Theater

Nashville Repertory Theatre’s production of Patrick Barlow’s “A Christmas Carol” adaptation is the maximum of minimalism – maximum holiday pleasure from the clear theatrical crucible of a minimalist focus. And the delight of watching five terrific actors caper through this modern version of a classic tale is no humbug.

Patrick Barlow turned Alfred Hitchcock’s film adaption of John Buchan’s novel “The 39 Steps” into a stage smash that the then-Tennessee Repertory Theatre successfully presented in 2011; now Nashville Rep brings us his take on the 1843 Charles Dickens novella that has inspired many adaptations on screen (large and small) and stage. (He’s also written a “Ben Hur” that employs three men and one woman to perform it.)

Barlow’s version began its stage life with Delaware Theatre Company in 2012 and has been widely produced Off-Broadway and elsewhere since. It’s not surprising, given the broad affection for and familiarity with “A Christmas Carol” and the economy of having a handful of actors play 25 named parts (including a very special Tiny Tim); but there’s more to this adaptation than offering a holiday tradition affordably – Barlow’s writing shows a love for the tale coupled with some wry modern winks at its Victorian earnestness.

“While I’m thrilled if a smaller payroll helps you get the play on in these cash-strapped times, I would also suggest the very fact of having a minimal cast offers many exciting theatrical possibilities, not to say a chance to create real innovation and magic,” Barlow wrote to producing theaters in his introduction to the script. “As a dramatist, I am most inspired and liberated by the great periods of simplicity in theatre: the Italian Commedia, the medieval Mystery Play, ancient Greek theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, where the story, the text and the performer are central. This is why I like working with minimalist theatre – the theatre of bare necessities – and using the restraints it imposes.”

This production isn’t shackled by those restraints, starting with a striking Gary C. Hoff scenic design (lit with great mood-enhancing discernment by lighting designer Michael Barnett) that frames “A Christmas Carol” with a look which immediately summons the ghost of 19^th Century wrought-iron creations (check out the Michael Scott Evans photos that accompany this review to take a look at his handiwork). June Kingsbury’s costume design is no less detailed, as the styles, cuts and fabrics combine to quickly take us to another place and age.

Director Beki Baker is the perfect leader of this merry band – she and the actors she directs bring out the humor (including some funny fourth-wall breaks) and humanity in the Barlow adaptation of Dickens’ evergreen tale. Two of those actors are part of the production staff as well – Shawn Knight doubles as music director while Mallory Mundy is the play’s choreographer. Their work on music and movement is as accomplished as their fine acting.

Knight, Mundy, Joy Pointe and Jonah Jackson take off and don multiple characters as easily as many of us take off and don winter cardigans. After watching their performances I have several pleasant memories but I’ll share a few observations – Knight’s paternal tenderness as Scrooge’s long-suffering assistant Bob Cratchit; Mundy’s exuberance as a music hall-tinged Ghost of Christmas Present; Point’s ethereal grace and beauty as the Ghost of Christmas Past; and Jackson’s joy as Scrooge’s kind-hearted nephew Frederick. In these and so many more characters this foursome is awesome.

And what about that miserly old Ebenezer Scrooge? Ah, Brian Russell! Those who’ve watched his work on Nashville stages these past three decades know his energy and comic timing are second to none. They also know he wears the mask of tragedy as well as he wears the mask of comedy. Scrooge makes a startling emotional and psychological journey during “A Christmas Carol” and that progress is both believable and beautiful in Russell’s splendid performance.  He’s had many terrific performances over the years, including such favorites of mine as his Salieri in Blackbird Theater’s 2013 presentation of “Amadeus” and Prospero in Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s 1999 and 2010 productions of “The Tempest.” This turn as Scrooge ranks among the best of his very distinguished career.

Let’s raise a cup of Christmas cheer to the rest of the joyful production’s artisans – assistant director Hendrick Sheldon, artistic associate Erica Jo Lloyd, stage manager Catherine Forman, assistant stage manager Kristen Goodwin, sound designer Kaitlin Barnett, director of production Christopher L. Jones, props master Amanda Creech, scene shop foreman R. Preston Perrin, master carpenter Tucker Steinlage, costume manager Lori Gann-Smith, wardrobe supervisor Lakeland Gordon, costume technician Lauren Elisabeth Terry, run crew members Maggie Jackson and Karch Abramson, and rentals manager Emily Irene Peck. Without the spirit and strengths each bring to this endeavor the Rep’s “A Christmas Carol” would not reach the height it attains.

“A Christmas Story” had a wonderful 10-year holiday run in Johnson Theater. Perhaps “A Christmas Carol” will also become a beloved tradition for Nashville Repertory Theatre. This seasonal light deserves to shine for a long, long time.

Nashville Repertory Theatre’s production of Patrick Barlow’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” runs through Dec. 22 in TPAC’s Johnson Theater. Please click here for more information and to buy tickets.

You’d have to be a mix of pre-conversion Scrooge and Grinch to not feel your heart warmed by the ecstatic joy of Nashville Children’s Theatre’s world premiere “Auntie Claus” musical.

The acclaimed children’s book character, her family and friends are exuberantly alive on the NCT stage thanks to Marcy Heisler (book and lyrics), Zina Goldrich (music), and show director/choreographer (and NCT Executive Artistic Director) Ernie Nolan, as well as a supremely talented ensemble onstage and off.

“Auntie Claus” author Elise Primavera has described the title character as “a cross between Coco Chanel and Auntie Mame with a little Mary Poppins thrown in.” Good fortune has long smiled on any production with Megan Murphy Chambers in it, and the tremendous triple-threat performer is perfectly cast as the flamboyant doyenne of NYC’s Bing Cherry Hotel.

Before proceeding with more of the review, a little background for the uninitiated is appropriate: the character Chambers plays resides in Penthouse 25C of the aforementioned hotel, and in dress, manner and habits has taken the Dickensian admonition to honor Christmas in her heart and keep it all the year. Her somewhat willful great-niece Sophie Kringle (Rebecca Keeshin) finds her behavior, and that “business trip” she always takes during the holidays, to be (using Sophie’s terminology) “mysterioso.” She decides to uncover the truth…

Court Watson’s enchanting wintry holiday wonderland of a set (see the Reed Hummell pictures that accompany this review) frames this magical musical, where the fun of Heisler’s sweet, smart but never too syrupy lyrics and Goldrich’s shimmering score plant us firmly in the “Auntie Claus” world from the very start with the company explaining “Christmas in New York” and then noting that “There’s Something about the Kringles.” I’m not surprised that among their credits are original songs for The Disney Channel, Disney Interactive and Feature Animation projects as well as Disney Theatricals; the delight I had hearing their songs and music was like listening to Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (“The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast”) at their very best.

Nolan’s blocking, pacing and song-specific choreography make this well-structured piece sail like a fast, sleek clipper ship on a silver sea. There are plenty of highlights in this hour-long extravaganza, but his electric staging of the “Live From New York, It’s Auntie!” number was one giddy experience among many for this boy-at-heart.

From her dazzling entrance to entertaining moments in “It’s Better to Give” and other numbers Chambers is at her Broadway-belting best. Since I first saw her in Boiler Room Theatre’s 2003 production of “Guys and Dolls” I’ve known I’d never see anyone, anywhere, whose timing, singing, movement and acting choices is any better than hers. No matter how many times one’s seen her, every appearance she makes onstage is a great gift.

The breadth and depth of Keeshin’s performance is no less impressive. Her character’s life-lesson arc is completely believable, and the rich emotional palette she paints in such numbers as “What is This Feeling?” and “The Land of the BB and G” along with her rousing work in songs like “We’re All Instrumental” and “Wrap It Up!” makes us root for Sophie as she learns to care about more than herself.

Chambers and Keeshin’s castmates provide plenty of good cheer and terrific performances as well. It’s a great mix of new and familiar faces in the ensemble Nolan has assembled – Jack Tanzi, Meggan Utech, Sawyer Wallace, Darci Wantiez, Abe Reybold, Melissa Tormene, Sarah Michele Bailey, Rona Carter, Hannah Clark, Treston Henderson, Jonathan Killebrew, Alex Pinerio, David Stobbe and Imari Thompson each give us multiple roles that are clearly depicted and entertainingly presented in moments big and small (including, but not limited to, the previously mentioned numbers and “Seventeen Days ‘Til Christmas”).

Nashville Children’s Theatre Orchestra under the direction of David Weinstein plays the score superbly. Along with Weinstein (on one of two keyboards in the pit) and music assistant Nathan Healy kudos go to Kelsi Fulton (keyboard), Zak Kuhn (acoustic and electric guitar) and Daniel Koslowski (drums, percussion).

In addition to the magic of Watson’s set (constructed by Anna Biggerstaff, Joe Mobley and Pete Nugnis along with master electrician/carpenter Taylor Thomas) and his terrific costumes (in concert with wardrobe supervisor Hillary Frame and costume shop manager Alarie Hammock) we have the graceful precision of Scott Leathers’ lighting, David Wright’s crystal-clear sound aided by audio engineer Joshua Bennett and the contributions of charge artist/props master Morgan Major-Pfendler. Rounding out the list of these more-than-proficient professionals are stage manager Teresa Driver, assistant stage manager Preston Perrin, director of production Rachael Silverman, technical director Wes Smith, and production assistant Kate Prosser.

With such a splendid show (to borrow from one of its song titles) I can’t wait for Christmas! The 1999 book upon which it’s based was geared for the very young, but this “Auntie Claus” is a musical for children of all ages. Thanks for the gorgeous, glittering gift, NCT!

“Auntie Claus” continues it world premiere run through Dec. 29 at Nashville Children’s Theatre (located at 25 Middleton St.). Click here for the public performance schedule and to buy tickets. For additional information about this production and its related events click here.

“If you have no tragedy, you have no comedy. Crying and laughing are the same emotion. If you laugh too hard, you cry. And vice versa.” — Sid Caesar

“If you live a long life and get to the end of it without ever once having felt crushingly depressed,” the narrator at the center of “Every Brilliant Thing” tells us, “then you probably haven’t been paying attention.”

How true. And the entertaining and evocative interactive theater experience developed by English writer Duncan Macmillan (from his short story “Sleeve Notes”) and Irish writer/actor/comedian Jonny Donahoe found a lovely localized home (including such references as a feline named “Catsy Cline”) Nov. 7-10 at Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Johnson Theater in a Nashville Repertory Theatre production that was directed by Lauren Shouse and featured Mark Cabus.

Depression and its attendant tragedies are certainly part of the personal tale that unfolds in “Every Brilliant Thing,” but so are hope and its attendant triumphs. Cabus played a man who as a seven-year-old boy began a list he hoped would help his mother; in the end it may have encouraged him much more.

It wasn’t some linear narrative told from a confined proscenium arch under observation from a reactive crowd, though; the Johnson’s black box was a completely proactive playing space of actor and audience, starting when Cabus mingled pre-show to pass out list items for people to call out when he said the corresponding number. (At the Nov. 9 evening performance, I got “25. Wearing a cape.”) Audience members also played some of the roles in the piece, including the father of the narrator.

This show has been widely embraced since it first hit the 2013 Ludlow Fringe Festival; an HBO broadcast of its 2014 Off-Broadway outing went over well, too. It’s been produced by many theatrical troupes, including a critically-lauded presentation by Nashville’s Tennessee Women’s Theatre Project in March.

So what made this Nashville Rep weekend so special? Cabus has graced many stages, offering his wide range to classical and contemporary comedies, dramas and musicals in acting ensembles and by himself for five decades; Shouse’s long-praised directorial gifts have continued to grow during time here and in Chicago. Watching their efforts on this shimmering show was the theatrical equivalent of hearing veteran virtuosos reveal beautiful new note shapes on Stradivarius strings.

Just as the script for “Every Brilliant Thing” built the story Cabus built his character’s emotional life; that life pulsated like the jazz music that accompanied parts of the action. And when his character’s crescendo occurred it was a natural as, well, B over C on the scale. Energy required to focus shifts in a character’s mood and behavior was there in perfect measure; the melodies and harmonies of Cabus and his character merged into a song of sweetness, silliness, seriousness and sorrow that left me euphoric when it ended.

Shouse is like a conductor that never wastes motion with her baton; her command of time and control of a theatrical piece’s ebbs and flows never come with unnecessary flourishes. It was true in the pacing of this piece and in the directorial decisions that made each movement distinct while never losing sight of the overall objective she cited in her note for the play’s program: to lift each other up through story.

In addition to the collaboration between director, actor and audience, there were the brilliant touches added by Nashville Rep’s wonderful artisans. These included scenic designer Gary C. Hoff, adding a comfy-chair ambiance among other grace notes; sound designer Kaitlin Barnett, who insured that the music of Ray Charles, Billie Holiday and others merged so harmoniously with non-amplified sound in the show; and lighting designer Darren Levin and assistant lighting designer Erin Featherston, whose illumination shifts were as natural as the shifting light of day. Rounding out the stellar crew were assistant director Erica Jo Lloyd, Production Director Christopher L. Jones, costume designer Emily Peck, stage manager Zachariah Heil and assistant stage manager Maggie Jackson.

In dialogue and situation the pain and humor of life soared in Nashville Rep’s rendition of “Every Brilliant Thing.” Repeat performances of this beautiful composition — and its engaging dance with the audience — would be music to the soul.

Nashville Repertory Theatre’s next 2019-20 season show is “Patrick Barlow’s A Christmas Carol” which runs Nov. 30-Dec. 22 at TPAC’s Johnson Theater. For more information and tickets click here.

“There can’t be any such thing as civilization unless people have a conscience…” from “The Ox-Bow Incident”

“We’re all born human beings,” one of the characters in Nashville Children’s Theatre’s superb world premiere of “Return to Sender” reminds us. “But we have to earn that e at the end of human with our actions so we can truly call ourselves humane beings.”

Julia Alvarez’s award-winning 2009 novel has inspired a 70-minute stage adaptation by Marisela Treviño Orta commissioned by NCT and Vanderbilt University’s Center for Latin American Studies. The play successfully captures the love, sorrow, hope and humanity found in the 350 pages of Alvarez’s book, and the actors and artisans under Crystal Manich’s terrific direction bring words on the page into thought-and-heart-provoking life. It’s a play that’s recommended for grades 3-8, but there are plenty beyond those years that would benefit from seeing this show.

The book was inspired by Alvarez’s experiences translating at Vermont schools for the children of Mexican migrant workers and draws its title from the name of a 2006 Department of Homeland Security dragnet operation where undocumented workers were seized in a series of raids. “Sometimes it’s only in the world of story that we understand the human side of political and loaded issues,” she has said.

That story centers on 11-year-old Mari Cruz (Amanda Rodriguez), the Mexican-born daughter of undocumented migrant workers, and 11-year-old Tyler Paquette (Lane Williamson), whose family has been farming in Vermont for generations. As the play opens, Mari is composing a letter to her mother (Claudia Quesada) – Maranda DeBusk’s beautiful projections of that letter’s words grace Scott Leathers’ wonderful farmhouse set – who has been missing following her return to Mexico when Mari’s grandmother died:

“Queridísima mamá [Dearest mom], If you are reading these words, it means you are back in Carolina del Norte [North Carolina]! There would be no greater happiness for Papá, my sisters, and me than to hear this good news. We have missed you terribly the eight months and a day (yes, Mamá, I am keeping count!) that you have been gone.

“By the time you get this letter, we will have moved north. …”

Mari, her U.S.-born sisters Luby (Lilliana Gomez) and Ofie (Erica Lee Haines), her father (Matthew Martinez Hannon) and her Tio [Uncle] Felipe (Matthew Benenson Cruz) arrive at the Paquette farm in Vermont where the two men will work. To Tyler, who has just returned from staying with relatives in Boston in the aftermath of his grandfather’s death, they’re initially viewed as trespassers until his mother (Cheryl White) and father (Christopher Strand) inform him they’re on the dairy farm to help save it – Tyler’s dad was recently injured, and without their help the family will lose its farm.

In the black-and-white way youngsters typically view the world, Tyler is sympathetic to his family’s needs but confused by the situation when he finds out the workers may be undocumented. How can his family do what’s right when they’re breaking the law? There are people in the community like Mr. Rossetti (Galen Fott) who certainly have strong feelings about the subject, and some of his fellow students mercilessly taunt him and the Cruz children about it. His journey of understanding begins with a look at the stars through his telescope and continues with the thoughtful guidance of his grandmother (Denice Hicks), his parents, his teacher Mr. Bicknell (DéYonté Jenkins) and the Cruz family…

As William Shakespeare wrote in “Hamlet,” players should “hold as ’twere the mirror up to nature: to show virtue her feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure.” The entire ensemble does this with naturalistic grace; in gesture, movement, speaking, singing and reactions they infuse each moment in “Return to Sender” with the truth of their characters.

The artisan aspects of this production are just as accomplished as the acting. Leathers’ lighting is a luminous complement to his set design (constructed with care by Pete Nugnis and Joe Mobley as well as Master Electrician/Carpenter Taylor Thomas), David Weinstein’s sound (assisted by Kaitlin Barnett and Audio Engineer Joshua Bennett) is seamless, Patricia Taber’s costumes (aided by the costume shop managed by Alarie Hammock) as always fit the characterizations and story like a glove. Rounding out this great team of pros are Director of Production Rachael Silverman, Stage Manager Teresa Driver, Assistant Stage Manager Hilary Frame, Technical Director Wes Smith, Charge Artist/Props Master Morgan Major-Pfendler and Production Assistant Kate Prosser.

As we’re reminded in “Return to Sender,” we’re all Americans in this hemisphere, north and south. And most importantly we are all humans – beyond the headlines and the political points there is living, loving, laughing, lamenting humanity. We are at our best as a species when we remember that. Thank you to all involved in this incredible, timely, compassionate work.

“Return to Sender,” sponsored by Ensworth School, continues through Oct. 27 at Nashville Children’s Theatre. In addition to performances for school audiences there are public performances Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. (There is no performance this Sunday [Oct. 13].) Additionally, there will be a 7 p.m. show on Friday, Oct. 18 with a post-show panel discussion n partnership with Vanderbilt’s Center for Latin American Studies, that will include representatives the center and from Conexión Americas, a local advocate for the immigrant community.  Tickets are $17 for youth and $23 for adults. For tickets call 615-252-4675 or visit NashvilleCT.org. Ticket fees apply and group rates are available.

Elaine Stritch may sadly be gone, but Nashville Repertory Theatre is happily still here.

The company’s 35th season opened splendidly Saturday with the rousing absurdity of Greg Kotis and Mark Hollman’s self-mocking satire “Urinetown: The Musical.” Director Jason Tucker and his colleagues have obviously worked hard to make it look so entertainingly easy.

“Well, hello there. And welcome – to Urinetown!” the show’s narrator, the charming but ever-dutiful Officer Lockstock (played by Jacob York, an always welcome entertainment import from Atlanta), tells us before setting the musical’s tone: “Not the place, of course. The musical. Urinetown ‘the place’ is … well, it’s a place you’ll hear people referring to a lot throughout the show.”

Indeed you do. But this show won’t stand for being too “wordy,” as noted in dialogue that occurs a short time later between Lockstock and the sweet but extremely precocious street urchin Little Sally (played by Galen Crawley, York’s wife and every bit the fine actor her spouse is):

LITTLE SALLY: Say, Officer Lockstock, is this where you tell the audience about the water shortage?
LOCKSTOCK: What’s that, Little Sally?
LITTLE SALLY: You know, the water shortage. The hard times. The drought. A shortage so awful that private toilets eventually became unthinkable. A premise so absurd that—
LOCKSTOCK: Whoa there, Little Sally. Not all at once. They’ll hear more about the water shortage in the next scene.
LITTLE SALLY: Oh. I guess you don’t want to overload them with too much exposition, huh?
LOCKSTOCK: Everything in its time, Little Sally. You’re too young to understand it now, but nothing can kill a show like too much exposition.

That’s true of reviews as well. Suffice it to say that after a 20-year drought calls of nature are done at public amenities for a fee. That fee goes to the private Urine Good Company run by the utterly ruthless Caldwell B. Cladwell (played with great oily charm by Chip Arnold), whose monopoly is built on bribes to lawmakers like the corrupt Senator Fipp (Matthew Carlton amusingly channeling his inner South Carolinian) and enforced by such on-the-take officers as Lockstock and his partner, Officer Barrel (a devilishly delightful turn by Samuel Whited).

“Urinetown” is a marvelous mix of the dystopian and droll; satire sits comfortably beside silliness, a high-wire act of storytelling as farce since a delicate balance is needed to keep things both clever and coherent. It’s as if Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht and Clifford Odets joined a writer’s room with Mel Brooks and Eugène Ionesco after channeling the spirit of Victor Hugo and didn’t come out until they had a funny, biting, witty take on social injustice as well as corporate and governmental corruption.

Whew! It’s no surprise that in 2002 Kotis copped a Tony for his book, while he and composer Hollman won for the show’s score and John Rando won for his direction of the piece. (Incidentally, that came on the same night “Elaine Stritch at Liberty” won a Best Special Theatrical Event Tony, to keep my Stritch motif going in a very tangential way.)

There are so many golden nuggets to mine from Kotis and Hollman’s musical that I could write a review double the size of this one, but I’ll behave by not spoiling all the fun and mention a few of the many highlights: Megan Murphy Chambers going full Lotte Lenya in “It’s a Privilege to Pee” as Penelope Pennywise, the sell-out with a big secret; returning hometown talents Mitchell Ryan Miller and Mariah Parris turning love into a painfully funny experience (I laughed so hard I began to choke!) as star-crossed lovers Bobby Strong and Hope Cladwell in “Follow Your Heart,” and the ensemble featuring those two and such great triple-threats as Garris Wimmer (Hot Blades Harry) and Tamiko Robinson Steele (Little Becky-Two Shoes) in the gas-of-a-gospel-like “Run, Freedom, Run!”

Everywhere you turn your head there’s something fun to see – Derek Whittaker as the obsequious Mr. McQueen and Rona Carter as the long, long suffering Josephine “Ma” Strong may not read as hilarious given their character descriptions, but these stage vets get you giggling every time they’re on. The same for Scott Rice as Tiny Tom – even that character name’s a hoot, of course. The rest of the ensemble hangs right with these entertaining folks – Meggan Utech, Mike Sallee, Maria Logan, Juan Graterol and Ayla Williams take a back seat to no one with their acting, singing and dancing abilities.

Pamela Atha (in concert with Tucker for the musical staging) choreographs with her impeccable sense of story, characters, rhythms and energies. Aiding Tucker on the music side to playfully render the show’s musical-theater-sendup score is the very gifted Kelsi Fulton. The three of them make a masterful musical trinity, and they’re joined in this excellent endeavor by several gifted theater professionals like Artistic Associate Erica Jo Lloyd.

Gary C. Hoff’s metal-and-rust set (fulfilled by the work of Scene Shop Foreman R. Preston Perrin and Master Carpenter Tucker Steinlage, among others) captures the spirit and themes of this show perfectly. You don’t need my description of it to know that, though – just look at the Michael Scott Evans production pictures that accompany this review and you’ll see what I mean.

Likewise for Colleen Garatoni’s costumes – her work always reflects and enhances the characterizations of the actors that wear her creations (her team includes Costume Manager Lori Gann-Smith, Wardrobe Supervisor Lakeland Gordon, Costume Technician Lauren Terry and Rentals Manager Emily Irene Peck). Amanda Creech’s contributions as props master are no less inspired, and round out our understanding of the people, places and actions in “Urinetown.”

Kudos should also go to Director of Production Christopher L. Jones, Lighting Designer Dalton Hamilton and Sound Designer Randy Craft for their top-flight technical contributions along with Run Crew members Maggie Jackson and Karch Abramson. Their wonderful complements to other elements in this production allow each moment of this “Urinetown” to shine and be heard with clarity and creativeness.

And last, but never least, my customary and well-deserved shout-out to the ever-important folks in stage management. If you’re ever in doubt about what keeps shows going, seek out Stage Manager Teresa Driver and Assistant Stage Manager Kristen Goodwin: It’s obvious they know exactly what their unceasingly demanding positions require and a big “Bravo!” to them!

From founding company member Wimmer to newcomers like Sallee, from Managing Director Drew Ogle to members of the troupe’s internship programs (which include several “Urinetown” cast and crew members), Nashville Rep is not only still here, it’s positively thriving, as their delightfully droll “Urinetown” attests. Go see it, then let’s check out the rest of their 35th season starting with “Pipeline” in October.

Nashville Repertory Theatre’s production of “Urinetown” continues through Sept. 29 in the Johnson Theater at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (500 Deaderick St.). Click here for more information; click here to buy tickets.

The game is delightfully afoot once more in Chaffin’s Barn Theatre‘s entertaining presentation of “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure.”

Prolific play writing genius Steven Dietz fashioned his 2006 Edgar Award-winning Holmes homage from such Arthur Conan Doyle classic tales as “A Scandal in Bohemia” and “The Final Problem” along with William Gillette’s 1899 theatrical smash “Sherlock Holmes.” Dietz (fondly remembered for his time in Nashville as the 2011-12 Ingram New Works Fellow at Nashville Repertory Theatre, when he was developing the play “Rancho Mirage“) wrote in his preface to the published play that the stories of Conan Doyle’s consulting detective “stay with us through days both remarkable and mundane, adventures grand and forgotten; through love and loss and a thousand wonderful conversations about nothing at all.” (And very happily so, this reviewer concurs, having read my first Holmes tale when I was eight.)

Nashville Children’s Theatre offered an absolutely delicious 2012 production of the play, starring the late David Compton as Holmes opposite his best friend and chronicler Dr. John Watson, played in that show by Matthew Carlton. As my review of that presentation indicates I really enjoyed it. I happily, unreservedly say the same of the Barn’s distinctly different effort; I’m grateful for the chance to see this piece again in a another setting with another cast.

Watson (Michael Roark) is our guide through this ultimate adventure set in 1893 London. It finds Holmes (Charlie Winton) apparently juggling two very different matters: The King of Bohemia (Josh Kiev) needs to avoid scandal by retrieving an amorous photograph of himself and the great opera diva Irene Adler (Shannon Hoppe), and the “Napoleon of Crime,”  Professor James Moriarty (Benjamin R. Jones) plans to set the trap that finally rids him of his dogged pursuer. How those seemingly separate strands tie together is just part of the fast-paced thrill-ride…

Winton handles the complexities of this play’s Holmes quite well; he has the detective’s certitude, which allows Holmes to remain calm in even the most chaotic moments, but there’s a gentleness in his interactions with kindly Watson and the alluring Adler that appears at appropriate moments. Roark, whose wide range as an actor has been on enjoyable display in Nashville for several years, warmly and convincingly gives us a strong and thoughtful friend. Kiev is such an energetic treat. And Hoppe? This seasoned pro hits all the right notes in her performance, too — smart, clever, strong, caring. Adler may be a diva, but it’s her humanity that gives us reason to feel something beyond the excitement of watching an escapade unfold.

The villains are in top form as well. Jones, a veteran performer with cross-country credits, is terrific at summoning both the cerebral and pragmatic aspects of his terrifying master criminal, and his acting accomplices (Gabe Atchley as the nefarious James Larrabee, Lauren Proctor as his equally evil sister Madge and Scotty Phillips as the nasty henchman Sid Prince) all bring the right amount of wicked relish to their roles.

The offstage creatives have all done good work that ensures this thriller with a touch of love moves and looks as it should — Annie Magan (Dramaturg and Properties Assistant), Joy Tilley Perryman (Properties), Kaitlin Barnett (Sound Design), Miriam Creighton (Costume Design), Alexis LaVon (Stage Manager, who “turned 24” the day I saw the show) and Daniel DeVault (Lighting Design and Director). Given the consistent quality of the revitalized Barn it’s easy, but inappropriate, to overlook all the hard work that supports what we audience members see and hear in each performance.

To use an archaic British expression, “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure” is a ripping good yarn. Yes, Dietz, Gillette and Conan Doyle deserve great credit for the trail built by their contributions, but in this production it’s ultimately the Barn’s troupe of professionals that successfully close the case.

“Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure” continues through Sept. 15 on the main stage at Chaffin’s Barn Theatre; click here for more info, showtimes and tickets. “The Wedding Singer” follows on Sept. 19 through Oct. 19; click here for more info, showtimes and tickets.

What’s the state of Nashville Shakespeare Festival after three decades? It’s heartily proclaimed in a lovely production of “The Tempest” in its shimmering new “Summer Shakespeare” home at OneC1ty.

What do I mean? If the troupe was a singer, a certain Leslie Bricusse-Anthony Newley tune for “The Roar of the Greasepaint–The Smell of the Crowd” (the song famously covered by the fabulous Nina Simone) would provide Nashville Shakes with its lyrics: “It’s a new dawn/It’s a new day/It’s a new life for me/And I’m feeling good!”

William Shakespeare’s great dramatic poem, which was likely first performed around 1611, has magic as well as human frailty and nobility coursing through its theatrical veins. It has the virtue of being as complex and messy as life while simultaneously offering a beautifully focused artistic benediction. A quick search of library collections and the Internet provides a host of literature analyzing and debating the inspirations for and interpretations of “The Tempest”; but scholarly works, and critic’s reviews, will never thoroughly relate or match the experience of either performing or watching it.

For first-time readers/viewers, here’s a setup: Prospero (Mark Cabus) was once the Duke of Milan. He was however too bookish for the good of himself and his subjects, and his brother Antonio (Angela Madaline-Johnson) used that preoccupation to steal the dukedom from him with the help of King Alonso of Naples (Alan Lee) and his brother, Sebastian (Brad Oxnam).

The deposed duke was set adrift in an unsafe boat with his then-baby daughter Miranda (Delaney Keith). They providentially landed on an island once ruled by a witch named Sycorax; as the play opens it’s 12 years later and Prospero’s books have guided him to dark arts mastery of the island. Sycorax’s son Caliban (Kit Bulla) and the spirit Ariel (Caroline Alise Conner, Ella Rieniets, Isabel Webb and Lane Williamson) reside there as well. Now the “strange accident” of a tempest has brought Prospero’s enemies and others to the island, and it’s time for a reckoning…and some romance…

The play’s protagonist may know magic, but he’s as realistically complex as any character in Shakespeare’s canon; it takes an actor of great skill and experiences onstage and off to bring us the flesh-and-blood Prospero that’s in the text. Enter Cabus, pursued not by a bear but by a dream – to give us his character’s love for his daughter, pain from his brother’s betrayal, progress toward the self-healing balm of forgiveness, and vulnerability in acknowledging the mortality that will soon ring down the curtain on his life.

Cabus casts a spell with his mastery of the actor’s art. He’s been a student, teacher, director and performer of Shakespeare for more than 40 years; the Bard and he have long resided together well (such as when he played Trinculo in a 2011 Georgia Shakespeare presentation of the play). As a masterful performer he never forgets that truth makes the best illusions: Shakespeare’s words are his character’s spontaneous speech, and the actions, reactions and emotions engendered by those words flow genuinely from him to an appreciative audience.

I’ve seen several excellent portrayals of Prospero in person, on streaming video or by other means; one instance occurred when I watched the enthralling Brian Webb Russell play the man “more sinned against than sinning” (to borrow from “King Lear“) the last time Nashville Shakes did the show in a 2010 Winter Shakespeare production at Belmont University’s Troutt Theater. Other recent favorites in the role were greats like Christopher Plummer and Simon Russell Beale. But the emotional vulnerability that flows through Cabus’ delivery of the oft-quoted Act IV “Our revels now are ended” speech made it brand new words to me on opening night, and as tears welled in my eyes and a lump developed in my throat, I once again thanked my lucky stars for the gifts he’s shared with fortunate audience members like me for many years.

(It’s appropriate to disclose that Cabus and I have been friends, and sometimes professional collaborators, for 30 years. I have a bias for his work, and him, just as I have a need for oxygen to breathe. But the evidence of eyes, ears, hearts and minds is not mine alone; I’m confident that many who will watch his performance in this production will assess it similarly.)

Cabus is part of a very good cast picked by Denice Hicks, the show’s veteran director (assisted by Justin Hand) and the company’s executive artistic director. She’s played Ariel more than once in other productions, and the wonderful decision to have Conner, Rieniets, Webb and Williamson combine as an harmonious bundle of Ariel aspects is engagingly rewarded thanks to the foursome’s full commitment to that choice.

Keith, Bulla, and Joe Leitess, who plays Ferdinand, Alonso’s son and heir, all bring proper energy, focus and textual understanding to their roles, which helps to conjure great believe-ability in the fantastical “Tempest” realm. Lee (welcome back, sir!) and Oxnam, favorites of mine for many a moon, are superb as usual.

Others in the cast are no less complete with their characterizations, including but not limited to Jocelyn Kasper’s wise and compassionate Gonzalo as well as Joy Greenawalt-Lay (Trinculo) and Jaye Phelps (Stephano) who play their foolish drunken knaves to the entertaining hilt. And I want to pay a special tribute to Madaline-Johnson without giving away specifics from the ending for those unfamiliar with it; her character’s reactions to the words and actions of Cabus’ character are brilliant and gripping choices.

Like the four actors that bring Ariel to life, the spirits that inhabit the island (and work their way so wonderfully through the audience throughout the piece) are played by the talented members of the NSF Apprentice Company: Andrew Johnson, Lydia Klaus, Sawyer Latham, Grey Eli Marron, Jamal Moore, Abigail Nichol, Lucca Herrera Silva, Storm Sloan, Reese Twilla and Abby Wyatt.

(The apprentice company has its own “Summer Shakespeare” show this year as well – click here for info on their Friday presentations of Shakespeare’s “Pericles, Prince of Tyre” directed by Laramie Hearn where you’ll also find info for “The Tempest” (there are even some double feature days noted on the company’s September calendar in addition to the shows’ dates this month and then).

The late British actor/producer Sir John Clements (the man who followed Lord Laurence Olivier as the Chichester Festival Theatre’s second director) wrote in a 1971 introductory essay that “The Tempest stands alone in [Shakespeare’s] opus as a play which is from the first moment to the last suffused with the feeling of music.” Suffusing this production with appropriately sprightly and ethereal compositions is Rolin Mains, who also serves as the show’s musical director. Playing alongside the masterful Mains as a rich complement to the action are equally expert musicians Luke Easterling and Jack Kingsley.

The better-than-ever balanced blending of music and voices is a tribute to the sound work done by engineer Cameron Cleland, assistant Ryan Gabriel and operator Sam Bartholomew. Light designer Janet Berka has quite a penchant for the challenging task of illuminating scenes amid the ever-changing background of an outdoor production;  Fish Powell has engineered the lights, and he’s also part of a able run crew that includes Zeke Whiteside. Rounding out the superb tech team are set technical director Chelsea Flowers and site technical director/master electrician D.J. Ranta.

Andy Bleiler’s striking set is a yellow network of platforms and thrusts which he’s incorporated into OneC1ty’s 20-foot-tall, 42-foot-wide, curved 3-D printed pavilion installation. It looks good and the action plays well on, around and under it. The show’s carpenters are Jacob Friend, Cooper Humphreys, Drew Flickinger, Hatty King and Brooklyn Thompson.

Lynda Cameron-Bayer has long been a beloved figure in Nashville theater, and as she bids farewell to the Music City and moves to California she’s put plenty of colorful touches in the show’s costumes. The wardrobe supervisor is Denese Evans-Kelley and she’s also one of the stitchers along with Erin Thomas and Julia Weaver. 

Among the other creatives that deserve a note of thanks for their singular contributions are dance choreographer Tosha Marie, fight director David Wilkerson, text coach Santiago Sosa (also the apprentice company’s director) and dramaturg Katie Stueckle. Their work does more to enhance the show than many may realize while they’re watching it.

Last but most certainly not least, there are the folks that make sure the theatrical trains onstage and off not only run on time but as efficiently as possible: the great stage manager Cecilia Lighthall (assisted by Kilby Yarbrough), house manager Eric Ventress (assisted by Sarah Bolek), pre-show coordinator Tessa Bryant and volunteer coordinator Anita Reed.

Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s sparkling new summer setting – where pedestrians peer down in wonder from the adjoining Francis S. Guess Connector Bridge and CSX trains run easily behind the space (and a wall) as if on cue – and its enchanting “Tempest” show the organization wants to take its art to a higher level more than 30 years after its founding. It’s been a rich blessing to Nashville beyond its significant cultural contributions to the Music City. Those of us that love Nashville theater should do all we can to help them build more “stuff as dreams are made on.”

“The Tempest” continues through Sept. 22 in The Yard at OneC1ty before moving to Franklin’s Academy Park Performing Arts Center Sept. 26-29. “Pericles, Prince of Tyre” runs through Sept. 20 at OneC1ty. The festival’s ticket page is here. For driving directions, specific dates, times, parking and other info on these “Summer Shakespeare” shows click here to visit the Nashville Shakes website. Click here for information on NSF volunteering and internship opportunities; to donate to Nashville Shakes please click here.

It was raining as I drove to Chaffin’s Barn for Saturday’s closing performance of “Annie.” Thankfully the rain ended just before I parked and exited my car.

There was a beautiful rainbow arching its way toward the recently renovated theater. I took a picture and posted it on Facebook, writing that “The spirit of Martin Charnin is with us!” A rainbow is a promise. And yes, its corners turn down and not up, but it’s also a smile. In case you didn’t know, you’re never fully dressed without one.

Chaffin’s Barn’s exuberant “Annie” was a promise fulfilled with plenty of smiles.

The eternally optimistic lyrics of the Tony-winning Charnin (who left this life last month) coupled with the upbeat music of Charles Strouse and the entertaining book by the late Thomas Meehan (Tony winners as well) has bedazzled and enchanted audiences since its 1976 world premiere at Goodspeed Opera House under the direction of legendary former Goodspeed Musicals Executive Michael Price. Charnin directed the show when it started its 2,377-performance original Broadway run at the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre) on April 21, 1977. There have been revivals on Broadway and around the world ever since.

Chaffin’s production not only had the creators’ wonderful work but also Joy Tilley Perryman’s astute direction, Lauri Dismuke’s hellzapoppin’ (see the Urban Dictionary definition if you don’t get my meaning) choreography and Rollie Main’s masterful musical direction, among other contributions from top-notch creatives. What a professional pleasure it was.

The thoroughly entertaining cast I saw, to borrow from a colorful expression I heard in New York years ago, could play anywhere from Broadway to Timbuktu. As with many professional productions involving children there was double casting of various juvenile roles, including the title character, so I’ll list those I didn’t see in parentheses when I mention those characters.

On closing night Annie was played by Elle Wesley (who shared the role with Ana Rivera during the run). She’s already established an impressive theater career for herself and it’s easy to see why: Her voice is like the beautiful peal of a powerful bell. Her timing is impeccable. Her energy is focused. Her acting is always believable. Her appeal is undeniable. When she sings “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” every cloud in the sky gets blown away. It was her Chaffin’s Barn debut – hopefully we’ll see her there again!

My favorite artistic polymath Galen Fott is Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks. As an actor he can do it all, too, and the Tennessee native’s time in the Big Apple was wonderfully channeled into his very “Noo Yawk” characterization of the Hell’s Kitchen native he portrays. Warbucks is tough but tender, and Fott’s proud lead on “NYC” and his gorgeous rendition of “Something Was Missing” were gems for the heart to treasure. I love watching him perform.

Jenny Norris was an absolutely delicious villain as the dastardly, but also hilarious, Miss Hannigan. I got to see Tony-winner Dorothy Loudon and Kathleen Freeman in that role, and in my book she’s right up there with them. Her comical and serious moments as an actor are excellent, and so is her singing and dancing – her “Little Girls” was such a great character revelation, and watching “Easy Street” with the equally enjoyable Curtis LeMoine (getting everything out of his terrifically terrible Rooster Hannigan) and Christina Candilora (with a voice and gestures as Lily St. Regis that made me laugh until I cried) was such a thrill.

The support from other cast members was uniformly excellent, including Natalie Rankin as the caring Grace Farrell, W. Scott Stewart as the ever-on-his-toes Drake and the ever-assured Daron Bruce as FDR. And I want to especially mention the Molly I saw: Aubrey Rodgers (Lilah Rose Benjamin played that role during the run as well) is not only an adorable seven-year-old, she’s already a strong performer with good acting skills. It’s rare to see someone that young with her performance gifts already in their proper place, so it was a real treat to watch her work.

Also adorable and every bit the treat as actors/singers/dancers were Adison Rodgers as Duffy (shared with Abigail Levy), Grayson Caughey as July (Annalaura Lyon), Daisy Urbanowicz as Pepper (Samantha McWright), Hailey Ridgeway as Kate (Adriana Rivera), and  Olivia Harper and Demetrius “D.J.” Knowles II sharing the part of Tessie on Saturday and throughout the run.

The rest of the ensemble also deserves kudos for their triple-threat portrayals of multiple parts – Kelsey Brodeur, Seth Brown, Hannah Clark, Delaney Jackson, J. Robert Lindsey, Gerold Oliver, David Benjamin Perry, Emma Puerta, Morgan Riggs, Austin Jeffrey Smith, Vicki White and Katie Yeomans. When they combined their singing and dancing in such numbers as “We’d Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover,” “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here” and “I Don’t Need Anything But You” it was positively electric! And veteran actor Rufus deserves plenty of extra dog treats for his lovely appearances as Sandy!

Spotless work came the band (Mains on keys, Daniel Kozlowski on drums, Luke Easterling on guitar and Raymond Riley were scintillating) and off-stage creatives like Catherine Forman (stage manager), Davy Grace McGuirt (assistant stage manager), Miriam Creighton (costumer), Daniel DeVault (lighting designer), Robin Lawshe (technical director), Kaitlin Barnett and Jacob Allen (sound engineers) and Delaynie Rizer (production assistant). As if she didn’t have enough to do the ever-amazing Perryman also did props while directing the show, and a special nod goes to the “orphan wranglers” that oversaw the child performers offstage – fellow castmate White, Kim Thornton Nygren and Monykah Tyson. As a former child performer I know just how vital that wrangling was.

When he was at Cumberland County Playhouse in 2004 directing the “Two By Two” musical he’d revised with the late Peter Stone a conversation Charnin and I had turned to “Annie.” “I always smile thinking about the smiles she still creates after all these years,” he joyfully told me. Chaffin’s Barn just made a bunch more of those.

Chaffin’s Barn’s next mainstage show is a revival of the uproarious “Southern Fried Funeral” by J. Dietz Osborne and Nate Eppler running Aug. 8-24; click here for info and tickets. There’s also “Showdown at the Rundown Saloon,” a Wild West audience participation murder mystery fundraiser produced by the lovely and talented Mr. Adam for the Make a Wish Foundation in Middle Tennessee on Aug. 20; click here for info and tickets. (And check out their delicious menu before you go – the writer of the above review loved devouring the homemade chicken salad platter with fruit, pasta salad and crackers topped off by peanut butter pie!)