Five-star Nashville Hurricane plays at Arden Theatre

PREVIEW Nashville Hurricane Thursday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. Arden Theatre 5 St. Anne Street Tickets: $30. Call 780-459-1542 or at www.ticketmaster.ca

For the past decade Chase Padgett has developed a career touring North America with one-man extravaganzas. They include 6 Guitars and Nashville Hurricane, two original and masterful character-based shows that blend music, comedy and drama into an entertaining ride. His rubber-faced expressions are a sharp contrast to his incredible guitar chops, and he easily slips into multiple characters that charm and bedevil. A popular feature on the Fringe circuit, Nashville Hurricane readily receives standing ovations and five-star critiques for its laugh-out-loud humour and sentimental moments. Much to the delight of regional audiences, Nashville Hurricane is playing at the Arden Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 2. But it could be the last local show Padgett tours. "I'm going to be dialing back touring on the road. This may be one of the last times I'm going to be performing Nashville Hurricane and it will be even a more special show," says Padgett. "I'm tired of building an empire that evaporates the moment I go off stage." Florida raised, but now a Portland resident, Padgett also works at Curious Comedy Theatre. The company just received a $172,000 grant that is being flipped into multi-camera, stream technology. For Padgett, staying put translates into a longer, more comfortable career. Through Nashville Hurricane, Padgett has built a unique character in Henry, a technically smart, but shy kid who happens to be a musical genius on the cusp of fame. But just as he's about to create a storm in the music industry, he vanishes. The other three characters are Brenda, his over-the-top trailer trash mom who just wants to party, and Smokey Jones, his manager who wants a career at all costs even if it means burning bridges. And then there's Tyrone, a black singer who takes Henry under his wing. "Tyrone is the blues singer from 6 Guitars. He's a foil for Henry and together they heal each other." Henry sits at the crux of the play as a savant on the autistic spectrum. "I saw a documentary about people suffering from brain trauma, and afterwards they acquire new abilities such as music. But there is also a trade-off. Henry is a great musician, but at a cost. He has very low social skills." Henry, like many musicians, loves music, but despises all the crap that goes with performing and touring. Padgett has faced more than a few challenges on the road.  And borrowing from his own frustrating experiences, he gets where Henry is coming from. "One time I was driving to a show and rolled into a hotel. I got three hours sleep before I discovered the hotel had bed bugs. I drove another couple hours to a different hotel and the next day I drove another six hours to get to a venue. When I got there the lighting tech did not know how to run the light board." On another occasion, he was burglarized twice and found his guitar on eBay being sold at a music store. "But because of glitch in Florida law, I couldn't just get my equipment back. I had to buy it back." It's these types of misadventure that are pushing Padgett to curtail touring. But in the short term, he plans to keep the flame of his long-running hit blazing hot.