Theater & Arts category, Page 19
Actor Richard Thomas proving to be man for all seasons in PittsburghVideo
Let’s be clear. Actor Richard Thomas loves performing in Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh audiences love seeing Thomas perform. And they’re getting plenty of chances to watch the former “Waltons” star apply his craft. Thomas is currently in Pittsburgh reprising his role as Ebenezer Scrooge in the Pittsburgh CLO’s “A Musical Christmas...
Greensburg Civic Theatre kids’ troupe romps through ‘Matilda Jr.’
Matilda Wormwood is a precocious little English girl born to parents who are neglectful, anti-intellectual and possibly criminal. At school, her classmates and kindly teacher are bullied by the headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. When Matilda discovers that her angry feelings unleash telekinetic powers, she sets out to use them to teach...
Towering musical theater master Stephen Sondheim dies at 91
NEW YORK — Stephen Sondheim, the songwriter who reshaped the American musical theater in the second half of the 20th century with his intelligent, intricately rhymed lyrics, his use of evocative melodies and his willingness to tackle unusual subjects, has died. He was 91. Sondheim’s death was announced by Rick...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Nov. 26-28
Now that Thanksgiving is over, it’s time to get out and do something after you are done shopping on Black Friday. Here are some choices. Light ‘em up The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium’s Zoo Lights Drive-Thru in Highland Park opens Friday. Guests stay in their cars as they make...
‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ flying into Greensburg’s Palace Theatre
Some stories have a message that is evergreen, so to speak — especially when it comes to Christmas specials. That’s certainly true of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” a story that first came to television in stop-motion, animated form in 1964. “It’s all about accepting people and their differences and realizing...
Slippery Rock opens 1st live theater show since pre-pandemic days, ‘Techies’
Tyler Parsonage of Murrysville is grateful for the new opportunities that online theater productions offered during the covid-19 pandemic, “but I don’t think it’ll ever compare to a live show,” he said. The 21-year-old Slippery Rock University junior is part of a group that will bring the first live theater...
Billy Crystal plans his Broadway return in a familiar role
NEW YORK — Billy Crystal is not ready to say goodbye to “Mr. Saturday Night.” The comic icon has turned his comedy film into a Broadway-bound musical and hopes to open it next year with him reprising his film role as Buddy Young Jr., a bitter, old insult comic chasing...
Latrobe Cabaret Theatre’s Broadway revue is part of global reopening event
Latrobe-based Cabaret Theatre will turn off the ghost light and turn on the stage lights with a post-pandemic reopening production called “All Together Now!” Cabaret is joining with theater companies worldwide to stage the Broadway musical revue, which was offered royalty-free to small companies by the licensing house Music Theatre...
Penn-Trafford drama guild goes batty with comedic spin on ‘Dracula’
Penn-Trafford High School Drama Guild is going a little batty with a humorous take on the Dracula story. “Dracula: A Comic Thriller Starring Shirley Holmes and Jennie Watson” will be staged at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the high school in Harrison City. Tickets for each performance are $5...
Pitt-Greensburg actors return to live shows with rollicking British farce
After more than a year of virtual rehearsing and performing, Pitt-Greensburg Theatre Company will sprint back to the stage for the rollicking British farce, “See How They Run.” The 1944 Philip King play finds the actors galloping in and out of the four doors of an English vicarage. The madcap...
Kelly Strayhorn Theater festival showcases local dance legend Kyle Abraham
Renowned dancer and choreographer Kyle Abraham is returning to his hometown for Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s My People: A QTPOC Festival of the Arts, running Nov. 10-13. The annual multi-disciplinary festival was created in honor of the theater’s namesake, Billy Strayhorn, and showcases the work of queer and transgender artists of...
Literary giants clash in Kinetic Theatre’s return to Pittsburgh stage
A meeting of two literary giants is the subject of Kinetic Theatre Company’s return to live performances, with the American premiere of Donald Steven Olson’s award-winning play, “Oscar & Walt.” Oscar Wilde encounters Walt Whitman in the production running through Nov 20 at City Theatre’s Lester Hamburg Studio Theatre, 1300...
City Theatre/Pittsburgh CLO premiere invokes pop superstar Justin Timberlake
The play title invokes the name of Justin Timberlake — but will the pop superstar actually be there on stage? Playwright Matt Schatz isn’t telling. Audiences will find out as City Theatre premieres Schatz’s “An Untitled New Play by Justin Timberlake,” in a co-production with Pittsburgh CLO. The piece will...
1-actor play in Pittsburgh explores iconic movie monster in ‘Karloff’
Halloween may be over, but Prime Stage Theatre aims to entertain horror fans with “Karloff: The Man and the Monster,” a one-actor play exploring the life of renowned movie monster Boris Karloff. Opening Nov. 5 in the New Hazlett Theater in Pittsburgh’s North Side, the production explores the 60-year career...
Franklin Regional Thespian Club gives patrons two plays for the price of one with ‘Nooses Off’
After a school year in which the Franklin Regional Thespian Club put on a virtual play in the fall and a spring production with a cast of only seven, director Richard Sunny said he’s nearly forgotten what it was like to rehearse with a sizable group of actors. So naturally,...
Joel Murray brings family comedy legacy to ‘Whose Live?’ in Greensburg
How funny is “Whose Live Anyway?” Some of that depends on the audience in the city where the cast lands on any given night. “You do a little bit of research to find out what’s going on and get a feel for the place before you get there, but it’s...
PICT Classic Theatre returns live with Shakespeare tale of love, laughter
After an 18-month pandemic intermission, PICT Classic Theatre will return to live, in-person performances with William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.” “As our opening production, we wanted to give our audience something to lift the spirits, and ‘As You Like It’ fits the bill perfectly,” said Alan Stanford, PICT artistic...
Tony Award-winning ‘Band’s Visit’ returns to Benedum Center
The band visited once before, and now it’s coming back again. “The Band’s Visit,” a Tony Award-winning musical, was in the midst of a PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh run when the pandemic shut down the entertainment industry in March 2020. “We had done three performances when we left on March...
Greensburg Civic Theatre’s ‘Over the Tavern’ digs deep into family, faith
During the idealized Eisenhower era of the 1950s, 12-year-old Rudy Pazinski starts to question his family’s values and the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church to which they belong. That’s the set-up for “Over the Tavern,” the Tom Dudzick play that opens Greensburg Civic Theatre’s 70th season. The production will...
Greater Latrobe drama club preps for in-person performances of ‘Radium Girls’
Student thespians at Greater Latrobe Senior High will take audiences back a century to explore a historic struggle over workplace safety that grabbed headlines in its time but is less well-known today. After last fall’s pandemic-triggered virtual play presentation, the school’s Drama Club is back with an in-person production of...
‘Hamilton’ tickets on sale soon for return Pittsburgh engagement
The multi-Tony Award-winning musical “Hamilton” returns to Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center for a 24-performance run beginning Feb. 22. Single tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Oct. 18 at trustarts.org. A maximum of nine tickets can be purchased per account for the engagement, which runs through March 13. Tickets will range...
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre season puts works by women at the forefront
After 20 months of digital performances, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre dancers are poised to return to the stage for the company’s 2021-22 season. “Season Premiere,” a mixed repertory program accompanied by the PBT Orchestra, is set for Oct. 22-24 in the Benedum Center in downtown Pittsburgh. The classical and contemporary program...
Audience big part of Chris Capehart’s act at Pittsburgh’s Liberty Magic
Master magician Christ Capehart is thinking about a Terrible Towel trick for his upcoming stint at Liberty Magic. His act employs a lot of audience participation, so it’s a no-brainer to include something Pittsburgh-centric, he said. The Delaware-based magician is first up as the theater in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District reopens...
‘Circles’ will combine Black visual, performing arts
A group of Black artists will layer dance, visual arts and a live original score next month at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center. “Circles” is the culmination of work by Staycee and Herman “Soy Sos” Pearl, co-artistic directors of the Staycee Pearl Dance Project, PearlArts and Soy Sos....
‘Dear Evan Hansen’ filmmakers refine a hit Broadway musical
NEW YORK — Millions of people will get a chance to get to know the shy, teenager Evan Hansen this month, but Ben Platt is waving farewell. The actor and singer is intimately intertwined with Evan, originating the role in 2015 and eventually leading the stage musical “Dear Evan Hansen”...
