Category: The Shaker

by Michael Buzzelli

When his parents die in a car crash, Jake (Zachary Keller) runs away to the circus and finds a brand new life in “Water for Elephants.”

The musical, based on the novel by Sara Gruen, is told in flashback by Mr. Jankowski (Robert Tully), or, rather, Jake when he’s older.

On the train, Young Jake (to keep our character separate from our narrator) is immediately befriended by Camel (Javier Garcia), an older, gruff carnie with bad knees and a drinking problem.

Side note: Camel is not an actual camel, but several performers in the show are playing animals.

Camel introduces him to the troupe, including the thuggish Wade (Grant Huneycutt), a disagreeable clown named Walter (Tyler West), and Barbara (Ruby Gibbs).

He meets the circus star, Marlene (Helen Krushinski), and is instantly smitten. Unfortunately, he meets her husband, August (Connor Sullivan), seconds later.

August, the ringmaster and owner, runs the circus with an iron hand. He’s not a good dude. In an effort to keep his wife, he commits a series of unforgivable acts, including, but not limited to, beating Rosie, the elephant (operated by Ella Huestis, Bradley Parrish, John Neurohr, Carl Robinett, and Grant Huneycutt).

Glossary of circus terms:

Kinker; circus performer. Performers usually stretch and warm-up before their act to get the “kinks” out.

Rousts or roustabouts: Roustabouts are workers who help set up and take down the circus tent and equipment.

Rubes: A “rube” refers to an unsophisticated or naive person, often from a rural background.

Keller exudes charm and charisma as young Jake. Each song he sings is filled with the character’s raw emotion. He has star quality. It won’t be long before he’s headlining touring engagements or appearing on TV and in movies (he already has a few credits, including “Shameless,” “Law and Order,” and “Chicago Med”).

While Tully is too young to play a nonagenarian, he is so good in the role that it’s a forgivable offense.

West is hilarious as the circus clown. He and Sullivan perform a comedic duet that is gloriously funny.

Krushinski is terrific as Marlene. She also has a small role as June (in the “present), and each character is distinctly different.

While you will want to boo August, Sullivan does an amazing job. He also appears in a dual role, the hated August and the much more likeable Charlie.

The puppetry is impressive enough that there’s a separate director, Joshua Holden, just for the circus’s creatures. Rosie, the precious pachyderm, is first shown bit by bit: a large flapping ear, a trunk, and a leg (and in shadow). Then, by the end of the first act, the magnificent beast becomes a fully realized puppet, controlled by several puppeteers. It’s pure stage magic.

The show is filled with amazing theatrical feats and astonishing aerial acrobatics. The show is filled with spectacle. There are several moments where the audience oohed and awed, gasping at the incredible acts.

In the movie business, a tentpole production is a film that supports a studio, featuring high production budgets and special effects. The term originated with the circus. This show has an actual tentpole! Naturally, it’s filled with high production budgets and special effects.

Regardless of the pomp and circumstance, the bread and the circuses, at the heart of “Water for Elephants” is an actual heart. The musical has a tender love story at its core, making it a Must See Show.

-MB

“Water for Elephants” runs until April 5 at the Benedum Center, Seventh and Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For tickets and additional information, please click here. 

By Michael Buzzelli

Kenneth (Monteze Freeland) invites us into his neighborhood, a small town outside of Rochester, New York, where we learn the patterns of his lonely life in Eboni Booth’s “Primary Trust.”

Kenneth lives a small life in his small town. He works at a bookstore and drinks Mai Tai’s every night with his best friend, Bert (Malic Maat), in a Tiki bar called Wally’s.

Side note: There’s a secret that Kenneth and Bert share, but it takes us far into Spoiler Territory that might make you yell out, “Holy Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan!”

Sam (Sam Turich) tells Kenneth that he is closing the bookstore, where Kenneth worked for twenty years. Suddenly, Kenneth is on a hunt for a new job. At the bar, Kenneth meets a server, Corrina (Bria Walker-Rhoze), who tells him the bank is hiring.

Soon, Kenneth interviews with Clay (Sam Turich again) and lands a job as a teller at Primary Trust.

P.S. Bria Walker-Rhoze shows up as ALL of the bank’s customers, men and women, young and old.

The actors (all local favorites) excel in their roles.

Freeland has always been one of Pittsburgh’s best Top Tier Talents (he is a writer, director, actor, educator, and more), but he is at his best here, bringing us into Kenneth’s world with a deliberate grace and ease. He immerses himself in the role.

Walker-Rhoze is tasked with creating multiple roles in “Primary Trust,” and she shines in each. Her Corrina has the most down-to-earth realness of the roles, but some of the other characters are laugh-out-loud funny. It’s easy to love Corrina, and even easier to laugh at the rest.

Turich plays three distinct roles as well. He’s Clay, Sam, and a fussy French bartender in a snooty high-end restaurant, Le Pousselet (which may or may not translate into the French word for “baby carriage”). Turich’s Clay is a boisterous manager reliving his high school halcyon days. The character of Sam (the fictional one) has a gruff exterior but is full of heart. His bartender is hilarious.

Maat is charming as Bert, but to speak more of him would reveal the tragic twist. His Bert is both the devil and the angel on Kenneth’s shoulders.

In the small-town setting, I was hoping Kenneth would run into the OG Bert (sorry, that’s a little spoilery).

Antonio Troy Ferron’s set design is impressive. Building facades hang in darkness, giving the town a bleak, nearly monochromatic look until we enter the Primary Trust bank setting, where everything is bright and green.

Kudos to production stage manager Pamela Brusoski and stage crew for tracking the props, shrimp cocktail, endless Mai Tais, hats, sunglasses, etc.

Director Kyle Haden draws nuanced performances from the actors, even when the characters are at their biggest. His vision of “Primary Trust” is flawless.

Booth’s “Primary Trust” is a deep meditation on loneliness, the power of friendships, and the beauty of being seen.

-MB

“Primary Trust” runs from March 25 to April 12 at the O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here. 

 

By Michael Buzzelli

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” – George Orwell, “1984.”

Morgan Vaughn (Bugz Baltzer) gets promoted to Chief of Staff in the Trump White House, near the final days of his term, as a VP is about to be sworn in to become the next president. Meanwhile Trump (Liam Hartman) isn’t ready to hand over the job to someone else in Eoin Carney’s “The Last Days of Trump.”

General Reese (Gavin McKinnon) suggests that Morgan find a way to distract the president from causing chaos during the power transition. The duo recruits a librarian, Carla Heart (Angela Vincent), to help construct the Trump Library.

The president doesn’t want a library. Trump says, “Libraries are lame,” but when Morgan tells him Obama has one, Trump insists on having the biggest and best presidential library.

Right before the VP is sworn in, he is assassinated, leaving Trump an open door to claim the power once more.

From that, a Rubik’s Cube of power struggles among all four players, each with an idea of what is best for the country, in their own madcap way.

“The Last Days of Trump” is a delightful romp, prognosticating the future in the funniest way imaginable.

Baltzer is the harried assistant, desperately trying to keep everything together. They do a magnificent job in the role.

Gavin McKinnon is commanding as General Reese. His baritone voice and posture make him the perfect choice to play the leader of an army.

Vincent plays the soft-spoken librarian without any malice, but the skittish bunny rabbit becomes a bear, and Vincent can make the transition marvelously.

Hartman’s Trump is too authentic. He manifests PTSD for the audience as he plays a full-on impression of the disdainful president.  It’s a bit of “Dawson’s Casting” wherein someone plays a character that is vastly different from their own age (named after the 30 year-olds playing high school juniors on “Dawson’s Creek.” See the Urban Dictionary). Hartman is in his 20s but plays the president 50-to-60 years his senior. It’s the Fringe! And it works.

Carney creates a fragile yet eerily possible world. It’s hard to parody a president who says outlandish things every day. The current state of the media is making it hard for satirical websites like The Onion to poke fun at reality because the world has been so bizarre under Trump’s presidency.  Carney can walk a fine line between parody and theatrical drama. There’s a moment when you actually feel sorry for the asshole-in-chief.

There are parts of the show that are hard to watch at some points. While Carney skewers the right with gusto, he does take some jabs at the left as well. No one is safe in Carney’s crazy vision of the future.

The Fringe gets fringy. The play definitely has an Off-Off-Broadway appeal, probably because Carney writes, directs, designs the sets, stage-manages, and does whatever else the production needs to make the show happen.

-MB

“The Last Days of Trump” plays

 

By Timothy Ruppert

Draw a card, any card—you’ve nothing to lose but your life! Well, sort of.

Welcome to The Pittsburgh Savoyards’ current production of The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel, Gilbert and Sullivan’s last and perhaps least-known opera. The secondary title refers to a strange tradition for settling disputes in the Grand Duchy of Pfennig-Halbpfennig: the selection of playing cards. The high card wins, entitling the victor to take the place of the vanquished, with all the privileges and responsibilities that such a substitution entails. The low card signifies death. The loser, though, does not shuffle off the mortal coil in the corporeal sense. Rather, the vanquished disappears for a time, unable to intervene directly in the new scheme of things (covert skullduggery, though, remains a viable option). When the comic actor Ludwig (Mike Goffus) bests the reviled Grand Duke Rudolph (Corey Nile Wingard) with an ace, the wine flows and the good times roll—until Ludwig realizes that he may be affianced to four different women.

With their production of The Grand Duke, The Pittsburgh Savoyards miss no opportunity to play up the terrific fun of Gilbert and Sullivan’s final piece as a duo. This show succeeds in all particulars, thanks in no small part to the superb guidance of Olivia Hartle (stage director) and Guy Russo (music director and conductor), as well as to the inestimable contributions of the Savoyards’ production staff and orchestra. The elements of spectacle—scenic design (Robert Hockenberry), costumes (Trace Swisher), choreography (Krista Kaley Strosnider), lighting (Garth Schafer)—prove perfectly companionate with Gilbert’s clever libretto and Sullivan’s vivacious score. To a person, this team impresses.

To commend the cast of The Grand Duke properly, I would need far more than the two hundred or so words still available to me in this review. I’ll begin with Goffus, who plays the love-beleaguered Ludwig with breathtaking skill. In numbers such as “Won’t it be a pretty wedding? / Pretty Lisa” (with Abigail Arhart as Lisa, singing with the ensemble) and “With fury indescribable I burn” (with Sally Denmead as Baroness von Krackenfeldt), Goffus gives a brilliant performance worthy of the Winter Garden Theatre.

While the words “Broadway-good” appeared in my notes regarding several performers, including Arhart and Denmead, I found Alessandra Gabbianelli as Julia Jellicoe and Katie Kirby as the Princess of Monte Carlo to be especially admirable. The conspiratorial acting troupe supervised by Ernest Dummkopf (Cecil Treleven) comes to life with wonderfully heartfelt contributions from Deborah Geary (Olga), Denise Allen (Elsa), Hannah Balash (Bertha), and Savannah Simeone (Gretchen). Note that, because many roles in this production are double cast, other keenly gifted actors appear as the parts alternate, meaning that some performances afford the audience a chance to see and hear more of top-tier actors such as Brienne Sharo (as Bertha), Amanda Leigh (as Gretchen), Hockenberry (as the Notary, played nicely by William Carter when I saw the show), and the incomparable Leah Grimm (as the Princess). The Savoyards bring together an astonishing group that reminds us how expressly fortunate Pittsburgh is in its arts community.

So draw a card, any card—you’ll have a royal time with this four-ace show.

-TR

“The Grand Duke” runs until March 29 at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, 300 Beechwood Avenue, Carnegie, PA, 15106. For tickets and additional information, please visit https://pittsburghsavoyards.org/tickets/. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By: Joseph Szalinski

Every family has that one relative who’s probably better off sequestered from society, at their own volition or otherwise. If you’re struggling to think of someone who fits the bill, you’re likely that individual. And what better place to live low than in the basement? Granted, my family kept me in an attic, where I was free to worm through the crawlspace, but basements are a solid option for most people. It’s in a basement that we meet a rather peculiar trio in BLT’s production of Downstairs, directed by Jud Stewart, and produced by Jessica Sanzotti, now running at Butler Little Theatre in Butler, PA.

Written by Theresa Rebeck, Downstairs begins with Teddy couch surfing at his sister Irene’s place following a momentary setback, all the while avoiding Irene’s husband, Gerry. During his stay, the siblings bond while reminiscing about their deceased mother and absentee father. All goes fairly well until Gerry finally decides to pay a visit…

The acting is phenomenal. Shows are always demanding on the performers when the number of characters is so few, but this cast rises to the challenge magnificently. They’re even in charge of their own wardrobes! Jud M. Stewart is fantastic as Teddy. Channeling his charm through wiry physicality and impressive feats of dialogue, whether he’s monologuing or playing off of one of the other actors, his dedication pays off beautifully.

Teddy’s sister, Irene, is wonderfully brought to life by Elizabeth Smith. Irene’s the most dynamic character in terms of temperament, going from concerned relative to friendly sister to skittish housewife, and so on. Smith effortlessly embodies every iteration of the character when required. Even though she’s enjoyable throughout the entire show, she really shines in the first half when it’s just Irene and Teddy for 45 minutes or so. When the two of them are seated at the table, recalling childhood memories, she lets out a warm, sincere laugh that one can’t help but relish as they bond.

Every story needs a villain, and Tom Smithyman is astoundingly sinister as Irene’s husband, Gerry, who, much like Linda Patrik, isn’t a huge fan of his brother-in-law, Teddy. The most menacing element of Smithyman’s approach is the reserved attitude he brings to the character. He’s cruel and calculated, cautious to compromise his carefully crafted façade until it’s necessary. Physically imposing, he attracts the audience’s attention with every step but is still considerate enough to cede the stage to his scene partners when it’s their turn to show off their skills. He complements the production with his seething rage and his biting insults that leave crowds flabbergasted.

While not a character in the standard sense, the basement set almost functions like one. Designed by George Arnold and constructed by him, Glen Bittner, Art Black, Gayle Funk, Larry Scott, Jud Stewart, Rachel Wayne, and Katy Wayne, it is something to behold. Every single detail is incredible. Equally unique and eerily familiar. I’d love to crash there. Props to George Arnold and Jud Stewart, who handled, well, the props that really flesh out the scenes. Lighting by Philip Ball and stage manager Min Barlowe assist in illuminating the brilliant cast and set. Matt Leslie, Katy Wayne, and Rachel Wayne provide the necessary backstage magic that allows the show to operate as it does.

Butler Little Theatre is a great venue and theatre company that has been staging stellar productions for the better part of a century. Since its inception, it’s drawn attendees from down the street and from towns away to marvel at the majesty of live performance. A beautiful building, BLT provides a reason to venture up north for a show. Despite reservations some might have about visiting the “Birthplace of the Jeep,” Pittsburghers have no ground to be pretentious. They are doing themselves a tremendous disservice by missing out on an historic arts and cultural scene.

Downstairs continues its run March 24^th-28^th at Butler Little Theatre in Butler, PA. For more information or tickets, click here. 

By Michael Buzzelli

I’m sitting in the theater watching Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen’s [Title of Show], and I am wondering if the review can be as meta as the actual show. I think, “I can’t insert myself into the review. That goes against the journalistic AP style I grew up with,” but I decide, “Fuck it. I’m going for it.”

I write a review in three parts: I provide a teaser synopsis without spoilers. I then describe the talent involved, actors, set designers, lighting designers, musical directors, choreographers, directors, etc. Then, I close with a summary paragraph.

Let’s get started:

As I’m sitting there, watching actors playing Hunter (Jake Froelich) and Jeff (Noah Kendall) come out on stage and talk about writing a musical for the New York Musical Theater Festival. As they riff on possible ideas, they decide that this should be the show. The duo is actually using their lives to write the show as the show. It’s the George Constanza moment, “This! This should be the show!”

I get to write about how Heidi (Chelsea Davis) and Susan (Rebekah Hukill) show up and help them create the show that doesn’t have a title, until the foursome are filling out the submission form, when they have to list the title of the show. Hunter and Jeff decide that the title of the show should be [Title of Show].

Meta meets meta, and my mind is blown watching the actors dance and sing on stage. Things get crazier and crazier as they narrate their lives with scenes, songs, and dance.

This is the part where I write about the actors:

The four stars of the show are fantastic.

Froelich gives a tremendous performance as Hunter. He fully commits to the role, having to bare his soul… and his chest. The real Hunter Bell exposes some of his darker impulses, and Froelich plays the scenes with such honesty that it’s almost hard to watch when he decimates his friends during a photo shoot.

Kendall, who has been praised for his performances before at ‘Burgh Vivant (inside joke inside the show and now inside the review). It was no surprise that he nailed the role of Jeff Bowen.

Hukill is delightful as Susan. She plays the harried part-time actor who has let her day job take over her life with such sincerity.

Davis is charismatic in the role of Heidi. She has total Heidi energy (ebullient, bubbly, and a joy to watch).

Now, I come to the part where I discuss other pertinent points; things with the construction of the set by Jamie McDonald and Jamie Brunner, or the costumes by Randi Ippolito and Dana Schulte (I enjoyed seeing Kendall’s classic Justice League T-shirt, since Jeff Bowen is a comic book collector and avid Wonder Woman fan).

Travis Rigby is the musical director and the character of the musical director, Terry. There are some great sympathetic moments for the character, the fifth wheel in the story. They do a great job with a few lines, and the music is superb.

Then, I say something about the director and the choreographer. Caitlin Dobronz does a fantastic job getting the actors to immerse themselves in the roles.

I usually close with a summary of the show. This show is pure gay joy. It’s also for everyone and anyone who wants to get in touch with their creative side. Everyone who has to kill their vampires – those inner critics that try to take you down when you create anything, a play, a song, a painting, or even a theater review. This is a must-see show.

I run a check with Grammarly before posting, since I’m my own editor. If there are any mistakes, someone will let me know and I’ll fix them. Trust me, I made a major mistake in my “The Tragedy of Richard II” earlier today and the director reached out to me to get it fixed ASAP.

Case in point:  I had forgotten to credit the photography, but I have revised it.

I close with my initials, and below that, in italics, I will post the details on how to get tickets. I can’t stress this enough… get tickets!

-MB

[Title of Show] runs until March 28 at the Three Stories Theatre, 937 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information or tickets, click here. 

 

 

 

By Timothy Ruppert

Romantic intrigues, marital betrayals, and a “slightly loaded gun” figure among the innumerable twists and turns comprising Sandy Rustin’s period-comedy The Cottage, a play in which deceptions abound and secrets get revealed like Matroyshka dolls opened one after another after another. Taking place in 1920s England, this one-set, continuous-action show gives us three couples whose passions shift with the speed of an oncoming train in the London Underground. Note, though, that The Cottage is more than a map of infidelities. Beyond its musical-chairs hilarity, the play tells an important story of women’s empowerment, all the while evoking the style, milieu, and satiric wizardry of Noël Coward, particularly as we find these in plays such as Hay Fever and Fallen Angels. Accordingly, The Cottage demands intelligent interpretation and resourceful staging. The Bobcat Players prove eminently suited to this task, showing great thought and greater heart in bringing Rustin’s play so lovingly to life in a show under no circumstances to be missed.

Keith Zagorski, a talent long associated with Bobcat, sagely directs The Cottage so that the play’s high-velocity humor does not ultimately overwhelm the crucial messages at its core. The time-faithful set and beautiful costumes (credit the latter to Patti Ross) effectively place us in the English countryside of a century ago. Thus transported through time and space, we discover a cast of smart performers who know when silly is fun and when absurdity is life-changing. Even as our six characters surprise us with redirected affections, delight us with hurried defenses, and appall us with easy cruelties, we never lose the thread of what this play has to say with respect to women’s rights and power. As the well-off Beau Van Kipness, Jeff Carey nicely delivers aristocratic insouciance spiced with an Oliver Hardy-like impatience at the ever-steepening antics.

Andrew Mayle, as Beau’s brother Clarke, successfully embodies the “Baldwin conservative” whose reasonableness quietly smacks of the reactionary. Bridget Yeager sparks laughs with her Marjorie, who, seemingly moments away from going into labor, juxtaposes dour propriety and indelicate physical comedy. Kat Bowman as Dierdre brings high spirits and unflagging sincerity. As Richard, the ever-likeable Bruce Travers finds nuance and humaneness in a character purported to be a cold-blooded murderer.

At the center of this group is Sylvia Van Kipness, played with Lynn Fontanne-flourish by Erin Berger. Berger’s exceptional performance grounds the quirky whimsicality of the goings-on with a worldliness that lends gravitas to the tangled affairs pursued by this flighty collection of lovers. In effect, her Sylvia functions as both chorus and protagonist, commenting on and interpreting the romantic chaos to which she ongoingly contributes. Berger ensures that we see in Sylvia the intelligence and autonomy needed for the play’s anti-patriarchal challenge, fully revealed late in Act Two, to work. With her delightful castmates, Berger guides the play’s trajectory from fluff and farce to this moment of lasting empowerment.

With Sandy Rustin’s The Cottage, The Bobcat Players give us a vibrant, laugh-out-loud play that strikes me as a perfect way, after a fierce winter, to celebrate springtime’s return. The production is charming and clever, and I daresay Noël Coward would approve.

-TR

“The Cottage” runs until March 28 at the Ed Schaughency Theatre, Beaver Area Senior High School, 1 Gypsy Glen Road, Beaver, PA, 15009. For tickets and additional information, please visit https://www.bobcatplayers.com/tickets.

  

 

 

 

By Michael Buzzelli

“This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.” – William Shakespeare

When Henry Bolingbroke (Cameron Nickel) accuses Thomas Mowbray, the Duke of Norfolk (Bobby Tramontina), of embezzling crown funds, Richard II (Maxine Coltin) banishes the two lords from England.

Then, Bolingbroke’s father, John of Gaunt (John Reilly), dies shortly after delivering the play’s most famous speech. Since Henry is banished from the kingdom, Richard II seizes his goods and property. When the word reaches Henry, he’s enraged and decides to lead an army to overthrow the king.

His men dispatch Bushy (Jess Uhler) and Green (Katie Kerr) with haste…and an anachronistic gun (there’s also a landline in late 1390s England for some reason, hundreds of years before Alexander Graham Bell invented them). The joy of theater is that the story could be told in any era, especially since it’s a story about greed.

Coltin is a terrific Richard II. They have a regal command of the stage.

Nickel is excellent as the young Henry IV, usurper to the throne, and father to the notorious Henry V.  Nickel has the stage presence suited for the role. He has some great moments, particularly when he is told about Richard II’s death at the end of the play.

Reilly does get the best speech in the play, and he nails it.

It’s a great cast. There are a few standouts in the gigantic cast, particularly Adrien-Sophia Curry as the Duke of Aumerle and Ella Mizera as Henry “Hotspur” Percy.

Juliana King-Brooks creates beautiful costumes. She also pulls triple duty on the stage as Lord Berkely, the Earl of Salisbury, and a Groom.

King-Brooks’s costumes are stunning. Coltin’s Richard II has a sparkling kingly raiment, complete with crown and scepter.

Jonathan Heidenreich’s direction is bold and beautiful. He manages to get squeeze out every drop of humor in the text. This isn’t one of Shakespeare’s wittiest, but there are some chuckles along the way. Elena Falgione’s Duchess of York gets some beautiful moments playing “Boot, Boot, Who’s got the Boot?”  Falgione has superb comic timing.

“The Tragedy of Richard II” is ever timely. Sadly, men scheming against one another for power and privilege may never go out of fashion.

The play is rather long,  but the sharp acting will hold everyone’s attention. It’s probably not anyone’s favorite Shakespeare play. It is an excellent opportunity for completists who want to see all the Bard’s works. It’s exceptionally well done on a budget and works so well in the intimate space.

-MB

‘Richard II” runs this weekend, from March 20-22, at the Glitterbox Theater, 210 W. Eighth Street, Homestead, PA 15120. For more information, click here.

By Michael Buzzelli

“There are many ways to the Divine. I have chosen the ways of song, dance, and laughter” – Rumi.

You wouldn’t think a play about a divisive topic such as Anti-vaxxing would be filled with glorious laughter, but playwright Jonathan Spector somehow manages to make it work in his play, “Eureka Day.”

At the Eureka Day School in Berkeley, California, in 2018, a mumps outbreak among the kids sparked a war among the adults over the dos and don’ts of vaccinations.

Don (John Shepard), the school administrator, who could teach a class called, “Zen and the Art of School Board Administration,” desperately tries to maintain control of the school’s inner circle, which includes co-founder Suzanne (Daina Michelle Griffith), Meiko (Desirée Mee Jung), Eli (Max Pavel), and newcomer to the board, Carina (Jalina McClarin).

Queen Bee Suzanne is both a mom and a martinet, who hides the tight reins of control behind a genial composure.

Meiko is a single mom seeking respite from loneliness. She is desperate for affection and finds it in Eli, who claims he’s in an open relationship, though his wife would argue the finer points of their relationship.

We navigate the uncharted waters of the private school through Carina’s eyes. She is the newbie trying to assimilate and stand up for herself among the strong personalities of the group.

Things are going swimmingly until there’s a mump in the road.

The riotous “Community Activated Conversation: A livestream event,” that gives personalities to every username in the chatroom, erupts into chaos. It’s both brilliant and hilarious. Spector nails it.

While each actor gets a moment to shine, John Shepard gives a standout performance. His Don is a quirky, let ‘s-get-in-touch-with-our-feelings sort of administrator.  He is a wiser Phoebe Buffay running a Montessori School and quoting Rumi.

Griffith’s Suzanne is a passive-aggressive anti-vaxxer with strong opinions and strong emotions. Her character continually tries to rise above her swirling tornado of emotions while plastering a smile on her face.

Pavel’s character is so pent up with nervous energy, Eli is a boy in an adult body, and the character can’t help but touch every squishy prop in the room.

McClarin’s Carina is brimming with enthusiasm and joy until she realizes what she’s up against, and she has to learn to take a stand. She is delightful.

Jung’s performance is also terrific. She gets a few unhinged moments and executes them perfectly. While her actions are heightened, she never goes over the top.

Sasha Jin Schwartz makes masterful use of the space, designing the room to resemble the library in an upscale elementary school. The large windows denote day and night thanks to Xuewei (Eva) Hu on lighting design.

Spector is a master at crosstalk; the conversations are replete with unfinished thoughts and sentences, giving the actors naturalistic dialogue. It’s the Altman-esque technique that made “M*A*S*H*,” “The Player,” and “Gosford Park” hit films.

Adil Mansoor directs with verve. He gets amazing performances out of his actors. Moving them around with frenetic pace, especially in the slower sections that are filled with much-needed exposition. Mansoor, like Rumi, posits that the characters in “Eureka Day” are a universe in ecstatic motion.

The ending is the perfect punchline to accentuate the craziness of the early 2020s.

-MB

“Eureka Day” runs until March 26 at the City Theatre, 1300 Bingham Street, Pittsburgh, PA. For tickets and additional information, click here. 

By Michael Buzzelli

When Hailey (Darby Baublitz) tells her mother, Jess (Joanna Getting), about an exciting new addition to the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, the new made-up tradition upends every family on the block in Brian Knavish’s “There’s A Leprechaun Now?”

First, there was Elf on a Shelf, and there’s a leprechaun now.  The parents, Jess and her husband Mike (Nick Grosso), have to scramble to learn the details about the event since their five-year-old (Baublitz in a severe case of Dawson’s Casting) isn’t a reliable source.

Note: Dawson’s Casting is the practice of casting older actors to play younger characters, made popular by the show “Dawson’s Creek.”

Jess forms a phone tree with the other parents in Hailey’s class to get the deets.

Mike tries to get a hold of the teacher who has left on a cruise for Spring Break. He encounters Tanya (Cole Rygalski), who doles out some excellent advice from Improv 101 (“Yes…and…” it).

Soon, an inner circle is formed. Jess, Mike, neighbor Liz (Jennifer Bett), and single dad Jack (Andrew Huntley) decide to create all the rules for the spritely visitor.

Things start silly and get sillier!

Getting’s Jess is delightful. She plays a harried housewife. She has great comic timing. The actor wasn’t afraid to fully commit to the insanity of the Knavish’s story. Getting also had great chemistry with Grosso’s Mike.

Grosso plays a father willing to do anything to keep the magic alive for his little girl. Mike’s manic panic and discovery of heretofore unknown improv skills is comedy gold for Grosso, and he mines every nugget (pot o’ gold reference).

Liz is an adversarial character, but Bett reveals a softer side to her. The character is as multifaceted as a prism, and Bett plays the full rainbow.

Rygalski’s part is smaller than a leprechaun but uses all of his lucky charms. He chews up the sparse scenery with Tanya’s gigantic personality.

Huntley’s zoned-out cuckold was hilarious. Knavish wrote the character an unhinged rant, which Huntley delivers with aplomb. When Liz suggests medical marijuana, his character shifts from raving lunatic to passive snacker.

The cast includes two stagehands, Ciaran and Isobel Macik, dressed up as leprechauns. While they are silent and mostly just moving around the furniture, they add an extra layer of joy to the production.

At the end of the show, the cast Shamrock Shakes to parody lyrics, “I saw Mommy Kissing…Leprechaun” in kilts, no less. It’s a moment of pure bliss.

Director Andy Kirtland gets a lot out of his actors for a one-night performance.

The show should be performed in early March every year, like December’s “A Christmas Carol,” or “The Nutcracker.”

Side note: “The Nutcracker” is annual holiday fun. Take that, Timothee.

“There’s a Leprechaun Now?” has a fast, frenetic first act that slows down a bit in the second act, but it’s amazing that Knavish and Kirtland are able to sustain the action and comedy for as long as they did. In the end, the show is about parents doing whatever it takes to keep their children wide-eyed and innocent, and it’s a premise that is needed now more than ever. The show was magically delicious.

-MB

This one-time performance, a benefit for Throughline Theater Company, took place at the Greer Cabaret Theater. Learn more about the company and their upcoming event, the Annual Living News Festival, on their Facebook, Instagram page, or their website here.