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Actors Play Actors in Towne Centre Theatre’s Moon Over Buffalo
Special to Brentwood Life
 | Photo by Ashley Bone
First row from left are Johnny Peppers, Kathy Crisp, Molly Quinn and Flynt Foster. Second row, from left are Britt Byrd, Matt Grimes, and Layne Sasser.
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Brentwood’s own Towne Centre Theatre opens its fourth season of stage entertainment with the production of Ken Ludwig’s Moon Over Buffalo.
The story, written by the same playwright as Lend Me a Tenor, focuses on the lives of George and Charlotte Hay. These traveling actors are performing Cyrano de Bergerac and Private Lives in a repertory theatre in Buffalo, New York circa 1953. Charlotte has grandiose dreams of becoming a Hollywood film star; George, however, is quite satisfied as a stage actor, and sees live theatre as being superior to film. After learning that the famous Hollywood director, Frank Capra, is coming to give George one final shot at stardom, miscommunication ensues and the hilarity begins. This show is a romp through the thrill-a-minute lifestyle of the theatrical world.
Moon Over Buffalo also reunites some veterans of Towne Centre shows and brings to the stage some new faces to the fourth season opener. The cast includes Johnny Peppers and Kathy Crisp as George and Charlotte Hay; Molly Quinn as their daughter Roz; Flynt Foster as Roz’s ex-boyfriend Paul; Matt Grimes, Robby Coles, and Britt Byrd as the triangular love interests, and the unmistakable Layne Sasser as Charlotte’s mother, Ethel.
“Lend Me a Tenor was such a great success kicking off the season at Towne Centre two years ago, and we couldn’t wait to bring another Ludwig play to the stage,” said Peppers, who is also the show’s producer. “Audiences enjoyed Tenor show so much, tickets were hard to come by. Moon Over Buffalo has the same energy, laughs, and a peek into the world of live performing. We believe the audiences will clamor to the theatre and be ready to laugh!”
The show is directed by Patrick Kramer, who has been directing and acting in the Nashville area for over a decade. While this is Kramer’s first time to direct at Towne Centre, he is no stranger to Town Centre Theatre. Patrick led casts over the last two seasons in The Foreigner, Little Shop of Horrors and Funny Money. Most recently, he directed the farce Noises Off for Circle Players in Nashville.
“I had the opportunity to work with Patrick when I produced Noises Off for Circle Players last fall,” Peppers said. “After experiencing what a focused and communicative director he was, I knew he would be a great match for Towne Centre Theatre and this show specifically. His sense of comic timing and creating opportunities for the characters outside of the script but within the context of the show is brilliant.”
Towne Centre Theatre is located at 135 Frierson St. in Brentwood. Moon over Buffalo opens Friday, February 5 and continues Feb. 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26 and 27. The doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. For Sunday matinees, the doors open at 2 p.m., show starts at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors 60+ and $16 for students. Reservations are highly recommended by calling (615) 221-1174 or visit townecentretheatre.com
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