Category: The Shaker

By Claire DeMarco, ‘Burgh Vivant

From the fictional WBRC Studios in downtown Pittsburgh comes “Holiday Spectacular.” Bricolage’s eighth season of Midnight Radio.

Kudos to performers Julianne Avolio, Brett Goodnack, Wali Jamal, Amy Landis and Jason McCune who are back again as participants.  They are sharp, quick, funny, talented actors in this radio-format series.

This ensemble performs seamlessly, almost effortlessly — transitioning from one character to another, developing different accents and ages, creating different sound effects with ordinary props as they guide us through an evening of fun and satire – all with a Christmas theme.  They are a well-balanced team with no weak links in the group.

The stage is set as a radio studio with all the paraphernalia one expects in that environment – large radio microphones, props essential for sound effects, an Applause Sign, an On Air sign.  The audience, at times, is reminded to participate and applaud when the Applause Sign blinks furiously.

If you close your eyes and listen to the dialogue and accompanying sound effects, you could imagine how original radio shows back in the 1940’s captivated, enticed and grabbed the attention of an audience not yet familiar with television.

Writers for “Holiday Spectacular” are Matt Henderson, Tessa Karel and Gayle Pazerski.  Henderson’s “Frightmere Ahead of Christmas:  An Off Brand Parody:” features Josh Skelebans (a Halloween character) trying to come to terms with a transition to Christmas.  Tessa Karel’s “Homestead Alone” is a parody of the movie “Home Alone”, with Pittsburgh references and characters.

Spoiler and alliteration Alert:  Pittsburgh Potty Plays Prominent Part in this Production.

Interspersed among the skits are Gayle Pazerski’s fake breaking news segments, among them “Danny the fourth Wiseman” and “The gift of the Magi couple” and hilarious radio show commercials written by Bricolage producing artistic director Tami Dixon.

Note: the musical performers vary at each performance.

Midnight Radio’s “Holiday Spectacular” is fun and family-oriented and a great way to welcome in the season.

Midnight Radio’s “Holiday Spectacular” runs through December 17 at 937 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.  For information and additional details, click here.

-CD

 

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

The Shakespearean aphorism that “brevity is the soul of wit” holds true as contemporary playwright Patrick Marber take on Ivan Turgenev’s “A Month in the Country.” Marber shortens the visit and the length of the play in his re-imagined version, “Three Days in the Country.”

The production is two hours shorter than its original Russian counterpart, it’s still dense on plot.

Natalya (Nike Doukas), a restless woman, grows tired of her very tiresome husband, Arkady (David Whalen), and eyes the new tutor, Belyaev (Adam Haas Hunter). Meanwhile, Arkady’s best friend, Rakitin (Leo Marks), longs for Natalya. A local doctor, Shpigelsky (Sam Tsoutsouvas), is conspiring with a rich neighbor, Bolshintsov (Larry John Meyers) to win the hand of the fair Vera (Katie Weiland), Natalya’s young ward.

The doctor has his sights on Lizaveta (Helena Ruoti), but Lizaveta spends most of her time in the company of Arkady’s mother (Susie McGregor-Laine), the German tutor (David Crawford) and her not-so-secret box of snuff.

There’s yet another storyline; the maid, Katya (Erika Strasburg), is breaking off her engagement to Matvey (Andrew William Miller), because she is also in love with Belyaev. Actually, Belyaev is very, very popular. He kisses a lot of ladies.

William Shakespeare also wrote, “The course of true love never did run smooth,” but in “Three Days in the Country,” the ride is especially bumpy.

There is a big basket of unrequited love in this countryside abode. The story is filled with heartbreak and sadness, but it’s still unbelievably witty. It’s easy to laugh at the misfortunes of these tortured souls because their pain is so recognizable. Everyone has once stood in their shoes.

Rakitin’s love for Natalya is particularly tragic. He muses, “To dream in flickering glimpses of legs and eyes and mouth – to remember each day — one kiss of seven years ago.”

Marber (and Turgenev) bring out the uglier side of love, hold it up and snarl at it.

Director Andrew Paul brings an incredible cast to the New Hazlett stage. He brings back the young Will Sendera (“The Giver”) and surrounds him with a plethora of talented actors.

Doukas is luminescent as Natalya. She dazzles and charms even while planning secret rendezvous with the hired help. She commands Narelle Sissons’ sparse stage in gloriously appointed gowns created by Kim Brown.

Russian dressing on the side: All of Brown’s costumes are detailed masterpieces. Weiland is stunning in yellow dress in the first act.  Doukas’ final cocktail dress with long, flowing train is a work of art.

But the cast is the reason for the show. They are each spectacular in their own way. There’s a lot of them, but the stage never feels overcrowded. The disparate plot lines and character arcs could have gotten easily muddled in the hands of lesser actors, but this group shines brilliantly.

Hunter smolders as the young, handsome tutor. Whalen plays a bombastic bully with a soft side. Crawford amuses with small but perfect moments. Crawford has a moment where he mournfully gazes into an empty glass that produces giggle fits from the audience.

Tsoutsovas is delightful as the scheming doctor. In the second act,  Tsoutsovas’ Shpigelsky proposes to Ruoti’s Lizaveta. It’s hilarious, sharp and cutting scene; a ballet of words, that verbally pivots and pliés in circles. The scene is worth the price of admission.

But it is Marks’ tortured Rakitin who is the center of the play. His pain is heartfelt and genuine, but he gets some of the wittiest lines.

Paul’s direction is taut and…well…kinetic. Actors dart about the stage, performing to all four invisible walls (it is performed theater in the round style).

Spend two and a half hours in the “Country.” It’s an enjoyable excursion.

– MB

“Three Days in the Country” runs until December 4 at the New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. For more information, click here.

 

 

 

 

Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

At first glance, Walter “Pops” Washington (Eugene Lee) seems like an affable, uncomplicated man, but there’s a lot more bubbling beneath the surface with Pops and his new roommates in “Between Riverside and Crazy.”

Pops lived alone for a short time after his wife’s death. Now, he lives with his son, Junior (Bryant Bentley), Junior’s girlfriend, Lulu (Christina Nieves), and two strays they picked up, Oswaldo (Alejandro Hernandez) and a dog (unseen and mostly unheard).

Junior seems like a square-jawed hero, Lulu seems like a ditzy slut and Oswaldo seems like the most put-together of the bunch, but in “Between Riverside and Crazy” nothing is how it seems. Lulu even remarks about her scantily clad appearance, “I may look how I look, but that don’t mean I am how I look.” It’s a bold statement that rings true for everyone in “Crazy.”

Pops has a knapsack full of problems; his wife has recently passed, his health is declining and he’s been trying to sue the New York Police Department. It doesn’t stop him from eating pie for breakfast.

His old partner Audrey (Dawn McGee) and her finance Lieutenant Caro (Drew Stone) come by for dinner, but they have a several ulterior motives. Audrey wants Pops to walk her down the aisle, but Caro is there for his own reasons.

A series of unfortunate incidents events occur that would shock Lemony Snicket himself, including an incident with a Church Lady (Karina Arroyave) that would make Dana Carvey wince.

The play, written by Stephen Adly Guirgis (“Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train,” “Motherf**ker with a Hat”), won a 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Lee is the perfect Pops. He is mesmerizing, charismatic and charming. Even when he’s being ornery and feisty, Pops comes across as lovable. When his past misdeeds are mentioned (and there are many), you still want to give the guy a hug and say, “What’s done is done.”

His scenes with McGee sparkle. You can almost feel the love between them. Their friendship feels genuine, even as it spirals down the toilet.

Hernandez gets to stretch a variety of acting muscles. He’s another charming character with a deep, dark side.

Arroyave plays another very complicated woman. She shines in her brief scenes.

Nieves and Bentley aptly play their roles. It’s almost a perfect cast. 

Guirgis shows us the best of humanity and the worst of it, wrapped up in the same person. Each character is like a Little Debbie Snack Cake, delicious but not very good for you.

The set, designed by Michael Schweikardt, spins like a rotisserie chicken, revealing a beautifully rendered and overly spacious (it’s a plot point) Manhattan apartment with rich colors and bold textures.

Director Pamela Berlin keeps everything spinning as well. Kudos to her, the Public and McCorkle Casting for bringing Eugene Lee back to the Pittsburgh Stage (he was here for “How I Learned What I Learned”). 

“Between Riverside and Crazy” is a daring choice for the Public. It’s as different from “The Fantasticks” as you can get. It stirred a few patrons to leave at intermission, but if you can get past a little (actually a lot) of foul language, it’s a lovely treatise on truth, justice and the other American way…greed. 

– MB

“Between Riverside and Crazy” runs through December 11 at the Pittsburgh Public Theater’s O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here.

 

PITTSBURGH, PA – 12 Peers Theater announces their sixth season featuring the continuing Modern Myths Podcast; Will Eno’s Thom Pain (based on nothing); Anne Washburn’s Mr. Burns, a post-electric play; a benefit performance of Nassim Soleimanpour’s White Rabbit, Red Rabbit; and Mythburgh, a new site-specific performance series. 

“12 Peers Theater’s 2017 Season focuses on building myth from the ground up” says 12 Peers Theater Artistic Director, Vince Ventura.  “This season is about exploring myth at the individual, local, national, and cultural levels, both through live performance and through digital storytelling.  Through The Modern Myths Podcast we will continue to highlight playwrights as we bring myths from all around the country to our audiences on demand.  In Mythburgh, we ask our audiences to tell us their experiences, and we spin myths based on the stories that make Pittsburgh unique.  Thom Pain (based on nothing) is an extremely private and individual, but entirely universal myth.  Lastly, Mr. Burns, a post-electric play shows how even pop culture myths can change over time to suit the needs of its audience.”

12 PEERS THEATER 2017 SEASON

 

MYTHBURGH

Throughout 2017

Locations and Dates TBA

 Telling the stories that make Pittsburgh unique, online and in person.

MYTHBURGH finds myth and inspiration in the creepy, epic, weird, and truly Pittsburgh stories, told by Pittsburghers and adapted by local playwrights into short plays and digital content.  Featuring a recurring cast of characters with their own online lives and a site-specific location, Mythburgh will push the limits of live theatre and engage audiences online and in person.

 

THE MODERN MYTHS PODCAST

Throughout 2017

Available at www.12peerstheater.org and on iTunes

 Live play readings on demand.

 12 Peers Theater continues its groundbreaking year-round podcast featuring readings of mythic new plays and exclusive interviews with the playwrights.  The Modern Myths Podcast brings live theatre to you on demand and features some of the most exciting playwrights from across the country.

 

THOM PAIN (BASED ON NOTHING)

By Will Eno

Directed by Vince Ventura

Featuring Matt Henderson

June 1 – 18, 2017

The University of Pittsburgh Studio Theatre

A moving solo show and Pulitzer Prize Finalist.

He’s just like you, except worse. He is trying to save his life, to save your life—in that order. In his quest for salvation, he’ll stop at nothing, be distracted by nothing, except maybe a piece of lint, or the woman in the second row. Thom Pain (based on nothing) is one man’s attempt to mythologize the loss of innocence we all experience when we shift, sometimes in a single moment, from child to adult.

MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY

By Anne Washburn

Directed by Vince Ventura

August 3 – 20, 2017

The University of Pittsburgh Studio Theatre

A “pop culture comedy” in post-apocalyptic America.

After the collapse of civilization, a group of survivors share a campfire and begin to piece together the plot of “The Simpsons” episode “Cape Feare” entirely from memory. 7 years later, this and other snippets of pop culture (sitcom plots, commercials, jingles, and pop songs) have become the live entertainment of a post-apocalyptic society, sincerely trying to hold onto its past. 75 years later, these are the myths and legends from which new forms of performance are created.  Mr. Burns, a post-electric play turns an eye to the communal creation of myth by exploring a post-apocalyptic landscape where yesterday’s pop culture (an episode of “The Simpsons” pieced together entirely from memory) is rehashed as a myth of perseverance.

 

SPECIAL BENEFIT PERFORMANCE

WHITE RABBIT, RED RABBIT

March 27, 2017

Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre

Last year’s hit production by experimental playwright Nassim Soleimanpour.

Imagine being 29 years old and unable to leave your country. Iranian Nassim Soleimanpour is a conscientious objector who refused to take part in military service, mandatory for all Iranian men. Soleimanpour turned his isolation to his advantage with a wild, utterly original play, an absurdist adventure that blends comedy and drama. In White Rabbit, Red Rabbit, he distills the experience of an entire generation born amid the hardship of the Iran-Iraq war—computer-literate, well-informed young people who have never known an Iran other than the Islamic Republic.

With no director, no set, and a different guest performer each night, this play is performed by distinct local actors reading a script they see for the first time as they step onstage in front of a live audience. Using a menagerie of allegorical animals, the play is “not about Iran,” but grapples with the social phenomena of power, obedience, and manipulation.

 

TICKETS

 Season Passes: $30 (including THOM PAIN (BASED ON NOTHING) and MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY)

Flex Passes: $30 (including two ticket vouchers to be used at any 2017 main stage performance) 

Single Tickets range from Name Your Own Price to $20 and go on sale December 1, 2016.

MYTHBURGH tickets are always Name Your Own Price

THE MODERN MYTHS PODCAST is available for free at www.12peerstheater.org or on iTunes

WHITE RABBIT, RED RABBIT Benefit Performance tickets are $25 

All Sunday and Monday performances in the 2017 main stage season are Name Your Own Price.  

Season Passes, Flex Passes, Single Tickets, or Reservations for Name Your Own Price performances can be made by calling 412.626.6784 or online at www.12peerstheater.org starting December 1, 2017

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Founded in 2011, and taking their name from the Twelve Peers of Charlemagne, 12 Peers Theater is a 501(c)(3) organization operating in the Greater Pittsburgh Area.  12 Peers Theater’s mission is to provide challenging and engaging theater through contemporary works exploring myth and cultural identity.

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

Midnight Radio returns for its eighth season with “Night of the Living Dead N’at,” a very Pittsburgh take on a very Pittsburgh movie. Like all Midnight Radio shows, the performers are actors and Foley artists, each playing several different characters and making sound effects.

Each Midnight Radio show tells a familiar story with a twist. “Night of the Living Dead N’at” is a spooky, yet humorous take on the nearly fifty-year old film, “Night of the Living Dead,” with scenes from the movie played on a big screen behind the actors. Take “Mystery Science Theater 3000” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and blend vigorously.  The show is peppers in some quintessential Midnight Radio bits, including parody commercials, Mad Libs and some audience participation.  There is even a musical guest. On opening night, Cello Fury, comprised of Simon Cummings, Ben Munoz and Nicole Myers, performed.

Actors (or, if you prefer, vocal artists) Jason McCune, Sheila McKenna, Wali Jamal, Sean Sears play a variety of characters. Barbara (McKenna) and Jonathan (Sears) are visiting their father’s grave when they are mysteriously attacked by an old dude shuffling around in his Sunday best. Barbara escapes and holes up in an allegedly abandoned home. She meets Ben (Jamal) who begins boarding up the house. Soon, they discover that there are survivors hiding in the basement.  Barbara never recovers from losing her brother to the horde or monsters.

As the living dead descend on the farmhouse, tensions rise inside. Harry (McCune), one of the basement dwellers, is so paralyzed with fear he becomes disruptive, combative and almost gets the whole gang killed.  In the film, Harry has a particularly long and dragged out death scene, where he is supposed to fall down the stairs, but he stumbles carefully to the bottom after being shot. McCune milks the scene for extra laughs. It’s hilarious to watch it play out on screen and listen to McCune fill in the details.

The whole cast is “spook-tacular.”  McCune, McKenna, Jamal and Sears are all vocal acrobats. McKenna does a fabulous Yinzer accent.  At one point, Sears plays a deputy sheriff who sounds exactly like Norville “Shaggy” Rogers from Scooby-Doo.  Zoinks!

Tami Dixon, who adapted and directed “Night of the Living Dead N’at,” excels at mining the original film for laughs. She pokes fun at all the holes in the plot and paves over a bunch with additional jokes. It’s not just a silly farce. Dixon’s wit is sly and her tongue is firmly planted in her cheek, but “Night” has brains (you may groan here).

The show is well-paced with an interactive intermission, where two members of the audience play a Halloween themed version of “Family Feud.”

Music Director Deana Muro and Stage Manager Wendy Vandergrift keep things moving.

It shouldn’t be a spoiler, but if you haven’t seen the iconic Pittsburgh film, skip this paragraph:

The movie ends on a particularly sour note.  It’s fine for the film, but doesn’t work well for this version of the radio play. After an evening of side-splitting humor, Ben’s death is a bummer of an ending.  There’s even a moment to make a bold, political statement. Nearly fifty years ago, this movie ends with a black man getting shot by the police. It seems just as socially relevant today. The final moment seems wasted in some way. Maybe it was intentional. After laughing about death and destruction, a moment of reflection might be required.

Spoiler free version resumes here:

This show is highly recommended, especially for your friendly neighborhood horror fanatics. It’s the perfect show for the season. Yin’zer in for a rill treat.

– MB

“Night of the Living Dead N’at” runs from October 27 till November 12 at the Bricolage, 937 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here.

 

 

by Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

Two one-man-shows join together in one bizarre night. “Diary of a Madman” and “Poe’s Last Night” are two separate plays are about each man descending into madness.

Part I:

David Crawford portrays Edgar Allan Poe in “Poe’s Last Night.”  The action takes place on an evening in 1849, days before his death.  Poe is dazed and wandering around the streets of Baltimore. He believes he is being pursued by mysterious assailants. His mind wanders. While Poe tries to ascertain the identities of his alleged attackers, he reminisces about his work, reciting “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “The Raven.”

Poe also recounts important details about his life, and we gain insight into the mind of the American author.

The play is at its best when Crawford recites Poe’s work. The biographical parts drag a bit, but Crawford keeps things moving with the perceived threat of the attackers possibly returning to finish Poe off.

Crawford has been performing, “Poe’s Last Night” for some time. He has received countless accolades for his rendition of the horror writer.  He delivers another stellar performance here. The actor also wrote “Poe’s Last Night.”

The show is done with minimal props, a bench, a walking stick and a dark, barren stage. It didn’t need anything else.

To watch ‘Burgh Vivant’s interview with David Crawford, click here.

Part II

After a brief intermission, the stage is set for the second one man show; Russian author Nikolai Gogol’s “Diary of a Madman” performed by Jon Hayden. The show is about Poprishchin, a clerk who is in love with the Director’s daughter, a woman far above his station.  It’s told in the style of a Diary, each entry starts with a date…um…sort of.  At first, those dates fall into chronological order and then things get wacky.

At one point, he believes the young woman’s dog is conspiring against him. Oddly, it gets even stranger from there. He starts to fancy himself as the King of Spain for no real reason, other than it’s a symptom of what would be called a nervous breakdown in today’s vernacular.

It has a compelling beginning, but, like the character himself, it descends quickly into madness. It’s also about twenty minutes too long.

The show is not easy to watch. It’s a lot like watching a homeless man on the corner rant and rave, luckily there’s no smell of body odor and urine. That said; Hayden attacks the character with verve. He’s all in.  It’s a fantastic performance.

The set was also beautifully decorated with items that look like they were plucked from 1825.

“Diary of a Mad Man” wasn’t my cup of tea, but it’s strong and bold like a good mugful should be. It dares to be different, and might just tickle your fancy. Besides, you get two shows for the price of one.

– MB

“Poe’s Last Night” and “Diary of a Madman” runs till October 16th at the New Hazlett, 6 Allegheny Square East, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. For tickets, click here.