Music City - Off-Broadway

I am not a country music fan, so I had a bit of trepidation when I entered Off-Broadway’s St. Luke’s Theater for the jukebox musical Music City.  Fortunately, whatever concerns I held were misplaced.  Music City is a buoyant, engaging, sometimes soap opera-ish, show that is chock-full of hook-laden songs composed by JT Harding.  The songwriter has written hit tunes for country artists including Uncle Kracker, Darius Rucker, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, and Kenny Chesney.  They are delivered by a top-notch on-stage band.

Lauren Lolo Pritchard and Stephen Michael Spencer in Music City.

The show takes place in the Wicked Tickle, a Nashville dive bar that hosts open mic nights.  Two brothers, the younger TJ (Stephen Michael Spencer) and his older sibling Drew (Jonathan Judge-Russo), are fan favorites who are prepped to make the big time per Tammy (Leenya Rideout), a recording label scout.  However, complications ensue.  The boys need money to record a demo.  Step in the fiendishly expressive neighborhood drug dealer Bakerman (Andrew Rothenberg) to lend them the funds as long as they help him deliver his goods.  One of TJ’s clients is a drug addicted mother, Leanne (also played by Leenya Rideout), whose daughter,  23 (Lauren Lolo Pritchard and, yes, that’s her character’s name), he has fallen for.  Of course, the two start making beautiful music together, but life and relationships aren’t easy.  By the time the musical concludes, there are also break-ups, reconciliations, possible sexual harassment, and one character’s harrowing stint in the army.

Leenya Rideout as Leanne in Music City.

Librettist Peter Zinn wraps up most of the storylines into a neat bow.  The plot could easily have been taken from one of JT Harding’s songs – which range from raucous party tunes to tender ballads.  Zinn has crafted characters whose dreams we believe in, portrayals we care about as well as lowlifes we want to boo.

Director Eric Tucker, working within Scenic Designer Clifton Chadick’s appropriately low-brow décor and Eric Southern’s garish Lighting Design, keeps the pacing brisk while utilizing the entire space in St. Lukes.  There are two staging areas that serve multiple purposes, but he doesn’t limit the performers to just those spaces.  Tucker also has the actors and actresses consistently around the cramped table seating area where the audience sits.  Placing the four-piece band on-stage adds to the realism of the honky-tonk bar setting.

Andrew Rothenberg as Stucky Stiles in Music City.

The cast, energetic and fully committed to their roles, is led by Stephen Michael Spencer as TJ.  While he begins his journey as a party animal looking for a good time and to make it big in the music industry, he nimbly shifts his character to a more layered trajectory.

Jonathan Judge-Russo, as older brother Drew, perfectly complements his on-stage sibling.  More low-key and introspective, the two have a well-worn chemistry.  Lauren Lolo Pritchard is the most complex character in the show – moving from thoughtful and meditative singer-songwriter to parental caregiver to worried spouse.

Andrew Rothenberg is marvelous in the dual roles of the nefarious drug dealer Bakerman, and the smooth-talking, over-the-hill country star Stucky Stiles.

Also, in dual roles (Tammy and Leanne), Leenya Rideout, in her primary role of Leanne, effectively brings heartache and resolve to her character.

Music City, playing at St. Lukes Theater right in the middle of Restaurant Row on 46^th Street between 8^th and 9^th Avenues.  Click here for dates, times, and ticket information.