Photo Coverage: The 2013 First Night Honors Red (actually Orange) Carpet Arrivals
by Jeffrey Ellis
- Sep 6, 2012
Dressed to the nines-despite forecasts of thunderstorms and a tornado watch that hung over the region-theater people from throughout Tennessee gathered at Belmont University's Bill and Carole Troutt Theatre on Sunday night for the 2013 First Night Honors. Hosted by Holly Shepherd and Joel Diggs, the gala evening honored eight leading lights of Tennessee theater as they were recognized as members of the First Night Class of 2013 Honorees.
BWW Reviews: DLU Theatre's HAIRSPRAY Delivers Exactly What You Want In Musical Theater
by Jeffrey Ellis
- Nov 4, 2011
You can hardly swing a cat in Nashville without hitting someone in costume as Edna Turnblad or her dancing progeny Tracy, so popular has the show become with local theaterati. But, truth be told, if I never live to see another Hairspray, I can now die a happy man: Because I saw director/choreographer Justin Boccitto's exceptional, extraordinary and exhilarating take on the show, starring a phenomenal cast of Lipscomb University theatre students who so brilliantly bring the now-iconic characters of 1962 Baltimore to life with thorough commitment and so much energy you can't help but leave the theater with a spring in your step and a song in your heart.
BWW Interviews: Hair-Hoppin' Questions for LU's HAIRSPRAY Cast: The Nicest Kids in Town, Part IV
by Jeffrey Ellis
- Oct 28, 2011
Even before they hit the stage for Lipscomb University Theatre's production of Hairspray, it's pretty clear that cast members Jamin Craig, Leslie Marberry, Ashley Cobb, Graf Thurman and Mike Knox truly are 'the nicest kids in town.' Bringing the hit musical to life for Nashville audiences, which will include a large contingent of alumni in town for homecoming (Hairspray runs November 3-6 in Collins Auditorium on the David Lipscomb University campus), the large ensemble of more than 40 actors are hard at work, sharpening their skills, running lines, rehearsing like it's nobody's business and immersing themselves in plenty of 1960s pop culture and nostalgia.
