A planned transfer of the critically acclaimed Off Broadway musical Music City to a larger, custom-redesigned venue has been put on hold just days before the planned start of performances.
Music City, which features songs by multi-platinum country songwriter J.T. Harding, was set to move from its original home at a small performance space on the second floor of a historic church on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and into a vacant Times Square-area building that once housed New York’s Playboy Club.
As Deadline exclusively revealed in January, the remodeled venue on West 42nd Street near 10th Avenue was being transformed into a fully functioning Nashville bar called the Wicked Tickle, the setting for a tale of two young singer-songwriters looking for their big break.
Unfortunately, those dreams of success will have to wait. Producers announced today that the musical, which was to have begun performances this Monday, March 23, is going on hiatus due to “unforeseen issues” with the new venue.
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“As we were preparing to go into tech for the production, we were made aware of legal issues with the venue that have proven to be challenging,” said producer Gabrielle Palitz in a statement. “We are taking a brief pause while we regroup. Our cast is raring to go, and we hope to have good news very soon about our exhilarating production.”
Additional details about the legal issues were not disclosed. Ticket holders should return to the point of purchase for refunds.
Music City received good reviews when it opened at the Bedlam theater company venue West End Theatre in November 2024, extended three times until closing in March 2025. The show features original and existing songs written by Harding for such artists as Uncle Kracker (“Smile”), Keith Urban “Somewhere In My Car,” and Blake Shelton (“Sangria”).
The musical features an original book by playwright Peter Zinn and is directed by Bedlam’s artistic director Eric Tucker.
The original Bedlam cast was and is expected to return post-transfer, including Drew Bastian, Jonathan Judge-Russo, Julianne B. Merrill, Casey Shuler, Stephen Michael Spencer and others.
The synopsis: “Music City follows two young singer-songwriters into The Wicked Tickle, an East Nashville bar that serves up cheap beer, open mics, and dreams of big breaks. The bar regulars bravely pursue love and music in the face of addiction, poverty, and haunting pasts. But in Nashville, heartbreak is the only thing they hand out for free. Music City is an intimate, gritty, and thrilling take on the world of beers, guitars, sawdust, and sunshine.”
Music City was nominated for two 2025 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical, and a 2025 Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best Musical. It’s produced by Gabrielle Palitz, with No Guarantees Productions, Bedlam, Willette Klausner, Francine LeFrak and Peter Stern.