BY ALAN SHERROD As the show curtain rose on DJ Pike’s beautifully atmospheric set for Clarence Brown Theatre’s production of Murder on the Orient Express which opened last week, I halfway expected the audience to break into applause at…
2022-23 Season Begins: September Promises Non-Stop Events
While summer heat still prevails, one can sense the coming of fall. One sign of the inevitable change is the arts calendar for September, which is already bulging with opening concerts, shows, and events for the 2022-23 season. Most organizations…
Review: ‘Always … Patsy Cline’ at Clarence Brown Theatre
BY ALAN SHERROD In case you haven’t been paying attention, jukebox musicals are real crowd-pleasers. For example, Ain’t Too Proud, the story of the Temptations, just finished a lengthy run on Broadway and has begun touring productions. Jersey Boys,…
Big Week on Stage: World Premiere from KSO, ‘Patsy Cline’ at Clarence Brown, Puccini from Knoxville Opera
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra For Knoxville Symphony Orchestra fans, every concert has some compelling component—a hugely popular work performed with passion or perhaps an unknown gem lurking just out of sight, at last finding the listeners it deserves. This week’s concert…
Review: CBT’s ‘She Kills Monsters’ – An Enchanting Finale for Carousel Theatre
BY ALAN SHERROD Theatre-goers have probably all heard the news—the University of Tennessee Department of Theatre and the Clarence Brown Theatre will be saying goodbye to the current incarnation of the Carousel Theatre following its current production of She…
Review: Morisseau’s ‘Blood at the Root’ in Clarence Brown Lab Theatre
BY ALAN SHERROD “Southern trees bear a strange fruit / Blood on the leaves and blood at the root…” “Strange Fruit” – Abel Meeropol, recorded by Billie Holiday (1939) Dominique Morisseau’s 2014 play Blood at the Root takes…
First Friday of March: On Stage and On the Walls
Theatre, Music, and Opera UT Symphony Orchestra: Concertos and Classics This concert will feature the winners of the annual SOM Concerto Competition. Livestream information can be found at https://music.utk.edu/events/live.php. Sunday, March 6 at 4:00pm Alumni Memorial Building, James R. Cox Auditorium…
Review: Clarence Brown Theatre Embraces a Sympathetic ‘Curious Incident’
BY ALAN SHERROD For an audience, a theatrical production is a snapshot in time, its effect influenced in both large and small degrees by the current environment of society and culture. Had the Clarence Brown Theatre produced The Curious…
Review: Clarence Brown Theatre Returns To Dickens In A New ‘A Christmas Carol’
BY ALAN SHERROD Although Charles Dickens’ novella A Christmas Carol was published to great popularity in London in 1843, it wasn’t until December of 1867 that the author managed to visit fans of the best-seller in the United States.…
Clarence Brown Theatre Returns To Live Performances With Its 2021-22 Season
For even casual observers, it has been obvious that live performance theatre—from Broadway to community efforts—has been one of the greatest casualties of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing precautions. As vaccinations have reduced the present danger of serious illness,…