Theater & Arts category, Page 27
Murrysville siblings work both sides of the stage for ‘Sound of Music’
When Camryn Hall wakes up in the morning, the Murrysville teen may have to take a moment to think about exactly which rehearsal — or rehearsals — she needs to prepare for. Some days it’s rehearsal for the Pittsburgh Musical Theater’s upcoming production of “The Sound of Music,” in which...
Chartiers Valley High School comes alive with ‘Young Frankenstein’
At Chartiers Valley High School, spring musical director Kim Giffin chooses the actors and actresses first, then the production. “I see what kids I have, and then I pick the show,” Giffin says. “I like to do the auditions first and then fit them into the roles for the musical.”...
Stage Right’s ‘Cabaret’ an always relevant social commentary
Irwin native Mandie Russak has frequented the Kit Kat Club before, where she welcomed visitors as the Emcee in a previous production of “Cabaret” by Split Stage Productions in 2017. She returns to the seedy night spot as the unforgettable Sally Bowles, an English cabaret performer during the rise of...
Theatre Factory tackles deep issues in ‘She Kills Monsters’
A game of Dungeons and Dragons holds the key to secrets about a deceased relative in Qui Nguyen’s contemporary play, “She Kills Monsters,” being performed Feb. 28-March 8 at The Theatre Factory in Trafford. The play focuses on a young woman, Agnes Evans, trying to come to terms with the...
‘Phantom of the Opera’ coming to Greensburg SalemVideo
Alex Podolinski has a technique for getting into character as the Phantom of the Opera. “To prepare myself I like to go backstage and kind of wander, and that sounds kind of creepy,” he said. An appropriately creepy technique for a famously creepy character. Greensburg Salem High School this weekend...
Pitt-Greensburg play takes aim at government bureaucracy, small-town corruption
Con men, government inspections, corruption and mistaken identity all cross paths in the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg’s upcoming production of Nikolai Gogol’s “The Government Inspector.” When the postmaster of a small Russian town reads a resident’s mail and begins spreading the word that a government inspector will soon be...
Greensburg Civic Theatre holds auditions for Tennessee Williams play
A southern plantation home populated by a dysfunctional family, including a litter of “no-neck monsters,” is the setting for Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” Greensburg Civic Theatre will hold auditions from 6-9 p.m. March 3 and 6-7:15 p.m. March 4 for an April 30, May 1-2 production...
High school musicals on tap in Western Pa.Video
Below are high school musicals planned throughout our region. In the coming weeks, look for stories and photos from a variety of the shows in the Tribune- Review and videos at TribLIVe.com. If the list doesn’t include your school, contact us at tribliving@tribweb.com and we’ll add it. Break a leg!...
Disney on Ice takes you on a fun ride with ‘Road Trip Adventures’Video
Disney on Ice is inviting families to join their favorite Disney characters on a winter road trip to magical destinations. The latest ice skating show from Disney and Feld Entertainment, “Road Trip Adventures,” is all about the fun times and adventures of the open road. Going along for the ride...
Seton Hill students engage in ‘comedy of manners’ with ‘The Rivals’
Seton Hill University typically performs a classical work during its season in an effort to expose a variety of literary examples to its theater students. When Steven Wilson was asked to direct Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s 18th century comedy of manners, “The Rivals,” he knew he faced a challenge. “‘The Rivals’...
‘Cats’ struts into Pittsburgh’s Benedum CenterVideo
The feline fantasy that is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash hit musical “Cats” is bringing its North America tour to Pittsburgh. Benedum Center will be the setting Feb. 25-March 1 for the latest gathering of Jellicle cats as part of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series. Based on T.S....
‘The Last American Hammer’ examines grand passions in small space
Artists observe the same reality as the rest of us, they just see it differently. In January 2016 a group of anti-federal government extremists led by Ammon Bundy seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon, provoking a standoff with authorities that lasted until Feb. 11, 2016. It was...
‘Blippi Live!’ brings internet sensation to Pittsburgh stage
Stevin John credits his 2-year-old nephew for convincing him to give up his job as a camera operator in the Los Angeles film industry to carve out a career teaching and entertaining young kids via the internet. “I’d sit and watch him viewing the low-quality children’s videos on YouTube and...
Franklin Regional journeys to Egypt with spring production of ‘Joseph’Video
Vishal Pandey could be forgiven for having acting whiplash. This past fall, the Franklin Regional senior was working on becoming as creepy and intimidating as possible for his lead role in “Dracula.” During a rainy week in February, however, Pandey, 18, was belting out tunes about his coat of many...
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s 51st season opens with ‘Cinderella’
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s 51st season will feature five productions running from October through May 2021. The season is anchored, as always, by “The Nutcracker” for the Christmas season — in more than three weeks of performances. The company also will present a version of “Cinderella” it hasn’t danced before, the...
‘The Sunshine Boys’ light up latest Greensburg Civic Theatre production
Neil Simon’s original “The Sunshine Boys” on Broadway featured Sam Levene as Al Lewis and Jack Albertson as Willie Clark, two stubborn ex-vaudevillians – formerly partners in a comedy-duo – who haven’t spoken to one another in many years. In other versions of Simon’s play, the 1975 feature film had...
‘The Queen of Cardistry’ settles in at Liberty MagicVideo
Anna DeGuzman is a whiz with a deck of playing cards. With an Instagram following of more than 90,000 and a popular YouTube channel where she posts her latest card tricks, she is affectionately known as “The Queen of Cardistry.” Her brand of close-up magic will be on display during...
Looking for love at the Geyer with ‘Sweet Charity’
A classic Broadway musical with a lot of heart is a perfect Valentine’s Day weekend treat on stage Feb. 13-16 at Geyer Performing Arts Center in Scottdale. Neil Simon’s “Sweet Charity,” directed by Rachael Szabo and Tyler Handford of Connellsville, features Vanessa Clarke-Deaver of Greensburg as hopeless romantic Charity Hope...
Saint Vincent student troupe to present musical ‘Into the Woods’
Saint Vincent College Players are gearing up for four performances of the award-winning musical fantasy, “Into the Woods.” Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20-22 and 2 p.m. Feb. 23 in the Performing Arts Center of the Robert S. Carey Student Center on the Unity campus. Written by Stephen...
Pittsburgh Ballet’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ showcases the power of love
Valentine’s Day is a perfect time to celebrate the transformative power of love. “Beauty and the Beast” is an old French fairy tale which was turned into a magnificent ballet in 1958 by Lew Christensen and the San Francisco Ballet. “The old moral reads that beauty is only skin deep....
Split Stage tackles award-winning musical about mental illness
Split Stage Productions is tackling an award-winning contemporary musical that explores how a suburban household copes with crisis and mental illness. For Laura Wurzell of Delmont, who is directing the show being staged Feb. 7-15 at Greensburg Garden and Civic Center, the story offers the chance to meld together two...
Riverfront Theater’s musical revue covers all aspects of love
Riverfront Theater Company celebrates Valentine’s Day with the musical revue, “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” Feb. 12-15 at Aspinwall Riverfront Park. The show covers all the bases of love — from first dates to marriage, from children to “the twilight years” — set in a series of vignettes...
The Chris and Paul Show brings the funny to Steel City ImprovVideo
Comedians Chris O’Neill and Paul Valenti — The Chris and Paul Show — freely admit they are a couple of “big kids.” Watching their videos and television performances bears out that claim. Using primarily facial expressions and body language, they deliver silly, laugh out loud physical comedy. Referring to themselves...
‘Hamilton’ by original cast coming to a film screen near you
NEW YORK — Next year, you’ll be able to see the original Broadway cast of “Hamilton” perform the musical smash from the comfort of a movie theater. The Walt Disney Co. said Monday it will distribute a four-year-old live capture of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s show in the United States and Canada...
Greensburg native Melessie Clark joins Urchin chorus in ‘Little Shop or Horrors’Video
Greensburg native Melessie Clark recalls seeing a Stage Right production of “Little Shop of Horrors” as a child and finding it so exciting. “It was a show I always wanted to do,” she says. Clark, 26, now living in Pittsburgh, is part of the Pittsburgh Public Theater’s production of the...
