By Eva Phill;ipsWe exist in a remarkable sort of renaissance for musical theater. Indeed, the past 10 to 15 years has been characterized by an abundance of shows that successfully marry the flamboyant bombast and gleeful absurdity of classic musical… Read More ›
Month: November 2019
Pittsburgh CLO’s “Forever Plaid”
By Eva Phillips It is surprising how a horrific accident or cruel twist of fate can catapult a career. Just ask Buddy Holly, or Lynyrd Skynyrd, or Otis Redding. Or ask the strapping young lads of Forever Plaid. Sure, Forever… Read More ›
City Theatre Hits Hard with “One Night in Miami…”
City Theatre is mounting one of its best productions in some time, but it runs only through Dec. 1, so put your Thanksgiving leftovers in the fridge and get to the South Side. One Night in Miami . . imagines… Read More ›
“Dance Nation”
Patrick Jordan’s barebones productions hasn’t shied away from visceral drama, but it has its hands full with Dance Nation, Clare Barron’s smart, funny and insightful play about the many sides of adolescence. That stage of life when childhood slips away… Read More ›
“Endeavor Mind”
By Eva Phillips Transcendentalism undergoes many changes as humans evolve. Whether this transcendentalism manifests the thirst to conquer the elements by mastering a flying apparatus, or developing hyper-aware Artificial Intelligence to enhance existential normalcy, though, the common thread is to… Read More ›
“A Bronx Tale”
By Brian Pope The timeless compositions of Alan Menken have been the heartbeat of many memorable musical tales dealing with the themes of duty, love, and morality. Should Ariel abandon her family and kingdom for a pair of legs and… Read More ›
A Night of Delights at Stage 62’s “Hairspray”
Stage 62 takes audiences back to the 1960s in their latest production of Hairspray. The musical is based on John Waters’s 1988 film of the same name. With its six-year run on Broadway, eight Tony Awards, and a film… Read More ›
Pittsburgh Public Theatre Produces a Hilarious, Powerful “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play”
By Eva Phillips The ways girls behave and the things they do to one another within the overwhelming hives of school, their social structures, and their own minds is the source of great, and even morbid, fascination for so much… Read More ›
The Sea Beckons and Inspires “Shakespeare’s Will” at Quantum
An intriguing journey for anyone who loves Shakespeare’s works or treasures the intimate artistry of solo theatre, Shakespeare’s Will provides a memorable dramatic portrait of a woman who deserves history’s listening ear. Thankfully, the play doesn’t rely on only documented… Read More ›
Cross-Stitch Theatre Company Brings Claudia Rankine’s “The White Card” to Life
By Eva Phillips In remarks discussing the nature of violent and racist language, Claudia Rankine cited the post-structural linguistic semiotics of fellow intellectual Judith Butler, stating, “Not long ago you are in a room where someone asks the philosopher Judith… Read More ›