It is a rare instance in my life that my severe OCD, and my hopeless yet unapologetic love of theatre get to intersect so harmoniously as they do when I get to make a list of theatre things I am most excited about. So, it is with great elation and primal satisfaction that I get to craft and present my list of the top five shows forthcoming in 2019. I sincerely hope it brings you as much joy as it brought me to fastidiously create (don’t tell me if you don’t).
Top 5 Shows I Am Giddy About
- Into the Woods-UP Stages
Look, I am an utterly hopeless fangirl for the melodramatically campy, fairytale-medley-mayhem musical created by the king of capricious musicals, Stephen Sondheim. Into the Woods flamboyantly toes that strange line of complete, euphoric incoherence and rigid, dogmatic logic that is crucial, in my opinion, for a musical to be truly successful. Jack (of Jack and the beanstalk fame) sings a quasi-romantic ode to a cow. Cinderella ponders the futility of hyper-femininity. Rapunzel bellows….a lot. Capitalism and Marxism are equally scrutinized. It is a truly wild time. Any iteration of Into the Woods is a thrill to me, but knowing that my beloved Sondheim gem will be in the unbelievably gifted hands of the team at University of Pittsburgh Stages makes me beyond ecstatic. Coming off the success of Flyin’ West, UP’s adaptation of Into the Woods will hit the stage at the Charity Randall Theatre April 4th, and will be led by the infinitely talented Niffer Clarke. For tickets and more info, visit UP Stages Event hub here.
- Proof by Pittsburgh Classic Players
Descending into psychological and intellectual discombobulation is a theme that unequivocally evokes distress and visceral empathy from most. We prize our mental clarity and discernment above almost everything else—they are not only faculties that differentiate us from other beings but, perhaps most critically, they are also the faculties that allow us the privilege to even think we are different from other beings. David Auburn’s 2000 Tony Award-winning play Proof (later adapted into the 2005 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins) unflinchingly explores the nebulous effects of mental illness—whether they be positive effects such as manic clarity and brilliance, or more the more complicated effects we are all too familiar with—through the fraught relationship of a mathematical genius, rapidly succumbing to a degenerative neuropsychological condition, and his daughter, who is equally as gifted but overcome by the anguish of caring for her father and fear of what her genetics have in store for her. Proof is being brought to life by the ever-enthralling Pittsburgh Classic Players, and will premiere March 15th. Having previously brought Shakespeare classics like Twelfth Night and Hamlet to the stage, Proof will be a deviation from the theatrical epoch that Pittsburgh Classic Players has thus far delved into, but will undoubtedly be as exquisitely performed and produced as their past productions. For more info, visit PCP’s site.
- ‘night Mother by Throughline Theatre (July 19th-27th)
The summer may feel like a far-off dream, but Throughline’s adaptation of Marsha Norman’s Pulitzer Prize winning 1978 play is well worth the wait. The story centers around a young woman, ravaged by depression and the complications her epilepsy creates, who resolves to care for her faltering and equally depressed mother. ‘night Mother challenges the limits and understandings of our grasp on what it means to be hopeless, what it means to be meaningless, and what it means to be fragile. The play, which has been brought to life on stage by such luminaries as Kathy Bates, Sissy Spacek, Anne Bancroft and Edie Falco, is as brutal as it is vulnerable, confronting death and bereavement with astonishing honesty. The play will be an instrumental chapter of Throughline Theatre’s brilliantly conceived “Staging the Nation” series, in which conceptions of Americanness are complicated by plays that explore gender, sexuality, mental illness, nationalism and more. Throughline always delivers extraordinary, electric theatre, and the shows that are part of Staging the Nation will undoubtedly uphold this standard. What’s more, Throughline prioritized and emphasized diversity and visibility in the auditions for their upcoming shows, encouraging artists of color, LGBTQ+ artists, gender non-binary and gender non-conforming artists, and artists with disabilities to audition en force, particularly for roles written for and traditionally played by cis white heterosexual individuals. Throughline’s commitment to illuminating the endless talents of underrepresented and marginalized artists is a tremendous boon to the PGH theatre community, and ‘night Mother will certainly be an astounding moment in Pittsburgh’s dramaturgical history.
- Everybody by 12 Peers Theatre (Aug 1-18)
Constantly tinkering with the conventions of theatre and performance, 12 Peers Theatre will produce Everybody—the second major production of 2019 by the immensely gifted Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (who created Kinetic Theatre’s huge success An Octoroon)—a play that takes any modicum of certainty in theatre and obliterates it entirely. Everybody is a reimagining of the late-15th century, anonymously-penned Christian morality play Everyman, in which, rather than focusing on one man’s journey to heaven, the play’s premise is the journey of Everyman who will be chosen each performance by lottery each evening. This of course means no one evening of Everyman will be the same, with the show boasting a matrix of 120 possible casting combinations for any given staging. Such a clever deconstruction of both the rigidity of the classic morality play model, and the artifice of control in modern theatre makes me unspeakably excited to experience this 12 Peers Project. For more info on 12 Peers and the show, visit their site.
- Fun Home by Front Porch Theatricals (August 16-25)
Look, you guys. I cannot contain my sheer delight that Fun Home will be in the hands of the outrageously innovative team at Front Porch Theatricals. I am thrilled to get the chance to see the wonderful folks in the Pittsburgh theatre community take on this inimitable classic and iconic text. Based on Alison Bechdel’s wildly successful and cuttingly poignant 2006 graphic memoir of the same name (that more-or-less redefined the queer canon), Fun Home was adapted into its on-stage, musical form by Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori in 2009 and stormed Broadway in 2015. This coming-out bildungsroman manages to lyrically capture the tragicomical nuances imbedded in Bechdel’s ravishingly emotional and witty animations. Front Porch Theatrical’s adaptation will feature some familiar Pittsburgh-centered talent like Carnegie Mellon’s Nuala Cleary (as Medium Alison Bechdel), Revolutionists and Double-Threat Trio star Drew Leigh Williams (Alison Bechdel…fully grown), and Pittsburgh CLO Music Man Jr. breakout Eamonn McElfresh (Christian Bechdel). I am quite literally counting down the days until this production opens, and I cannot urge you all strongly enough to go see this incomparable show. For all the info on the production and more about Front Porch Theatricals, click here.
In addition to these exceptional shows, here are three companies to keep an eye on in the following months!
Glitterbox Theatre
The assortment of creative minds, auteurs, free-spirited collaborators, and eclectic ingenues that contribute to and make up the Glitterbox Theatre cosmos are some of the finest in the Pittsburgh artistic community. Glitterbox Theatre was responsible for one of 2018’s most eagerly-attended and instantly-sold-out productions, La Strega, Glitterbox has consistently captivated audiences and established itself as an artistic haven, where artists can practice and perform their own pieces and use Glitterbox’s space for auditions, rehearsals, and training. An asset to the DIY creative world and the theatrical community at large, Glitterbox will premiere what one can only imagine will be a scintillating and provocative new production, Jagunson, and continue with their standards, such as the 10 Minute Play Fest. For more information, visit their homepage.
folkLAB
Known for their proud genre-bending and provocative engagement with issues race, spirituality, sexuality and gender identity, the team and collaborative artists and performers at folkLAB have delivered some of the most thought-provoking theatre in the area. After last year’s sensational, multi-narrative/multi-perspective productions QUEER: New American Tall Tales, and OTHER: multi-racial folklore, folkLAB will continue this series in 2019 to explore the Jewish identities and stories, serving in part to function as a reaction and discussion with the atrocious hate-crimes committed at the Tree of Life Synagogue last year. folkLAB is bastion of equitable treatment and diverse performances, and their next moves should be closely watched and hotly anticipated. For more info, check folkLAB’s homepage.
The Theatre Factory
The Theatre Factory, holding down the fort in Trafford, has ceaselessly delivered energetic, enchanting theatre for over two decades now. Their shows have ranged from the visual and lyrical feat Big Fish, to the uproariously hilarious Fuddy Meers, to the not-so-classic Yuletide play Nuncrackers, and each production is replete with it’s own striking voice and heart. Now celebrating their 24th season, The Theatre Factory will stage Kalamazoo and Heathers: The Musical before launching their stupendous lineup of shows in the latter half of 2019 centered around families and communities, regardless of how unconventional they may seem. Don’t sleep on these talented folks.
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Categories: Feature