Entertainment category, Page 89
Review: ‘Company’ is a heartfelt musical comedy in shiny new wrapping
Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Company” may be a classic at this point, but the production in the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh season opened Tuesday night with a fresh take. The show’s original Broadway run began in 1970, with music and lyrics by Sondheim and a book by George...
A painting of Winston Churchill by an artist whose work he hated is up for auction
LONDON — A portrait of Winston Churchill by an artist whose work the British leader loathed went on display Tuesday at Churchill’s birthplace ahead of an auction in June. The painting by modernist artist Graham Sutherland was made in preparation for a larger portrait that Churchill hated and which was...
Upper St. Clair graduate’s cabaret show celebrates friendship with Elizabeth Taylor
In 1981, Ann Talman placed a call from New York City to her hometown Upper St. Clair, announcing: “Dad! I got the Broadway show. And guess what? Guess who’s playing my mother? Elizabeth Taylor!” What followed was 18 months of touring with a cast that also included Maureen Stapleton and...
Salman Rushdie’s ‘Knife’ is unflinching about his brutal stabbing and uncanny in its vital spirit
NEW YORK — In Salman Rushdie’s first book since the 2022 stabbing that hospitalized him and left him blind in one eye, the author wastes no time reliving the day he thought might be his last. “At a quarter to eleven on August 12, 2022, on a sunny Friday morning...
Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim’s Connecticut home sold for $3.25M
NEW YORK — The Connecticut home of Broadway songsmith Stephen Sondheim has sold for $3.25 million. Sondheim, the composer and lyricist behind “West Side Story,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Gypsy” and many other classic musicals, died at his Roxbury estate in 2021 at age 91. He moved to Connecticut in 1984. Klemm...
Pittsburgh has a vibrant Black female DJ scene
Mary Dee Dudley was a pioneer of Pittsburgh and America’s music scene, breaking barriers in 1948 as the country’s first Black woman to become a DJ. The Homestead native established Studio Dee in the Hill District and debuted “Movin’ Around with Mary Dee” on WAOB Radio. Her impact echoes through...
ABBA, Blondie, Notorious B.I.G. enter National Recording Registry
LOS ANGELES — ABBA, Biggie, Blondie and Rudolph are entering America’s audio canon. New inductees into the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress include ABBA’s 1976 album “Visitors,” The Notorious B.I.G.’s 1994 album “Ready to Die,” Blondie’s 1978 breakthrough “Parallel Lines” and Gene Autry’s 1949 version of “Rudolph...
Sudden Little Thrills Music Festival lineup includes SZA, The Killers, Wiz KhalifaVideo
A new music festival from the organizers of internationally known events like Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo will be rocking Pittsburgh later this year, and they just announced their lineup. Sudden Little Thrills Music Festival will be held on Sept. 7 and 8 at Hazelwood Green. The event will be headlined Saturday...
Family celebrates Henry Mancini’s legacy on what would have been his 100th birthday
Update: The video for “Pink Panther,” the second single from “The Henry Mancini 100th Sessions — Henry Has Company,” featuring Lizzo and Sir James Galway both on flute, dropped on May 31. When famed composer Henry Mancini discussed his childhood with his family, he made sure to stress exactly where...
TV Talk: CBS starts a fire of controversy cutting off Billy Joel, reschedules show
After promoting “Billy Joel: The 100th at Madison Square Garden – The Greatest Arena Run of All Time” for weeks, CBS blundered nationally by cutting off the program mid-“Piano Man” to go to late local newscasts. CBS released a statement saying, “A network programming timing error ended last night’s Billy...
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces return of ‘Hamilton,’ other shows for 2024-25 season
Pittsburgh will get another shot to see smash-hit Broadway musical “Hamilton” this fall. On Monday, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announced their 2024-2025 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh season, which will kick off with “Hamilton” from Sept. 11-29, 2024, at the Benedum Center in Downtown Pittsburgh. The season will also include shows...
Divisive? Not for moviegoers. ‘Civil War’ declares victory at box office.Video
Alex Garland’s provocative “ Civil War ” didn’t only ignite the discourse. The film also inspired audiences to go to the cinemas this weekend where it surpassed expectations and earned $25.7 million in ticket sales in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday. It’s the biggest R-rated opening of the...
‘Rock ‘N Remember Live!’ struck a sweet, nostalgic chord at the Benedum Center
Saturday was a perfect day to enjoy some golden oldies at the Benedum Center, and “Rock ‘N Remember Live!” delivered with a jukebox’s worth of classic artists. “Rock ‘N Remember Live!” presented by Spotlight Productions featured six bands and singers from the ’50s and ’60s in two and a half...
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra fascinates with celebration of George Gershwin
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, as part of their 2023-2024 PNC Pops season, brought a heavy dose of “Fascinatin’ Rhythm” to Heinz Hall on Friday night with their Gershwin celebration. This selection comes in what would be the 125th year of George Gershwin’s life. Gershwin, in some ways the quintessential 20th...
Robert MacNeil, creator and first anchor of PBS ‘NewsHour’ nightly newscast, dies at 93
NEW YORK — Robert MacNeil, who created the even-handed, no-frills PBS newscast “The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour” in the 1970s and co-anchored the show with his late partner, Jim Lehrer, for two decades, died on Friday. He was 93. MacNeil died of natural causes at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, according to his daughter,...
Lifetime to air documentary on Nicole Brown Simpson following O.J.’s death
Lifetime is moving ahead with its previous plans to air a documentary on Nicole Brown Simpson, following the death of her ex-husband, O.J. Simpson. The cable network — which recently scored strong ratings with its “Where Is Wendy Williams?” documentary — will reportedly broadcast a two-night event titled “The Life...
The Garment District’s Jennifer Baron on physical media, vintage instruments, new releasesVideo
For Jennifer Baron, the multi-instrumentalist behind Pittsburgh band The Garment District, physical media is important. The thousands of albums — from vinyl (45s, 12-inchers and 78s) and eight tracks to cassettes and CDs — spread throughout her home are proof enough, alongside turntables on two different floors. “I would say...
TV Talk: Creator imagines ‘Dinner with the Parents’ set in Squirrel HillVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Although it’s never said exactly where the new Amazon Freevee streaming comedy series “Dinner With the Parents” takes place, feel free to assume it’s Squirrel Hill, where series creator Jon Beckerman grew up. While the...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: April 12-14
It’s the weekend. Here are some ways to spend it. Spring Carnival Carnegie Mellon University’s Spring Carnival includes amusement park rides, adventures in booths, unhealthy snacks and buggy races — the university’s oldest tradition. Streets will be closed in and around the campus. Since 1920, the event has featured buggy...
Judge dismisses lawsuits filed against rapper Drake over deadly Astroworld concert
HOUSTON — Hip-hop artist Drake has been dismissed from a lawsuit over the deadly 2021 Astroworld festival in Houston in which 10 people were killed, a judge has ruled. Drake was a special guest of rap superstar Travis Scott, who had headlined the festival. He performed with Scott at the...
Western Pennsylvania businesses plan events around Taylor Swift album release
On April 19, superstar singer-songwriter Taylor Swift will add another “era” to her discography with her new album “The Tortured Poets Department.” Anticipation is building among her fans — who refer to themselves as “Swifties” — and several local businesses and groups have hopped on the Taylor Train, hosting events...
‘The Beast’ explores the heart of loneliness, in Los Angeles and beyondVideo
LOS ANGELES — Combining elements of sci-fi, melodrama, horror and romance, “The Beast” takes place across three separate time periods to explore the intense loneliness and disconnection that has become a fixture of contemporary life. Starring Léa Seydoux and George MacKay, the film follows two characters, Gabrielle and Louis, as...
Pittsburgh Playhouse’s ‘The Winter’s Tale’ enchants with both drama and laughs
Nobody does tragedy or comedy like William Shakespeare did, and his play “The Winter’s Tale” has a little bit of both. Fortunately for audiences, Pittsburgh Playhouse’s Conservatory Theatre Company brought both the drama and the laughs at Wednesday’s opening night performance of the Bard’s classic. “The Winter’s Tale” is a...
Aerosmith restarting farewell tour with 1st night in Pittsburgh
Aerosmith will be saying “Another Last Goodbye” to Pittsburgh. The legendary rock band announced Wednesday that they would be resuming their Peace Out tour, starting Sept. 20 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. The band’s farewell tour had been postponed last year because of a vocal injury to lead singer...
Morning Roundup: Sudden Little Thrills music festival coming; Irish Festival lineup announced; Steel City Duck Derby details
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, April 10: Sudden Little Thrills music festival being held in Pittsburgh The Sudden Little Thrills music festival announced that they were coming to Pittsburgh this fall. The new festival, from producers of big-name music events like Lollapalooza and...
