One Saturday in August of 2010, I was having lunch at Panera with my then-girlfriend now-wife. We…read morewere discussing our plans for the day, and what we could do in the evening. It so happened that my eyes fell upon a pretty grim and ominous looking poster tacked to the community billboard at the back of the Panera. "Twilight of the Gods - Great minds die alike." A play by a new theater company in Nashville called Blackbird Theater. Curious, I looked it up on my phone and found it interesting enough that I bought us tickets for that very night. Since that first night, we've seen 3 other productions by Blackbird Theater: Arcadia, Magic and their current production, Amadeus. Blackbird Theater is a Nashville theater company by Greg Green and Wes Driver. They bill themselves as theater for the "intellectually adventurous," - in other words they specifically select plays that are challenging - in their dialog, in their ideas, in their acting and also in their production. From my experience they certainly deliver on all these. Production quality: From their very first play, I've always been impressed with their production quality. From the stage, to the props and wardrobes, to the acting - they've always have managed to create scenes specific to their era and to the mood. Acting: They've also been very skilled at finding impressive talent for their roles: In Twilight of the Gods, they had to cast for Mark Twain, Rasputin, Annie Oakley, Nietzsche and more. When you've got characters who are so well known to the public, it's easy for them to appear as caricatures, but in every case I've found the roles to be very convincing. Play selection: While I've missed two plays out of the 6 shows they've now done, from the 4 that I've seen I would say that while I definitely appreciate the plays they select, they are also not for everyone. As I mentioned, they select plays which tackle difficult material - philosophical, scientific, mathematical. That being said, the plays are far from being college lectures - they are entertaining, they are emotional, and even thrilling. As an example: The first play they had put on, Twilight of the Gods, was written by themselves (Wes Driver and Greg Green). It's a murder-mystery with notable Victorian people as the main characters. To put it brief: Clue for Grown Ups. The premise is that a wealthy intellectual is able to find historical luminaries reincarnated into present day people. With some convincing, he is able to transform these people back into their former selves - upon which they take on the appearance and mannerisms of the figures. The man's goal is to create a more enlightened age by specifically choosing a set of people who were experts in their own rites, and can discuss issues in a productive way. These discussions begin to be interrupted as the people are suddenly killed off - one by one. I managed to catch their current production, Amadeus, on opening night. Having seen the film, I wasn't sure what to expect. To put it simply, I was blown away. It was profound material and delivered better than Hollywood. For a play to span more than 30 years of time means a lot of scenes, and for characters to age. The actor who played the lead role, Salieri, was incredible as he transitioned back and forth between the young Salieri to the old. Most importantly, they managed to capture the mood, music and emotion of the story in a way that was deeper than the film (I could hear sniffles and tears of the audience). My major criticism unfortunately is with the venue - Blackbird Theater has all its shows at Lipscomb's Shamblin Theater. The theater itself is not bad: I like its proximity to some restaurants and coffee shops you can visit during intermission, and the main area is set up with circular tables that give the stage production more depth as those at the tables often feel more immersed within the play. What is really problematic for me are the chairs - which is not something I'd normally complain about. Shamblin Theater's chairs are awful - they are stiff, and upright in such away that three-quarters of the way through the production, you find yourself with a stiff lower back, and neck. The chairs are so bad they can sometimes become distracting, as you can't find a comfortable position. All in all, I'll finish off by saying that I look forward to future productions by Blackbird Theater, and there's a lot that can be said about a theater company when my only complaint is with the chairs. I encourage everyone (even those who may be intimidated by the idea of "intellectual theater") to give Blackbird Theater a shot - they're a small, local theater company that puts on high quality productions with ticket prices far less than what you'd find at TPac.

Just saw "Finding Nemo" today for a field trip and it was spectacular! Very talented cast and the…read morestaff were very organized. There seems to be a controversy over this theater because they accept all differences with the casting. I have now seen two performances and neither one was inappropriate. People seriously need to chill. Your kid is going to be more influenced at school than they are watching these performances. These are extremely talented actors/actresses and deserve to be appreciated for their incredible work!

I had a blast watching Charlie And The Chocolate Factory musical with my nieces and nephews. The…read morecharacters were so entertaining and the actors really brought them to life.

Oz is the premiere spot in Nashville for avant-garde shows and artists…read more There's also garden sculpture and indoor artwork. So come early before your show and enjoy a seat on the back patio.

I was in Nashville the first time for just 48 hours. In my search for things to do, the Wooster…read moreGroup happened to be in town for a few nights (how random! Their first excursion to the South--not counting TX). I knew I had to go but the tickets were sold out, there were clear instructions on the website about getting there earlier for standby, and it worked! Everyone was pleasant and things went smoothly, it's on the edge of town but this is nothing compared to my Chicago hometown where it takes twice as long just to go 4 miles away. They have a fun swervy ectoplasmic bar serving drinks in the back and art exhibits lining the halls. The performance space was in a big warehouse with bleachers, comfortable seats, not the best sightline but good enough. Finally the performance was INCREDIBLE, that's a whole separate review, but it far exceeded what I had heard about it. To known that this place can draw the likes of Wooster is testament to their importance to the American Arts scene.

So, I have two left feet, the attention span of a hummingbird, and arms that flail around like they…read morebelong to someone else; however, tonight I experienced a fun Zumba class. Tirra is an excellent teacher. She moves around the room and shows you things from different angles, so you're not always just looking at her back end and trying to guess what the front end is doing. She also goes through the moves a couple of times and then gives you hand signals to remind you what you're supposed to be doing. This is all extremely helpful and prevented me from looking like a complete idiot the first time I took this class! The music is great. She picks great selections - I especially loved the Indian number. I loved being able to dance like I'm an imaginary Bollywood star! I can't mention the music without commenting on the live drumming! How cool was that? To accompany the music, there's a great drummer on bongos right there in the room. Even though the room has the typical dance studio mirrors and bright lights, Tirra dims them and adds her own mood lighting, so it's much easier to let yourself go and not worry about looking silly in that atmosphere. I've taken Zumba classes before, and this is my absolute favorite. I am definitely going back!

Like Emily said, Global Education Center is a nonprofit store and arts center. They're only open…read moreon weekends, with extra business hours during the holiday season. This enduring (over a decade old!) and unique nonprofit is facing hard times this year with all the state's budget cuts, so I plan on doing as much gift shopping here as possible to try to support their efforts, which include dance classes, teacher workshops, and public and school performances. The Global Education Center gift shop offers decorations, jewelry, instruments, and clothes from Peru, Ecuador, Africa, India... the list goes on. Most of the merchandise is fair trade, and a lot of it is made by the center's instructors and their families, who live all over the world. I really liked the dyed leather bags from India ($8), tapestries, and tin wall hangings. Other items include necklaces made of precious stones, woven bracelets, handmade tote bags, wooden flutes, games, children's books, stone and wooden figurines, and other decorations. I guess you could say Global Education Center has the kind of gifts that keep on giving: By shopping here, you get to feel good about helping out a worthy cause, and whoever receives your gift gets to enjoy a unique, quality item.

As a card carrying member of the Belcourt, I have been to probably hundreds of times since I moved…read moreto Nashville in 2022. However, today was just one of those days that makes you appreciate a place like The Belcourt existing in Nashville. 11:30 matinee of Interstellar on a cloudy July 5th. Popcorn was hot, fresh, and flowing. The sound is booming. Love the staff here, they are always down to chat and make your visit feel extra warm and welcoming. Can't say enough good things about this spot. Such a treat.

The venue was small but quaint. The concession stand gave us free filtered water to drink in loo of…read morea $4 bottle of water. The seats in the theatre were not particularly comfortable after 2.5 hours, but we endeavored to persevere because we loved Ralphie 'May and came to support his wife and children. The movie "Come what May" was a documentary produced by his wife and was an inward look at his life as a comedian, husband and father. He is loved and missed very much. RIP, Ralphie.

Fantastic experience! I was one of the fortunate ones to have been invited to enjoy the VIP Cavalia…read moreexperience thanks to being a Yelp Elite! The VIP experience included: 1. Full buffet prior to the show for 1.5 hours which consisted of smoked salmon, grilled chicken, fried rice, prime rib, pasta salad, kale salad, shrimp cocktail, couscous, hummus, etc - Foodwise I was pretty underwhelmed. Everything tasted alright but nothing made me want to go back for seconds. It was definitely all filler to soak up for alcohol. 2. Open bar with champagne, wine, beers, and juices - I readily helped myself to multiple glasses of their red and white wine (one selection each). The bartenders were heavy with the pours and very friendly. Be generous with the tips, folks! They take care of you! You're also welcome to take your drinks in to the show which my boyfriend and I took full advantage of. 3."Kid's Corner" - I saw pepperoni and cheese pizza. Heard there were also sliders and mini hot dogs but I never saw any. My boyfriend loved the pizza. Hah. 4. Free parking! - It's a gravel lot and usually costs $20. The interior of my car is absolutely ruined from all the dust and sand that came in from this but it was worth it. I've been needing to get my car cleaned anyways. I would recommend getting rug covers though if you don't want to have to clean your rugs the next day. 5. Dessert hour during intermission - I'm not a big sweets person, but my boyfriend really enjoyed the cookies. There were also an array of cakes. I loved the fruits (watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew). 6. Free popcorn! - Self explanatory. Freshly popped from one of those movie-theater popcorn machines. So good! 7. VIP-only restrooms - I don't recall seeing a ton of people here so it felt like it was exclusive to those who were in VIP. Clean and way better than portapotties. 8. Meet and greet with the performers - Two of the performers came into the VIP tent after the show to sign our book. Really nice guys! 9. Access to the mainstage, stables and training area - I think I missed the actual group tour and just ended up stumbling into the stables area. Loved seeing the horses up close. Some were very friendly and came right up to you. One even licked my entire forearm! They all looked well taken care of. 10. Cavalia book souvenir - Nice book with gorgeous photos printed on heavy paper. Great item to have to relive your experience! 11. AMAZING seats. - We were literally SO close to the stage. There was also a boutique area in the VIP tent for you to pick up more souvenirs like books, plushes, and shirts from the show. The show itself was better than I was expecting! I absolutely loved watching how well trained the horses were (Fun fact: it typically takes a horse 9 years to be trained for one of these shows!). I wish my dog was this well trained. The vocalist was GREAT. She sounded beautiful. The acrobats were very impressive as they demonstrated their gravity defying acts. The stage itself was also breathtaking. It's HUGE. So many gorgeous colors and lighting! The only thing I wish it had was more of a narrative/storyline or maybe there was and I just completely missed it. Overall, we had an absolutely great time. We also got to meet fellow Yelp Elites (Hey Brittany and Scott!) which made the experience even more enjoyable! Once again, fantastic job Johnny and team! Can't wait for the next event!

First you get checked in and if you get the VIP you get the buffet with drinks before the show…read more Then you go in the show and its assigned seats. The show last about an hour and then you get a 30 min intermission and go back into the VIP area for desserts and then back to the show. This was such an amazing show from the music, the stages, artists and horses. Its so worth every penny!!! It was so entertaining. We got a chance to meet the horses and some of the artists. And also go backstage and check out all the setup. Best experience ever. I will never forget this show!!! They are only here til the 15th of October so don't hesitate to go see the awesome show and splurge on the VIP package.

This show was fantastic!! The whole cast is incredibly talented!! It is high energy and we were…read moreentertained the whole time. It's an intimate venue, and there is a lot of audience interaction. There are a lot of things to do in Nashville, and we were glad we spent time seeing this show. Keep in mind, this is an adult show... hence why it's 18+.... and not the show for you if you are easily offended. P.S. There is an option to go downstairs to a bar after the show, but it fills up fast. We weren't able to get in after using the restroom first -- so you want to go, make sure you go in and get a seat before anything else.

Funny show. Theater seating is close to the stage. Feels intimate. Performers are great.read more

10/10/10 - great food, great vibe, excellent band & singers! Would come back!!!…read more Chef even came out to ask if we enjoyed our meal - nice touch!

Went here last night. Let me be clear that this low rating has nothing to do with the…read moreentertainment. They were great. Now on to the service and food, let me present a timeline. 7:30 we arrive 7:55 we finally get our drink order and we place our order for appetizers and entrees at the time because I can see the writing on the wall: the service is slow (the drinks were quite good) 8:30 waiter comes back to tell us that the printer had a malfunction and they have food ready but need to match tickets to tables. He asks us to repeat our order. 8:35 we get our appetizer, artichoke spinach dip. This was the best part of the meal. 8:45 the waiter comes to say they are out of short rib (my entree) and I can choose something else. Mind boggling because we've been there over an hour now. I order the pork chop. The waiter assures us he will comp the appetizer. 9:08 our meal comes (prime rib for my husband and the pork for me). My husband asks for a glass of red wine. Waiter once again tells us the appetizer will be comped. My husband's prime rib was supposed to be medium rare. I've never seen a prime rib as well-done as the one that arrived. It was like taking a bite of the Sahara Desert. It was so horrible he barely ate half of it, and he isn't someone that has an issue finishing a dish. It was also completely flavorless. My pork was cooked to the perfect temperature but there was not a speck of salt to be found (nor any other seasoning). I was eating a juicy, tasteless piece of meat. The mushroom sauce on top was extremely bland. 9:20 we realize the wine for my husband is never coming and we just want to get the heck out of there and ask for the check. We get the check and imagine our surprise...the artichoke dip is still on the check AND the wine we never received. We just payed the dumb check and left because now it had been 2 hours and we were SO done. $170 for the worst experience we've ever had at a restaurant. TLDR; don't go here. The service is slow and the food is subpar.