Frank & Friends Show 0063

Frank Murphy’s friend Tim Coleman is filling in for Kathryn Frady, who is working at Opéra Louisiane in Baton Rouge. Frank says Kathryn is now vindicated because she kept reminding Frank to invite Tim to fill in. 

This episode is double-length and will be the only podcast episode released this week. Tim is here to promote his role as Daddy Murphy in Encore Theatrical Company’s production of Bright Star. Performances are July 8, 9, 15, and 16 at 7:30 p.m. and July 10 and 17 at 2:30 p.m. The Friday, July 8 performance comes with the option for a BBQ dinner before the show. Call 423-318-8331 or visit https://etcplays.org for tickets. 

Frank’s next-door neighbor Nancy kept an eye on the pool while Frank was out of town. Her son enjoyed floating in the pool, which eased a backache. Tim’s neighbor gave him a hot tub that Tim would have to move to his own house. They removed the railing from the neighbor’s porch to get the tub into their truck. 

Tim was on the Oktoberfest episode of the Frank & Friends Show. For years, Tim has worked as a singer at Ober Gatlinburg. Tim doesn’t know what will happen this year. He says that Ober Gatlinburg has been sold to the family that owned Ole Smoky Moonshine. 

Tim used to work in real estate, getting foreclosed homes ready for sale. He would put items on the lawn for neighbors to take for free. Someone once took his “Help Yourself” sign. He was surprised by the junk that people would take, including some filled soda bottles from the 1982 World’s Fair. Frank mentions that Chris Ford of Sweet Pea’s BBQ has a huge collection of 1982 World’s  Fair memorabilia. 

One of Tim’s grandparents was a Pittman, as in the Town of Pittman Center and Gatlinburg-Pittman High School. Frank met Tim through the Gatlinburg Improv Fest. Tim says he misses the GIF. Frank suggests that Tim come to the Secret City Improv Festival at the Grove Theatre in Oak Ridge on September 30 and October 1, 2022. Tim remembers being in an improv jam with very experienced improvisers, Tara Ochs and Ian Covell from the Atlanta improv scene. 

Frank recruited Tim to be a “ringer” in the Front Page Follies during the summer that Tim had retired from the cast of Sweet Fanny Adams Theatre. Tim unretired after one year away from Sweet Fanny Adams and stayed at the theatre until it went out of business. Tim would hide notes backstage with reminders for his scripted lines. 

Frank didn’t want to memorize lines for the Oak Ridge Civic Ballet Association’s version of Into the Woods. Instead he described the action that he saw. He thought of himself as a play-by-play sportscaster explaining the plot. An audience member seated near Frank’s wife Jere thought that Frank was lip-syncing to a recording of the narration. Jere explained that Frank really did sound like that. 

Tim tells Frank to take his course on memorization. Tim says it’s guaranteed to improve memory by 300%. Tim admits that when he first took the class and was walking out of the building, he couldn’t remember where he had parked. 

Tim says actors have two nightmares. One is going onstage in your underwear. The other is going on stage without knowing the script. Tim went to see a friend perform in The Odd Couple. The actor playing Murray the Cop had a medical emergency. Tim’s friend said Tim could play the part with no preparation. They put a copy of the script on the poker table for Tim to read. He was asked to learn the script and finish the run as Murray. 

The theatre company that produced The Odd Couple asked Tim to open a theatre in the Carousel Restaurant in Gatlinburg. across from Sweet Fanny Adams Theatre. Tim responded to an ad for a house to rent and the call was answered by Pat MacPherson, who with her husband Don, owned Sweet Fanny Adams Theatre. He wondered whether to tell her that he was opening a new theatre across the street. Pat eventually asked Tim to audition to be in the cast at Sweet Fanny Adams. 

Tim is in the cast of Encore Theatrical Company’s production of Bright Star, which was written by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. Performances are July 8, 9, 15, and 16 at 7:30 p.m. and July 10 and 17 at 2:30 p.m. The Friday, July 8 performance comes with the option for a BBQ dinner before the show. Call 423-318-8331 or visit https://etcplays.org for tickets. 

Another Bright Star cast member, Frank Rosamond, asked about promoting the musical on the Frank & Friends Show. Rosamond asked Tim about co-hosting the podcast. Tim thought the invitation was just a joke. Frank Rosamond is the former president of the Knoxville News Sentinel and is the current chair of the Knoxville Opera board. 

Tim is very impressed by the caliber of the Bright Star cast. He gets caught up in the harmonies of the musical numbers during rehearsals. Tim won’t reveal the plot twist in Bright Star.

Tim likes to have butterflies in his stomach on opening nights. Frank recalls wearing a FitBit that showed his heart rate spiking before an improv performance but dropping to about 58 bpm once the show started. Tim empathizes with Kathryn Frady’s sentiment that it’s depressing when a show closes. 

Frank will have more guest co-hosts in the weeks ahead including mentalist Erik Dobell and former radio deejay Becca James. Frank and Becca will co-host the Karns Fairest of the Fair Pageant on Saturday, July 9, 2022. 

Tim emceed a Disney-themed event for the now-closed Creative Theater in Pigeon Forge. Frank knew an emcee who referred to an event going “off the rails.” Frank’s theory of emceeing is to not take the train but to use a JetSki to cross the river instead. 

Frank was a big fan of Steve Martin and memorized some of his early routines. Frank sat in the last row of a Steve Martin show at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. 

Lulu Roman of Hee Haw came to a show at Sweet Fanny Adams Theatre. She was staying at a hotel in Gatlinburg but was being interrupted by fans. Tim invited her to stay in his guest room and she accepted. Lulu took Tim and his parents out to dinner at Huck Finn’s Catfish in appreciation for his hospitality. 

Here is the cast and production team of Encore Theatrical Company’s production of Bright Star:

Emma Andrews - Alice 

Bo Choate - Jimmy Ray

Jack Rosamond - Billy

Kassandra Hazard - Margo

Frank Rosamond - Mayor

Andrew Alder - Daddy Cane

Becky Collins - Lucy

Danny Hacker - Darryl

Kara Van Veghel - Mama Murphy

Tim Coleman - Daddy Murphy

Candace Moore - Dr. Norquist

Jackson Collins - Stanford

Brandon Meek - Station Master

Raegan Faircloth - Spirit Woman

Kayla Fielder - Spirit Woman

Delyn Filer - Spirit Woman

Hannah Nye - Edna

Olivia Smith - Florence

Dennis Elkins - Director

Melanie Coffey - Stage Manager

James Templin - Choreographer

Laura Ritter - Music Director

Sign up for a 30-day trial of Audible Premium Plus and get a free premium selection that’s yours to keep. Go to http://AudibleTrial.com/FrankAndFriendsShow 

Support the Frank & Friends Show by purchasing some of our high-quality merchandise at https://frank-friends-show.creator-spring.com 

Find us online https://www.FrankAndFriendsShow.com/ 

Please subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://YouTube.com/FrankAndFriendsShow 

and hit the bell for notifications. 

Find the audio of the show on major podcast apps including Spotify, Apple, Google, iHeart, and Audible. 

Find us on social media: 

https://www.facebook.com/FrankAndFriendsShow 

https://www.instagram.com/FrankAndFriendsShow  

https://www.twitter.com/FrankNFriendsSh 

Thanks!