Two-time Tony Award-winner Michael Cerveris will be home for the holidays for the second straight year, when he returns as Ebenezer Scrooge in Pittsburgh CLO’s 32nd annual production of A Musical Christmas Carol, December 15-23 at the Byham Theater.
Joining Cerveris, who first donned the “bah-humbug” mantle last year, are a couple of familiar CLO faces in different places: Christine Laitta, who was featured in three summer-season shows, will play multiple roles including Mrs. Fezziwig, opposite 31-year Christmas Carol veteran Tim Hartman, whose roles include Mr. Fezziwig and the Ghost of Christmas Present.
Brady D. Patsy (caroler, cantor, choirmaster), also seen in three of PCLO’s summer shows, makes his Christmas Carol debut in this production.
Aaron Galligan-Stierle takes over the role of Bob Cratchit, played for many years by Jeff Howell and, recently, Jerreme Rodriguez. The Broadway veteran and head of Musical Theatre at Slippery Rock University played Benny Southstreet this summer in PCLO’s Guys & Dolls\.
Playing Mrs. Cratchit is Lisa Ann Goldsmith, back for her 13th year in A Musical Christmas Carol. Among other long-time cast members, Daniel Krell returns as Marley’s Ghost and Young Marley, and Erika Strasburg (Bess) is back for her 11th year.
Newcomers to A Musical Christmas Carol include Christian Clausnitzer as Dick Wilkins and Maddie Kocur (fan, laundress). Aubree Liscotti, 9, a champion gymnast whose recent credits include Gretl von Trapp for Pittsburgh CLO’s The Sound Of Music, is this year’s Tiny Tim.
(Full cast and creative team list: https://www.pittsburghclo.org/shows/a-musical-christmas-carol.)
On returning to play the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, Cerveris said, “Last year was such a joy, I am delighted to be returning to Pittsburgh CLO as part of this treasured Pittsburgh holiday tradition.”
Cerveris, in town recently to star in a stunning Nightmare Before Christmas concert fundraiser for barebones productions, currently can be seen HBO’s The Gilded Age, and was a star of the filmed-in-Pittsburgh Mindhunter for Netflix. He also performs and records with the band Loose Cattle.
Audience members to A Musical Christmas Carol will once again be greeted by themed holiday trees, representing 78 years of PCLO shows. The display includes tens of thousands of shining lights and ornaments plus 275 yards of pretend snow. This year’s grand tree celebrates Young Frankenstein, which will run as part of the 2024 summer series at the Greer Cabaret July 19-September 1.
Pittsburgh CLO Academy and community school choirs will perform onstage, 30 minutes prior to showtime, at select performances.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Pittsburgh CLO’s A Musical Christmas Carol is at the Byham Theater, Downtown, December 15-23. Tickets are $25-$75 at https://www.pittsburghclo.org/shows/a-musical-christmas-carol or call 412-456-6666. PCLO has joined with Charlie Batch’s Best of the Batch Foundation on a toy drive: Audience members are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy and add it to the collection boxes surrounding the Giving Tree in the inner lobby of the Byham Theater. On Saturday, December 23, at noon, there will be a specially adapted sensory friendly performance: https://www.pittsburghclo.org/plan/amcc-sensory-friendly.
WHO’S HOLIDAY
During the entire month of December, the adults in the family can head to the Greer Cabaret and join Lara Hayhurst in Who’s Holiday, a “raunchy riff on Dr. Seuss’s yuletide tale,” per The New York Times.
The play by Matthew Lombardo is strictly R-rated: Cindy Lou’s now a grown-up, with all that it brings: cocktails and cursing and jokes are her things. … “Just like us all, Cindy Lou just needs kindness. It’s good that WHO’S HOLIDAY!‘s here to remind us.”
CLO Cabaret’s production of Who’s Holiday is at the Greer Cabaret, Downtown, December 1-31. Tickets, $35-$40, and details: https://www.pittsburghclo.org/shows/whos-holiday,
Categories: Feature Stories, Our Posts, Show Previews
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