The critically esteemed play “What the Constitution Means to Me” opened at Tennessee Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, engaging Nashvillians in a night of fervent political discourse and raw, emotional storytelling. This thought-provoking play functions as part memoir, part debate and features playwright Heidi Shreck as the main character. The show kicks off with Schreck reenacting her time as a teenage debate champion, during which she traveled across the country to speak o

“Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” opened at Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Jackson Hall on Tuesday, a show that spins like a disco ball in a flashy and fractured tribute to the Queen of Disco herself. “Summer” whirls across the stage in a feverishly chaotic yet highly danceable parade of events. In an intermissionless run time of one hour and 45 minutes, the show stuffs in 23 of Donna Summer’s groovy, sensual and subversive songs. Though the numbers are well-woven into m

The interactive, all-American play “What the Constitution Means to Me” will open at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, hauling its wave-making legacy to Music City for a strictly limited engagement. Originally starring playwright Heidi Schreck as herself, the production premiered off-Broadway in 2018 at New York Theatre Workshop before making its Broadway debut the following year. The play quickly garnered dazzling accolades for both its craft and cultural signi

A buzzing crowd poured into TPAC’s Jackson Hall for the anticipated opening night of “Dear Evan Hansen.” Many theatergoers donned the show’s merchandise, demonstrating what an affectionate fan following the production has accumulated since its 2016 debut. “Dear Evan Hansen” made a name for itself as a deeply moving, Oscar-sweeping contemporary musical that communicates sensitive topics with graceful urgency. Wednesday night continued this legacy, leaving the audience breathle

The national tour of Broadway’s “The Prom” hit TPAC on Tuesday, scoring big — though sometimes questionable — laughs and getting people grooving in their seats with its dynamic dance moves and discoey beats. The musical’s plot erupts from the meeting of two main narratives: one of two gay teens and one of four narcissistic Broadway stars. At first, the two sets of character arcs don’t seem to gel. Broadway’s ironic eagerness to poke fun at its own culture often oddly taints t

The 2004 cult classic “Mean Girls” sprung to life on stage in TPAC’s Jackson Hall on Tuesday. Fans of the film will be delighted to discover the musical adaptation maintains much of the screenplay’s caustic wit, including the ultra-quotable quips that elevated it to its iconic status, echoing sarcastically down many high school halls over the last 18 years. Like the movie, the musical follows the sheltered heroine Cady Heron as she’s uprooted from her homeschooled life in Afr

The Woody Allen hit “Bullets Over Broadway” is more than your average 1920s mobster shootout. There are messages of artistic adequacy, fidelity, forgiveness and–most of all– not taking yourself too seriously. Accompanied by the enormous sound of 1920s big band jazz, “Bullets Over Broadway” tells the scandalous story of a novice playwright getting mixed up in the big shots of the theater and inadvertently tied up with the mob. As the show goes on, the plot gets more convolute

Bestowed upon me was a night of lights, fun, cheesy yet witty one liners and cheekily provocative costumes, all demonstrably coming together in one of the basic facets of human cultural history: dancing. But not your conventional sort of dancing. It was dancing characterized as sensuous, voluptuous and inebriating. Dirty Dancing it was. First, I will give a brief overview of my appreciation for the ease of the facility. The building was clean, smelled nice, was presented

Paint droplets, streams of toilet paper and massive, technicolor beach balls are just a few of the surprises packed into the interactive experience of Blue Man Group. All this and more awaits Belmont students at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, Tenn. as the theater hosts Blue Man Group for one week, which began Jan. 6 and will end with two shows Jan. 11. Potential patrons unfamiliar with the performance style of the group can expect a truly one-of-a-kind exp

“Camelot,” Lerner and Loewe’s innovative retelling of the legendary story of King Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot, captivated Nashvillians with its opening performance on Tuesday at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. This creative musical is a revival of Lerner and Loewe’s classic version that modernizes the production. Its updated look includes new costumes and a fresh set design, and it seemed to reflect influences of Monty Python and “Game of Thrones” by combining witty

For one week, Nashville, Tenn. theater fans will have the opportunity to experience the drama, gallantry and chivalry of the golden age of Camelot in Lerner and Loewe’s innovative retelling of King Arthur’s legendary story. “Camelot” is a refreshing look into the lives of King Arthur, his wife Guenevere, the trusted knight Sir Lancelot and Arthur’s illegitimate son Mordred. The show begins with King Arthur marrying Guenevere and establishing the Knights of the Round Table and

Two Belmont University alumni, Nathan and Whitney Meyer, well- established in the musical theater scene of New York City are returning to Nashville for the month of Oct. to visit their alma mater and perform in “Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” The Meyers graduated from Belmont in 2009 and almost immediately moved to New York City to pursue a career together onstage. After five years of building their careers in and around New York, the talented couple has ret

Nashville Repertory Theatre’s season opener stunned audiences with a dazzling performance that promises a year of strong, awe-inspiring theater. The repertory company, formally known as Tennessee Repertory Theatre, has never been afraid of experimental theater, but as the group embraces its new name, it looks to push the limits even further. This bold approach certainly paid off with Nashville Rep’s opening performance of “Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” whic

As many Belmont students know, the life of an artist is no easy thing. There are many challenges that come with pursuing any form of art, specifically figuring out how to express yourself in a way that other people will enjoy. These struggles are highlighted beautifully in the hit musical “Once.” One of Broadway’s most visually creative performances, “Once” began its week long run Tuesday night at Tennessee Performing Arts Center. The show begins with an open bar onstage wher

Belmont students will have the opportunity to receive exclusive discounts on one of Broadway’s most mesmerizing and original musicals when it premieres in Nashville next week. “Once,” winner of eight Tony awards, has received glowing reviews since its Broadway debut in 2012. Now it’s on track to stun Nashville at Tennessee Performing Arts Center. According to The New Yorker, “Once” is “unusually fun and heartfelt.” The Wall Street Journal says the show is “a love story played

The Tennessee Performing Arts Center, affectionately known as TPAC, in downtown Nashville, Tenn., has planned an extraordinary lineup for this year’s Broadway touring season. Opening with “Once” and ending the season with “Newsies,” theater patrons will have the opportunity to view seven incredible, award-winning shows. The season officially opens with “Once,” the refreshingly original story of a street musician from Dublin who experiences a complicated connection with a beau

It would be easy to say that the crowning moment of “Wicked” was the well-known masterpiece that is “Defying Gravity,” but that would also be a lie. However, it is hard to point out a few moments that stand out when almost every song perfectly highlighted a different member of a cast. It would be even more impossible to claim one member of the cast stood out above the others. Loosely based off the book by Gregory Maguire, the musical tells the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Wit

“Wicked” is back in Nashville, but it’s bringing something new with it: a connection to an anti-bully campaign. For the past four years, the production has partnered with BullyBust, a program that not only tries to combat bullying, but promotes active intervening. The website proudly proclaims the building of Upstanders, “people who stand up against bullying or mean/cruel behavior, and mobilize the entire community to end harmful harassment, teasing, and violence in our natio