The stars won’t just be in the sky when “Pittsburgh CLO’s 75th Anniversary: A Broadway Musical Celebration” comes to Heinz Field Wednesday through Saturday.
The star-studded production will feature Pittsburgh CLO alumni and Broadway veterans performing musical highlights and theater classics spanning the history of the organization.
“We’re bringing the community together to celebrate musical theater, and what makes it so special is that it is our 75th anniversary,” said Artistic Director Mark Fleischer. “How many organizations get to that milestone?”
The production, the second installment of the CLO’s Summer Under the Stars series on the gridiron, also brings the organization back to its roots. Pittsburgh CLO started in 1946 with outdoor performances in the old Pitt Stadium.
The cast will include stars of stage and screen, including Clay Aiken, Norm Lewis, Robbie Fairchild, Jackie Burns, Ali Ewoldt, Joe Serafini and many more.
“Jackie Burns is the longest-running Elphaba in ‘Wicked,’” Fleischer said. “Joe Serafini grew up in our classes. He’s been in Disney’s ‘High School Musical.’ He’ll be performing with a large group of our students.”
Performers will lend their voices to songs from “An American in Paris,” “The Student Prince,” “A Chorus Line,” “Rent, “Jesus Christ Superstar,” Mamma Mia!,” “In the Heights” and other Broadway favorites.
“We’ll have everything from the old classics to the modern hits,” Fleischer said. “The hardest part was deciding what to leave out. It will be a great Broadway sampler in a festival atmosphere.”
The 90-minute program also will include big-screen images of CLO past productions and past home stages, a special salute to Rodgers & Hammerstein by the Pittsburgh CLO Orchestra and tributes to past winners of CLO’s Richard Rogers Award.
The special celebration is headed by director/choreographer Baayork Lee and music director James Cunningham. Original music and show concept are by Jason Coll and written by Mary Jane Brennan.
“In Pittsburgh, we love our home teams, and CLO is a home team,” Fleischer said. “There’s homegrown talent that has been nurtured; we’ve created new musicals. We’ve really created something special here.
For this week’s shows, Fleischer added, “The weather looks to be good, and there are tickets available.”
Tickets are $15-$85. A livestream option also is available.
If weather conditions exceed the stadium’s tolerances for wind and lightning, it may be necessary to delay the start time or cancel a performance. If a show is canceled due to weather and not performed, an automatic refund will be issued from Ticketmaster.
Details: pittsburghclo.org
