Theater & Arts category, Page 28
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...
Gritty, beautiful ‘Miss Saigon’ latest in PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh seriesVideo
The North American tour of “Miss Saigon” – a powerful love story set in Saigon in 1975 near the end of the Vietnam War – stops in Pittsburgh Feb. 4-9 for eight performances at Benedum Center as part of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series. Audiences will experience...
Grove City College seniors write full-length musical, ‘Antigone & the King’
Grove City College students could be forgiven for not recognizing the name of the musical playing on the Little Theatre of Pew Fine Arts Center at the end of the month. That’s because the full-length musical “Antigone & The King” was written by two Grove City students, Noah Gould and...
‘Dancing with the Stars’ brings all the moves to the BenedumVideo
Professional dancer Alan Bersten said he never imagined that he and his celebrity partner, “The Bachelorette” star Hannah Brown, would be among the finalists and the ultimate winner of ABC-TV’s “Dancing with the Stars” reality show, earning the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy. “Not until they called our names did we...
‘Cinderella’ kicks off Stage Right’s new year
A large cast featuring three princesses and 75 students ages 6-18 from 12 different school districts will give a fairy tale start to the New Year for Stage Right School for the Performing Arts. Stage Right Artistic Director Tony Marino will direct Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s musical version...
Catch Pittsburgh Opera’s new take on Handel’s ‘Alcina’
Love triangles spark many a drama, but Pittsburgh Opera’s next production features what its stage director calls a “love pentagram.” The intricacies of the relationships seem fitting for the ornate style of the Baroque era in which composer George Frideric Handel thrived. Pittsburgh Opera will present four fully staged performances...
Franklin Regional students will perform ‘Joseph’ selections at Symphony East
Students in the Franklin Regional spring production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” will perform selections from the show during the Symphony East program. It will be at 10:30 a.m., Feb. 13 at the Westmoreland Country Club, 7100 Mellon Road in Penn Township. The event will begin with a...
Dora the Explorer from Nick Jr. Live! visits Brightside Academy in PittsburghVideo
Dora the Explorer’s latest adventure took her to Brightside Academy in Downtown Pittsburgh on Friday. The beloved Nickelodeon character is in town for Nick Jr. Live! this weekend at the Benedum Center, Downtown. She will be joining characters from PAW Patrol and Bubble Guppies for the show. The national touring...
‘Nick Jr. Live!’ introduces children to the world of theater
With a name like “Nick Jr. Live!” and a cast of characters including Dora the Explorer, PAW Patrol and Bubble Guppies, it’s obviously a show for kids — but that doesn’t mean parents won’t enjoy it. They might even reap some hidden benefits in the eyes of their offspring. Though...
Sarah Reich is tap dancing her way into PittsburghVideo
When pop singers go on tour they often perform songs from their recent albums. But dancers? Sarah Reich is a groundbreaking tap dancer whose accomplishments include the unique album “New Change,” which was released in 2018. “I co-wrote it with musicians to showcase that tap dance is music,” Reich says....
Cirque du Soleil brings OVO show to PPG Paints ArenaVideo
In Cirque du Soleil’s touring production of OVO, insects are larger than life and the world is a buzzing spectacle of color. The Montreal-based contemporary circus returns to Pittsburgh Jan. 23-26 for the first time since 2017 with OVO, after having toured the show in North and South America and...
Explore relationship during One Acts Festival at Geyer PAC
A weekend featuring original one-act plays that kicks off the New Year in style has become a tradition at Geyer Performing Arts Center in Scottdale. Actors and Artists of Fayette County’s third annual “One Acts Festival” Jan. 10-12 will give theatergoers an opportunity to experience four new plays created by...
Inclusive theater to hold January auditions in Murrysville
Acting Up, an inclusive theater group for actors of all ability levels, will host auditions for two upcoming productions. • Auditions for “Once On This Island Jr.,” for actors ages 5 to 18, will be Jan. 22 from 7-9 p.m. at Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church, 4600 Old William Penn Highway, and...
‘Mame,’ ‘Hello, Dolly!’ composer Jerry Herman dies at 88Video
Tony Award-winning composer Jerry Herman, who wrote the cheerful, good-natured music and lyrics for such classic shows as “Mame,” “Hello, Dolly!” and “La Cage aux Folles,” died Thursday. He was 88. His goddaughter Jane Dorian confirmed his death to The Associated Press early Friday. He died of pulmonary complications in...
