By SHARON EBERSON Brace yourself for Oleanna. The David Mamet drama is not a pleasant diversion on a hot summer’s day, nor is it meant to be. The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and provocateur aims to challenge beliefs we may hold to… Read More ›
University of Pittsburgh
Kinetic Theatre in 2024: A Mamet Double Take and a Sherlock Holmes Christmas
Andrew Paul’s Kinetic Theatre returns to Pittsburgh with a mini-Mamet Festival, plus a holiday show that marks the return of David Whalen as Sherlock Holmes. Whalen, who recently completed a rep company marathon of the Shakespeare History Plays at the… Read More ›
Review: Kinetic’s ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ Faces Darkness With Hope and Humor
By SHARON EBERSON The alchemy of Every Brilliant Thing is a wonder that apparently works with just one consistent ingredient. Marcus Weiss is the lone actor, guide, soothing presence and often everything everywhere all at once. He leads the audience… Read More ›
Pitt Event Displays Previously Hidden Gems to Open August Wilson Archives
March has come in like a lion for Pittsburgh theater-going, and the roar only builds as the month marches on. March 2nd through 4th, Thursday through Saturday last week, there was so much to choose from that I was behind… Read More ›
“Appropriate”
By Brian Pope Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. The patriarch of a white (usually Southern) family dies. This tragic inevitability sets his family (primarily his adult children) on a pilgrimage to the family estate to root through… Read More ›
Fraught Families in UP Stages’ “next to normal”
By Brian Pope They don’t call it the nuclear family for nothing. Just ask the Goodmans. Dan, Diana, Natalie, Gabe. “Father, mother, sister, brother cheek to cheek.†Or so Diana sings in “Just Another Dayâ€, the opening number of Tom… Read More ›
UP Stages 2019 Main Stage Preview
After an exciting fall semester of main stage plays that included She Kills Monsters and Much Ado About Nothing, UP Stages is back with spring semester offerings that will challenge and uplift their audiences. First up is Flyin’ West by… Read More ›
Much Ado About Nothing
A tradition for Shakespeare has propelled the Department of Theatre Arts at the University of Pittsburgh Stages for decades. Commitment to the classics inspired the Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival, and Shakespeare now plays on via Pitt Stages, the department’s production… Read More ›
She Kills Monsters
I was pretty stoked to get to see She Kills Monsters at Pitt last week, not because I’m into Dungeons & Dragons (never played it myself), but because I’m a huge geek and was excited at the prospect of bringing… Read More ›
Collegiate Preview: 3rd Edition
Hey gang, welcome back for our third annual Collegiate preview! School is starting once again and we’re ready to dive into this year’s seasons! Pittsburgh’s universities have plenty for you to choose from this year with new buildings, new faces,… Read More ›