The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
‘Always Nina’ opens Sept. 6 at opera house
THOMASTON — Landmark Community Theatre welcomes two beloved artists from the mid1990’s opera house productions, for two weekends of special performances.
Nina Cathey Allbert and Joan Burr are returning to the Thomaston Opera House to appear in an original production, “Always Nina: A Tennessee Story and Songbook,” for five intimate performances, starting Sept. 6.
Performance dates are Sept. 6, 13 and 14 at 8 p.m. and Sept. 7 and 15 at 2 p.m. All shows will be held in the Thomaston Opera House.
During the 1990’s, Nina Cathy played a starring role in many opera house productions, including “Guys and Dolls,” “Into the Woods,” “Kiss Me Kate,” “Steel Magnolias,” “Passion,” “My Fair Lady,” “Hello Dolly!,” “Noises Off,” “Children of Eden,” “Tommy,” “Pirates of Penzance,” “1776,” and “The Secret Garden.”
A wonderful partnership was born when Joan Burr joined Nina as music director/pianist for many of these shows, beginning with Stephen Sondheim’s Passion. Their collaboration has continued over the years, and they now bring their new, original musical to Thomaston, where it all began.
This production is a twohour visit with Tennessee storyteller Nina Cathey Allbert, who will delight you with stories from her childhood and beyond. Let Nina’s charming singing voice and unique storytelling style—in the Southern tradition, but still her own — lead you on a heartwarming adventure through middle Tennessee and beyond on her journey through life. Along the way, you will encounter bikers, beauty queens, teenage moms, evangelists, country folk, and millionaires, as well as Nina’s own family — Mama, Daddy, Little Grannie, Uncle George, Al, Roxie, Sean, and more. You will be captivated by Nina’s resonant voice as she adds a musical dimension to her tales with selections by Joan Burr ranging from love songs to the blues; from country to jazz to Broadway showstoppers.
As always, Nina digs
deep into the traditions of all Americans, both rich and poor. This treasure chest of tales is intended to remind you of the richness of your own life and may inspire you to reveal your own saga in your own way.
For more information or to purchase tickets contact or visit the Thomaston Opera House Box Office at 8602836250, Monday through Friday. 16 p.m., and Saturday, 14 p.m., 158 Main Street Thomaston. Or purchase tickets online: www.landmarkcommunitytheatre.org The story of “Always Nina”
Always Nina: a Tennessee Story and Songbook played to standing ovations at the Community Center in Pomona Park, Florida, on the Ides of March, 2018. Three years earlier, in June, Joan and Roger were visiting with Nina in Tuxedo Park, New York, one last time before Nina moved to Kansas to be with Al. As usual, several delightful hours passed listening to Nina’s stories of Tennessee and of her family.
Joan said, “You really should write these stories down.....or even make a show of them.”
“Oh, I’m not a writer. I can’t do that,” Nina replied. Without a blink, or a second thought, Joan jumped right in.
“Just record your stories on your iPhone and send the sound files to me. I’ll write them down for you. I may even turn some of them into songs,” she said.
She had just seen the onewoman show, “The Pianist of Willisden Lane,” a Jewish girl’s war story, at the Hartford Stage two months earlier and was enthralled by Mona Golabek’s story and pianistic talent. They realized that Nina could do a similar type of show with her humorous and entertaining Southern stories and her incredible singing voice.
Well, three years and two trips to Nina’s Florida house later, a show was born. The stories have now been set to music and brought to life for audiences everywhere to enjoy. Since these workshop performances, Nina has continued to charm audiences across the country. After two successful weeks of performances in August 2018, at the BibbWhite Bluff Civic Center in Nina’s hometown of White Bluff, Tennessee, the duo moved on to Joan’s hometown of Glastonbury where they presented “Always Nina” in November 2018. return trip to Florida for performances in Pomona Park and at the Shoestring Theatre in Deland in March, 2019, was followed by a very successful run at Arts Center East in Vernon in April.