Frontmezzjunkies reports: After an unexpected pause, BEDLAM’s acclaimed Music City finally returns Off-Broadway with a new home, a new cast member, and the same beating country heart
By Ross
Some shows arrive with a little extra history behind them. Music City is one of those productions. A few months ago, I found myself writing about the heartbreaking news that BEDLAM‘s highly anticipated Off-Broadway return had been placed on hold only days before previews were set to begin. Legal complications surrounding the venue forced an unexpected pause, leaving a company of artists ready to perform and an audience eager to return to The Wicked Tickle waiting for word of what would come next.
Thankfully, that wait is now over. Music City officially re-opened at St. Luke’s Theatre on June 24, allowing this award-nominated musical to continue the journey it seemed destined to take all along. Directed, as I once described it, “pure and true” by Eric Tucker (Bedlam’s Vanity Fair), with music and lyrics by multi-platinum songwriter J.T. Harding and a book by Peter Zinn, the production once again invites audiences into a Nashville bar where open mic dreams, cheap beer, heartbreak, and hope all share the same stage.
When I reviewed the production during its original Off-Broadway run, I called it “a rocking good time filled with country songs awash with catchy lyrics and sweet grooves.” That enthusiasm has only grown knowing the show refused to disappear after its unexpected setback. Instead, it simply waited for another chance to find its audience.
The production welcomes recording artist and original Spring Awakening cast member Lauren Pritchard, performing professionally as LOLO, to the role of ’23’. She joins Drew Bastian, Jonathan Judge-Russo, Julianne B. Merrill, Leenya Rideout, Andrew Rothenberg, Stephen Michael Spencer, and the talented company now bringing this intimate musical to life at St. Luke’s Theatre.
Part of what made Music City resonate so strongly with me was its authenticity. Harding’s songs never feel manufactured for the stage. They feel lived in, carrying the unmistakable rhythms of contemporary country music while serving characters who are chasing careers, relationships, redemption, and second chances inside the walls of The Wicked Tickle. As I wrote after seeing it, “the music feels fresh and authentically chart-topping,” giving the production an emotional honesty that extends well beyond its Nashville setting.
That honesty is matched by the creative team, including scenic designer Clifton Chadick, whose immersive honky-tonk environment earned a Drama Desk nomination, alongside Kindall Houston Almond’s costumes, Eric Southern’s lighting, Jane Shaw’s sound design, and John Heginbotham’s choreography. Together, they create a world that feels both intimate and unmistakably alive.
Looking back, it now seems fitting that Music City itself has experienced a journey not unlike the characters it celebrates. The people inside this musical spend their days chasing opportunities that always seem just beyond reach, refusing to stop believing that tomorrow might finally be the day everything changes. After an unexpected interruption, this production has now earned its own second verse.
Earlier, I wrote that the show “makes me smile like the sun,” and that I hoped it would soon “sing again in full voice.” Happily, that moment has arrived. If you missed Music City the first time around, or simply needed another reason to spend an evening inside The Wicked Tickle, the doors are open once again, and this heartfelt country musical finally has the chance to continue the story it was always meant to tell.
