Tennessee Performing Arts Center Breaking News

Jamie Cullum brings classy jazz-pop to TPAC

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:50:00 -0600

Author: Jed Brewer

Jamie Cullum"s classy croon and jazzy, piano-heavy style harks back to the classic pop of yesteryear, but you definitely couldn"t call him a "purist."
The 30-year-old British singer-songwriter has taken on a number of modern pop hits, including Rihanna"s "Don"t Stop the Music," which he outfitted with a swinging rhythm and brainy piano work.

Siegel High School's William Mann named TPAC's 2009-2010 Teacher of the Year

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 12:00:00 -0600

Author: Chris Szalaj

By: Amanda Virgillito-Saad

William Mann, a Spanish language teacher from Siegel High School in Murfreesboro, has been named the "Teacher of the Year" by the education program of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Mann will receive the award on March 11 prior to a concert from the Fisk Jubilee Singers, one of eleven offerings presented by TPAC Education through its statewide program "Humanities Outreach in Tennessee" (HOT).

STAGE TUBE: Boggess Sings 'Love Never Dies' on Jonathan Ross(TV Content)

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:28:00 -0600

Author: Jed Brewer

Andrew Lloyd Webber was a guest on Jonathan Ross's BBC1 TV show, "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross." Webber - along with fellow guests Johnny Depp, director Tim Burton and singer Sade - joined Jonathan on the famous sofa to chat about LOVE NEVER DIES, his current production which is in preview at London's Adelphi Theatre. Sierra Boggess, who plays the role of Christine in the show, performed the title song from the production, "LOVE NEVER DIES."

TPAC's Family Field Trip: The Man Who Planted Trees

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 15:25:00 -0600

Author: Jed Brewer

The Man Who Planted Trees is a unique blend of comedy, puppetry and storytelling from Puppet State Theatre of Scotland, adapted from Jean Giono’s classic environmental tale, that proves that one man-and his dog-can transform a barren wasteland into a lush forest, one tree at a time.

9 TO 5 Tour to Play Nashville, Atlanta, Chicago, Indianapolis; New Details Announced

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 17:00:00 -0600

Author: Jed Brewer

Tuesday, March 2, 2010; Posted: 11:03 PM - by BWW News Desk

New details have been released regarding the upcoming national tour of the Broadway production 9 to 5: The Musical, opening at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center later this year. The show has been announced in the Chicago, Indianapolis and Atlanta markets. The tour will play Atlanta's Fox Theatre (presented by Theater of the Stars) in September of 2010, Clowes Hall in Indianapolis from January 11-16, 2011, and Broadway in Chicago's series from January 18-31, 2011. No venue in Chicago has been announced. Cast and creative team announcements are also forthcoming.

9 to 5: The Musical Will Play Nashville, Chicago, Atlanta, Indy; Complete Tour Schedule in the Works

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 12:00:00 -0600

Author: Jed Brewer

By Kenneth Jones
02 Mar 2010

A handful of major markets have announced plans to welcome the national tour of Dolly Parton's Broadway musical 9 to 5, which will launch the week of Sept. 20 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville.

A complete list of tour dates has not yet been revealed, but presenters in Chicago, Indianapolis and Atlanta announced the show to subscribers. Casting and creative team have not been announced. Joe Mantello (Wicked, Take Me Out) directed the Broadway staging, which Andy Blankenbuehler (In the Heights) choreographed.

Audiences take a chance on 'Mamma Mia!'

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 13:33:00 -0600

Author: Jed Brewer

BY FIONA SOLTES • FOR THE TENNESSEAN • FEBRUARY 28, 2010

Some theater truly makes you think. Some, as Tennessee Performing Arts Center's president and CEO Kathleen O'Brien puts it, can even challenge your belief system.

In the case of Mamma Mia!, however, the biggest challenge for audience members may well be admitting they're ABBA fans in the first place, and in the second, that they're just out for a good time. The feel-good phenomenon is all froth and fun, with dancing and sing-along songs besides.

THE COLOR PURPLE Comes To Tennessee Performing Arts Center

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:57:00 -0600

Author: Jed Brewer

The producing team of the Broadway smash hit THE COLOR PURPLE, The Musical about Love, is proud to announce that the Tennessee Performing Arts Center will host the national touring production of THE COLOR PURPLE for eight performances, March 23-28, 2010.

Part of HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC and in partnership with Doubletree Hotel Downtown Nashville, tickets to THE COLOR PURPLE are on sale now, and range from $25-70, depending upon performance time and seat locations. For tickets, visit www.tpac.org/colorpurple, call 615/782-4040, or visit the TPAC Box Office (Downtown or at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in The Mall at Green Hills). For groups of 20 or more, contact TPAC Group Sales at 615/782-4060 or groups@tpac.org.

The Tennessean Reviews The Drowsy Chaperone

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:49:00 -0600

Author: Chris Szalaj

By Evans Donnell • FOR THE TENNESSEAN • February 10, 2010

How appropriate — the national tour of The Drowsy Chaperone is a love letter to musical comedy that has hit Nashville just in time for Valentine’s Day.

This show is well-constructed bits of fun and froth that certainly deserved the awards — including five Tonys — and acclaim it received on Broadway in 2006. Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison’s send-up-silly lyrics and music, as well as Bob Martin and Don McKellar’s witty book, are very entertaining. And their creation is charmingly brought to life by a talented cast.

The conceit around which The Drowsy Chaperone revolves is a simple and effective one: The lights come up on the cluttered apartment of the lonely Man in Chair (Craig E. Treubert), a theater fanatic who puts on an album of the long-forgotten (and fictional) 1928 musical bearing this show’s title.

Mamma Mia! ABBAWORLD To Open In London

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 15:27:00 -0600

Author: Jennifer Wright

by The Associated Press - www.npr.org

Is it possible to have too much ABBA?

Knowing me, knowing you, the answer is no.

The spangly Swedish quartet that gave the world "Waterloo" and "Dancing Queen" has sold 400 million records since its 1970s heyday and spawned the hugely successful stage and film musical Mamma Mia!

And now there's ABBAWORLD - a new museum/theme park in London with enough music, mementos and memory-lane appeal to satisfy even the most fervent ABBA fan.

...

Broadway fanatics will get a kick out of 'Drowsy Chaperone'

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 11:44:00 -0600

Author: Jennifer Wright

By Fiona Soltes for THE TENNESSEAN

If you've ever found yourself so enthusiastic about an album that you couldn't wait to share it with a friend, a certain "Man in Chair" is singing your song.

Actually, it's more that Man in Chair — a central figure in five-time Tony-winning musical The Drowsy Chaperone — wants someone else to sing his song. Again.

And again.

Dropping the needle on his favorite LP — a fictional 1928 musical comedy — Man in Chair brings the story to glorious life within the walls of his drab apartment, pausing now and again to offer comments either sassy or sincere about the state of today's theater. This week, Nashville audiences can share his sense of escapism; the musical opens Tuesday as part of the HCA/Tri-Star Broadway at TPAC series.

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'Proof' analyzes line between genius and insanity

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 10:01:00 -0600

Author: Jennifer Wright

FIONA SOLTES, FOR THE TENNESSEAN • February 5, 2010

Of all the things you might inherit from your parents, could genius — or insanity — be on the list?

Such is the question for Catherine, faced with her mathematically brilliant father's legacy in David Auburn's Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Proof. Tennessee Repertory Theatre brings it to the stage Saturday through Feb. 20 at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Johnson Theater, 505 Deaderick St.

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Laser tribute to Michael Jackson comes to TPAC in March

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 10:00:00 -0600

Author: Jennifer Wright

Published by tunein on February 4, 2010, blogs.tennessean.com

Here's hoping the 3D "Earth Song" extravaganza at last Sunday's Grammy Awards has gotten folks in the mood for more high-tech tributes to the King of Pop.

The Laser Spectacular Tribute to Michael Jackson is set to hit TPAC's James K Polk Theater on March 12, and it looks like a doozy of a show. We're talking M.J. impersonators, giant video displays and lots and lots of lasers.

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'Mamma Mia!' look at what's back at TPAC

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 10:00:00 -0600

Author: Jennifer Wright

From nashvillecitypaper.com, Monday, February 1, 2010 at 2:51pm

Mamma Mia!, the smash hit musical based on the songs of ABBA — specifically Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus—returns to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Andrew Jackson Hall, March 2-7, as part of HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC.

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Nashville Ballet Presents AMERICAN ORIGINALS

Mon, 1 Feb 2010 15:27:00 -0600

Author: Jennifer Wright

by BWW News Desk, nashville.broadwayworld.com

Nashville Ballet presents three American original dances Valentine's weekend, February 12-14, 2010. This repertory program pays homage to some of the greatest American classics. Three ballets will be performed each evening...