'Music City' review: "LOLO" Pritchard shines

Open mic night at The Wicked Tickle dive bar is where artists go to play their hearts out and, if they’re lucky, get discovered. In Music City, Nashville singer-songwriter brothers TJ (Stephen Michael Spencer) and Drew (Jonathan Judge-Russo) feel relatable from the start, their dreams of playing stadium shows dashed until a record label exec (Leenya Rideout) hears them perform and takes an interest. Could they send her a demo?

Not exactly. The boys haven’t recorded one yet, and they’re too broke to afford studio time, so they contact local drug dealer Bakerman (Andrew Rothenberg) for cash in exchange for delivering meth.

One calculated entrance changes everything

Act I comes in hot and over the top. A stellar live band rocks the stage, but the actors shout to be heard as they move throughout the reconfigured St. Luke’s Theatre. Obstructed sightlines and overzealous enthusiasm strain credibility.

Jonathan Judge Russo, Lauren 'Lolo' Pritchard, and Stephen Michael Spencer in "Music City." — Jonathan Judge Russo, Lauren ‘Lolo’ Pritchard, and Stephen Michael Spencer in “Music City.” Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

Then “23” arrives. Lauren “LOLO” Pritchard (original Broadway cast of Spring Awakening) plays the young artist-ingénue on guitar who eventually becomes TJ’s bandmate and love interest. When she breaks into “Something More,” singing convincingly about her “dirty trailer park front porch,” you become a believer.

Meanwhile, Peter Zinn’s book takes the plot every which way: Will the band sell their music to arrogant country legend Stucky Stiles for a dime? What will become of 23’s mother, Tammy, her own dreams of music stardom destroyed by drug addiction? Will 23 and TJ’s love follow the country road of happy ever after or heartbreak?

JT Harding’s score features plenty of country bangers, most of which have had previous lives, including those made famous by Uncle Kracker (“Smile”), Blake Shelton (“Sangria”), and Keith Urban (“Somewhere in My Car”). They serve the show well in both stripped-down acoustic moments and more rousing, big-concert feels. Director Eric Tucker finds his rhythm in Act II, with more concise staging that deepens intimacy with the audience and the musical’s more serious plot points.

Clifton Chadick’s fun, chill bump scenic design, with floor-to-ceiling vintage posters, autographed album covers, signed guitars, and kitschy Christmas lights, transports you to Nashville from the moment you walk into the space (arrive 30 minutes early for the audience-participation open mic). Music City oversells itself early and earns you back late—and somehow, that’s enough.