Theater and Dance

Ordinary Heroes presented by Actors Bridge Ensemble and Amun Ra Theatre, Feb. 2-26 at Fisk Memorial Chapel Actors Bridge Ensemble and Amun Ra Theatre are the collaborating organizations for this docudrama-inspired theatrical piece that explores Nashville’s role during the civil rights movement of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Director jeff obafemi carr is also the coordinating writer for the original script, which recaptures actual local events and draws upon the testimony and experiences of those who lived through the tumultuous times. In 90 minutes, history is woven throughout a tapestry of multimedia documentary excerpts (TV footage, radio clips, etc.), spoken-word poetry, dramatized scenes, dance and both period and original music, with black and white voices raised to offer a balanced account of what went down and how their participation helped to shape the national struggle for racial equality. The cast features some of the more familiar performers from both theatrical groups, including Rachel Agee, Marie-Vanel Borderon, Bobby Daniels, Rebekah Durham, Gray W. Hemphill III, Jeff Lewis, Tom Mason, Delali Potakey and Todd Suttles. Fisk University’s Race Relations Institute and Lipscomb University jointly sponsor the program. A special website has been set up specifically for show information and tickets: www.ordinaryheroesplay.com. —MARTIN BRADY Speed-the-Plow, presented by Tennessee Repertory Theatre, Feb. 1-17 at TPAC’s Johnson TheaterUntil a few years ago, Tennessee Repertory Theatre had never produced a work by David Mamet, probably America’s most widely recognized contemporary playwright. But in fairly short order, the company has given us A Life in the Theatre, Oleanna and now this satirical excursion into the American movie business, which includes serious side trips into black humor and typically Mametian cynicism. The play’s original 1988 Broadway production featured Joe Mantegna, Ron Silver (who won a Tony for his performance) and Madonna. The Rep’s version, directed by Rene Copeland, features two of the stars of last season’s widely acclaimed Oleanna production, David Alford and Marin Miller, plus Jessejames Locorriere, who more recently distinguished himself in the People’s Branch Theatre staging of Rhinoceros. Set design is by Gary Hoff. It’s Mamet in Hollyweird, so expect mature subject matter and salty language. Phone 255-ARTS (2787). —MARTIN BRADY Hanging Mary, presented by People’s Branch Theatre, March 8-17 at the Belcourt TheatrePeople’s Branch Theatre begins a new era under recently appointed artistic director Ross Brooks with the world premiere of this original full-length play. Based entirely on somewhat bizarre historical events, playwright Matthew Carlton’s well-researched work—which involved more than five years’ worth of conception and careful crafting—is set in East Tennessee in 1917 and concerns the surreal circumstances under which a five-ton circus elephant was hanged for murder. (Yes, you read that right.) Director Jon Royal is charged with the task of bringing this strange but true tale to life on stage, and he’ll do so with a fairly large cast and a spirit of sideshow humor leavened by the playwright’s meaningful message about social injustice in all forms. The performers include many of Nashville’s favorite and well-respected veterans. Phone 846-3150. —MARTIN BRADY The Will Rogers Follies, presented by Boiler Room Theatre, Jan. 26 to Feb. 24 at The Factory at FranklinBoiler Room Theatre kicks off 2007 with this multi-award-winning 1990 musical written by Broadway legends Peter Stone (book), Cy Coleman (score) and Betty Comden and Adolph Green (lyrics). The topic is no less legendary: the Oklahoma-born Rogers (1879-1935) was an iconic figure in his time. Noted as an actor, comedian, humorist, journalist and social commentator, Rogers had a public persona that spanned decades, and his wit was communicated widely to America through his contributions to radio, film and newspapers. Sondra Morton-Chaffin will direct the colorful, tuneful proceedings, which feature Alan Lee in the title role, with support from BRT veterans Corrie Miller, Nancy Whitehead, Nick DeNuzio and Lauri Bright, among others. Bright also co-choreographs along with Billy Ditty, who in turn serves as costume designer. As always, the excellent Jamey Green provides the musical direction. Well in keeping with the sincerity and jollity that typified Rogers’ life, the production will include entertaining staging elements such as lasso tricks, tap-dancing cowboys and Ziegfeld Follies-style showgirls. Call 794-7744. —MARTIN BRADY Bluebird Café, presented by Nashville Ballet, Feb. 16-18 at TPAC’s Polk Theater Whatever aspirations Nashville Ballet has toward high art, the company has always prided itself on its down-home regional surroundings, which means continued linkage with Music City’s popular-music roots and local composers and performing artists. This program is the company’s second that draws inspiration from Nashville’s most famous songwriters’ venue, The Bluebird Cafe, and here that thematic jumping-off point will find dancers in sync with musical styles that go beyond mere country while keeping with the idea of the common folk. Bluesy singer Jonell Mosser and songwriter Gary Nicholson are the featured artists who most readily represent the Music Row connection, but also providing music on the bill are jazz pianist Jeff Steinberg, The Blair String Trio, gospel ensemble The Princely Players and Vanderbilt University professor Michael Curick. Choreography of the wide-ranging dance pieces is created by ballet artistic director Paul Vasterling; Oregon-based Sarah Slipper, whose previous work has been performed in Nashville with success; Austin-based newcomer Gina Patterson; and Robert Philander. Nashville Ballet completes its 2006-7 season April 27-29 with its stirring version of Swan Lake in TPAC’s Jackson Hall. Phone 255-ARTS (2787). —MARTIN BRADY Andre Gingras/Joe Goode Performance Group, Jan. 24 and April 4 (respectively) at Vanderbilt University’s Ingram Hall Vanderbilt’s Great Performances Series is Nashville’s single most important purveyor of modern dance companies. Two major artists arrive in the earlier part of the new year, beginning with Holland-based solo dancer Andre Gingras, who brings his CYP17 into town on Jan. 24. Martial arts and break-dancing are incorporated into Gingras’ uniquely edgy style of postmodern dance theater. On April 4, the West Coast’s noted Joe Goode Performance Group will present Stay Together, which blends the music of Michael Tilson Thomas, multimedia effects and high-velocity movement into an exploration of the theme of long-term relationships. (This show is labeled as “adult content.”) Both companies will hold various master classes and extracurricular preview events during their brief Nashville stays. The main performances take place in Ingram Hall on the Vandy campus. For information and tickets, phone 322-2471. —MARTIN BRADY Also Worth Noting The Dining Room, presented by ACT 1, Jan. 12-20 at the Darkhorse Theater. Cats, the 25th anniversary tour of the legendary Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, Jan. 19-21 at TPAC’s Andrew Jackson Hall. Closer, presented by Groundworks Theatre, Jan. 26-Feb. 3 at the Darkhorse Theater. Einstein Is a Dummy, the imagined story of 12-year-old Albert Einstein, who struggles with the usual problems of childhood: forgetting stuff, stumbling over words when he tries to talk to a pretty girl, getting lost, working out the relationship between mass, energy and the speed of light, Jan. 30-Feb. 18 at Nashville Children’s Theatre. The Rat Pack: Live at The Sands, a celebration of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin when they performed at The Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, Feb. 6-11 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. History of the Brave, presented by Robins Nest Theatre, Feb. 9-10 at the Darkhorse Theater. Julius Caesar, presented by Nashville Shakespeare Festival and performed by local high school students for their Winter Teen Festival, Feb. 15-17. The Constant Wife, presented by ACT 1, March 2-17 at the Darkhorse Theater. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, the hit Broadway comedy about six young spelling bee students in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups barely able to escape childhood themselves, March 6-11 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, based on the acclaimed Judy Blume novel about sibling rivalry between a fourth-grade boy and his adorably irritating baby brother Fudge, March 6-April 7 at Nashville Children’s Theatre. Lucky Stiff, the journey of a shoe salesman and the corpse of his millionaire uncle, March 16-April 14 at Boiler Room Theatre. Intimate Apparel, the story of an African American seamstress and a Hasidic shopkeeper struggling against class and race in 1905, presented by Tennessee Repertory Theatre, March 22-April 7 in TPAC’s Johnson Theater. Love Laughs Last, presented by Shining Light Productions, April 6-14 at the Darkhorse Theater. Swan Lake, the classic ballet set to Tchaikovsky’s enduring score, performed by Nashville Ballet and the Nashville Symphony, April 27-29 in TPAC’s Andrew Jackson Hall. Arms and the Man, the classic George Bernard Shaw play performed by ACT 1, April 27-May 5 at the Darkhorse Theater. Mamma Mia!, the Broadway musical that weaves 22 of ABBA’s hit songs into an enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship, May 1-6 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. I Hate Hamlet, Paul Rudnick’s fast-paced and funny story of a television series star conflicted between playing Hamlet in Central Park or moving back to Los Angeles for a life of fame and mediocrity, presented by Tennessee Repertory Theatre, May 3-19 in TPAC’s Polk Theater. The Payout, presented by Actors Bridge in May at the Darkhorse Theater. Pulpits, presented by Dream 7, May 11-12 at the Darkhorse Theater. Sex in the City-State, an updated version of Lysistrata, Aristophanes’ classic Greek farce in which Lysistrata leads the Athenian women on a sex strike until the Athenian men succumb to the pressure and stop fighting with Sparta, presented by People’s Branch Theatre and John Holleman & Co., May 17-26 at the Belcourt Theatre.