Last November, I saw a jukebox country musical titled Music City at an off-Broadway church on the Upper East Side. The show had music by JT Harding, book by Peter Zinn and excellent direction by Eric Tucker, whose staging at off-Broadway’s BEDLAM Theatre has been impressing me for years. Choreography by John Heginbotham who staged the dances for the revival of Oklahoma! and a great Nashville bar called “Wicked Tickle” by scenic designer Clifton Chadick completes the show.
Zinn’s book is a simple story about two young Nashville singers and songwriters trying to make a career for themselves in the competitive country world. There seems to be nothing but heartbreak in this world except when they sing. Harding’s brilliant songs dominate the show.
You might know Harding’s name since he had a following on music streaming services. That’s where I first heard his marvelous work. He was a co-writer of Uncle Kracker’s “Smile,” Blake Shelton’s “Sangria” and Keith Urban’s “Somewhere In My Car.” All of these songs turn up in Music City. I found out that the tunes all stayed in my head after the curtain had fallen.
Harding captures the heartbreak in every Nashville soul. Many of the Nashville nightclubs, like the Wicked Tickle, have open mics for the audience to sing into. In New York, if you have a ticket for Music City and show up at their new theater, St. Luke’s Theatre, at 308 West 46th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues), a half-hour beforehand, you can try out for the stage manager. If you are considered worthy, you get to sing your song while the audience is getting their seats.
Who knows – you might become a star! That happens in Nashville all the time.
For more information, visit musiccitythemusical.com.
Photo: Jeremy Daniel
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source canarsiecourier.com ’
