Reviews of current productions by our writers
By GUILHERME MELETTI YAZBEK Opening nights tend to be pleasant occasions, with warm audiences often made up of members of the creative team, family, and seasoned theatergoers. I have the impression that opening-night audiences are generally more inclined to enjoy… Read More ›
By JESSICA NEU When I interviewed Wicked ensemble member Just Wirick, he noted, “You never forget the first time seeing Wicked.” The show leaves such an indelible mark that the experience becomes a core memory. I first saw Wicked at the Benedumin 2006. My friend and I drove down… Read More ›
Some things are such crowd-pleasers, they bear repeating. Even within the packed realm of Christmas-time theater, that holds true for Kinetic Theatre’s finely tuned, atmospheric production of “A Sherlock Carol.” Introduced last year at the Stephen Foster Memorial, the show this season travels from Oakland to Carnegie Stage, and, if anything, gains in connectivity between cast and audience in the intimate space.
A Dinah Washington Christmas, a combination of beloved Christmas songs, a celebration of the “Queen of the Blues,” and nod to the jazz heritage of the Hill District, had its debut on Thursday in the festively decked out cabaret space at Madison Arts Center. The show on opening night was held up for a short time, in anticipation of the arrival of the playwright, Ernest McCarty. Mark Clayton Southers, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company’s founder and artistic director, learned later of the passing that night of Mr. McCarty, 84. (Condolences to the McCarty family and friends. Details to come.)
In Braddock, Midnight Radio has Bricolage following it’s own Die Hard holiday parody with A Christmas Vacatyinz, lampooning the Lampooners at barebones’ Braddock Black Box. And in the Hill District, you can find the sketch comedy group Mr. Goodbird USA — once a staple at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company’s venue in Garfield — back in action with The Chuck Dickens Annual Christmas and/or Holiday Spectacular!
By JESSICA NEU Directed by Hal Chambers and written and performed by Richard Marsh, Yippee Ki Yay The Parody Celebration of Die Hard is a clever one-man show that brings the iconic 1988 film to life. The film’s status as a Christmas movie is still… Read More ›
By JESSICA NEU Last week, I had the opportunity to tour the Wyoming state capital building, where the Amish handcrafted the building’s woodwork. The Amish believe that the only person who can create something perfect is God, so they intentionally… Read More ›
It’s cozy by the fireside, with the scent of pine trees seeming to permeate the air, as City Theatre invites us to spend the holiday season with the ever-growing canon of Lauren Gunderson Sisterhoods at Christmastime.
The commissioned adaptation of “Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women” unfolds as if it were a graphic novel come to life, with thought bubbles spoken aloud, alongside dialogue, and Anne Mundell’s set design featuring the tangible metaphor of trees carved from the novel’s pages.
By GUILHERME MELETTI YAZBEK The Riverfront Theater Company is currently presenting the production that closes its Sapphire Season, celebrating the group’s impressive 65 years. Next to Normal premiered Off-Broadway in 2008 and, due to its success, entered the pantheon of American theater with… Read More ›
By MINGSI MA Philosopher Slavoj Žižek describes love as “extremely violent,” even “traumatic” and “catastrophic,” because it throws our ordinary lives off balance. He emphasizes the idea of “falling in love” because it is sudden and unconscious, almost like being… Read More ›
