Pittsburgh CLO has announced the full cast that will high step into next week with its first production of Kinky Boots. Previously announced Darius Harper as drag queen Lola, the role that garnered Billy Porter a Tony Award, and Brian… Read More ›
Arts and Ideas
Our thoughts on the state of the performing arts in Greater Pittsburgh and nationally.
Squonk Announces Summer Dates for U.S. Tour of ‘Hand to Hand’ including Pittsburgh’s Independence Day Festival
Upcoming Tour Stops also include Fairmont and St. Paul, Minnesota; Providence, RI; Patchogue and Lewiston, NY; and Davenport, IA To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Squonk continues a multi-city U.S. tour of its free outdoor spectacle Hand to Hand and performances… Read More ›
Gene Kelly Award-winner Kylie Edwards named top dancer at national Jimmy Awards
By Sharon Eberson Kylie Edwards, representing Pittsburgh CLO’s Gene Kelly Awards at the 2022 National High School Musical Theatre Awards, was named best dancer among the winners announced at the 13th annual Broadway showcase on June 27. Her honor was… Read More ›
Pittsburgh Public’s ‘Robin Hood’ Invades County Parks
Families can take a step back to Medieval times and watch as Robin Hood and his Merry Men perform heroic deeds in Allegheny County Parks, thanks to Pittsburgh Public Theater. The Cultural District-based company ventured outdoors in 2021 to present… Read More ›
A Busy Weekend, a Gripping ‘Not My Revolution’ in Carnegie
By Sharon Eberson Here’s my weekend in Pittsburgh theater, or, more to the point, so much Pittsburgh theater, so little time … Pittsburgh theater – it’s worth saying a third time – had the opportunity to strut its stuff last… Read More ›
CLO’s ‘Drowsy Chaperone’ brings a Broadway Legend and TikTok Star to the Stage
By Sharon Eberson From a bona fide Broadway legend to a TikTok sensation, The Drowsy Chaperone’s cast is sprinkled with the marquee names, familiar faces and newcomers that are a trademark of a Pittsburgh CLO summer season. This is CLO’s… Read More ›
‘A Strange Loop,’ ‘Lehman Trilogy,’ ‘Company’ Are Big Winners at 75th Tony Awards
By Sharon Eberson The Tony Awards turned 75 with a celebration of youth and experience, the British influence on Broadway and a few surprises along the way. Best actor in a musical went to 22-year-old Myles Frost, who stars as… Read More ›
Review: Kinetic Theatre’s World-Premiere Comedy Gives Moliere and Enemas Their Due
By Sharon Eberson The highest praise for a comedy that strives to honor the French master Moliere is that it pummels hypocrisy and is as thought-provoking as it is laugh-inducing. Simon Bradbury’s The Illustrious Invalid accomplishes all of the above…. Read More ›
Wayne Brinda, Prime Stage Theater’s Artistic Director on the company’s latest endeavor, Prime Stage Sprouts and ‘The Amazing Lemonade Girl’
By Jessica Neu I had the pleasure of speaking with Wayne Brinda, Prime Stage Theater Artistic Director, about Prime Stage Sprouts. The goal of Sprouts is to bring literature to life in the form of children’s theater that is accessible… Read More ›
City Theatre renames studio to honor the late Pittsburgh Black arts leader Dr. Vernell Lillie
City Theatre has paid tribute to the legacy of Kuntu Repertory Theatre founder and artistic director Dr. Vernell Audrey Watson Lillie by renaming its studio theater in her honor. The former Lester Hamburg Studio, the 102-seat black box that is… Read More ›