Music City: A New Musical

I went into St. Luke’s Theatre for the 6pm performance of Music City: A New Musical on September 19 without high expectations, and came out having had an unexpectedly amazing night. For the second time, after Beau, the church basement at St. Luke’s has been transformed into a country music bar, this time the Wicked Tickle, an East Nashville dive with cheap beer, open mics, and dreams of big breaks.

Peter Zinn’s book follows two young singer-songwriters who land among the bar’s regulars, all of them chasing love and music through addiction, poverty, and painful pasts. Eric Tucker directs.

Like & Juliet, the score comes entirely from one songwriter’s catalog, in this case JT Harding. The score includes “Smile,” “Sangria,” and “Somewhere in My Car.” You may not know his name, but he has written some of the most popular country songs of the last few decades, and I instantly recognized many of them.

The cast is amazing and well chosen for their roles. The music is spot on, and the harmonies are tight and a pleasure to hear.

My only complaint is an effeminate male character who plays to every gay stereotype without the show ever coming out and saying he is gay. His flirting with the other men serves no purpose in the plot. It exists only so the more conservative audience members can elbow each other over a wink-wink joke about gay people in New York. The show could do without it.

Otherwise, Music City is a good show, and it surprised me enough that I went back a second time, bringing a friend who was visiting from Texas, who had a wonderful time!