‘Music City’ Exuberantly Evokes the Custom of Country

Like New York or Los Angeles, Nashville draws talented young people with big dreams. Where Tennessee’s capital is concerned, those visions usually involve country music, though the city has become a hub for all kinds of artists — and that’s to say nothing of the food, particularly if you like your chicken deep-fried and spicy.In “Music City,” a jukebox musical set in East Nashville and titled after the city’s nickname, the heat and spice are provided by the starry-eyed performers themselves. First staged in New York in 2024 by the celebrated theater company Bedlam, the show has now moved to another off-Broadway venue, St. Luke’s Theatre, which scenic designer Clifton Chadick has transformed into a honky-tonk bar, complete with music memorabilia, Christmas lights, and tables where audience members can sip beer and other adult beverages.This is The Wicked Tickle, a fictional dive where aspiring musicians gather to pursue their ambitions and occasionally get lucky. Fortune would appear to be smiling on brothers T.J. and Drew, who grew up in foster homes but, as the show opens, earn the attention of a big record company executive on the strength of T.J.’s catchy, upbeat songs. (Drew, as he admits, just comes up with the titles.)The real tunesmith behind “Music City” is JT Harding, who has crafted hits for the likes of Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, and Kenny Chesney. If such artists don’t tend to make your playlists often, you may still find the score here more infectious and endearing than those in recent musicals that have recycled contemporary pop fare, such as “Once Upon a One More Time” and the inexplicably resilient “& Juliet.”That’s because where pop and R&B songwriters have in recent decades come to rely increasingly on clever production and have taken some of their best melodic and rhythmic hooks from older material, country music continues to emphasize original storytelling and songcraft. And Mr. Harding’s songs are well served by likable actors who, backed by a band of supple musicians, sing robustly and harmonize beautifully.The story itself is, not surprisingly, a little corny, if not without grittier elements. T.J. and Drew, respectively played by Stephen Michael Spencer and Jonathan Judge-Russo, need money to make a proper demo for Leanne, that exec who may want to sign them, so they agree to make a few deliveries for a drug dealer known as Bakerman. Then T.J. falls for a new girl in town who simply calls herself 23; she’s also a budding singer/songwriter, but her ambitions are thwarted by her mom, Tammy, once a rising troubadour herself but now one of Bakerman’s regular clients.Peter Zinn’s libretto essentially portrays these characters as plucky hicks, at least in how they express themselves — there’s bad grammar to underline their folksiness — though I’ve seen plenty of shows that have been more dismissive and disdainful of Americans from flyover country. Messrs. Judge-Russo and Spencer are charming as the siblings, as is Lauren “LOLO” Pritchard, whose sweetly smoky singing will be familiar to anyone who saw the original Broadway cast of “Spring Awakening,” in the role of 23.I was most impressed, at a recent preview, by Andrew Rothenberg, who brings hilarious authenticity to a certain kind of lowlife as Bakerman, then manifests a different variety of seedy as the pompous country star Stucky Stiles, revealing a big, tangy baritone. Leenya Rideout also does double duty as Leanne and Tammy, but less winningly; her hyper-theatrical gestures, both vocally and in body language —especially when Tammy’s supposed to be stoned — can seem out of place with the more natural vibe sustained by the others under Bedlam artistic director Eric Tucker’s guidance. Julianne B. Merrill proves a more down-to-earth presence while doing even more juggling. She’s the production’s music director and keyboardist and, in the latter role, the one band member who is given a prominent character, Wyn, who first breaks the fourth wall to engage the audience and addresses us periodically throughout. Mind you, at the performance I attended, the crowd didn’t need much prodding. The pleasures offered by “Music City” may be modest, but its unflagging energy ensures an enjoyable visit.

‘Music City’ Exuberantly Evokes the Custom of Country

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