of the show’s leads were gracious enough to take time out of their busy schedules to take part in my latest Rapid Fire 20 Q. Up first, it’s Mary Poppins herself, Christine McNeal. I followed my conversation with Christine by chatting with Jeremy Benton, who’s playing Bert. After chatting with Christine and Bert, it was time to pose a few questions to  Mr. and Mrs. Banks, Geoff Davin and Natalie Rankin. 

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RAPID FIRE Q&A WITH MARY POPPINS STAR, CHRISTINE MCNEAL

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Other than the obvious Practically Perfect response, what is it about Mary Poppins that drew you to this role?

CHRISTINE McNEAL: I have adored Julie Andrews and the movie Mary Poppins ever since I can remember. So, that was the beginning of my love with the role, but then that love grew. She is loving, direct, confident, quick witted, AND she sings and dances. Mary is such a complex character, especially once you dive into the books and other resources and it has been one of the great honors of my life to get to know her so well. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: This also marks your Nashville Rep debut. They’ve long been one of my favorite local theatre companies. What’s been the most surprising aspect of working with this company?

CHRISTINE McNEAL:  It has been such an absolute joy working with the Nashville Rep. The theatre community in Nashville is very new to me, so I came in not quite knowing what to expect, but it has been such a delight. I think the biggest thing that has stuck out to me is the instant sense of community. We went through the beginning of covid together, and everyone had everyone’s back throughout this whole process. I feel always seen and heard by them, and I see them doing that for all the cast and crew members. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: While this is your first time portraying the role of Mary Poppins, this isn’t your first time being part of the show, having appeared as an ensemble member in a couple of summer stock productions in Georgia in 2014 and in Idaho in 2015. How exciting is it for your to now be front and center portraying one of the most beloved characters of stage, screen and the page?

CHRISTINE McNEAL: It is truly a dream come true to be playing Mary, and I have to pinch myself nearly every day. I so admired the actresses that I saw play the role in those productions I was in, and I felt like that was invaluable prep for auditioning for this production. It feels like the biggest honor as well because this story, character, and the music are so beloved to many people out there. I just want to do Mary justice for them. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: While there are certain iconic looks, thanks to Disney’s original 1964 film adaptations, I’d image the show’s costumer, Lori-Gann Smith is putting her own touch of magic to the costumes. What’s your favorite look, your’s or any other cast member’s in this production?

CHRISTINE McNEAL: Ooo yes, the costumes are some of my favorite parts! I love that there are nods to some of the film looks that people will recognize and be excited by, but there are also surprises that the audience will love too. There is a blue skirt suit that Mary wears that feels very iconic and fresh at the same time, and I just adore the whole outfit. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Can’t chat with Mary Poppins without asking about the aerial effects. Can you tell me a little about that?

CHRISTINE McNEAL: Yes! This is my first time flying in a show, and it has been very exciting. I thought it would feel a bit scarier at first, but it has been a lot of fun. We just had our first dress rehearsal with the flying, and that really made the magic come alive for me. I think that the audience is going to be absolutely thrilled with all of the aerial surprises in this show, and I cannot wait to feel that joy alongside them. 

RAPID FIRE Q&A WITH JEREMY BENTON, BERT IN MARY POPPINS

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Alright, you gotta know you’re one of my Theatre Crushes. I first saw you alongside Rachel York in the National Tour of Anything Goes, then again in my all time favorite Christmas musical, White Christmas. Now you’re Bert in Nashville Rep’s Mary Poppins. From what I understand this is your first show with Nashville Rep. How’s it going so far?

JEREMY BENTON:  Oh gosh, ha, well, thank you!  I feel SO lucky to have gotten a chance to not only play some of my “bucket list” roles, but that I got to tour through TPAC while playing those roles! And yes indeed, this is my very first show with Nashville Rep.  I am absolutely thrilled that they trusted me with the role. It’s a dream role, and one of those movie roles made iconic by another song-and-dance hero of mine, the incomparable Dick Van Dyke. When I met with Drew Ogle and Micah-Shane Brewer about the possibility of making this happen, I knew right away that I’d love working with them and the incredible cast/crew/and team that they’d assembled.  The talent is absolutely top notch, the management crew is dedicated and fearless, the crew is ferociously attentive to detail and safety, and the design/creative team is absolutely dreamy.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: While it’s your first time with Nashville Rep, it’s not your first time playing Bert, having played him in back in 2015. Any nuances of this portrayal of Bert that you’ve honed under the direction of Micah-Shane Brewer, who’s directing Nashville Rep’s production?

JEREMY BENTON: Absolutely!  First of all, I was allowed to come in about 2 weeks late into the rehearsal process due to me being in an industry workshop of the new play Merman: A Backwards Tale About Ethel in NYC. To say that I was appreciative of this allowance would be the understatement of the year, haha. Upon arriving late to the process, I jumped right in and hit the ground running. (MUCH to the credit of some extra rehearsals with our fabulous dance captain, Ray Gleaves, and my superstar understudy, Mike Sallee). After a few stumble throughs of each act, Micah-Shane had some really insightful notes for me about Bert’s role in the play, some layers of character that really help with gluing the evening together, but most of all, he allows us as actors to “Sure!  Try it. Let’s play with it and see where it leads”… These words are pure gold for actors.  Feeling the freedom to explore, but knowing that it will be shaped by a director that thoroughly understand the play is one of the best feelings to have during rehearsals.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: In addition to the aforementioned roles, you’ve also played Don Lockwood, the Gene Kelly role in Singin’ in the Rain and Fred Astaire in Backwards in High Heels…Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and Dick Van Dyke…they’re some sort of Holy Trinity of Musical Theatre Dance, right? How’s it feel to continue the tradition on stage as you dance your way into the hearts of audiences night after night?

JEREMY BENTON: Let’s not forget Bob Hope in the musical about James Cagney titled Top Of The World! Haha! (A lot of folks don’t know that Mr. Hope was also a top notch song-and-dance man himself).  Yes, there does seem to be a theme to my career: playing the Old Hollywood song-and-dance movie stars of yesteryear, or at least the roles they made famous on film. Fred, Gene, Dick, Bob, Donald O’Conner, Ray Bolger.. yes, definitely a theme! To be honest, I do take it as a sort of responsibility… to always honor the genius and memory of these icons. But at the same time, not to “imitate”. I always describe it as finding the essence of them, or their performance, and then sprinkling that on top of a performance from me that comes from a very honest place.  I also try to remember and recapture that feeling of joy and awe that I had as a little kid, watching these movies for the first time.  My theory is that if I’m finding and sharing my own joy, the audience more than likely will always come along with me.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: While preparing to chat with you, I fell own a rabbit hole of Mary Poppins conspiracy theories…you read that right…among my favorites, conspiracies that Mary was Bert’s Nanny when he was a boy. Thoughts?

JEREMY BENTON: WHAT?! Oh my gosh, I had not heard that one!  Well, that adds quite a few “layers to the onion” as we say in showbiz, haha! 😆

JHPENTERTAINMENT: You know I could do an entire Rapid Fire 20Q with you, but alas, I’ve got a couple more of your cast members to chat with for the remainder of my questions, so I’ll leave you with this…What aspect of Bert’s personality would you like to adapt to your own life?

JEREMY BENTON: This is such a great question.  You know, it’s actually close to something I’ve already been thinking about, and noticed about this role that, in a few ways, parallels my actually life and outlook these days.  My sister has four kids, making me Uncle Jeremy of two nieces and two nephews.  While running a few scenes with the kids in our show, I felt that “Uncle Energy”, ha. You know what I mean?  I find that, in a way, playing Bert feels quite similar to being an uncle.  A quirky, song-and-dance uncle, but an uncle none the less.  And the role of Bert reminds me of an important mission that I am forever working towards:  protecting, listening to, and breathing life into my own inner child.  Bert as a character does this effortlessly.  In that aspect, I’m sort of envious of him.  But playing him onstage is like going to the “inner child” gym.  It strengthens those “play” muscles, and Bert’s outlook is a bit infectious.  I hope it stays with me a long time after Mary Poppins closes.

RAPID FIRE Q&A WITH GEOFFREY DAVIN, MR. BANKS IN MARY POPPINS

JHPENTERTAINMENT: I just finished chatting with Christine and Jeremy, both of whom are making their Nashville Rep debut in this production. You however, are no doubt familiar to Nashville Rep audiences, having appeared in a handful of shows throughout the last decade, most recently in Ragtime, their return to live theatre post-shutdown. What’s it like to be back again and now playing Mr. Banks?

GEOFF DAVIN: Well of course this was the show that we were working on back in 2020 when Covid shut everything down. So this show was definitely unfinished business for many of us. It was very much like a reunion coming back in on that first day of rehearsal. And I truly can’t wait to share it with the Nashville community. It’s a magical piece. And I think we all need a little magic in our lives right now.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: As Mr. Banks, you’re among the show’s characters who undergoes a bit of a transformation in attitudes. How gratifying as an actor is a role like this?

GEOFF DAVIN: I am very grateful for the chance to play this role. And actually, in many ways, I understand George more now than I did back in 2020. So it’s actually quite cathartic to get to take this journey and be reminded each day of what’s truly important in life.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Many Mary Poppins fans no doubt likely associate Mr. Banks with Brit-born character actor, David Tomlinson who portrayed him in the 1964 Disney film adaptation. How are you making the role your own?

GEOFF DAVIN: I haven’t seen the film since I was a child. So I purposely have not rewatched it. But my goal with any character that has already been defined by another actor’s performance is to honor the essence of it while throwing out the details of that actor’s portrayal. Even when you think you know a character, it’s important to always start by searching for their truth and approach the character with compassion and understanding…never judgement. And in doing so, I trust that my lens is going to be different than Mr. Tomlinson’s lens. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Quite often, the actor portraying Mr. Banks also appears throughout the show in a variety of other smaller roles. Is that the cast with this production?

GEOFF DAVIN: I actually didn’t know that. That surprises me. I can’t picture how he would be able to do that. But no, that is not the case here. I am only Mr. Banks. 

JHPENTERTAINMENT: As Mr. Banks, you share many scenes with the Missus, Mrs. Banks, played by Natalie Rankin. Since I’m about to chat with Natalie, How has it been to have her as a scene partner?

GEOFF DAVIN: While George and Winifred’s relationship is struggling, they do ultimately love each other. So as an actor, when your character has to love another character, it’s your job to make a connection with that actor and to make yourself emotionally vulnerable to that person. And I hate to say it, but that’s not always easy to do. But fortunately, Natalie makes it incredibly easy. She is just the loveliest human being and always brings such a great energy to the rehearsal room. So I’m very grateful for that.

RAPID FIRE Q&A WITH NATALIE RANKIN, MRS. BANKS IN MARY POPPINS

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Much like Bert, who’s been a chimney sweep, a one-man band, a sidewalk chalk artist, and a kite salesman, Winifred Banks, at least in all the incarnations from books to film to musical has been a suffragette, a socialite, a mom and an actress. Aside from actress, what’s your life resume look like?

NATALIE RANKIN: What a great question! Aside from Actress, my life roles have included Barista, Nanny, and Yogi – and most recently have shifted to Vocal Coach, Plant Lady, and Wife.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: OK, I gotta admit, while I do indeed enjoy Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (and yes, I typed that out with absolutely NO spellcheck or autocorrect), two of my favorite moments in the show are Feed The Birds and your solo, Being Mrs. Banks. What are your favorite moments in the show, whether you’re involved or not?

NATALIE RANKIN: This is a tough one! Those are some of my favorite moments, as well. They capture the range and heart of this whole story so well. My favorite moment to be a part of is the scene when we sing Anything Can Happen. Mary and the children sing to encourage Winifred to be bold and strong in a world where women aren’t really allowed to be so. As Winifred, I get to see, in action, the perspective and empowerment that Mary Poppins has instilled in my children, and as Natalie, I am offered a beautiful, rhyming pep talk from Christine McNeal Toole and whichever pair of awesome young people is playing Michael and Jane that night (shout out to my pals Mia Blaise, Jackson, Sarah, and Danny) – like, what a treat! My favorite moment to watch from the wings is Jolly Holiday, for sure. Every aspect of that number is absolute magic: Christie’s choreography, Lori’s swirly, twirly dress designs, and our incredible ensemble come together so deliciously, and I just get to bask in their glow and sing along!

JHPENTERTAINMENT: When I chatted with Geoff, I asked him about sharing the stage with you as a scene partner, so it’s only fair I ask you how he rates as an on-stage spouse?

NATALIE RANKIN: Oh, he is excellent! In Geoff Davin, I have not only a fabulous scene partner, but a real friend, and a fellow artist to bounce ideas with. Working with him to create our George and Winnie has been so much fun. He makes it so easy to become Winifred! There are many moments where she shows compassion and concern for a troubled George, and all I have to do is imagine how I would console or comfort Geoff in real life. Piece of cake.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: When I spoke with Geoff, I also mentioned that his character likely goes through the biggest transformation, in the way the think of themselves and the world around them, but the more I think of it, Mrs. Banks also has a bit of an internal awakening. Can you tell me a little about how you approach the characters growth in the context of how she feels about herself and her role in life?

NATALIE RANKIN: Of course! Like you, the more I’ve thought about and gotten to know Winifred, the more clearly I’ve seen her story’s arc. I’ll be honest – since I am not a mother myself, in our first few rehearsals, I felt like a total fraud. How could I possibly represent this person if I don’t have children of my own? On top of that, as an actor whose projects have been limited for the last couple years thanks to a global pandemic, I felt rusty. I felt awkward and phony, and like I was doing everything wrong. One day, it clicked in my mind that, for most of this play, Winifred is also feeling awkward and phony and like she’s doing everything wrong. So I started to empathize with her, and in turn, with myself. Throughout the rehearsal process, I began to find my footing and trust myself as an actor again, but it took time. Eventually, I decided to make every effort to just keep showing up and trying different ways to feel confident and comfortable in this role, no matter the outcome. It was my only option, other than totally shutting down from fear of failure. What if people come to see this show and can see how rusty I am? So what! What if this isn’t the way someone else would play Winifred? Who cares! What if someone doesn’t think I am good enough to play this part? That’s their opinion! By rediscovering my own inner strength and character, I discovered Winifred’s. I hope that the mothers who see the show see themselves in Winifred, and that those who feel they have lost themselves in worrying about what is “appropriate” or shrink themselves for fear of making a mistake will feel that encouraging nudge in Anything Can Happen. With every run of the show, I feel more and more proud of Winifred for being bold and taking that risk, and I feel more and more proud of myself for the same reason.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Sort of along those lines, what lessons can Mary Poppins and the rest teach audiences?

NATALIE RANKIN: So, I’ll be frank. When I first heard that the Rep was doing Mary Poppins, I thought, “Oh boy, another bubbly Disney musical,” with, admittedly, a little bit of an eye roll. All I really remembered about the movie was Spoonful of Sugar and Jolly Holiday. But after studying the source material of this story and getting to spend time with these characters, it’s become clear to me that Mary Poppins has timelessly relevant lessons to teach audience members of all ages. Never judge a person by their appearance. Even grown-ups need help sometimes. Anything can happen if you let it. You never know when someone special will swoop into your life and help you rediscover your humanity. Oh, and it’s never too late to learn how to fly a kite

 

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Mary Poppins runs April 28-May 8 at TPAC‘s Polk Theatre. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets or for more information.

While Mary Poppins marks the end of Nashville Rep’s current season, they’ll be back with their 22-23 Season in the fall starting with RENT September 16-25, The Cake October 21-30, Elf: The Musical December 21-January 1, August Wilson’s Fences March 3-5, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time March 24-April 2 and Violet May 12-21. Season Tickets just went on sale earlier this week. CLICK HERE to purchase Season Tickets or for more info. Check out Nashville Rep online HERE and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

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