Now that the Tony Awards have been handed out, let the betting begin on which of the winning and losing shows will receive a box office boost and which will soon post a closing notice. If the prospects of paying an arm and a leg for a ticket to Hadestown or hoping that The Prom survives the summer are too stressful, don’t fret. This summer, you needn’t go far out of Pittsburgh city limits (or far out of your budget) to see an eclectic crop of expertly produced, Tony-nominated and winning musicals.
Titanic: The Musical – Split Stage Productions, June 14-22
Your heart may break to learn that this show is not an adaptation of James Cameron’s romantic epic, but I promise that it will go on. Coincidentally, both the movie and stage versions of the tragic true story of the sinking of the RMS Titanic made a splash in 1997. The film, of course, went on to sweep the Academy Awards that next year while the musical also cleaned up at the Tony Awards winning five, including Best Musical. Composer Maury Yeston and book writer Peter Stone broaden the focus from two star-crossed lovers to people of all classes, occupations, and motives for setting sail on “The Largest Floating Object in the World”. You won’t hear the familiar strains of that Celine Dion ballad, but the score and story here are just as timeless and sweeping. For tickets and more information, click here.
Rock of Ages & Once – Pittsburgh CLO, July 23-28 & July 30-August 4
Boy meets girl. Guy meets Girl. You’d think that’s where the similarities would end for such tonally and musically disparate shows as Rock of Ages and Once, but you’d be wrong. The edgier end of Pittsburgh CLO’s summer season (Hello, Dolly! notwithstanding), opposite Oklahoma! and Peter Pan, is rounded by a 2009 nominee for Best Musical and the 2012 winner of Best Musical, respectively. It’s no coincidence that Rock of Ages takes its title from a Def Leppard song as the show uses chart-topping rock hits from the 1980s like “I Wanna Rock” and “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” to tell the love story of “a small town girl” and “a city boy”. Once, adapted from the 2007 film, may not have as many hits as Rock of Ages, but it does include the Oscar-winning duet “Falling Slowly”. The show sees Guy and Girl form a powerful bond over broken vacuums, broken hearts, and the beautiful music they create to heal one another. Both shows are set primarily in a bar and would no doubt make for a once in a lifetime date night for the ages. For tickets and more information, click here.
Cabaret – Little Lake Theater, August 8-24
Just when you thought you’d seen enough productions of Cabaret, FX’s Fosse/Verdon comes along demanding you to reexamine the show and its cultural footprint. That logic may only apply to me, but either way Little Lake Theater has come to all of our rescue with their early-August production of this Kander and Ebb classic. The first episode of that aforementioned miniseries drops us on the set of the film adaptation of Cabaret with director Bob Fosse carefully crafting its aesthetic from every note of music to every count of choreography. Sally Bowles and company and our idea of pre-WWII Germany were never the same after the movie. They all received another makeover after the dark, gritty, sexy smash hit 1998 Broadway revival shook things up again. Now matter how many times this show is seen, its themes remain powerful and its songs remain infectious. Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome, now and forever. For tickets and more information, click here.
Fun Home – Front Porch Theatricals, August 16-25
Fun Home is a musical adapted from the most unlikely of sources: a graphic memoir by lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel. In the book and the show, Alison reflects on her upbringing at the family business Bechdel Funeral Home as she comes to term with her own sexuality and that of her closeted father Bruce. Our hearts swell and shatter for each of the three versions of Alison in the musical as we witness her “Ring of Keys” moment as a child, her sexual awakening as a college student in “Changing My Major”, and her extending a “Telephone Wire” back in time to reconcile with her dad. Before winning 2015 Best Musical prize, the show made history when Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori became the first all-female writing team to win the Tony for Best Original Score. When it comes to this powerful and quirky show making its Pittsburgh premiere, I think the next glass ceiling it’s meant to break is a Front Porch sales record. For tickets and more information, click here.
Brian Pope is a playwright and pop culture obsessive who has been writing for Pittsburgh in the Round since February of 2016. His plays have been produced by his own theatre company, Non-State Actors, as well as Yinz Like Plays?!, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, and Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company. He’s also served as dramaturg for City Theatre’s 2018 Young Playwrights Festival and as both stage manager and actor for Alarum Theatre. When he’s not making or reviewing theatre, he’s actively pursuing his other passions, listening to showtunes and watching television.
Categories: Feature