Author: VivantAdmin

By Claire DeMarco

1933 Atlantic City felt the Depression as did the rest of the country.  The city’s Steel Pier offered some respite from the gloomy economy.  Not only did its dance marathons provide participants some escape, but it also provided a means to earn much-needed cash.

Rita Racine (Bella Bilandzija), has been on the marathon circuit for some time and vows that this marathon will be her last.

Her husband Mick Hamilton (Will Chadek) thinks otherwise but cajoles her into believing that this will be her last marathon. But he’s said that many times before.  He is a hustler and a conniver.  Their marriage is a secret.  Hamilton is in charge of the marathons and having Racine participate ups the chances that she’ll take home the coveted cash prize.  It’s up to her to find a dance partner.

A stunt pilot (Bill Kelly) whose plane crashed near the steel pier approaches Racine, asking her to be his dance partner.   She declines.  He persists. She declines again.  He persists again.  When unable to find a partner, Racine finally agrees.  Unfortunately, he can’t dance but he gradually improves.

Kelly is drawn to Racine from the start and it’s apparent that as time passes, Racine is falling for him, too!

Will this be Racine’s last dance marathon or will Hamilton con her again to continue this charade?  What happens to Racine and Kelly?  Is their dance over?

This production’s choreography is spectacular and the dancers superb, agile, gymnastic, graceful.

Bilandzija is fantastic as Rita.  She has a beautiful voice and is a wonderful dancer and actor.  We see Bilandzija take her character from a frustrated, marathon dancer anxious and unable to leave that world into someone garnering the strength to try.  Her voice is especially highlighted in her rendition of “Running in Place”.

Chadek’s Hamilton is sleazy and particularly manipulative with his wife.  He controls her plus all the participants in his never-ending quest for money and the next marathon.

As the stunt pilot, McFalls has an innocence about him that is endearing.  His gentle mannerisms with the fact that he initially can’t dance draw us to him.

Julianna Ramos, a marathon participant, knocks it out of the park with “Everybody’s Girl”.   Her comedic timing and physical mannerisms along with a powerful voice are impeccable.

Playing a ditz requires perfect timing and execution and Charlotte Jensen, marathon participant, comes through.  Her physical gymnastics and facial expressions are highlighted in “Two Little Words”.  Her character’s squeaky voice changes into opera-quality with that song.

The set fits the play as most of it occurs in the background to allow ample room for dancing.  One clever scene involved the creation of plane wings made of wooden planks with a moving propeller suggesting that the bathing beauties riding the wings were actually airborne.

Praise to Conductor Camille Villalpando Rolla and the Pit Musicians.

Amazing work by Co-Choreographers Tomé Cousin (also Director) and Eileen Grace.

“Steel Pier” Book by David Thompson, music and Lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb.

-CED

“Steel Pier” is a production of Pittsburgh Playhouse (Conservatory Theatre Company), 350 Forbes Avenue.  Performances run from November 13th – November 17^th.

 

 

 

 

By Claire DeMarco

Charles Dickens wrote “The Christmas Carol” and the “The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain.” Cup-A-Jo’s unique adaptation cleverly combines these works with Charles Dickens (Everett Lowe) as an active participant.

Dickens is morose and mostly silent as he mourns the loss of his Sister (Joanna Lowe).  When he does speak, it is with utmost sorrow.  Sister remains in the background initially.

“The Christmas Carol” is introduced in the plot line as we meet those well-known characters – Scrooge (Dave Ranallo), Bob Cratchit and Student (Matt Henderson), Fred and Christmas Present (Casey Cunningham), Mrs. Cratchit (Sarah Deasy), Marley and Milly (Dani Danylo), Tiny Tim and William (Andrew Lasswell), Christmas Past and Belle (Amy Dick), Samantha Smith (Ensemble).

As “The Christmas Carol” proceeds the action moves into the world of “The Haunted Man’s Christmas Carol,” its premise unfolds but with the addition of Dickens once again part of the play.

Dickens’ grief mounts as he cries out for relief from his misery.  He wants no more memories of anything unpleasant or sad.

His wish is granted from a surprising source.  Now void of any unhappy memories, how does he deal with it?  Is he finally happy?

Was it worth the transition?

Everett Lowe reaches the stratosphere as he takes Dickens from a melancholy, lethargic, bewildered character to an angry, volatile, emotional high.

Joanna Lowe’s performance is powerful.  She is strong and supportive in her interaction with Dickens.  Especially moving is her singing duet with Everett Lowe.

Never failing to impress, Henderson plays several different characters.  As Bob Cratchit, he is submissive, cowed and mild.  As Student he exudes confidence.  His facial expressions are exceptional.

Ranallo has a range of emotion, carrying him from an old meany to a repentant human being.

Cunningham’s good will and kindness towards Scrooge (with a spot-on English accent), never wavers, in spite of Scrooge’s attitude.

Danylo is forceful as Marley’s ghost, urging Scrooge to seek redemption.

Deasy portrays Mrs. Cratchit as the supportive wife, but not a Scrooge fan (but who is?).

Nice job by Dick who plays both Christmas Past and Belle, William’s wife.

Marcus Muzopappa is believable as Philip, the frail but feisty 87-year-old.

As a devoted servant, Lasswell is obedient and quiet.  He easily changes into a formidable, authoritative son in exchanges with his elderly father.

Smith as part of the ensemble, participates effectively throughout the production.

Hats off to the entire cast, most playing multiple roles in this production.

Note:  The title of this review is a line from a creation by Kirstin Tarquini.

Adapting two of Dickens’ stories is a clever way of including the author in his own works.   It’s a unique and clever presentation of two of Dickens’ works.

The set is simplistic.  Members of the cast interact either from the circumference of the stage or move into the center to indicate scene changes or action.  Instead of moving tables or chairs onto the stage, actors physically bend into shapes that become tables and/or chairs that other actors gingerly sit on.

Cup-A-Jo has been away from theater productions for several years.  Welcome back!  We’ve missed you!

 “The Haunted Man’s Christmas Carol” was adapted from the works of Charles Dickens and written for the stage and directed by Joanna Lowe.

-CED

“The Haunted Man’s Christmas Carol” is a production of Cup-A-Jo Productions. Performances run from November 8^th – November 23^rd at the Studio at the Carnegie Library of Carnegie, PA. Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, 300 Beechwood Avenue, Carnegie, PA 15106. For more information, click here.

 

 

Reviewed by Dr. Tiffany Knight Raymond, PhD and Theron Raymond (6^th grader)

Prime Stage Theatre Company brings Neil Bartlett’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ famed 1861 Victorian novel, Great Expectations, to the stage.

The story of woe-begone Pip (Sam Lander), the orphan from Great Expectations, is the story of youth reaching success not by their own bootstraps, but by virtue of an unknown benefactor. The play opens with Pip recounting his parentless youth and 5 dead brothers, their tombstones “like lozenges.”

Costume designer Meg Kelly has Pip in a white puffy shirt, his pants held up by simple suspenders. He is a boy with few prospects, aside from his apprenticeship as a blacksmith to his kindly brother-in-law, Joe Gargery (compellingly played by Jeff Boles). As a poor blacksmith’s apprentice, Pip’s stark white shirt could use some smudges to reinforce his career and societal position.

Once Pip comes into money,  Kelly visually transforms Pip into a gentleman with a top hat and coat. This earmarks Pip’s socioeconomic status change as well as his transition from country life to London.

Director Art DeConciliis proves clothes don’t make the man. The fact Pip’s costume change is only outerwear signifies the superficiality of this rapid shift. Pip’s friend, Herbert Pocket (Alex Brandel) tutors Pip in the mannerisms to match his new status, chiding Pip as he licks his knife. DeConciliis transforms Lander from a slack-jawed county bumpkin gazing agog at bustling city life to a gentlemanly dandy who spends profligately.

Scenic designer Alex Barnhart visually juxtaposes the high and low. Stage right is occupied by heiress Miss Havisham’s home while stage left is the down-trodden Gargery home. The set design mirrors Pip’s character transformation he crosses center stage, moving between worlds. Ultimately, it is the Gargery home that evolves into Pip’s London digs, reinforcing he may have been lifted from poverty, but his new station is built on low class foundations.

DeConciliis appropriately cultivates twinning ice queens in Miss Havisham (Jennifer Sinatra) and her adopted daughter, Estella (Michaela Isenberg). Sinatra sneers, and Isenberg is eternally unimpressed, delivering her lines flatly and factually. When Estella tells Pip she “has no sympathy or heart,” he refuses to believe her. Lander is so wide-open and vulnerable in his portrayal of Pip that he can’t fathom a truth so different from his own.

Opening night ended with a virtual post-show discussion with Mark Charles Dickens, the great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens. It was after 2 am in England, but despite the late hour, Mr. Dickens was charming and dapper, dressed in a blazer and button down.

He shared that Charles Dickens’ father was sent to debtor’s prison. Young Charles only had 3 years of education before going to work in a factory, making his humble origins a possible inspiration for Pip. Dickens became a champion of the underprivileged through his literature, resulting in legal reform for the poor.

Mr. Dickens got a chuckle when he shared his favorite adaptation of a Dickens work is The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992). In fact, that film is how children of the Dickens family are first introduced to their famous ancestor! Glide into holiday season with Dickens from Great Expectations with Prime Stage to a family viewing of The Muppet Christmas Carol.

-TKR, Ph.D.

“Great Expectations” runs until November 10 at the New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. For more information, click here. 

By Michael Buzzelli

In 70s East Germany, long before Ronald Reagan asked Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the wall, actress and unrepentant socialist,  Helene Weigel (Catherine Gowl) graces her theatre with one final show, “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.”

In 2024, an audience watches a 1970s theater company perform an adaptation of a 1920s Silent Movie. Things start out meta and get even more meta. It’s a double mousetrap!

In the play-within-the play, a stranger in a strange land, Dr. Caligari (Daniel Krell), literally and figuratively, mesmerizes audiences with his devilish showmanship and his dreaded wooden box.

Franz (Nick Lehane), Hannah (Sara Lindsey) and Uli (Cameron Nickel) watch patiently as Caligari opens his pine cabinet to reveal Cesare (Jerreme Rodriguez), a Frankensteinian somnambulant who makes a terrifying prediction in his hypnotic state.

When Uli asks, “How long will I live?” The alleged-prognosticator responds, “Till Dawn!”

The next morning, Franz and Hannah can’t find Uli. They soon discover that Cesare’s unexpected pronouncement wasn’t a prediction but a threat and seek to solve the mystery of his disappearance. It leads them to a disturbing encounter with Caligari.

But before we get answers, we get a commercial break. Dr. Rauch (a hilariously droll Mark August) promotes the health benefits of Eckstein Number Five, the pride and joy of Abraham Eckstein, the German Jewish tobacco manufacturer.  Yes, Rauch is promoting the health benefits of cigarettes!

After we return to our regularly scheduled featured performance, things have gotten even more dire for Franz and Hannah. But that’s okay, because Weigel doesn’t like the ending of the play and decides to change it!

Is “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” goth, German expressionism, horror or high art? It’s anyone’s guess.

There are some great performances in “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.”

Krell is magnificent as the terrifying titular doctor.  He shuffles and begs before the magistrate (August again), but becomes showy and big on stage at the fair, introducing Cesare to the stunned crowd. Then, he becomes tyrannical. It’s a whirlwind of emotions and expressions and Krell handles them with ease.

Gowl is an imperious and stern martinet, but later plays a girl in a kissing booth.

Lindsey is dynamic on the stage, dancing footloose and fancy free…until she isn’t [no spoilers].

Nickel plays Uli as buoyant, lighthearted and bursting with energy, but his character hits a sharp turning point and becomes different. It’s a nice contrast for the actor and he does it superbly.

Yafei Hu’s scenic design is gothic horror with black, jagged blotches of paint on the walls. It’s giving “the patients have taken over the insane asylum” vibes.

Director Jed Allen Harris takes the actors through their paces with this unique play.

There is some excellent costume work from Angela Vesco, particularly Brecht’s lone, crumpled angel wing.

Though we crossed several eras inside the play, it’s still sadly relevant, especially days away from an election where another authoritarian autocrat may yet rise to power once more.

All art is political [sorry, not sorry] .

Quantum isn’t afraid to go out on a limb or into the darkest recesses of the human soul. “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” is strange, fascinating and different from every other theatrical production running in town, but like a dak, bitter German beer, it’s not to everyone’s liking.

Right now the Pittsburgh theater scene has comedy, tragedy, fantasy and horror, All of the elements can be found in “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.”

-MB

“The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” runs until November 24 at the Union Trust Building, 501 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. For more information, click here. 

By Tiffany Knight Raymond, Ph.D.

Victorian writer Oscar Wilde was best known as a playwright, so it’s no surprise his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, has been adapted into theater (this one by Robert Kauzlaric).

Artist Basil Halward (Dason Strawder) becomes consumed with painting a perfect portrait of the handsome Dorian Gray (George Ramey). Basil’s preoccupation becomes Gray’s obsession as Dorian realizes “the painting will keep what I lose.” Dorian’s wish to never age is granted, although his portrait counterpart does.

Dorian’s 19^th century fears translate well to today. Any of us who have ever looked wistfully at pictures of our younger selves relate to Dorian’s desire to stave off aging. Dorian’s crisis anticipates the unhealthy comparisons and youth-obsessed tinderbox of social media, filters, and facial fillers.

Director Brooke Echnat has the baby-faced George Ramey preen through his performance and tilt his head back, literalizing his looking down on others. Ramey captures a man committed to the idolatry of youth who chronically upstages his aging contemporaries by virtue of his agelessness. He is arrogant and indifferent, blatantly disregarding Basil’s instructions during portraiture. Dorian indiscriminately justifies his demeaning treatment of actress Sibyl Vane (Kat Bowman) after she disappoints him with a lackluster performance. Bowman captures the hopeful naivete of Vane, the stereotype of an actress looking to ascend, regardless of the cost.

The intimacy of the Carnegie Stage space allows Stage Warp Productions to put the actual portrait at the center of the play. In the opening scene, Basil faux paints into a blank frame, letting us imagine the end product. Strawder captures Basil’s tensions. While painting is his profession, he is also clearly attracted to Dorian. Basil endlessly refines the painting to delay its completion as that will signal the end of the artist/subject relationship.

Basil also wants to keep Dorian for himself. That plan goes awry when Basil’s friend Lord Henry Wotton (Justin Macurdy) decides he wants to see the good-looking Dorian. Lord Wotton proudly proclaims his goal is the “new hedonism,” and he makes a quick convert of Dorian, leaving the placid Basil without either man. Macurdy and Gray are both peacock-like, using their wealth and youth as levers for indiscriminately indulging hedonistic impulses.

A canvas portrait does emerge thanks to the work of portrait artist Erin Zeddies. Zeddies’ eye-catching portrait comes to occupy center stage both literally and metaphorically. The painting is styled much like a page-a-day calendar. Portrait pages are removed to show the passage of time on Dorian’s painted face. A large ensemble cast represent old and young versions of the primary characters. However, Dorian’s older version is just the painting of him, sharply manifesting the two-dimensional quality of a life lived only in pursuit of pleasure.

Oscar Wilde was jailed for homosexual acts, and imprisonment cut his life short. As a painter, Basil’s profession provides a “safe” way to explore his male gaze. With the rights of women and queer identities under threat today, Wilde’s own life reminds us that no one thrives under oppression.

Wilde’s novel is considered Gothic fiction, a genre hallmarked by the dark and supernatural, making this the perfect play to wind down spooky season – or perhaps carry it forward.

-TKR

Stage Warp Production’s presentation of The Picture of Dorian Gray runs through November 2, 2024 at Carnegie Stage (25 W. Main Street, Carnegie, PA). Purchase tickets online at www.stagewarp.org.

 

By Michael Buzzelli

Time. Space. Reality. It’s more than a linear path. It’s a prism of endless possibility. Where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities, creating alternate worlds from the ones you know.  Imagine if you will, a world where Anne Hathaway (Teal Wicks) – Mrs. Shakespeare, not the put-upon assistant in “The Devil Wears Prada” – grabs her husband’s pen and rewrites the tragic ending to “Romeo and Juliet.” The product is”& Juliet,” a poppy jukebox musical bouncing with sheer joy.

The plot – and there’s a lot of it for a bubbly romcom – centers around Juliet Capulet-Montague (Rachel Simone Webb) waking up in the mausoleum and finding her betrothed dead, but – and here’s the big but – she doesn’t plunge the dagger into her chest. She chooses life.  Instead of being the victim of a tragic romance, she’s the survivor looking for her own agency.

She decides to run away from Verona and enlists her gender-fluid bestie May (Nick Drake), April (Anne writing herself into the story) and her nurse, Angelique (Kathryn Allison) to come with. They escape to Paris where there is a gender-bent love triangle, a pair of reunited lovers, and turbulence in Anne’s own marriage to Will (Corey Mach). There’s even a surprise guest star, a certain Gentleman of Verona who chases Juliet to Paris.

The gay best friend trope from a zillion romcoms is subverted here as a May finds François (Mateus Leite Cardoso) and they get their own love story.

Things get complicated over some of the greatest commercial hits of all time. Don’t worry. All’s Well That Ends Well.

“& Juliet” is a high-octane candy-coated jukebox musical filled with bubblegum pop. It’s exuberant. Joyous. The cast puts the spectacular in the spectacle.

Webb is glorious as Juliet. She is a belter of the highest pedigree. She is a charismatic lead and a joy to watch.

Mach is a fun Shakespeare. His character is not quite as egocentric as the Shakespeare-cum-Elvis from “Something Rotten!” Mach instills a sweet charm into the immortal playwright, even when he’s behaving badly.  He’s rocking some Skylar Astin energy.

Anne gets the best lines, and Wicks delivers them flawlessly. Her banter with the Bard is electric. She trades barbs with him effortlessly, often – but not always – gaining the upper hand.

Note: On November 1, Shelby Griswold takes over the role of Anne until the end of the Pittsburgh run).

Drake is terrific as May. They are sensational in the role.

Paul-Jordan Jansen gets some great moments as Lance, a hard-ass military father who finally learns about love – in all of its splendor.

Michael Canu is a delightful Mr. Montague (in case you were wondering where for art thou Romeo? He’s right here).

Allison’s Angelique is effervescent, especially in her scenes with Jansen’s Lance.

Naima Alakham (Lady Capulet) is an imperious mom.

Andre Cerullo leads a magnificent band, playing more hits than Casey Kasem’s American Top 40. The songs are all hits from producer Max Martin, including “Baby One More Time,” “I Kissed a Girl,” and “Oops…I did it again.”

David West Read has wedged a few clunky lines in this story, but mostly sparkles with wit and wisdom.  May’s name is a set up to the most painful pun.

Soutra Gilmour scenic design matched with Andrezej Goulding’s video and projection design is a kaleidoscopic feast for the eyes.

The bright rainbow of costumes, by Paloma Young, are inspired.

“& Juliet” is the perfect cotton candy confection of a big budget musical. It’s a spectacle, an extravaganza! Look closely, there are a couple of pointed messages under the layers of sugary goodness, like an engagement ring hiding in a parfait.

It’s also the play we need right now. Young, fun and full of contemporary wisdom.

-MB

 

“& Juliet” runs until November 3, 2024 at the Benedum Center, Seventh & Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here. 

By Michael Buzzelli

Bilbo Baggins (Russell Saylor) is a Hobbit living a pleasant, comfortable life when he is plucked from the Shire and offered a chance to go on a mythic quest by the great wizard Gandalf (Shammen McCune).

Bilbo is the archetypical reluctant hero straight out of the pages of Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey.” He hems and haws until he is introduced to a troupe of dwarves led by their cranky leader, Thorin (Ryan Patrick Kearney).

Thorin and the Bilbo clash immediately. The good-natured Hobbit and the gruff dwarf king are polar opposites, but over the course of quest they begin to trust one another.

The questers, which include Balin (Jamie Agnello), Fili (Britt Dorazio), Kili (Maya B. Fullard) and Bombur (José Pérez IV) are beset on by trolls, giant spiders, and all sorts of fantastical creatures on their way to face the Big Bad, Smaug, an imperious dragon. The dragon is hoarding all of the treasure. She’s such a  hoarder that Suzanne Chabaud and Cory Chalmers would be incapable of helping.

After a book, a cartoon adaptation and a full-length feature film, it’s safe to say spoilers do not apply to this stage play, but if you’re living in a cave with a prickly dragon and a hoard of gold and haven’t heard of J. R. R. Tolkien and his epic fantasy, stop reading the review, see the show and meet me back here.

Greg Banks adapted the book for the stage with the intent of bringing new audiences to theater. He has a crafted a work that is perfect for children and the young-at-heart. Banks had a daunting task. He took a 310 page best-selling book and turned it into a play.

The playwright introduces an element that is meant to bring the audience into the story. The actors begin the show around a D & D board and roll multi-sided dice. It’s an unnecessary contrivance and it doesn’t wholly work, but every other element does.

The cast is marvelous. Saylor is the right amount of curmudgeon, with a soft sweetness, and childlike wonder.

McCune has the requisite gravitas to play the mighty wizard, Gandalf. Her voice is deep and authoritative, yet she displays a playful, joyous side on the O’Reilly stage. She is a fantastic choice to lead the mythic quest. She is a Pittsburgh treasure worth more than a mountain of gold.

Kearney’s character has the fullest arc in the story. He goes from gruff to grateful to greedy. His death scene is the most poignant moment in the play [You were warned you about spoilers].

Fullard gets some great lines as the resident scaredy-cat dwarf.

While they are mostly dwarves, Fullard, Agnello, Dorazio and Pérez play a variety of roles. They are all exceptional.

Pérez does an Elvin Queen that is hilarious. He also doubles as the fight choreographer and the fight scenes are impressive.

Matt Acheson and Jamie Agnello’s puppet designs were marvelous, creations of pure imagination, whimsical, mysterious and even, at times, frightening.

Smaug is literally and figuratively smoke and lights, but Robert J. Aguilar’s lighting design makes the dragon come to life.

The set, designed by Jennifer Zeyl, is a thing of beauty. It’s a jungle gym disguised as a home suitable for a Hobbit – a hobbitat.

Director Marya Sea Kaminski lovingly created a playful, big and fun adventure for all ages.  Fantasy fans will marvel in the beauty of the creation. If your not familiar with any iteration of “The Hobbit,” now isn’t the best time to start.  While our hero loves a cup of tea – this one won’t be yours.

“The Hobbit” overcomes the adage that there are limitations to a stage show. You just need a decent script and great actors to create magic.

-MB

“The Hobbit” runs until November 10 at the Pittsburgh Public Theater, inside the O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information click here.