By Jessica Neu No matter our age, occupation, personal relationships, or where we currently live, I feel like we have all, at one point or another, thought about the “what if.” What if we had gone somewhere on a different… Read More ›
Arts and Ideas
Our thoughts on the state of the performing arts in Greater Pittsburgh and nationally.
It’s a “Season of Love” as Point Park University Conservatory Theater Company Delivers a Powerful Rendition of ‘Rent’
By JESSICA NEU Rent opened on Broadway in 1996 at a time when Broadway was in desperate need of revitalization after the London theater scene had recently produced smash hits such as Les Misérables and Cats while New York City was inundated with crime and… Read More ›
A Week of Bright Ideas in the Cultural District:Pittsburgh Humanities Festival Returns April 3-8
A James Beard Award-winning chef, seven-time GRAMMY winner, acclaimed local author, and leading industry experts bring new ideas to light for Pittsburgh audiences at the Greer Cabaret Theater. Can artificial intelligence comprehend morality? Where did “soul food” come from and… Read More ›
Review: ‘Fat Ham’ Turns ‘Hamlet’ on Its Head at City Theatre
By BOB HOOVER “They staged a play, and a party broke out,” said a patron at City Theatre on March 8 at the Pittsburgh premiere of Fat Ham, the boisterous, in-your-face version of Hamlet – without the handwringing. In front of a packed… Read More ›
Preview: Corning Works 15th Season asks ‘what did you think you just heard me say?!’
Corning Works returns to City Theatre’s Lillie Theatre with a multidisciplinary dance theater work strategically created for an intimately sized theater—for intimately sized audiences of 50—up close and very personal, allowing audiences to feel part of the “conversation” rather than just “witnessing” it. With this newest production, what… Read More ›
Preview: Riverfront Theater Company Presents the Regional Premiere of ‘If/Then’
Riverfront’s 2024 Season is followed by Legally Blonde and Constellations. On March 14th, Riverfront Theater Company will make local theater history when they open the regional premiere of If/Then; with music and story by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, the Pulitzer Prize- and… Read More ›
Chatham Baroque Presents Joy of Bach
The performance celebrates Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthday with the Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 and Cantata 82 Chatham Baroque presents its annual “Joy of Bach” program on March 15th and 16th. The program, which activates Pittsburgh’s historical Calvary Episcopal Church, celebrates decorated composer Johann Sebastian Bach‘s… Read More ›
Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh Presents Free Concert, ‘Coming Home’
The musical journey across history and around the world will explore our enduring search for a place where we belong. On March 9 and 10, 2024, the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh (MCP) will present Coming Home, a musical journey exploring the yearning inside… Read More ›
Commentary: Pittsburgh Public’s ‘Dragon Lady’ Streamed Live; ‘Book of Mormon’: What’s Changed and What Remains the Same
By SHARON EBERSON I was treated to a link last weekend to see Sara Porkalob’s final Pittsburgh Public Theater performance of Dragon Lady live, on a screen, in the comfort of home. I had seen the one-woman musical play, in… Read More ›
REVIEW: ‘The Book of Mormon’ is a Satirical Sermon that Preaches Big Laughs and Big Societal Commentary
By JESSICA NEU Winner of nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, The Book of Mormon is a true unity of contraries. Although technically a musical about religion, The Book of Mormon does not represent faith or Christianity like other theological musicals such as Jesus Christ… Read More ›