Laura Higgins

Now onstage through August 25 at Woodbury's Arts Center of Cannon County, in a sumptuously mounted production helmed by director Kim Powers, with producer Brittany Goodwin, musical direction by Allison Hall and choreography by Julie Wilcox, Titanic takes its audience on an intriguing, emotional journey of their own, during which the legend of the mammoth ocean liner is writ large onstage, even as it becomes a more intimate tale of lost lives and the dissolution of dreams and aspirations set in relief against a backdrop of grandeur and greed.

Legally Blonde, the Musical is as tuneful and entertaining as any musical could ever hope to be, and while the story seems lighthearted and fun, there's a definite message to be found in Heather Hach's book and the music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Neil Benjamin. Under Adams' laser-sharp direction-that is filled with a lot of heart and her unerring attention to detail-The Keeton Theatre's cast offers up a production of the show that's as good as it gets.

Taylor Tracey makes her Nashville stage debut as Elle Woods in The Keeton Theatre's production of Legally Blonde, the Musical, running September 13-29 at the theatre, located at 108 Donelson Pike.

In fact, director Kate Adams and musical director Ginger Newman have crafted Nashville's own lovely and, I daresay, star-studded version of the musical which simply proves once again that Into the Woods is one of the most enchanting, most entertaining and most moving examples of contemporary musical theater at its best

Directed by Kate Adams-with musical direction by Ginger Newman-The Larry Keeton Theatre will present Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim's musical retelling of classic fairy tales, July 12- 28 at the Donelson venue. Nashville photographer (and drummer!) Rick Malkin captured the show's all-star cast in some great promotional shots.

Directed by Kate Adams-with musical direction by Ginger Newman-The Larry Keeton Theatre will present Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim's musical retelling of classic fairy tales, July 12- 28 at the Donelson venue. Appearing in the Keeton Theatre production are an all-star group of actors and actresses including Mallory Gleason as The Witch, Janette Bruce as The Baker's Wife, Anthony Just as The Baker, Laura Crockarell as Cinderella and Jonathan Perry as Jack.

Silly, fun and farcical, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum is a delightful musical theater diversion, certain to entertain and delight. Brought to the stage in a Keeton Theatre production directed by Kate Adams, with music direction by Ginger Newman, the Stephen Sondheim- Burt Shevelove-Larry Gelbart confection packs as much of a laugh-filled wallop in 2012 as it did when it first premiered on Broadway almost 50 years ago, proving that a well-written and conceived show just never grows old.

Luckily (for me and for you, the rest of the audience who may or may not have seen the show in any of its multiple onstage incarnations), director Patrick Kramer, choreographer Kate Adams-Johnson and musical director Randy Craft have fashioned a rendition of Hairspray-that indomitable musical about one determined and ambitious Baltimore teenager in 1962-that fairly snaps, crackles and pops with its fresh delivery, its clever staging and the laudable and thoroughly committed performances of a cast of thousands.

Now onstage at The Larry Keeton Theatre, in a winning production directed by Ginger Newman and choreographed by Kate Adams-Johnson, Smokey Joe's Cafe offers audiences one of the best nights of theater they'll ever have the pleasure of attending. Seriously! In fact, my love of the musical revue-which features 39 songs written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who provided much of the soundtrack for the lives led in the middle of the last century-is almost stupefyingly of the adoring variety. Truthfully, I can't pinpoint exactly what it is about Smokey Joe's Cafe that I love so much, but alas, there it is: I love the show without question (hell, I'd marry it if we could get a marriage license down here in the South) and I am particularly in love with the rendition served up by Newman, Adams-Johnson and company out in Donelson.

In short, Chicago is the best production ever presented by The Keeton Theatre. In fact, it's one of the finest versions of the tuneful musical we've ever seen on any stage, from any production company - and trust me, we've seen a bunch of 'em, ranging from Broadway and national touring companies to mountings from academic theaters, professional regional theaters and community playhouses.

There comes a moment, very early on in Kate Adams-Johnson's A Chorus Line (which opened last night at The Keeton Theatre) in which, one by one, each of the actors is caught in the spotlight, with some portentous musical underscoring that heightens the emotional impact of the moment. But what's really telling about that sequence of illumination is how evocatively it telegraphs the stories of each of the actors in the cast. You can tell, almost imperceptibly, what it is that separates the pretenders from the contenders...

Truth be told, 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' is one of my all-time favorite holiday songs - sweetly sentimental, blending holiday hope with a certain melancholic sensibility that is perfect for the season. Thankfully, Casey Gilbert's rendition of the song (long associated with the unparalleled Judy Garland) in The Keeton Theatre's production of Meet Me in St. Louis is beautifully sung and Kate Adams-Johnson directs that particular scene with a seasoned hand and an imaginative, visual aesthetic.

There's no doubt about it: Circle Players' Tim Larson is fearless. Perhaps no director in Nashville is more ambitious than Larson who, time after time, takes on the seemingly impossible and reimagines it as something well within the reach of his creative collective of actors, designers, technicians and musicians. Larson's staging of Titanic, a project he's taken on twice to great and justifiable acclaim, proves that even that musical is something which seasoned and capable community theater groups can tackle.

A revival of Circle Players' 2008 production, which was staged at the company's then-home at the Z. Alexander Looby Theatre, this 'new and improved' mounting (a collaboration between Circle and SCA) is astounding in its sheer chutzpah. Who'd have ever thought a community theatre could take on such a daunting task and be so imminently successful in doing so? Frankly, it boggles the mind.

The Youth Actor's Guild of Pull-Tight Players is proud to present The Match Girl's Gift, a Christmas show for the whole family. Come show your support for our young thespians by attending our holiday concert and heartwarming play!

The Youth Actor's Guild of Pull-Tight Players is proud to present The Match Girl's Gift, a Christmas show for the whole family. Come show your support for our young thespians by attending our holiday concert and heartwarming play!

The Youth Actor's Guild of Pull-Tight Players is proud to present The Match Girl's Gift, a Christmas show for the whole family. Come show your support for our young thespians by attending our holiday concert and heartwarming play!