Author Archives
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Broadway and West End’s Darren Lee to Direct and Choreograph ‘Miss Saigon’ for Pittsburgh Musical Theater
Broadway and West End performer Darren Lee will direct and choreograph Pittsburgh Musical Theater’s production of Miss Saigon, March 4–14, 2027, at the Byham Theater. Lee, who recently starred as the King of Siam in the West End and UK… Read More ›
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Preview: ‘The Notebook’ Musical Gives Pittsburgh Native a Lift Toward Directing
“The hyphens are still flaring” for Asmeret Ghebremichael, a Pittsburgh native and Broadway star of “The Book of Mormon,” and associate director of “The Notebook” musical. The tour heads to the Benedum Center November 10-15, 2026.
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Review: Eerie ‘radio island’ Moves to It’s Own Enigmatic Beat
By SHARON EBERSON An ominous aura looms over radio island, Quantum Theatre’s production of an eerie new play that seems to be aiming at the heart of spooky season. A daughter’s visit home to help her ailing mother quickly turns… Read More ›
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Confluence Theater Will ‘Ride the Cyclone’; Musical Set for October 2027
Confluence Theater of Pittsburgh has announced its seventh show for 2027 to previous subscribers of Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh CLO: Coming in fall of next year is the musical Ride the Cyclone. The 2009 dark comedy will play the Greer Cabaret Theater, Downtown, October 20-November 14, 2027.
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Preview: Jacob Ming-Trent Finds a Lifesaver in Shakespeare
Jacob Ming-Trent’s “How Shakespeare Saved My Life,” a Prologue Season presentation from the Confluence Theater of Pittsburgh, reveals that being able to say, “I am a Shakespearean actor,” opened doors that seemed otherwise out of reach for a Black performer.
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Review: Heartbreaking ‘Hadestown’ Is Fated to Win Over New Hearts
By SHARON EBERSON The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice has inspired rhapsodic retellings since ancient times, and as the musical Hadestown continues to prove, 21st-century audiences also can’t get enough of the star-crossed lovers. As the show now at the… Read More ›
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Night of New Symphonic Experience Celebrating George A. Romero to Feature Exclusive Screening of First Film ‘Expostulations’
NIGHT OF THE NEW SYMPHONIC WORK INCLUDES EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT GEORGE ROMERO’S FIRST FILM
The world premiere of George A. Romero’s A Night at the Symphony, an all-new symphonic concert experience featuring an exclusive screening of Romero’s long-lost debut film, “Expostulations,” will be presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and performed live by the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh in a one-night-only performance on March 26, 2027, at the Byham Theater — previously The Fulton movie theater, where Romero premiered Night of the Living Dead in 1968.
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Review: Fishy Woo Woos Re-Enter the Funny Zone in Halloween Comedy
Welcome back, Fishy Woo Woos!
Monteze Freeland’s Fishy Woo Woo, Part 2 made its deliriously delectable debut at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company this weekend, more than two years after the original. Back are the four core characters, with two OG actors (Mils “MJ” James as Cordero and Cheryl Bates-White as Char), in a spooky Halloween mystery and secrets galore to feast on.
The witty and wise script contains so many rapid-fire references to pop culture, queer icons, and inside jokes (one, in particular, about the Pittsburgh theater scene), that you may not catch them all. In such cases, I take Noel Coward’s advice: “Never mind, dear. We’re all made the same, though some more than others.”
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Review: Hollywood, Theater, and Politics Collide in ‘Ulster American,’ a Crass Culture Clash Dripping With Savage Humor
It says something about human nature and the state of the world that howls of laughter accompanied outrage piled upon outrage in “Ulster American,” the savagely funny play at barebones productions Braddock Black Box Theater and featuring the terrific trio of David Whalen, Simon Bradbury and Christine Weber.
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Preview: Performance and Politics Collide in barebones’ Dark Comedy ‘Ulster American’
“These three, it’s like a powder keg going off.” — Patrick Jordan
Starring David Whalen, Simon Bradbury and Christine Weber, a and directed by Patrick Jordan, the dark comedy “ULSTER AMERICAN” is at barebones productions’ Braddock Black Box Theater October 9-25, 2026. A collision of Hollywood, theater and The Troubles, “It’s provocative, profane, unapologetically abrasive, and very, very funny.”
