The cast of Bedlam‘s “Music City” does not give you a chance to not fall in love with them.  Not one ounce of a chance.  If you get your butt in a seat in this cozy theatre, they claim your heart as theirs. Fair and Square.

You looking for a spectacular way to spend a couple of hours that will lift you up and fill you with a joyful noise?  Look no further.  Take it from me – you don’t want to miss this one.  I wish we had more than five stars for rating productions. J.T. Harding and Peter Zinn have created a production that is a master class in how to weave harmony and story, and this superb cast, under the direction of Eric Tucker, delivers the goods.

First of all I arrived on time, and this meant I was late.  The show starts before it starts with music and an open mic (so I heard tell).  The setting is a ficticious bar called The Wicked Tickle located in the Nowhere section of Nashville.  Every night is open mic night, and our hosts are Wyn (Julianne B. Merrill), Drew (Jonathan Judge-Russo), and his brother TJ (Stephen Michael Spencer).  On the night in question, the bar is visited by Leanne (Leenya Rideout), a scout looking for new songs for her clients to cover.  She likes what Drew and TJ are dishing out and wants a demo.

Which, of course, these fellas don’t have.  Nor do they have the money for a session ($3,000).  They do have a recording engineer.  All they need is the money.

So begins the saga.

Their quest takes them across the path of Bakerman (Andrew Rothenberg), who is busy producing batches of his drug-laced cookies and other such products – that may include sex with anyone passing by.  He is in need of delivery boys.  For which he pays handsomely.  No problem – just a little guilt, but the show must go on.  The problem DOES come when TJ’s path leads to Tammy (Leenya Rideout), the mother of the latest open mic phenom “23” (named in the style of a Get Smart cohort) (Casey Shuler).  TJ has taken a shine to 23 both artistically and romantically and, well, he is soon sorely tested.

Plots beget more plots, including a semi-menacing presence of Stucky Stiles (Andrew Rothenberg), who knows a good song when he hears one and is willing to bust up any team in his way in order to grab it.

Romance, music, poverty, drugs, and even life and death swirl through these characters as well as their music.  They may be fiction, but these excellent performers represent the sea of artists of every medium who put their lives into their work and their work into our world.  The musicianship here is top-notch, with nearly every actor playing at least one instrument and every single one blending in harmonies that shake you down to where you live.

I cannot single out one performance as the focal point of this tale.  Each person has moments that are close to being transcendent.  So treat yourself and enjoy this spectacular cornucopia.

BEDLAM presents the New York Premier of Music City: A New Musical – music and lyrics by J.T. Harding, book by Peter Zinn; Eric Tucker (director)

WITH Drew Bastian, Corry J. Ethridge, Julianne B. Merrill, Leenya Rideout, Andrew Rothenberg, Jonathan Judge-Russo, Casey Shuler, Stephen Michael Spencer, Holly Wilder.

Musicians include Ann Klein (guitar) and Tony Tino (bass).

John Heginbotham(choreographer), Julianne Merrill(WYN/Music Supervisor and Director), Clifton Chadick (set design), Daniele Tyler Mathews (costume designer), Jane Shaw (sound designer), and Buffy Cardoza (props/associate set designer).

At West End Theater, THROUGH December 22.  263 West 86 Street.  TICKETS HERE

Readers may also enjoy Mr. Saturday Night and Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp: Celebrating Friendship and History.