Class Notes: Leenya Rideout in “Music City”

Summary

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BroadwayRadio: Class Notes – Leenya Rideout in “Music City”

Date: July 20, 2026
Host: Lauren Klasschneider
Guest: Leenya Rideout (“Tammy” and “Leann” in Music City)
Venue: St. Luke’s Theater

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Episode Overview

In this insightful episode, Lauren Klasschneider sits down with acclaimed performer Leenya Rideout to discuss her dual roles in Music City, a new musical set in an East Nashville dive bar. Together, they explore the depth and challenges of portraying two very different characters, the authenticity of the show’s music industry depiction, the collaborative process behind the show’s creation, and the evolution of the musical’s book and songs.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Introducing “Music City” and Leenya Rideout’s Roles

[01:21-02:00]

• Music City is set in “Wicked Tickle,” an East Nashville bar at the heart of Nashville’s dreams and heartbreaks.

  • “The bar regulars pursue love and music in the face of addiction, poverty and haunting pasts. But in Nashville, heartbreak is the only thing that they hand out for free.” – Lauren Klasschneider (01:21)

• Leenya plays two distinct roles:

  • Leann: An employee and record producer at fictional Music City Records, tasked with rejuvenating the career of fading star Stuckey Stiles and scouting new talent.
  • Tammy: The troubled mother of “23,” grappling with addiction and representing the darker side of Nashville.

Managing Two Characters

[02:00–07:18]

• Leenya discusses the duality of her roles and the quickchanges required:
  • "So I go back and forth pretty much every scene. Then every time you see me, I'm in the other role. ... It's one of my favorite things to do and be sort of a chameleon on stage." – Leenya Rideout (06:55)
  • She highlights the realness of the Nashville story: “I've had a lot of people who've come from Nashville and they're like, oh, yeah, this whole story rings completely true." (03:20)

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Character Deep Dive

Leann – The Industry Insider

[02:00–05:10]

• Leann tries to balance commercial success and artistic integrity, overseeing Stuckey Stiles’s career and discovering new songwriting brothers.
• The show examines classic conflicts:
  • “Can you sell your songs and still be your own recording artist? Or do you have to pick one or the other?” – Leenya Rideout (03:11)
  • Leann's journey and moral complexity reflect many real-life music industry dilemmas.

Tammy – The Underbelly of Nashville

[05:10–07:18]

• Tammy’s character reflects the dark, often hidden struggles beneath Nashville’s musical dreams.
• “She is struggling with an addiction and is very different than Leanne... She's gotten trapped in it for reasons that you'll find out in the play.” – Leenya Rideout (05:31)
• On the thrill of rapid transformation: “I don't have time to think about it ... I just have to get what I want and do what I need to do to tell the story. And it's really a wonderful exercise as an actor.” (06:45)

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Collaboration with Director Eric Tucker

[07:18–10:00]

• Leenya and Eric Tucker first worked together on an earlier reading; her casting resulted partly from her ability to play guitar and fiddle, deepening the authenticity of Tammy.
• On working with Tucker: "He's kind of one of the first directors I've had that I'm just kind of like, all right, let's try that. ... I really trust working with him, and I also trust the people that he hires. ... He wants people that will play, that will collaborate, that will work together in a way that we can trust each other with conflict, with cruelty.” – Leenya Rideout (09:00–09:47)

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The Evolution of Book and Music

[10:25–12:47]

• The songs—many already Nashville hits—were woven by Peter Zinn (book) and J.T. Harding (music) into the narrative, avoiding the pitfalls of a traditional jukebox musical.
  • “It doesn't feel like a jukebox musical, but it essentially is. ... You kind of forget. You're like, oh, wait, these are hit songs that already existed because they really, they advance the plot so well.” – Leenya Rideout (11:37)
• The book has been tweaked over several years, with rehearsals driving changes and ongoing collaboration between cast, Harding, and Zinn.
  • “Peter is so collaborative and, and, and trusts us actors ... but we have really seen some evolution. ... You can tell he really cares about all these characters.” – Leenya Rideout (12:27)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Every time you see me, I'm in the other role. ... It’s one of my favorite things to do and be sort of a chameleon." – Leenya Rideout (06:55)
• “Can you do both? Can you sell your songs and still be your own recording artist? Or do you have to pick one or the other? ... This is all very, I think, real.” – Leenya Rideout (03:11)
• “It's really a wonderful exercise as an actor.” – Leenya Rideout (06:52)
• "[Eric Tucker] wants people that will play, that will collaborate, that will work together in a way that we can trust each other with conflict, with cruelty. ... It's not just about nice." – Leenya Rideout (09:30)
• “It doesn't feel like a jukebox musical, but it essentially is. ... They advance the plot so well.” – Leenya Rideout (11:38)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:21–02:00 Introduction to “Music City” and Leenya’s dual roles
• 02:00–07:18 Leenya Rideout on character contrasts and acting challenges
• 07:18–10:00 Collaboration with director Eric Tucker and casting backstory
• 10:25–12:47 J.T. Harding & Peter Zinn’s music and book, authenticity, and evolution

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Final Thoughts

The episode celebrates the authenticity, hard work, and collaborative spirit behind Music City, spotlighting Leenya Rideout’s impressive dual role performance and the show’s genuine portrayal of Nashville’s struggles and dreams. The music, storytelling, and directorial leadership combine to offer audiences an experience that feels true to life and emotionally resonant, even for those who may never set foot in Nashville.

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Transcript

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[Lauren Klasschneider]

Hi, I'm Lauren Klasschneider with Class Notes for Broadway Radio. I'm here with Lena Rideout who's playing multiple roles in Music city at the St. Luke's Theater. Hello.

[Lena Rideout]

Hello.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

Well, we're so happy to have you as we get to talk about these two singer songwriters. Music City is set in Wicked Tickle, an East Nashville bar that serves up cheap beer, open minds and big dreams. The bar regulars pursue love and music in the face of addiction, poverty and haunting pasts. But in Nashville, heartbreak is the only thing that they hand out for free. Now you play the roles of Tammy and Leann. How do these two characters fit into the story? And then how do you manage two completely different characters in the same play?

[Lena Rideout]

So Leanne is the first character that you see when you come see the show and she is a she is the an employee of MCR Music City Records, which is a fictional record label and she works for them. She probably would also be called a record producer. She one of her jobs is to sort of babysit or get the the career of Stuckey Stiles, who is a sort of fading country star played brilliantly by Andrew Rothenberg. And we have a lot of fun on stage because our relationship is is pretty complex and fun. But so that's one of my jobs is I sort of am trying to get his his career back on track and he is fighting me every inch of the way. But then I discover sort of by accident by in looking for party songs for Stucky to record, I discover the these two brothers in the Wicked Tickle. They they work there and they work the open mic and then I want to use their songs because they would be great for Stucky to. To use, but they don't want to just sell their songs. They, you know, want to be artists and stars themselves. And it. That is definitely a thing in this business. Like what, what. What is your priority? You know, can you do both? Can you sell your songs and still be your own recording artist? Or do you have to pick one or the other? So it's, it's all. This is all very, I think, real. And I've had a lot of people who've come from Nashville and they're like, oh, yeah, this whole story rings completely true. Makes sense, because J.T. harding is very good friends with Peterson, who wrote the book. And so there's just so many plot points that just ring true if you're an artist trying to hawk your wares in the music business. So that's as much as I want to tell about Leanne without giving away too much of the plot. But she, you know, at first I kind of thought, oh, I'm, you know, she's kind of a side character. But I've really become very protective of her. She's. She has had a past that I think has not led her to where she wants to be. And I think she respects songwriting, she respects the art artistry, but she also has made a lot of money at it, which do. To your integrity. So it. Hers is a pretty interesting story, I think. So Tammy is the other character that I play. Tammy. How much do I give away? Because she. She is, you find out pretty quickly. She's the mother of 23 who is one of the lovers who the story is about. And she is struggling with an addiction and is very different than Leanne. Um, I. I have these, um, tattoos on that represent sort of her life and her journey through. Through the business. I'm not going to tell too much about Tammy because the way that her story unfolds is. Is kind of surprising. So Tammy is the underbelly, at least for right now, in her story of Nashville and the dark side of it. She's gotten trapped in it for reasons that you'll find out in the play. And she's kind of. Even though she's the mother of the ingenue, she. I mean, 23 is more than an ingenue, but she also is the obstacle to them getting what they want. And it's. It's a really, really, really fun, rewarding role. So those are the two roles that I play. And so I go back and forth pretty much every scene. Then every time you see me, I'm in the other role. So I'm constantly switching my shoes, and, you know, there's not. I don't have a lot of costumes. I just have to go back and forth between the two, you know, every time I'm on stage, and sometimes I change them on stage, just, you know, just the extra pieces and stuff, stuff like that. So it's. It's one of my favorite things to do and be sort of a chameleon on stage and. And it also gets me out of my own way as an actor. I don't. I can't. I don't have time to think about it or feel the feels. I just have to get what I want and do what I need to do to tell the story. And it's really. It's really a wonderful exercise as an actor.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

How lucky for you and how lucky for the audience. And the play is directed by Eric Tucker.

[Lena Rideout]

Yes.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

Had the two of you worked together before this production, or. I. I do believe you've done it in the past together elsewhere.

[Lena Rideout]

Yes. So it was five years ago, and it was like when people thought Covid was lifting, and of course it wasn't. We had. There was a reading of this at the cutting room. It was more like a concert, and everyone was on book. And they had about a week of rehearsal, and there was another woman who was playing Tammy who had to back out of the reading. And they. And a casting director was tasked with reaching out to somebody that she thought would be good. She reached out to me, and I. They were like, can you show up tomorrow and, you know, do this next in three days? And I was like, sure. And I was just playing Tammy, and I came in, and that was when I met Eric. And I believe that was also the first time that he was involved in the project. There had been other directors because this has been. I think Peter and JT have been working on this for about 15 years, and with different iterations and some of the same cast, but lots of different people and lots of changes. And I came in and they didn't know that I could play instruments. And when I found out about Tammy and started to kind of delve into, I was like, oh, wait a minute. No, she needs to be the real deal. She needs to be able to play. And they were like, do you? And I was like, yes, yeah, so I do play guitar. And I was like, I think that she should accompany herself with guitar. That's all I'm telling you about that. And then I said, also, I play the fiddle. And they were like, what? So they would cast me, you know, from then on, I was going to be in the show. And then it was like a year or two later that Eric and I were having a phone conversation, and he said, what do you think about playing the two roles? And I said, yes, and yes, of course. But he. I adore working with Eric, and he's kind of one of the first directors I've had that I'm just kind of like, all right, let's try that. That's great. Okay. Because I. Even though sometimes suggestions that he has sound, you know, just sort of off in left field or whatever, I'll. I know. I trust that what he's looking for is going to work out to be really cool in the end. So I really trust working with him, and I also trust the people that he hires. And there. He knows that he wants people that will play, that will collaborate, that will work together in. In. In a way that we can trust each other with conflict, with cruelty. Sometimes the story takes that. You know what I mean? It's not just about nice and.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

Yeah.

[Lena Rideout]

So that is exciting. It's very exciting working with him. And of course, this troop of CR People that I work with every night.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

Well, it sounds like he's created a wonderfully safe environment for you and your colleagues to do their work. We've talked a little bit, or you've mentioned J.T. hardins and Peter Zinn. Let's talk about the music, the lyrics, and the book. And how have they evolved since the first time you were involved at the cutting room?

[Lena Rideout]

I don't believe the songs really have changed other than every once in a while they'll be like, hey, you guys riff here. And, like, I'll come up with a lyric to riff on over something. But the songs existed outside of this. I mean, most of them, not all of them, some of them JT Wrote for this show, but most of them. I mean, Keith Urban and Blake Shelton and Toby Keith and Elle King and Uncle Cracker are some of the stars that have made these songs famous in Nashville. And if you're ever listening to a country station while you're driving or whatever, which I do all the time, you'll hear the time. So it's. But it's amazing how they fit into this story and how Peter wove them, helped weave them together to help tell this story. And it doesn't feel like a jukebox musical, but it essentially is. You know what I mean? But it. You kind of forget. You're like, oh, wait, this is. These are hit songs that already existed because they really, they advance the plot so well. It's, it's kind of crazy, right? But the book since I have joined about five years ago has gone through some tweaks and changes, but not, you know, mostly in rehearsal. We'll be like, what about if we weave this in this way and, and, and you know, they're, and Peter is so collaborative and, and, and trusts us actors and you know, and eventually it's like, no, no, just say what's on the page, you know. But we have really seen some evolution and not a ton that he's very solid with the story he's been wanting to tell and these characters that he just, you tell, you can tell he really cares about all of these characters.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

Yeah. Well, this has been great. And for anyone interested in understanding the story, knowing the story, not necessarily heading to Nashville. What JT and Peter have brought to the New York stage is really very special and I thank you so much for your time.

[Lena Rideout]

Welcome and thank you for inviting me and for talking with me today.

[Lauren Klasschneider]

I'm Lauren Claus Schneider with Lean youn Rideout who plays Tammy and Leanne in Music City St. Luke's Theater. Thank you.

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