2019 was a preponderance of things: chaotic, joyous, concerning, impeaching, meteorologically unpredictable, mournful, hilarious, and so on. But in the sea of adjectives, expletives, and other descriptors for 2019, the one assessment that resounds most ecstatically, at least for Pittsburgh, is theatrical excellence. From theatre companies strengthening their presences and finding their stride, like up-and-comers Iron Horse Theatre in Ambridge and female-artist-centric Cross Stitch Theatre Company; companies experimenting with their lineups, like Arcade Theatre’s hugely successful Bubble Boy; or steadfast favorites continuing their formidable runs with even more exhilarating theatre, like off the WALL’s Not Medea and other female-forward pieces, Resonance Work‘s continual commitment to orchestral excellence, Attack Theatre‘s triumphant 25th season, and more.
We wanted to pay tribute to some of our most beloved shows from the year gone by–but PLEASE note, this is by know means comprehensive or meant to reflect all the outstanding efforts of our theatre community. Please follow us for all reviews, features, artist profiles and more–and as always, reach out to us with suggestions, opportunities, article pitches, and more!
Happy 2020, theatre friends!
Eva’s Top Picks (And Memorable Performances of 2019!)
A Streetcar Named Desire (Pittsburgh Classic Players): Alyssa Herron, Jalina McClarin and Brett Sullivan Santry deliver utterly unrivaled performances that linger with me to this day. And Shannon Knapp’s directorial precision and insight guided a majestic transformation of one of the theatrical canon’s most overwrought plays into something agonizingly beautiful and refreshingly haunting.
Spring Awakening (Comtra Theatre): Evocative, impassioned, brilliantly choreographed and cast. One of the standouts.
The World as We Know It (CorningWorks): Nobody deals with matters of loss, exultation, aging, grief, arousal, determination, confusion and bodily exploration quite like Beth Corning and her creative team. A powerful (as always) denouement to 2019, The World As We Know It–which features performers Simone Ferro, Li Chiao-Ping, Endalyn Taylor, Charlotte Adams, and Jillian Hollis–is a choreographic thesis, of sorts, on the physical, psychological, professional, emotional, and behavioral limitations and restrictions enforced on women, especially in the context of the #metoo movement. Accented by astonishing technical lighting wizardry by Iain Court, The World As We Know It was a breathtaking showing from a company that emphatically reminds us that art, beauty and defiance know no age.
School Girls, or The African Mean Girls Play (Pittsburgh Public Theatre): In a season that has been gaining incredible momentum as it goes, School Girls was as blissfully funny and uncomplicated as it was devastatingly profound and impactful. Phenomenal performances, set design, and direction. Kaminski’s vision for Public’s season is outstanding.
(TIE) My Own Route (off the WALL) and Forever Plaid (Pittsburgh CLO): Two RADICALLY different approaches to interspersing and interjecting music into interpretative narrative structures. Pittsburgh CLO’s adaptation of Stuart Ross’s 1989 cult-classic musical Forever Plaid, which tells the story of four young men in a barbershop-esque quartet who die in a bus crash and must perform their last show to escape purgatory, was pure delight, start to finish. Zoe Sorrell’s part-flute, part-spoken word, wholly-moving My Own Route blended Sorrell’s mastery on the flute with provocative, complex narrations on the ever-perilous state of femininity and the threats upon cis and trans women–historically, mythically and actively–in the glare of patriarchy that absolutely blew (instrumental pun intended?) me away.
Memorable Performances: Wali Jamal in Pittsburgh Playwright’s Savior Samuel; TrishaLee Hutchinson Boggs in Comtra’s Sweeney Todd.; Jeff Johnston and Ashley Harmon in Little Lake’s Cabaret; Ian C. Olson and Victoria Buchtan in Comtra’s Spring Awakening; Atiauna Grant and Markia Nicole Smith in Pittsburgh Public’s School Girls…; Shammen McCune and Harper York in Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Park’s Julius Caesar; Justin Lonesome in barebones production’s The Legend of Georgia McBride; Olive Schlosser and Kathleen Regan in Pittsburgh Classic Player’s Romeo & Juliet; Mother Oak in Stage 62’s Hairspray; Missy Moreno in Stage 62’s Mamma Mia; Chrystal Bates in Pittsburgh Playwright’s Gem of the Ocean; Jalina McClarin, Alyssa Herron, and Brett Sullivan Santry in Pittsburgh Classic Player’s A Streetcar Named Desire; Ryan Bergman and Rachelmae Pulliam in Steel City Shakespeare’s Richard III; The Entire Cast (Drew Leigh Williams, J. Alex Noble, Jerreme Rodriguez and Michelle Duffy) of Pittsburgh CLO’s The Double-Threat Trio; Drew Leigh Williams in off the WALL’s Not Medea; Dwayne Washington in City Theatre’s One Night in Miami; Hazel Leroy in anything she pops up in (no, really).
George P.’s Top of the Opera Picks
Don Giovanni, PGH Opera
From his review: “Musa Ngqungwana, as Leporello, was a vocal and comic delight. When he sang the famous “catalog” aria, detailing the extent of Don Giovanni’s lasciviousness to the mortified Donna Elvira, he had binders of pages and pecked at a typewriter as he added the latest names to the list of conquests. His is a bass-baritone of much warmth, and its carrying power seems to come with an ease somewhat uncommon to this voice range. He sang and acted his way through the role in a manner that won him a deserved roar of applause at the final curtain. Brian Kontes was Don Pedro, the “Commendatore,” and his bass voice might have proved a greater strength in the production had his onstage encounter with his murderer reverberated with the same volume as the first of his ghostly taunts from behind the scenes. Craig Verm, in the title role, hit the character’s bull’s-eye, both vocally and pictorially. He brought out the best and worst Giovanni requires, and by never overdoing either, he allowed the listener to love to hate him from his first scene to the last.”
Don Pasquale, PGH Opera
From his review: “Such slim a plot can withstand a little tinkering, since the music’s beauty prevents any serious damage. Words and still photography can’t sufficiently describe how effectively such touches as keeping Pasquale in “black and white” –against an increasingly Technicolor background –work, or how cleverly the silent movie asides, sight gags and other bits of fun make Donizetti’s score shine even more brightly than it already does. Gary Thor Wedow has conducted Hudson’s production before, and he made that evident with an almost faultless rendition of the orchestration. He and the instrumentalists received a well-deserved ovation.”
Bob Hoover’s Top Picks
Gem of the Ocean by Pittsburgh Playwrights.
Presented on the Hill District site where August Wilson’s iconic character Aunt Esther lived, this production engaged all the elements of a Wilson play to their fullest – humor, terror, violence, in essence, the story of the enslaved. The result was one of the most complete versions of the Pittsburgh playwright’s work.
One Night in Miami … by City Theatre.
Kemp Powers’ work gathers four prominent figures in 1964 America – football star Jim Brown, star performer and songwriter Sam Cooke, activist Malcolm X and soon-to-be Mohammad Ali, the champion boxer — in one motel room to focus on the plight of African-Americans as the civil rights movement grows bigger. Superb performances and terrific music set this production on a lofty level.
Dance Nation by barebones productions
On the surface a satire about the browbeaten children in dance competitions, the play is really about the emotional and physical maturing of these kids as they discover life is a lot harder than a perfect plie.
The nine-member cast directed by Melissa Martin and choreographed by Tome Cousins captured the hopes of the young and the disappointments of the old with feeling and insight.
Yvonne Hudson’s Top Picks
Brian Pope’s Top Picks
Jade Goodes’s Top Picks
Everybody – 12 Peers Theater
This production impressed me with the versatility of the cast and crew. Having to be prepared for 120 different variations of the show is an intimidating feat, but the company took it with stride. I feel overall 12 Peers Theater did a wonderful job in presenting this moving, relatable story of life and death.
Tartuffe – Cup-A-Jo
Tartuffe was packed with an extraordinary cast of actors, and was an entertaining production from beginning to end. I loved the lighthearted nature of the show, and overall found the production to be funny, smart, and quick.
Unhinged – Cup-a-Jo
This production exceeded my initial expectations, and it’s stuck with me ever since experiencing it. Unhinged not only puts a spin on the classic elements of a haunted house, but also changes up the traditional theater experience. It was a hauntingly beautiful experience, and I cannot recommend it more.
Emily Koscinski’s Top Picks
Bloomsday (Little Lake). From her review: “Imagine being able to travel back in time to revisit and relive past memories with a special someone. That’s exactly what Robert and Cait do as they turn back the time 35 years into the past to experience the events that brought them – only briefly – together. The two go back to Dublin, Ireland where they watch their younger selves on a James Joyce literary tour, led by Caithleen, as they see young Robbie and Caithleen fall in love and never look back. This tragic love story will have the audience making the most of the now before it becomes the past. Little Lake Theatre did a remarkable job casting the young and old versions of Robert and Cait.”
A Comedy of Tenors (Little Lake). From her review: “…Colin Burns, who played Carlo, and Ryan Frank, who played Max, sang beautifully with Warren Ashburn when they were all singing the Italian opera song. They all hit the notes perfectly and sounded harmonious singing all together. The set-up for this production felt very pristine as if one was inside a grand, fancy Paris hotel. The crew’s addition of a variety of delicacy food that the actors used throughout the course of the show – especially the beloved cow tongue! The way everything was arranged had the audience feeling as if they were a star themselves!
The Drowsy Chaperone (Little Lake). From her review: “The chemistry between the drowsy chaperone and Adolpho in “Adolpho” was filled with intensity! It was hilarious watching Dewayne Curry, who played Adolpho, strut around the stage as he sang about seduction. All while Meighan Lloyd Harding, the drowsy chaperone, was ready to say Adolpho’s name over and over again. Both actors exuded great voices while singing, and acted accordingly to their roles.”
Laura Caton’s Top Picks
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