1 month ago
EXCLUSIVE: The critically acclaimed, Nashville-set Off Broadway philharmonic Music City, featuring nan euphony of multi-platinum deed songwriter J.T. Harding, has recovered a caller location weeks aft plans to statesman performances astatine a custom-renovated Times Square area venue were dashed days earlier performances were to begin.
Gabrielle Palitz tells Deadline that Music City now will statesman performances connected Monday, June 15, astatine St. Luke’s Theatre, besides successful nan Times Square/midtown theatre district, pinch an opening nighttime group for Wednesday, June 24.
Set successful nan fictional Nashville honky-tonk The Wicked Tickle, Music City features original and existing songs by Harding, including hits recorded by specified artists arsenic Uncle Kracker (“Smile”), Keith Urban (“Somewhere In My Car”) and Blake Shelton (“Sangria”). Harding has besides written hits for Darius Rucker, Dierks Bently and Florida Georgia Line.
The philharmonic primitively opened successful a mini capacity abstraction connected nan 2nd level of a historical religion connected Manhattan’s Upper West Side successful November 2024, extending 3 times until closing successful March 2025. Producers past planned to move nan show into a vacant 42nd Street building that erstwhile housed New York’s Playboy Club, but aft extended renovations that turned nan venue into a moving Nashville-style honky-tonk bar, nan tally was scotched days earlier previews were to statesman past March.
Palitz said astatine nan clip that, arsenic nan show was preparing to spell into tech, producers “were made alert of ineligible issues pinch nan venue that person proven to beryllium challenging.”
Today, Palitz said successful a statement, “Like life successful nan champion state songs, Music City has had to navigate a fewer unexpected turns, but we’re thrilled to stock that our critically acclaimed accumulation has recovered a caller location astatine St. Luke’s Theatre. We’re profoundly grateful to Out of nan Box Theatrics and their laminitis Liz Flemming for opening their doors to america pinch specified generosity and enthusiasm. Their support ensures that our awesome formed tin proceed telling this story, and that audiences will acquisition nan bosom and psyche of Music City. We can’t hold to invited everyone backmost to The Wicked Tickle.”
As was planned for nan 42nd Street venue, St. Luke’s Theatre connected W. 46th Street will beryllium transformed into an East Nashville barroom, pinch nan immersive abstraction invites “audiences to measurement wrong a state barroom wherever music, storytelling, and nightlife collide.”
The synopsis: “Music City follows 2 young singer-songwriters into The Wicked Tickle, an East Nashville barroom that serves up inexpensive beer, unfastened mics, and dreams of large breaks. The barroom regulars bravely prosecute emotion and euphony successful nan look of addiction, poverty, and haunting pasts. But successful Nashville, heartbreak is nan only point they manus retired for free. Music City is an intimate, gritty, and thrilling return connected nan world of beers, guitars, sawdust, and sunshine.”
Returning to their roles are original formed members Drew Bastian, Jonathan Judge-Russo, Julianne B. Merrill, Leenya Rideout, Andrew Rothenberg, Casey Shuler and Stephen Michael Spencer.
The philharmonic features an original book by playwright Peter Zinn and is directed by Eric Tucker, creator head of nan Bedlam theatre institution wherever nan philharmonic originated.
