The arrival of “Working,” the first of Front Porch Theatrical’s two summer musicals, marks a sign of the season that’s as sure and welcome as a robin is to spring.
Daina Michelle Griffith
Director Griffith Digs Into the Art of ‘Working’for Front Porch
Daina Michelle Griffith has memories of “Working” dating back to her college days, when her friend was performing in a Theatre Factory production of the musical. “I went out to see it and loved it,” recalls Griffith, who will direct the musical to lead off Front Porch Theatricals’ 2026 season, opening Friday, May 15, 2026. To take on Working, Griffith will direct back-to-back shows (next up is barebones productions’ “Our Dear Dead Drug Lord,” June 12-28, 2026. When Front Porch came calling, she thought she knew exactly what she was getting into – until it was explained that the show, conceived and first produced by Stephen Schwartz in the 1970s, was to be the 2012 revised version, updated with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Review: barebones’ ‘God of Carnage’ Visits the Funny Side of Grown-Ups Behaving Badly
What happens when two sets of New York parents seek a civilized response to an act of playground violence: one of their 11-year-old sons whacking the other with a stick, knocking out two teeth?
In the case of barebones’ production of “God of Carnage,” it’s a blast, as outwardly responsible adults take wildly inappropriate dives into their darkest sides, played by Daina Michelle Griffth, Patrick Jordan, Gayle Pazerski and David Whalen.
Barebones’ Patrick Jordan Finds Spark that Brings Him Back to ‘God of Carnage’
It was 15 years ago that Patrick Jordan first read the Tony Award-winning play “God of Carnage,” and put it aside. When he picked it up again, years later, something had changed. The Yasmin Reza four-hander will close barebones productions’ season, with artistic director Jordan as part of the cast. “There are hundreds of plays between now and 15 years ago,” Jordan said of when he first read the script. “This play popped into my head, and I went back and reread it, and I was like, ‘Wow, maybe I am 15 years older, but this play hits a very different way right now,’ and it almost comes off as more relevant now than 20 years ago, when it was written.”
Eyes on the Jimmys, Classical Motown, Cabaret in Carnegie, and a ‘Titanic’ Trek
Column By SHARON EBERSON It’s Monday night, and the final seconds of the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals are ticking away as I write this. The live YouTube broadcast of the 2024 Jimmy Awards is over, host Josh… Read More ›
Review: Front Porch’s Moving ‘Merrily’ Revives a Musical Old Friend
By SHARON EBERSON Merrily We Roll Along is a musical notorious for its lack of merriment. But there is plenty of reason to make merry at the New Hazlett Theater, where the talent onstage and that gorgeous Sondheim score reign,… Read More ›
Front Porch Theatrical’s ‘Grand Hotel the Musical’ is Indeed Grand!
Reviewed by MAC Hoover “Grand Hotel Berlin. Always the same – people come, people go – one life ends while another begins – one heart breaks while another beats faster….” The Doctor, the narrator, quips, “I’ll stay – one more… Read More ›
The Devil is in the Technological Details in Pittsburgh Public’s “Marjorie Prime”
Pittsburgh Public Theater ends its 44th season with Jordan Harrison’s play, Marjorie Prime. It’s the final play in the first season under new artistic director Marya Sea Kaminski who also doubles as the show’s director. The play centers on “primes,”… Read More ›
Constructing Ourselves in 12 Peers’ “[blank]”
By Eva Phillips Two fundamental queries for any devoted theatre-goer or dramaturgically-minded individual should be “what does it mean to be a playwright” and “what constitutes a play?” While dauntingly broad, theatrically-existential questions, they seek to address some of the… Read More ›