Category: The Shaker

by Lonnie the Theater Lady

Christopher St. Pierre’s  creative adaptation of the script and his funny lyrics in “Speed: The Musical,”  satirize the 1994 movie, “Speed”. The movie plot is closely followed and (in my opinion) enhanced with an original musical score rife with catchy melodies and comical lyrics. The entire cast harmonizes beautifully in several numbers.

The plot revolves around a disgruntled retired bomb squad police officer, Howard Payne (Eric Bernat), planning to exact revenge on some of his former coworkers whom he believes have wronged him. His diabolical scheme begins with him detonating a bomb in the elevator of a tall building. The inventive use of puppetry in this scene whimsically softens the horror of people being slaughtered. Payne continues his revenge tour by planting a bomb on the underside of a public bus in Los Angeles. The device will explode if the bus reaches a speed below fifty miles per hour. The job of preventing this explosion falls to police officers Jack Traven (Alexis Cromer) and Detective Harry Temple (Fred Brown) assisted by Lt. “Mac” McMahon (Tenly Schmida). When Sam, the bus driver (Will Weiner), is shot (in a scene that is very funny– due to a costuming decision), passenger Annie Porter (Aubrey Thompson) takes over driving the speeding bus. Hilarity ensues!

Cromer’s role is particularly physically demanding, and her energy never wanes. She pleases with her strong vocals. She and Thompson shine their sweet, touching “Meant for this World” duet.

Brown not only skillfully and amiably plays a detective, but he composed the music in the show, and he also directs this fast-paced extravaganza of constantly moving, cleverly designed, huge set pieces and props—picture a nearly life-sized front end of a bus.

Bernat’s portrayal of a madman delves deeply into his psyche, making him somewhat sympathetic- but not for long. He makes it easy to dislike and fear his evil character. The surreal musical number “The Whim of a Madman,” performed by Bernat and several other cast members, is simultaneously chilling and funny.

Thompson, the ingenue tasked with driving the bus, personifies Annie’s sweet innocence wrapped in toughness and grit.

Schmida’s Mac flies off and on the stage IN and AS a helicopter. Brilliant, hilarious prop/costume work! And, when she rescues passengers from the bus— beyond hilarious.

Nick Stocks has some wonderful musical moments as he sings the witty, poignant number, “The Life of a Bus.”

Without exception, everybody in the large cast throws themself into their roles with wild abandon. Every role demands great physicality, and this cast delivers it!

The band is effective in creating different moods, ranging from suspenseful to uplifting and joyous. The talented musicians never overplay the vocalists. That is notably difficult to do in a small venue. Well done.

The realistic sound effects, well-designed lighting and simple but effective special effects are noteworthy for their contributions to the overall action and setting various moods.

This campiest (is that a word?) of all campy shows is a delicious mix of Monty Python, Laugh In, and Saturday Night Live with a twist of Lucille Ball as a garnish.  It’s delightfully, smartly silly, but it never stoops to goofy. I hope this show is produced again. Its rapid-fire introduction of many unexpected humorous elements makes it one that can be enjoyed multiple times.

I believe “Speed: The Musical” has all the makings of an enduring cult classic. That’s a cult I’d love to join!

LtTL

“Speed :The Musical” a DYI production completed its run at the Glitter box Theater on March 30, 2025.  

 

 

 

by Michael Buzzelli

Rewriting Shakespearean heroines to give them a new ending is becoming a motif. First, “& Juliet,” the frothy Broadway musical, and now Caridad Svich’s “12 Ophelia’s (a play with broken songs,” which is (kinda, sorta) a musical.

Let’s brush up our Shakespeare (with a 400+ years spoiler alert). By the end of “Hamlet,” everyone is dead: the king, the queen, the evil uncle, Hamlet, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern. Everyone but Horatio.

In “12 Ophelia’s (a play with broken songs),” Ophelia (Madyson Hearsh) comes up from the water,  strangely dry and alive after drowning herself in the middle of “Hamlet.”

Note: Her death is Act 3, Scene 1 of the original work.

Ophelia encounters literal and figurative ghosts from her past, including Queen Gertrude (Lulu James), Rosencrantz, going by R (Gabriel Hammesahr), and Guildenstern, going by G (Samm Gibson), and Hamlet, who Ophelia has dubbed, Rude Boy (Leandro Bilello).

The original works only survivor, Horatio, simply known as H (Dermot Hannon), shows up, too, courting a woman named Mina (Susie Iannitelli).

There’s also a chorus of Ophelias, who would be best described as water nymphs. Cast members in flowing rags that drape their frames.

The cast of characters speaks in Shakespearean Light (a frappe of Elizabethan English with words from modern vernacular mixed in).

Svich expands on a quote from the Danish prince’s story; “Young men will do’t if they come to’t, By Cock they are to blame.” Truer words…and all that.

Unlike “& Juliet” all’s well doesn’t always end well.

Bilello is a dynamic Danish prince. He struts with gravitas, owning the stage. To be (or not to be) Hamlet one must have equal parts confidence and confusion, and Bilello portrays both aspects of the Rude Boy.

Hearsh, who looked like she stepped out of Sir John Everett Millais’s painting (pictured above), dried herself off and went about her new business. She does a magnificent job in the title role.

R & G prop the play up with exposition, bits of the original work, and much added humor. Hammesfahr and Gibson are delightful. They added a camp value to the production, winking and mugging. They are scene stealers.

James’s Gertrude is commanding, regal.

The orchestra, consisting of Marshall Benton, Aryan Cheruvattath, Illijana Husak, Theo Kutsko and Colin Villacorte are, playing wonderful music , mostly in short clips (hence the ‘broken songs’ portion of the show). Their curtain call music was exhilarating, joyful.

Tonya Lynn’s fight and intimacy coordination is a highlight of the play. The fight between Rude Boy and H seems brutal, savage and genuine. It was such a good fight scene, that my seat mate, Lonnie the Theatre Lady, had to cover her eyes. Also, the passionate kisses between Ophelia and Rude Boy were swoon-worthy.

There’s some beautiful movement choreographed by slowdanger, especially amongst the fluid chorus of Ophelias.

Claudia Brownlee’s costume design was near brilliant, adding to Hearsh’s resemblance to the masterpiece by Millais.

There are a few criticisms of this fine production. It’s not easy to understand what Svich is trying to say. The play is more poetry than prose. It lacks structure. It’s not simply a “This is the story of A who wants B, but finds C along the way.” Like a mighty river, you have to go with the flow and not be drown by logical questions like: “Where are they?” “Are they dead?” and “What do they want?”

The second problem compounded the first.  At times, the characters were hard to hear in the back row of the theatre space.  The problem could have been easily solved with tiny lav mics, which the cast of “Jerry’s Girls” had in the same venue.

If you’re going, sit in the front row, away from the birch tree which obscures a corner of the show.

Despite these minor flaws, “12 Ophelias (a play with broken songs)” boasts the best fight choreography on any stage in Pittsburgh. The play runs 90 minutes with no intermission.

-MB

“12 Ophelias (a play with broken songs)” runs March 26 to 30 at the Highmark Theatre, inside the Pittsburgh Playhouse, 350 Forbes Avenue.
Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For tickets and additional information, click here. 

By Claire DeMarco

Nick (Dylan Marquis Meyers), a biology professor and his wife Honey (Claire Sabatine), a young couple, are invited for cocktails at George (Daniel Jenkins) and his wife Martha’s (Tasha Lawrence) home.

They have no idea what this seemingly innocent invite turns into.

Even before their guests arrive Martha and George are arguing needlessly about the name of a film Bette Davis appeared in.  They seem to delight in digging at one another over anything, with Martha more vitriolic and unrelenting while George has his moments (though brief) of the occasional normalcy.

This is normal “conversation” for this long-time married couple.

Once Nick and Honey arrive, they are suddenly exposed to the diatribes, not knowing how to respond or react.  As they slowly get sucked into the hostile environment, their own insecurities and hidden frustrations come to the surface.  They are no longer observers, but participants in this mayhem.

Everyone gets drunk, the drinks keep flowing and so does the uninhibited conversation.

Nick in private talks with George laments about Honey’s constant frailties and health issues.  He married Honey because he thought she was pregnant.  It turns out to be a false pregnancy.  Their marriage doesn’t appear to be as perfect as they suggest.

Honey’s reaction to all the turmoil is to become physically ill, ending up in the bathroom several times.

As the evening progresses, Honey who initially sat next to Nick, unwittingly slowly moves away from him, sitting by herself at the end of the living room.

George and Martha continue their hostility towards one another, exposing one another’s inadequacies to their guests.  Razor sharp retorts and rebukes spew out of their mouths like rounds of rifle fire.

Their stories about one another are so bizarre that it is often apparent that Nick and Honey aren’t sure what is real, what is imagined.

Martha’s venom is more acute as she sees Nick as the person who at his young age has accomplished so much.  George, in her mind, has always underperformed and has not achieved the level of success she feels he should have.

Martha’s revenge is to solicit Nick sexually.  George doesn’t stand in her way.

As the evening comes to an end and Nick and Honey depart, George and Martha are alone again.  And they are faced with dealing with their version of reality, sprinkled with illusion.

Note:  The show is heavy with lots of ugly talk but thankfully there are moments of comedy that provide needed relief.

What a blockbuster cast!

Jenkins is brilliant as the long-suffering husband.  There are multiple nuances to his personality. He can have an almost normal conversation with Martha, sometimes with a bit of humor.  Other instances he is as belligerent as she is.   Jenkins is excellent in handling those transitions.

Lawrence is a standout as the vile, loud and obnoxious Martha.  She is consistent in her tirades against her husband and has no reticence in holding back any remarks she thinks appropriate to anyone in her path.  Her caustic voice is her weapon.  Easy to dislike, there are a few moments when that veneer begins to crack.

Sabatine cleverly portrays Honey as a quasi-airhead, naïve with an innocence that is touching.   She continues to drink but she never appears to always understand what is going on. She conveys much of her emotion through great physical mannerisms and facial expressions.

Meyers does a great job of transitioning from the strait-laced professor to a more vocal, confrontational guest.  He becomes a less likeable character as his drinking brings out his lack of feeling for Honey.

 “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” a 1963 Tony Award Winner for Best Play was written by Edward Albee.

Scenic Designer Jason Simms’s set is beautifully done.  Kudos to Director Pamela Berlin.

Note from Pittsburgh Public Theater:  This play is Rated MA and is for mature audiences only. Due to adult content, themes, and language, this show is not recommended for children. This show contains violence and abuse, sexual content, explicit language, use of alcohol, and the use of prop guns on stage.

-CED

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” is a production of Pittsburgh Public Theater at the O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA.  Performances run from March 19^th to April 6. For tickets or additional information, click here.

 

 

By Michael Buzzelli

When an Old Man (Sam Lothard) and a Boy (Dionysius Akeem) roll into East Piney Grove, a small Black church in rural South Carolina, life is about to change for the entire congregation in Javon Johnson’s “Sanctified.”

Harold Jones (Emir J. Hardy) is running the parish church amid a lot of controversy. He wants to grow the church, expand and modernize. Whereas the Deacon (Charles Timbers) wants to keep things traditional, creating a rift between the preacher and his choir.

All the dissenting voices have their own agenda.

Piano player Thelma (Brenda Marks) can’t read sheet music and is unwilling to learn. The occasional nips from the flask she carries around increase and the church goers realize she’s got a drinking problem.

Jamal (Manny Walker) wants to be a gospel singer and a rapper. His sister, Monique (Marissa Lily) has a crush on the mysterious new Boy, who wants to be called Mister.

The pastor’s cousin, Dr. Pauletta Jones (Karla C. Payne) wants to overpower the choir with her operatic voice.

“Sanctified” is a musical and there’s a lot of plot and a lot of singing, it’s a glorious joyful noise.

The “Sanctified” cast is gigantic, but Johnson lifts every voice, and each actor gets the spotlight.

Willa Catherine “Katy” Cotten dazzles as Sarah.  Her rendition of the title song, “Sanctified” is amazing.

Cheryl El Walker gets some of the best lines and delivers them flawlessly. Her singing voice is powerful.

Marks is hilarious as the tipsy pianist.

Lothard, literally and figuratively, brings soul to his character. Old Man/Sir is grounded and gently pressing forward with his own agenda. He and Akeem’s Boy/Mister have a dynamic chemistry.

Mils James plays the stuttering Bobby, who doesn’t stutter when he sings. James also supplied the kinetic choreography. He has all the moves. In the second act, he has a triumphant moment and plays it to the hilt.

While there are some lovely moments in “Sanctified,” it has a few too many moments. The show runs 2 hours and 25 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. There are, however, a plethora of lovely songs. The music composed by Rollo Dilworth and orchestrated by music director Dwayne Fulton is beautifully rendered.

The show won’t just resonate with gospel music fans, but it helps if you are one. The best thing about “Sanctified” is that there are no clear villains, only people struggling with different points of view. It’s glorious to see them come together and work for the greater good. Amen!

-MB

“Sanctified” runs until March 30th at the Madison Arts Center,  3400 Milwaukee Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. For more information and tickets, click here.

By Claire DeMarco

Ralph Rackstraw (Omar Tolentino) is a lowly seaman on H.M.S. Pinafore, a ship commanded by Captain Corcoran (Logan Newman).  Rackstraw loves Corcoran’s daughter, Josephine (Leah Huber).

Corcoran, however encourages a marriage between Josephine and Sir Joseph Porter (Corey Nile Wingard), 1^st Lord of the Admiralty. He is unaware of his daughter’s feelings for Rackstraw.  Even though she wants to make her father happy, Josephine is not keen on Porter.  Not a fan!

Porter is the 1^st Lord of the Admiralty through no merit on his part.  He has never been at sea and is a prime example of the British class system where status, not competence elevated him to his current position.

Little Buttercup (Sally Denmead), a local vendor, makes periodic visits to Pinafore, delivering sellable goods to the seamen.  She has a natural rapport with the seaman and has her eyes on one in particular.

If only Josephine and Rackstraw were from the same social class, their love would be no problem.  But this difference is a concern to her father and a baffling enigma to Porter who can’t understand why someone wouldn’t want him.

Who finally prevails?   Josephine and Rackstraw or Josephine and Porter.

Differences do come to a conclusion for all parties and Little Buttercup divulges a secret of her own.

Huber is delightful as Josephine. Her singing voice is powerful and operatic, especially highlighted in “Sorry Her Lot” and “The Hours Creep on Apace.”  She brings out the enthusiasm of young Josephine with great physical moves and a flair for the occasional comedy.

Newman’s every emotion radiates from his face and facial expressions – eyebrows raised, eyes twitched, lips pouted. You know exactly what his reaction is to a situation without him saying a word.  But when he does speak, he is brilliant!  Great physical movements also enhance his vocal characterization of Captain Corcoran.

Decked out in flamboyant naval dress, Wingard easily invites ridicule as the pompous 1^st Lord of the Admiralty.  Impressed with himself, his rendition of “When I Was a Lad” defines how he rose to the top but never went to sea.

Denmead’s Little Buttercup is spunky, an extrovert and well-liked by the crew.  She delivers a great rendition of “I’m Called Little Buttercup” and compliments “Things Are Seldom What They Seem,” a duet with Corcoran.

Tolentino plays a gentle soul with a powerful singing voice.  He exudes a dreamy quality.  He is aware of his social standing and lacks the confidence to express his interest in Josephine immediately.

What beautiful singing voices by the entire cast!

This is a lovely production of an old classic, filled with humor and subtle jabs at a class system still in existence but fortunately, less rigid today.

Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore is one of the most notable of their many operas.  It follows a formula familiar to theatergoers through satire and comedic jabs about British society and its well-known class system.

Libretto for “H.M.S. Pinafore” written by W. S. Gilbert and Music by Arthur Sullivan.

Excellent Stage Direction by Melissa Hill Grande.

Kudos to Music Director and Conductor Guy Russo and the Pittsburgh Savoyards Orchestra.

Note:  Depending on the performance date, many of the actors’ roles are performed by other members of the cast.

-CED

 “H.M.S. Pinafore” is a production of The Pittsburgh Savoyards.  Performances run from March 14^th to March 23rd at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, 300 Beechwood Avenue, Carnegie, PA.  For more information, click here. 

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

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust welcomes Annie to the Benedum Center. This 1977 Tony-awarding musical is directed by Jenn Thompson and features book by Thomas Meehan, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and music by Charles Strouse. Annie is based on a 1924 comic strip, which was in fact inspired by a poem. The show is aptly timed between the recent centennial of the comic strip and upcoming National Poetry Month in April.

Hazel Vogel is spell-bindingly magnetic as title character Annie. While Vogel’s vocals feel rushed at times, she brings an indomitable spirit and effervescent charm. In the orphanage, Annie is differentiated as a redhead, but all of the girls have mussy, unbrushed hair that exemplifies the lack of care they receive. Once Annie goes to the Warbucks home, her hair is brushed, then adorned with bows. It culminates in the curls we associate with Annie thanks to the brilliant hair and wig design by Ashley Rae Callahan. The modernization of Annie’s hairstyle symbolizes her rise in status. Curls were all the rage in the 1930s, which is when the show takes place. The level of care and required styling expertise earmarks them – and her – as high society.

Alejo Vietti’s costume design works synergistically with Callahan’s hair and wig design. The orphans wear drab, undifferentiated shades of brown and beige that symbolize their downcast surroundings. However, the play ends with each girl wearing a different jewel-colored dress. Annie may own red, but Vietti shows us they each shine gemlike in their own way.

Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks (Christopher Swan) is the bald-headed Jeff Bezos of his day. His character progresses from money-grubbing billionaire to adopted father with a heart of gold. Swan’s authenticity makes Warbucks’ transformation feel real. When Annie asks for help finding her real parents, the pain on his face is acute at the thought of losing her. However, like any good parent, he puts her needs first and summons all of his powers to help. In fact, the moral seems to be that a mid-life crisis might be better solved by adoption and helping the less fortunate than day-drinking Bezos-style with bikini babes on yachts.

Miss Hannigan (Stefanie Londino) manifests a palpable disgust for the girls in her charge. She seeks refuge in alcohol and expresses her dissatisfaction by tormenting her wards. The girls are not cowed and rally to torment her back with antics like dangling a dead mouse in front of her. They seek agency in a world where they’re forgotten. The ensemble of orphans shine in synchronicity in legendary numbers like “It’s a Hard Knock Life.” They bang buckets in unison at the expression of “hard knock” and use mops as props in this beautifully staged number by choreographer Patricia Wilcox.

Wilson Chin’s scenic designs make use of sharp contrast that reinforce the status of those who live there. The orphanage’s despondent gray walls are cracked and crumbling. The Warbucks mansion is awash in cream and gold tones with towering, sparkling windows. As bad as the orphanage looks, there’s one scene in a homeless encampment where the “walls” are dirty fabric, heightening the spectrum of disparity across America and reminding us this story is just as relevant today.

-TKR, Ph.D. & TR

Purchase online tickets for Annie through March 15, 2025 at the Benedum Center, 237 7th Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222.

by Michael Buzzelli

The promise of forever is a lie. Watching love fade and life wither has never been more beautiful than it is in Noah Haidle’s “Birthday Candles.”

Ernestine Ashworth (Robin Walsh) celebrates her seventeenth birthday, and almost every birthday thereafter, in a kitchen in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her best friend, Kenneth (Gavin Lawrence) gifts her with a pet fish, Atman (Atman is the concept in Hinduism and other Indian philosophical traditions that refers to the individual’s true self, soul, or essence).

Kenneth is in love with Ernestine, but she has eyes for Matt (Andrew William Smith).

She chooses Matt and the duo build a family, their son, Billy (José Pérez IV), and daughter, Madeline AKA Athena (Deena Aziz). Eventually, Billy meets his future wife, Joan (Saige Smith).

Time marches on and the actors pop up in different roles. All while Ernestine holds court in the kitchen, baking a birthday cake with flour, eggs, milk and stardust.

The “Birthday Candles” cast shines bright.

Each actor has to play a variety of ages. It’s mesmerizing. Most of them play multiple characters with distinct personality traits.

Walsh never leaves the stage. She is the constant presence who cycles through a full range of emotions, joy, grief, rage, but most of all love. It’s palpable and Walsh exudes it.

Andrew William Smith’s character has a big arc. He plays every stage of life, particularly excelling as a nervous boy and as a dour husband.

The other Smith, Saige, is equally brilliant. She is magnificent. She shines bright with charisma. Her character of Joan is a neurotic but endearing. Her Alex character is unadulterated joy.

Lawrence is a divine. His character of Kenneth gets some of the show’s biggest laughs, but it’s the tender, sweet moments between his character and Walsh’s character that really stand out.

Pérez fits into the role of Billy very well.

Aziz plays a mother and a daughter. Her first scene is the first heartbreak of the play….with many more heartbreaks to follow.

The set, designed by Sasha Jin Schwartz, and lighting, designed by Xuewei (Eva) Hu, adds an extra layer of heartache. At the end of the play, Hu highlights intricate props framed in shadowboxes causing a ripple of sniffles throughout the audience.

There’s a poetry, a rhythm, in profound moments in one person’s life, but Haidle finds wild, uproarious laughter and joy, even in dark places.

The play covers a 100 years in ninety minutes.. The swift movement of years isn’t as jarring as you’d imagine.  Haidle, and director Marc Masterson, find a way to smooth the bursts of time. A turn, a facial expression and the lone piano note transitions us to the next year, and then to another.

“Birthday Candles” hits hard, and will hit harder for people with more candles on their birthday cake.

William Shakespeare once wrote, “Many strokes, though with a little axe, hew down and fell the hardest-timber’d oak.” Each scene in “Birthday Candles” is a quick stroke of the axe, sometimes with riotous laughter, sometimes with unbearable grief.  It’s a remarkably beautiful play.

-MB

“Birthday Candles” runs until March 30th at the City Theatre, 1300 Bingham Street,  Pittsburgh, PA 15203. For more information and tickets, click here. 

 

 

By Michael Buzzelli

Stephanie J. Block fresh from a recent revival of “Kiss Me, Kate” in London’s West End, sang songs from her heart on Monday, March 11th as part of the Trust Cabaret Series. She performed two sold-out shows.

Block, accompanied by pianist Ben Cohn, delivered powerful renditions of songs from “Wicked,” “Into the Woods,” “Falsettos” and more.

The Tony-Award winning actor filled the time between songs with witty banter and sips of hot tea.

Block told an amusing anecdotes about her experiences in Pittsburgh. She had genuine affection for the Steel City. She met her now-husband, Sebastian Arcelus , while trodding the boards at the Benedum in the national tour of “Wicked.” She was Elphaba and he was Fiyero (technically, the duo met in Hartford, Connecticut, but didn’t get together until they hit Pittsburgh).

While Block joked that she was tired and lazy, she was vivacious, charming and energetic on the cabaret stage.

Her rendition of “Breaking down” from “Falsettos,” which she did for the 9:30 PM show, was delightfully whacky and filled with gusto.

Block told a very amusing stories about her former bosses, Dolly Parton (on “Nine to Five”), and Cher (on “The Cher Show”), and recording Cher’s book on Audible). She sang songs from both shows.

Block’s show was one of the highlights of a stellar year of cabaret performances which included Laura Benanti, Jason Robert Brown and Christopher Jackson.

-MB

The Trust Cabaret Series continues with Patina Miller on May 5 at the Greer Cabaret, 655 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here. 

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

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Liberty Magic continue their 2025 show series with magician Ben Seidman in Good Charlatan. Seidman brings his brand-new show to Pittsburgh, so don’t miss the chance to say you saw it when.

Ben bridges his origin story as a magician to the present when he opens his show by saying, “The thing I love about magic is that you couldn’t trust your eye.” This mixed tense sentence is prophetic and anticipates the show’s journey. Good Charlatan sweeps the audience along on a journey about trust – and questioning trust. As individuals, we have unshakable trust in what we see – or think we see. Seidman flips that narrative and demonstrates time and again how we lose perspective inside the matrix of our own perception.

Ben (also the good charlatan) provides a history of the con – and con men (interestingly, no women). In fact, con man is actually a shortened version of confidence man as confidence is key for the con to work. Ben’s history of con men begins in the 19th century with William Thompson who gained infamy by asking if he could borrow people’s watches and return them the next day. It sounds like a laughably obvious scam, and the audience shares a knowing laugh that we’d never fall for something like that in the 21st century.

And yet, history proceeds to say otherwise. Ben marches us forward through time with legendary con men like Charles Ponzi whose name became synonymous with scheming. Regardless of historical time period, our confidence that we’re too smart to be conned persists. This consistency is in fact what enables and emboldens the con man

Ben interweaves his narrative with illustrative magic tricks. He plays with a full deck of cards (magician pun intended!) as he effortlessly blends magic styles from close up tricks to sleight of hand to mentalism. He picks pockets with the proficiency of a Dickens character in Oliver Twist and mesmerizes with his shell game. His feats of mentalism leave the audience gasping and guessing.

When Ben performs close up tricks, he thoughtfully utilizes a camera that projects onto two screens. This allows not just the person in front of him, but the entire audience to participate in seeing the tricks. It’s a con of our own times that the person in front of him ends up drawn to the screens, not Ben’s hands. Ben gently reminded the witness to watch his hands, not the video feed. We are drawn to the mediated experience even when the real experience is in front us. It reminded me of seeing the Mona Lisa and watching people not even looking at it but framing it on their cellphone cameras.

Ben’s background as a trained actor enables him to improv as needed, injecting humor and humanity into the show. He connects effortlessly with the audience as he can laugh at himself and on-stage participants in a way that enhances the collective experience. He often heightens the effect by commenting on his own magic, and his seamless ability to make everyone comfortable is in fact critical to the show’s success and its theme of trust. While the show is amazing, the ending is truly spectacular.

-TKR, Ph. D.  & TR

Don’t miss the chance to see Ben Seidman in Good Charlatan through March 16, 2025 at Liberty Magic, 811 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222.  Liberty Magic also offers a VIP experience to go backstage and connect with Ben after the show, which is well worth it. Purchase tickets online here.

By Michael Buzzelli

When Scratch (Max Pavel) comes to a rural village to tempt the local witch, Elizabeth Sawyer (Shammen McCune), all hell, literally and figuratively, breaks loose in Jen Silverman’s dark comedy, “Witch.”

Scratch is a handsome devil, but he’s not THE devil, he’s mid-level management for Beelzebub in a satanic pyramid scheme.  He’s pitching money, power and true love all for the measly price of a human soul.

When this particular devil breezes into town, he sets his sights on Cuddy (Matt Henderson). The boy, the closeted son of the fiefdom, son to Sir Arthur (Brett Kennedy), who prefers Morris Dancing to dating, is willing to cut a deal. He both loves and hates the rival of his father’s affections, Frank Thorney (Ryan Patrick Kearney).

Frank is secretly married to Winnifred, (Lorna Lominac), a maid in the castle. When Frank realizes he could be the heir to the tiny fiefdom, over the rightful heir, Cuddy, he seizes the opportunity and dumps Winnifred like a hot potato. She does not take it well.

Cuddy is tempted by Scratch. Then, Frank is tempted by Scratch. The only one who won’t give in to the temptations is the aforementioned witch, Elizabeth, who turns out to be a lonely woman in the woods. Her denial of Scratch’s iron clad agreement causes him to look deeper into the abyss, and the devil gets his due, or, rather, the soul stealer finds his own soul.

Whether they are maidens, mothers, or crones, witches are hot right now. With the success of “Agatha All Along,” “The Discovery of Witches” and “The Mayfair Witches,” the sorceresses are in style.

Witch is style and substance.  It’s heart and soul. It is a timeless tale told in contemporary vernacular, both witty and wise. 

Pavel is a handsome devil indeed, everything Scratch should be. He is charismatic, charming and churlish, a mischievous rogue, and with a soul.

Henderson seems born to play Cuddy. The part is so perfectly aligned with Matt and his sensibilities. When an actor crushes a role, it’s hard to picture anyone else in the part.  Think: Peter Falk in “Columbo,” Tony Shaloub in “Monk,” or Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard in “Star Trek: Next Generation,” and “Picard.”

McCune has the gravitas to command any stage.  Her Elizabeth is too smart to be seduced, but, possibly, too smart to ever love or be loved. It’s a tragic flaw, and McCune mines it, giving subtextual layers upon layers. There is wisdom and aching sadness, and undeniable rage.

Kearney does a marvelous job as the smarmy villager. Frank is a man who expects to get everything with his self-confidence and good looks. The high school jock/bully who becomes a senator, smiling while stabbing people in the back. Frank is the other handsome devil in the show and far more motivated than Scratch.

Lominac, last seen in “Arcadia” at Point Park University, is gracing the professional Pittsburgh theater scene for the first time. It won’t be the last. She makes a stunning impression.  Winnifred seems like a minor character until the last few moments of the play when she finally finds some agency.

Kennedy, who has a more minor role, is also perfect for the part.

Director Ingrid Sonnichsen finds the core to each character and opens the actors up to their most vulnerable selves. The cast is at their best under her helm.

There’s a fight scene, choreographed by Randy Kovitz that is both dramatic and hilarious.

Jenn Bechak’s scenic design is a wonder; opulent castle on one side, rustic witch’s hut on the other.  Gnarled branches festoon Elizabeth Sawyer’s cottage giving it a real witchy vibe.

All art is political, and “Witch” is a powerful play at the right time with the right actors.  Silverman’s underlying message of the show is a visceral gut punch to the soul.

If you get invited to the play, tell your date that you’ll be there with bells on, or, better yet, conjure up your own ticket.

-MB

“Witch” runs from March 7fd to March 22 at the Carnegie Stage, 25 W. Main Street, Carnegie, PA 15106. For tickets and more information, click here.