Category: The Shaker

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

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Liberty Magic continue their 2025 show series with magical power couple Kalin and Jinger in Real Magic. The illusionists waste no time in validating their multi-year accolades as Magicians of the Year.

The show opens with an invitation from Mark Kalin to participate in an “experiment in trust” as he implores the audience to “trust me with your imagination.” Kalin channels the deliberateness of Mr. Rogers as he carefully removes his velvet blazer to start the show. After then rolling up his sleeves, he performs a series of astonishing illusions with white balls. Being sans blazer with exposed forearms heightens the effect as there’s literally no hiding place for physical objects. Kalin is leisurely in his sleight of hand, moving slowly, as if daring us to “catch” him, and yet, we can’t, even in the intimate space of Liberty Magic.

Like many magicians, Kalin and Jinger rely heavily on audience participation. While their show is appropriate for older children, their act demands adult participation. Having strangers negotiate the stage with the magicians provides interactive fun and moments of levity while also validating the show’s authenticity.

The love between Kalin and Jinger is no illusion; it’s palpable and authentic. Kalin always introduces wife Jinger Leigh as beautiful and talented. She is lovely, and her array of costumes and glittering high heels add sparkle beyond her personality to the show. Jinger’s talents include both illusionist and mentalist. Her feats of mentalism put Sherlock Holmes to shame. The audience collectively reacts aghast in wonder as she unveils facts about audience members.

The show opens promising we will “exit in astonishment,” which can’t help but feel like an overstatement. However, it is a promise fulfilled. Our imaginations partner with Kalin and Jinger to suspend disbelief.

Today’s world can feel markedly less astonishing when answers are an easy keyword search away on our phones. However, that makes finding and experiencing the power of astonishment even more enriching and impactful. Kalin and Jinger’s Real Magic is worth seeking out. While you will indeed exit in astonishment, you won’t want to exit but instead find a way to linger in amazement, delaying reentry to reality.

-TKR, Ph. D & TR

Liberty Magic is celebrating six years in Pittsburgh. Keep the magic alive in the steel city with Kalin and Jinger in Real Magic through March 2, 2025 at Liberty Magic, 811 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222.  Purchase tickets online here.

By Lonnie the Theater Lady

“Seussical” is a mashup of several Dr. Seuss characters and books. The somewhat convoluted plot finds Horton (Nate Perrin) in the difficult position of keeping the Whos (teeny, tiny people who live on a speck of dust) out of harm’s way. Simultaneously, he is tasked with reluctantly guarding the egg that Mayzie (Laura Barletta) has abandoned. Tough duty for poor Horton!

The show opens with a splashy rendition of “Oh, All the Thinks You Can Think”. It introduces the audience to the entire company, including the Bird Girls—glitzy, sequin draped, Vegas style backup singers. Their melodious harmonies charm throughout the show. The very active cast often performs in the aisles of the theater, to the delight of the children in the audience. One of the  many surprises includes an underwater scene featuring beautiful, lighted jellyfish, floating ethereally in the aisles.

The inspirational “It’s Possible” beautifully sung by Jojo (Piper Redford) might just be my next earworm!

The Cat in the Hat (Dixie Surewood) is the narrator/emcee. Her costume design (Patty Folmer) is spot on. (Perfect, as were all the vibrant costumes) This role gives her the chance to highlight her versatility as an actor.

Perrins sweetly shines and exposes his vulnerability in “Solla Solew,” a moving number.

Ivy Ferris plays Gertrude with a sweet, appealing  innocence. Her rich, smooth voice is lovely. As is the lesson that she learns–outward appearance is less important than character.

Laura Barletta’s Mayzie is saucy, flamboyant, and sultry. Her vocals and comedy chops are a sheer delight.

Sour Kangaroo (Myriah Cross) is a vocal dynamo. She belts out every number as she claims ownership of that stage! Move over Jennifer Hudson!

Sarah Barbisch (director) skillfully wrangles and energizes the huge cast.

The clever, versatile, Suess-like, multi-level set (Rob James) rolls, folds, and glides seamlessly off and on the stage to create several different settings.

Garth Shafer’s colorful lighting design adds movement and excitement in several scenes.

This very entertaining show shares themes that can be understood by and that resonate with children. Friendship, loyalty, fighting for your beliefs, and expressing one’s individuality are all addressed. My favorite inspirational Horton quote is, “Don’t give up! I believe in you all. A person’s a person, no matter how small.” Another Horton quote, somewhat topical–“And, you very small persons will not have to die if you make yourselves heard! So come on, now and TRY.”

Seussical is an engaging aesthetic treat, chock full of pleasing vocals, catchy songs, explosive colors, and joy. A few words of wisdom are scattered throughout– an unexpected gift and a perfect pick me up for the winter doldrums.

Quoting Seuss, “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” So, steer yourself to Stage 62, and enjoy Seussical, and the Who!

-Lonnie

“Seussical the Musical” plays until February 16 at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, 300 Beechwood Avenue, Carnegie, PA 15106. For more information, click here. 

By Michael Buzzelli

Two old friends (Dihlon McManne and David Whalen) meet in a coffee house to discuss old times on the same day they met eight years ago in “Years to the Day.”

The play is a two-hander, a single conversation between two college friends now in their mid-fifties. As they banter and bicker, old grievances come to light, secrets are unburied, hard truths are uncovered.

There is a strange lyricism to their dialogue, even though they speak in generalities, generic versions of the real world. They talk about the “Newest film,” “the Actor DuJour,” and “a parking lot outside of the Bullseye Bargain Store,” instead of giving us defining details. The movie could be anything from “Wicked” to “Megalopolis.” The actor could be anyone with IMDb credit, but the Bullseye Bargain Store is hard to miss.

Whalen’s character is named Jeff. If McManne’s character has a name, it’s never mentioned. We will call him Allen, since the play, written and directed by Allen Barton, is loosely based on a true story from the playwright’s past (“Years to the Day” was originally produced in 2013).

There’s no real plot, but the dynamic conversation doesn’t really need one. It is a treatise on our 20^th-century lives where we text instead of talk. It posits the question, “In our modern lives are we really getting face time on Facebook? Are we really linked in on LinkedIn? We might be able to send each other a picture instantly, but are we getting the thousand words behind the photo?”

 

The stage is bare; two chairs, a table and prop coffee cups. It doesn’t need an elaborate set. There’s not even much movement. It’s mostly Whalen and McManne sitting in their chairs, railing for and against social justice, social media, and social constructs.

The dynamism comes from the actors and their dialogue. Nothing else is needed, providing you have the right actors. Whalen and McManne are superb.

Sidenote: There’s something about McManne that reminded this critic of Simon Farnaby, who plays Julian Fawcett, the pants-less Tory MP on the BBC show “Ghosts” (not the American version).

McManne’s character is adroit and acerbic. Whalen’s character is wise and witty. Two titans clash over coffee.

Barton is able to look at both sides of a coin. Both men are sympathetic, regardless of their political and personal ideologies, considering it’s a momentous task to make a social conservative likeable in this particular political climate.

The play is quick but not breezy at 80 minutes with no intermission.

“Years to the Day” is clever, witty and engaging.

-MB

“Years to the Day” runs until Feb. 23 at the Carnegie Stage, 25 W. Main Street, Carnegie, PA 15106. For more information, click .here. 

By Michael Buzzelli

Stranded on a lifeboat after a shipwreck, Piscine “Pi” Patel (Taha Mandviwala) must survive the Pacific Ocean with unlikely companions in Yann Martel’s “Life of Pi.”

During a time of political unrest in India, Pi’s father, (Sorab Wadia), a zookeeper, packs his family and their animals aboard a Japanese freighter to make a new home in Canada. During a storm several days away from their last stop in Manila, the boat capsizes. His father, Mother (Jessica Angleskhan) and sister Rani (Sharayu Mahale) perish.

Over 200 days later, Pi ends up in a hospital in Mexico. The boy is reluctant to share the gory details of his survival. When Pi finally recants his tale with Mr. Okamoto (Alan Ariano) and Ms. Chen (Mi Kang), they find his story far-fetched.

He claims that he journeyed on a lifeboat through the Pacific with Richard Parker (puppeteers Ben Durocher, Shiloh Goodin, Anna Leigh Gortner, Austin Wong Harper and Aaron Haskell), a Bengal tiger.

While it’s an unusual name for a tiger, Pi explains that a clerical error mistook the name of the tiger for the man who captured him.

Act II is a harrowing adventure as the boy endures his frightening circumstances.

A preview of the show can be seen here.

“Life of Pi” is a sumptuous visual feast.

Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell’s puppetry design are majestic creations. Caldwell’s movement of the animals under his team of puppeteers is lithe, graceful, but brutal and animalistic. Early in the play, Richard Parker eats a “live” goat. The scene is so viscerally depicted it’s hard to watch.

Mandviwala is fantastic as Pi. He exudes charm and boundless energy.

Angleskhan and Kang are delightful, making the tragedy of their fates even more heartbreaking.

The Cook (alternating between Ben Durocher and Toussaint Jeanlouis) is menacing.

Rishi Jaiswal, in a cameo role is another standout, oozing charisma as Mamaji.

Martel’s story, adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti under the direction of Max Webster is a kinetic, glorious work of art.

There is masterful video and animation design by Andrzej Goulding. The projections are thrilling.

While the “Life of Pi” is filled with pomp and circumstance, the show stands on the merits of the amazing story it has to tell.

It dances on a fine philosophical line between truth and lie, fact and fiction. The show even wrestles with theology. Near the end of the second act, Pi turns to Mr. Okamoto and says, “That’s what fiction is about, isn’t it, the selective transforming of reality? The twisting of it to bring out its essence?”

“Life of Pi” proves that, above all things, a good story matters.

-MB

“Life of Pi” runs from January 28 to February 2 at the Benedum Center, 7th Street and Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15222. For more information, click here. 

 

By Michael Buzzelli

In “The Real James Bond…was Dominican,” playwright and performer Christopher Rivas delves into the life of playboy, polo player, racecar driver Porfirio Rubirosa (Rubi).  Rubirosa who bedded the most famous women of his day, including Zsa Zsa Gabor, Doris Duke and heir to the Woolworth fortune, Barbara Hutton was Ian Flemming’s inspiration for his iconic character James Bond. There was one distinct difference. Rubi was from the Dominican Republic and Bond was a paragon of Anglo-Saxon ideals.

Rivas shares some startling facts about Rubirosa. Rubi is believed to be the inspiration behind Ralph Lauren’s Polo Brand, with the polo player swinging his mallet on the right breast of the renowned pullover. The playboy’s legendary member became a phallic euphemism for a pepper grinder in France, due to the prodigious size and shape of …the peppermill.

Rivas aspires to be more like Bond, and, by doing so, be more like Rubi, until startling truths come to light. Rubi had a nose job and lightened his skin to appear more white. Rubi and Sammy Davis, Jr. were invited guests on JFK’s yacht, but only their white colleagues were invited to the inauguration ceremony.

Rivas struggles with his idol’s feet of clay. The erasure of his heritage and identity become mired in the playwright’s own identity.

“The Real James Bond…Was Dominican” is a thoughtful, powerful piece about the intersection of man and myth, creation and reality.

Rivas is a charismatic lead in a very personal play. Not only is he a powerful performer, but his adlibs are also quick and sharp. On opening night, a loud thump occurred at an inopportune time and he worked the disturbance into the show seamlessly.

Rivas holds court on a nearly barren stage, with a box, a chest of drawers and a musician in the corner (more on that below), proving that while great scenery always enhances a show it isn’t necessary if there are fantastic performers working with an amazing script.

Rivas is backed by Jonathan Gomez deftly playing a variety of musical instruments.

There are some excellent projections by Kelly Coburn (with Production Stage Manager Patti Kelly at the helm).

Director Daniel Banks helps Rivas craft the show into 70 minutes of myriad emotions, love, anger and shame.

“The Real James Bond…was Dominican” reminds us that it is our differences that make us who we are. Our differences make our country great. Something our current administration will never understand.

-MB

“The Real James Bond…was Dominican” runs from January 18 to February 16 ay the City Theatre, 1300 Bingham Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203. For more information, click here. 

By Claire DeMarco

Three friends meet at a funeral for a high school classmate.  They haven’t seen or been in touch with one another for years.  They are now middle-aged.

Seth (David Nackman) is Jewish and a previously successful novelist.

African American William (Sheldon Ingram) is an attorney.

Latino and former financial expert, Javi (Enrique Bazán-Arias), is a stay-at-home dad.

Their initial conversations are the usual small talk in an attempt to catch up with one another.  That’s a shame about our classmate?  What have you been doing?  It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other.  Typical small talk, very conversational, not real depth.

Their reunion continues after the funeral home in a bar/restaurant where each extract more detail about each other’s lives.

William is being considered for a judgeship that would be the culmination of a successful career.

Since Javi’s wife is a doctor, Javi left his finance job and takes care of his autistic son.

One of Seth’s two sons is transitioning.

After this initial meeting, they continue to meet and the layers of their emotions and feelings start to peel back.

Over time William is faced with failure, Seth with possible renewed success and Javi with personal loss. But with every crisis or possible opportunity that each man faces, the threesome is there to support, advise and even verbally challenge one another.

None of the three men are perfect.  They are flawed, vulnerable, normal people who have decided that they (after many years apart) with all their unique and distinctive characteristics have an unbroken bond.

This is an excellent play about male relationships and the need for men to have those deep connections with other men.

Bazán-Arias inserts humor into much of his conversations but he easily pivots to anger and frustration in some discussions with William and Seth. His emotional range is phenomenal as he delivers a eulogy at his wife’s funeral.

Nackman shines as the more quiet member of the threesome.  He struggles with his son’s transition, woefully attempting to understand it.  At the same time, he is wrestling with his writing career which is in a downward spiral.  Nackman is so believable as the gentle soul of the three and one who lacks confidence.

Ingram dramatically transitions from the strait-laced attorney to an angry man when a series of situations put his career in peril.  His lawyer-like speech and stature quickly dissipate into his neighborhood lingo. There are times when he doesn’t need to vocalize – his dead pan facial expressions and double takes speak for themselves.

Bazán-Arias, Nackman and Ingram’s performances compliment and reinforce one another.  They are excellent individually and collectively.

The set is minimal with limited movement of set pieces to indicate scene changes.

Wonderful direction by Art DeConciliis.

The world premiere of “Three Blind Mice was written by Darrin J. Friedman with Heather P. Friedman.  Darrin is a Pittsburgher!

-CED

“Three Blind Mice” runs from January 23 to the 26 at the Carnegie Stage, 25 Main Street, Carnegie, PA 15106. For more information, click here. 

By Michael Buzzelli

Robin Williams once said, “You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.”  Dave Droxler finds his spark and lets it take over in “Robin & Me: My Little Spark of Madness.”

This one-man (with multiple personalities) show is about a coping mechanism Droxler uses when life goes sideways. Instead of making up an imaginary friend, Droxler relies on the wit – and sometimes wisdom – of the late comedian, Robin Williams.

The impressionist takes on other identities as well including Jim Carrey, Jack Nicholson, Eddie Izzard. There are even “cameos” by Spongebob Squarepants, Patrick the Starfish, Christian Slater and Harvey Fierstein.

The jokes come full throttle while we learn about Droxler’s early life, including some cringe-worthy moments surrounding his puberty.

“Robin & Me: My Little Spark of Madness” is a perfect showcase for Droxler’s talent. His impression of Robin Williams is spot on.

There is a moment, early in the show, when Droxler as Robin snakes his way through the audience, riffing on the theater goers. The adlibs are hilarious.

Droxler embodies the late comedian in every way, the wit, the mannerisms. Squint your eyes and you’ll see Robin on the stage..  If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Mork is smiling down from Ork.

The show is frenetic and madcap, you’ll never doubt his fire, or his passion  playing the comedic genie. There are even some heartwarming moments. Droxler chokes up when reminiscing about his late father.

Director Chad Austin lets Droxler run wild on the stage, much to the audience’s benefit. Since Droxler uses every inch of the stage, there is no bad seat in the house.

Stella Frazer’s set, like Robin Williams himself, seems a bit much, especially for a traveling show. It’s a lot of tchotchkes to box up and take on the road, but it is bright and colorful and seems to capture the late comedian’s personality.

If Robin’s seemingly inimitable style of zaniness is not your thing, you might want to avoid this show, but if you’re a fan of the famous comedian, you don’t want miss this brisk (80 minute, no intermission) show.

MB

“Robin & Me: My Little Spark of Madness” runs from from January 22 to January 26 at Point Park University’s Highmark Theatre, 350 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here.

 

By Michael Buzzelli

Pittsburgh was granted a rare Martin Luther King, Jr. Day treat,  Wali Jamal reprised his role as August Wilson  in August Wilson’s autobiographical play, “How I Learned What I Learned.”

The play was  originally written and performed by August Wilson himself in 2003. It is the autobiographical story of the young black artist’s journey through the hardships of growing up in the Hill District in the 1960s.  Wilson describes the denizens of the Hill with wit and reverence. He takes a long look back at his childhood and offers up poignant memories.

Jamal is the only actor in the world who has been in all of the ten of August Wilson’s Century-Cycle plays. He was also named Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Performer of the Year in 2018. He is a treasured performer here.

Note: His King Hedley in “Seven Guitars” was menacing.

Jamal managed to capture the the essence of the poet/playwright and make the “character” uniquely his own.  Jamal, alongside director Jason Kmetic, adds a Yinzer flair to Wilson’s characters, providing a little extra hometown humor.

Jamal is a grand storyteller.  His performance was distinctive and extremely entertaining.

The play itself, however, is very anecdotal and a little long, but it is filled with the poetry of language that is awe-inspiring.  They are literally and figuratively pieces of August Wilson’s heart laid bare told grandly by Jamal.

Hearing Jamal as Wilson describe micro and macro aggressions of racism was heartbreaking, especially since the play took place on the same day an Executive Order was signed to revoke the federal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion guidelines (among a series of other heinous Executive Orders).

Jamal, through the soul of August Wilson, reminds us that racism and hatred must be fought continuously at all times.

-MB

“How I Learned What I Learned” was a production of Prime Stage Theatre’s Monday Specials. For more information about Prime Stage, click here. 

 

By Claire DeMarco

Ruby Bridges (Saniya Lavelle), a very bright six-year-old is encouraged to attend the William Frantz Public School.  What’s so special about that?  A lot of talented kids have opportunities to excel.

The difference is that this is 1960 in New Orleans, the William Frantz Public School is all white and Ruby is black.  This is the first time that the school will be integrated.

An NAACP Representative (DeVaugh Robinson) entreats Ruby’s parents Lucille Bridges (Joylette Portlock) and Abon Bridges (Richard McBride) to consider this opportunity.  Although both are concerned yet interested, Abon is more reluctant than Lucille, fearing for her physical safety even though Federal Marshalls would escort Ruby to school each day.

Lucille’s religious faith convinces Abon to give Ruby a chance that would normally be out of her reach.  Abon agrees.

Entering the school on the first day, Ruby is met with angry crowds and ugly words.

Note:  This greeting occurred every day of the first year she attended William Frantz Public School.

Her first-grade teacher, Mrs. Henry (Stacia Paglieri) is white and comes from New England.  On the first day Ruby is the only student in the class as the other students have either been assigned to another teacher or their parents have pulled them out of Mrs. Henry’s class.

A strong bond develops between Mrs. Henry and Ruby.  Ruby wants to learn and Mrs. Henry wants to teach her.  Mrs. Henry’s classroom was a secure world for Ruby against the turmoil within and outside the school.

Ruby is the only student in Mrs. Henry’s class for the entire first grade year.

Lavelle plays Ruby as a six-year-old but also shows the courageous side of a child faced with unrelenting discrimination from racial mobs outside her school.   She displays a mature aspect that projects confidence and resilience.  There are times, though, when her youthfulness pops to the surface as she dances about, holding a much-loved and well-worn doll.

Portlock’s strength comes through as the mother whose love of God and the belief in the equality of all people transfers those strong beliefs to Ruby.

As the supporting but fearful father, McBride’s anguish about whether to allow Ruby to attend school is often emphasized by the tortured look on his face.

Paglieri displays unwavering support for her only student.  She radiates a gentleness that builds a bond between her and Ruby.  They become more than teacher and student but ultimately friends during that unique first grade experience.

The entire cast is outstanding! Excellent direction by Linda Haston.

Ruby Bridges is a real person and this is her story.  Many of us remember or have heard about the 1960’s as a time when many well-known organizations, associations, and people focused on eliminating legalized racial discrimination, in all its forms.  Ruby Bridges made an amazing contribution in that effort.

-CED

“Looking Forward:  The Ruby Bridges Story” is a production of Prime Stage Theatre.  Performances run from January 17^th to January 26th at the New Hazlett Center for Performing Arts, 6 Allegheny Square E, Pittsburgh, PA. For more information, click here. 

Reviewed by Dr. Tiffany Knight Raymond, PhD

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Liberty Magic kick off 2025 with magician Francis Menotti in Sisyphus and Siri. If Menotti’s show is a leading indicator, 2025 is set to be epic.

Magic is not often enough considered an art form. A well-performed magic show creates moments of awe, and this emotional response makes magic an art. Menotti elevates magic with a show that’s studded with moments of wow and wonder but also layers on a cyclical, meta performance. The show opens with him sprawled dead on the stage floor. Rows of audience seating rise up from the stage, looming above him. The show works back Memento-style to his death.

The Greek gods punished Sisyphus by cursing him to an eternal fate of rolling a boulder up a hill only to have it roll back down again. Futility is a relatable human experience. Menotti pairs Sisyphus with the modern all-knowing tech goddess, Siri. For anyone who’s tried to use this voice agent, it can feel Sisyphean to get “her” to understand what you’re saying as you enunciate and then overenunciate. Menotti’s Siri works flawlessly, which is perhaps the only flaw in his show.

Siri is most successful when she takes over the show during Menotti’s union-mandated break during the show. She engages with a volunteer audience member called to the stage. While Siri’s role is obviously pre-recorded, what’s striking is how well it works. Situational human behavior is so predictable that a pre-recorded electronic communication works, regardless of the individual human onstage. That being said, it is the humans in partnership with technology that create the wow factor, so Siri isn’t quite ready to own center stage.

One of Menotti’s key themes is about creating coincidences. He relies heavily on audience participation, making it a very interactive show. Menotti has a lively, agile presence. He uses an array of props and pulls in a diverse range of audience members and has impressive name recall. As an attendee, chances are high you may get to interact with the show, and Menotti ensures everyone has fun and feels safe.

The onstage presence of audience members who are “checking” Menotti’s work and participating in the show heightens authenticity. Making connections among strangers becomes part of the magic of creating coincidences that remind us that the world is full of awe, and part of the magic of magic is letting yourself be immersed and experiencing it fully.

-TKR, Ph. D.

The magic of Francis Menotti in Sisyphus and Siri runs through February 2, 2025 at Liberty Magic (811 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA). Purchase tickets online at https://trustarts.org/production/95908/francis-menotti-in-sisyphus-and-siri.