Pittsburgh Theater Reviews

BWW Reviews: Pittsburgh Opening Night Audience Wowed by Bold Performance of AMERICAN IDIOT

One might expect the Pittsburgh audience who filled Heinz Hall on the opening night of the punk rock musical AMERICAN IDIOT to be predominantly young, hip and edgy Green Day fans. Not so. In typical Pittsburgh Cultural District style, the first night crowd seemed to be the usual mix of young adults, middle aged folks, and a fair share of senior citizens. Even a few pre-teens were present, albiet inappropriately so, as AMERICAN IDIOT's subject matter is extensively peppered with foul language, on stage sex, underwear brandishing young men and women, and unfettered drug use. (more...)

BWW Interviews: William Shatner Reflects on Life in SHATNER'S WORLD

William Shatner took the Benedum stage this week in his one man show, 'Shatner's World: We Just Live in It.' (more...)

BWW Reviews: Throughline Theatre Company Tackles AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, Through 7/28

Tracy Letts' 21st century masterpiece August: Osage County is a behemoth of play. Between the drug dependence, incest, perversion, and suicide that plague the eclectic bunch known as the Weston family, there's certainly a lot for one to process during the nearly-three hour marathon that is Letts' Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning monster. For that reason alone, Throughline Theatre Company deserves considerable applause for their decision to take on August during its third season. (more...)

BWW Reviews: Pittsburgh CLO's A CHORUS LINE is a Must-See 'Singular Sensation'

Directed and choreographed by original A Chorus Line cast member Baayork Lee, this bona fide Broadway hit features an incredible ensemble cast composed of exciting Broadway stars and Pittsburgh CLO veterans. Featuring the music of Marvin Hamlisch. (more...)

Photo Flash: Pittsburgh Public Theater Concludes 2011-2012 Season with PRIVATE LIVES

Recently revived on the Broadway stage this past winter, Noel Coward's comic tour de force PRIVATE LIVES now comes to Pittsburgh to finish off Pittsburgh Public Theater's "Red Hot" 2011-2012 season. Coward's silly screwball romp from the 1930s tells the story of two former lovers, Elyot and Amanda, reunited five years after a presumably malicious divorce. The glamorously volatile couple rekindles their lust for one another after being forced together by adjoining hotel balconies on their respective second honeymoons - and the madness that ensues is a hilarious clash of verbal and physical proportions between both members of the highly acidic pair. (more...)

BWW Reviews: LILY TOMLIN's Comedy and Characters Capture Pittsburgh Audience

Even though there was just one woman on stage during Lily Tomlin's performance at the Byham Theater, the audience was treated to a full cast of Tomlin's most classic characters. Tomlin, a comedy and show business legend at 72, bounded onto the stage and immediately connected with this Pittsburgh audience by launching into a cheer about Pittsburgh's three rivers. That was the start of an interesting evening that was a smooth mix of Tomlin's intelligent wit and showcases of her many well known characters. (more...)

FREUD'S LAST SESSION: A Meeting of the Minds at Pittsburgh Public Theater through April 1

Pittsburgh Public Theater continues its long standing tradition of presenting intellectually stimulating theater productions with the launch of FREUD'S LAST SESSION, Mark St. Germain's acclaimed play about an imagined meeting between legendary psychoanalyst and outspoken atheist Sigmund Freud (David Wohl) and Christian writer C.S. Lewis (Jonathan Crombie). (more...)

BWW Reviews: Mike Daisey's THE AGONY AND ECSTASTY OF STEVE JOBS Forces Examination of 'What we already know'

Mike Daisey describes himself as an 'actor, commentator, playwright, and general layabout' on his official website. He may be all of these things, but the word that best describes him is 'storyteller'. Daisey performed his solo act, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY OF STEVE JOBS, this week to a sold out crowd at the Byham Theater. Perched behind a single wooden desk, with no set to speak of and no amplification, Daisey had no trouble keeping the tech-savvy audience mesmerized throughout his 120+ minute dialogue. (more...)

Patti LuPone's 'COULDA, WOULDA, SHOULDA': A Musical Retrospective of LuPone's Career

Broadway legend Patti LuPone visited Pittsburgh this week, performing her one-woman show 'COULDA, WOULDA, SHOULDA', accompanied by the Pittsburgh Symphony. Fans of LuPone were treated to a biographical exploration of music - both LuPone classics and things LuPone wished she had performed - as LuPone explained, 'the songs that I coulda sung, I woulda sung if someone had cast me, I shoulda sung because I would have been better in the part.' (more...)

BWW Reviews: City Theater's TIME STANDS STILL Looks at Relationship and War Casualties

Pittsburgh City Theater launches its 2011-2012 season with the compelling TIME STANDS STILL, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies. (more...)

BWW Reviews: ELECTRA - A sizzling Start to Pittsburgh Public Theater's Red Hot Season

Pittsburgh Public Theater kicks off its ‘Red Hot' season this month with Sophocles ELECTRA, continuing its now-annual tradition of offering new stagings of ancient Greek plays in their seasonal mix. Running now through October 30, this explosive piece effectively kicks off the PPT's 2011-2012 ‘sizzling hot' theme; Artistic Director Ted Pappas' ELECTRA is a mesmerizing 90 minutes filled with adultery, assassination and revenge. (more...)

BWW Reviews: BLAST! Showcases Drum Corps Style Music and Showmanship at Heinz Hall

BLAST!, winner of the 2001 Tony Award for 'Best Special Theatrical Event,' and the 2001 Emmy Award for 'Best Choreography,' plays Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall from October 6 through 9, 2011. Born on athletic fields across the nation, BLAST! is a novel art form evolved from the showmanship of outdoor pageantry, conceptualized by Artistic Director James Mason, a lifelong veteran of drum and bugle corps. (more...)

BWW Reviews: 'If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On' in Quantum Theatre's TWELFTH NIGHT, Through 8/21

The comedic stakes of William Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT have been raised to a whole new level in Quantum Theatre's summer production, playing now through August 21 under the Millvale Avenue Bridge in Bloomfield. Founded in 1990 by Karla Boos (who is also the show's director), Quantum Theatre is known for staging site-specific productions in 'found' settings, having performed past years' shows at places like the Strip District's Gage Building and even The Pittsburgh Zoo. In the case of TWELFTH NIGHT, Quantum's is a somewhat contemporary re-imagination of Shakespeare's original text staged at a dead-end, vacant hospital facility. (more...)

BWW Reviews: Organic Theater Pittsburgh Debuts with Sarah Ruhl's DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE, 7/21 - 7/31

Organic Theater Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh's brand new - and only - 'eco-friendly' theatre company, is currently making a promising debut with the Pittsburgh premiere of Sarah Ruhl's 2008 play, DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE. Under the direction of Carlo Vila-Roger, this quirky, two-hour dark comedy performs at the Modern Formations Gallery & Performance Space in Lawrenceville. (more...)

BWW Reviews: THE SOUND OF MUSIC Returns to Pittsburgh CLO, Now Through 7/31

The Pittsburgh CLO continues its six-show summer season with a presentation of the classic audience favorite, THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Last performed on the Benedum stage in 2005, THE SOUND OF MUSIC remains a beloved tale about the significance of the resilient bonds of family. (more...)

BWW Reviews: Lloyd Webber Music Soars in LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING at Pittsburgh CLO

Calling all Andrew Lloyd Webber fans! Pittsburgh CLO's LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING: THE MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER, a musical revue composed of Mr. Lloyd Webber's greatest hits - and then some - runs now through July 14 at the Benedum Center. (more...)

BWW Reviews: THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES Charms at the CLO Cabaret Through 10/2

THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES, a retro jukebox musical with a bubblegum-sweet four-female cast, charmed off-Broadway audiences for over a year from 2008 to 2010. Since April, it has played at the Pittsburgh CLO's own Cabaret at Theater Square, starring Courtney Bassett, Marlana Dunn, Tara Geisler, and Stephanie Maloney. (more...)

BWW Reviews: Pittsburgh CLO Continues an Explosive Summer Season with JEKYLL & HYDE

The second show in the Pittsburgh CLO's milestone 65th season this June, following its recent presentation of 9 TO 5, is the musical version of JEKYLL & HYDE. Conceived for the stage by Steve Cuden and Frank Wildhorn, JEKYLL & HYDE is a take on the classic Robin Lewis Stevenson novella 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' and delves deeply into a case study-like exploration of the 'primitive duality' of man. The CLO production boasts Kevin Gray as the title character, as well as a talented supporting cast composed of Tim Hartman (A TALE OF TWO CITIES, FINIAN'S RAINBOW), Brynn O'Malley (SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, the Pittsburgh CLO's 2009 production of INTO THE WOODS), Elizabeth Stanley (MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, CRY-BABY), and George Dvorsky (THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, PASSION). (more...)

Photo Flash: Pittsburgh Opera Theater's EURIDICE AND ORPHEUS Brought to Life in Historic Allegheny Cemetery 6/9 - 6/11

The Opera Theater of Pittsburgh's unique rendition of EURIDICE AND ORPHEUS ran June 9th through June 11th as an open-air production in Pittsburgh's famous Allegheny Cemetery. Featuring music and libretto by Ricky Ian Gordon (DREAM TRUE, THE GRAPES OF WRATH), the affecting opera marked the company's third collaboration to date with dance-oriented Attack Theatre. (more...)

Pittsburgh Public Theater's GOD OF CARNAGE Runs Through 6/26

French playwright Yasmina Reza's fascinating play GOD OF CARNAGE makes its local debut this spring at the Pittsburgh Public Theater's own O'Reilly Theater. Under the direction of Ted Pappas, the 2009 Tony Award-winner for Best Play stars Susan Angelo, Ted Koch, Deirdre Madigan, and David Whalen in a knock-out cast of great performances that take even greater comedic turns. (more...)