MUSIC CITY Celebrates Opening Night Off-Broadway

Music City just celebrated its opening night at St. Luke’s Theatre.The show features original and existing songs by multi-platinum songwriter J.T. Harding, including showstoppers “Smile,” “Sangria,” and “Somewhere In My Car,” written for such artists as Darius Rucker, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Uncle Kracker, Dierks Bently, and Florida Georgia Line, an original book by playwright Peter Zinn (Rumspringa, Somewhere With You), and is directed by BEDLAM’s artistic director Eric Tucker. 

The cast of Music City features Drew Bastian as Newt, Jonathan Judge-Russo as Drew, Julianne B. Merrill as Wyn, Lauren “Lolo” Pritchard as ‘23,’ Leenya Rideout as Tammy/Leeanne, Andrew Rothenberg as Bakerman/Stucky Stiles, and Stephen Michael Spencer as T.J. Understudies are Grace Bernardo, Danny Hayward and Megan Loomis. Band members include Ann Klein (Lead Guitar, Mandolin, Lap Steel), Julianne B. Merrill (Keys) and Tony Tino (Bass).

 

Music City follows two young singer-songwriters into The Wicked Tickle, an East Nashville bar that serves up cheap beer, open mics, and dreams of big breaks. The bar regulars bravely pursue love and music in the face of addiction, poverty, and haunting pasts. But in Nashville, heartbreak is the only thing they hand out for free. Music City is an intimate, gritty, and thrilling take on the world of beers, guitars, sawdust, and sunshine.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski