Kate Gordon (Jaime Slavinsky), a university ethics professor, opens the play by addressing the audience as though they are students in her class. She demands one thing of her students–that they tell her only the absolute truth. She asks the provocative question, “Is your highest ethical responsibility to yourself or to other people?”
(Nietzsche versus Confucius) This thought-provoking theme weaves itself throughout the play.
Ben (Joseph Martinez) is Kate’s underemployed husband who is currently working at Best Buy after losing his former engineering job.. The couple have devised a silly game that they call “Secret Hour,” in which they reveal somewhat silly secrets about themselves. The purpose is to pledge their undying love for each other, even after they’ve shared embarrassing secrets, and feel somewhat shamed by them. Example: Ben reveals that he didn’t know that wreath was pronounced differently than reef. This exercise is a way of connecting to each other.
An automobile accident exposes some big secrets that lie between them. The exposure of these secrets has a great impact on them and upsets the previous tranquility of their marriage. The changing dynamic between them reveals more and more about their formerly unspoken deepest thoughts and desires.
From left to right: Jordan Moore, Jaime Slavinsky, Joseph Martinez, Photo credit: Pittsburgh Performance Photography
Slavinsky has a powerful stage presence. Her Kate, among other things, is an engaging, inspirational lecturer. She effectively shows a wide variety emotions through her body language and facial expressions. She runs the gamut of emotions— vulnerable, defiant, angry, regretful, loving, humorous, and hopeful, Her portrayal is genuine throughout. She delivers incredibly real monologues —her face flushes pink and her eyes well up with tears in one of them. There is stunning depth and nuance in her performance.
Martinez and Slavinsky share an intimate moment on the sofa.
Martinez portrays a lovable Ben. His quiet strength and wry humor later devolve into anger, confusion and despair– all done with complete authenticity. The love he feels for Kate is palpable. Martinez makes Ben a sympathetic character that the audience cares about deeply. He demonstrates a skillful shading of Ben’s subtleties. Well done.
Slavinsky at the white board.
Leaf (Jordan Moore) provides comic relief. He’s the handyman who came and is still there four months later. (Think of Eldin, the painter, on the television show “Murphy Brown”). Leaf is an eccentric, enigmatic man who oddly lives in a tree house. We learn that he, too, has some secrets of his own. His comedic timing and frequent jokes are delivered so well that he could give some stand up comedians a run for their money. Jordan’s portrayal of Leaf, the life coach is sweet and funny.
This deeply thought provoking script (Jenny Stafford, playwright) is layered with intricacy and filled with smart, witty, insightful dialogue. Chris Clavelli, award winning director, is a resident instructor at Ensemble Actors Studio. Kudos to him for this wonderfully directed show that uses each of the actors to their fullest.
The lovely Javo Studios in Lawrenceville is a good choice of venue– intimate, yet spacious. The beautifully designed set (Jaime Slavinsky) gives the audience the illusion that they are inside Kate and Ben’s living space.
This top rate show is not to be missed. It’s thought provoking on a deeply philosophical level as it addresses ethics, truth, authenticity and our relationships with ourselves and others. It is, entertaining, quirky, engaging and extremely funny at times.
A truly auspicious start to the Ensemble Actors Theater. They deserve congratulations on this, their debut production!
-LtTL
Ensemble Actors Theater’s “The Secret Hour,” runs through June 8 at Javo Studios, 5137 Holmes Street, Lawrenceville. For more information, click here.
Six debutantes are presented each year by the Nacirema Society to enjoy and be exposed to a world of culture, class, and privilege. In 1964 in Montgomery, Alabama the Society is celebrating its 100th anniversary. As a driving force within the Society, Grace Dubose Dunbar (Jeannine Foster-McKelvia is particularly excited about this year’s event since her granddaughter, Gracie Dunbar (Shakirah Stephens) is one of the six debutantes coming out.
Note: Nacirema spelled backwards is America!
As matriarch of a well-to-do black family in the South, Grace is aware of the civil rights movement but concentrates more on her upper-class status and her involvement in the Nacirema Society.
Not as enthusiastic as Grace or her mother, Marie Dunbar (Angelique A. Strothers), Gracie has plans of her own that do not include the traditional roles the Dunbar family has always supported. Nor is she interested in the matchmaking Grace and her friend Catherine Adams Green (Brenda Marks) are concocting to connect her romantically with Green’s grandson, Bobby Green (Nickolas Page).
Visitors to the Dunbar home prior to the big Nacirema Society event add some additional excitement (Alpha Campbell Jackson (Karla C. Payne) and her daughter Lillie Campbell Jackson (Tajionna Clinton). Reporter Janet Logan (Dominique Briggs) is also on site to write an article about the upcoming society event.
Before the evening ends and after several rounds of sherry, grievances rise to the surface.
It seems that not only is Gracie coming out but also several long-hidden family secrets are, too!
And maid Jessie Roberts (Cheryl El-Walker) is oblivious to all the drama, intent on collecting all the empty sherry glasses.
Foster-McKelvia rules! And her scepter is the ever-present handkerchief she wields in her right hand. Like Naval flags used to communicate at sea, the handkerchief’s position and movement indicate her mood and level of pleasure or displeasure. Foster-McKelvia’s comedic timing is perfect and her facial expressions and movements add to her delivery.
Marks is delightful as Grace’s best friend. Introduced as slightly “excitable”, Marks graduates to a full blown “ditz,” not quite in control as a participant in a scheme that goes awry. This accelerates her continuous need for another glass of sherry. Marks facial expressions and general movement are top notch.
Payne is believable as the passionate, working-class mom who wants only the best for her daughter. Her envy of Grace and her family’s fortune is palpable but at the same time we understand and sympathize with her.
Bubbly, enthusiastic, independent and ready to take on the world! Stephens expertly interprets her character’s youthful exuberance.
Clinton as Lillie is convincing as an intelligent and confident woman who plans to attend medical school and also maintain a romantic relationship.
This is a funny, laugh-out-loud play with a very talented cast!
The set by Herbert Newsome is detailed with contents typical of a wealthy family home. Part of the stage is elevated to handle scene changes in the home. When the scene demands a location change, the set is darkened and a table and two chairs are placed in front of the stage.
Great direction by Eileen J. Morris
“The Nacirema Society” was written by Pearl Michelle Cleage.
-CED
“The Nacirema Society” is a production of New Horizon Theater, Inc. Performances run from May 31st – June 16th in Pittsburgh Public Theater’s 3rd floor Helen Rauh Rehearsal Hall at the O’Reilly Theater. For more information, click here.
June 1st is the official start of Pride Month, and this year the LGBTAI+ celebration started off with a bang with the premiere of Monteze Freeland’s “Fishy Woo Woo.”
In Atlanta, GA, Shawn (Jason Shavers) recruits his besties, Cordero (Mils James) and Char (Cheryl Bates-White) to help him haul his stuff out of his ex’s apartment, but when a young man named Kaden (Royce Jones) shows up at the front door, the fireworks are lit.
Cordero and Char go into overdrive to protect Shawn from learning Kaden’s real identity. Lies, Alcohol and a little bit of blood is spilled.
“Fishy Woo Woo” is a farce with mistaken identity, slapstick, and slamming doors. Take one cup of “Golden Girls” a cup of “Girlfriends” a dash of “Will & Grace,” a soupcon of “Three’s Company” and stir vigorously and voila…you have the frothy “Fishy Woo Woo.”
Freeland is giving off big Susan Harris and Mara Brock Akil energy.
Sidenote: This reviewer saw a snippet “Fishy Woo Woo” during it’s incubation in 2019 and has been chomping at the bit to see the full production since.
Trust and believe, you will want to see the show – spoiler-free. What’s a Fishy Woo Woo? Two Gays, A Girl, and possibly a pizza shop, a group of closely bonded friends who breathe drama and hijinks galore.
The Fishy Woo Woo’s (from left to right): Jason Shavers, Mils James, Cheryl Bates-White and Royce Jones.
Shavers, who has already played Dorothy Zbornak (in a gender-swapped “Golden Girls”), is channeling Bea Arthur in Shawn. Jonathan is his Stan, the cheating ex. Shavers gets to emote. His character goes through all of the Kubler-Ross’s Seven Stages of Grief in the first five minutes of the show, and Shavers cycles through them effortlessly.
In a solo play, Char would be the wacky one, but here, she’s the pragmatic member of the group. Bates-White is superb portraying the off-kilter character.
James is dynamic. His character Cordero is used to the spotlight and he chews on the scenery and spits it back out. The movements are swift and broad. Every line of dialogue punctuated with a bold gesture. He puts the flame in flamboyant. His every gesture is out of the Bob Fosse playbook.
Jones’ Kaden is sweet, even when causing chaos. Kaden is completely unaware that his mere presence is stirring the pot, but he is guileless.
Each cast member gets their moment and it is, literally and figuratively, laugh out loud funny. You may LOL or even roll into the aisles laughing.
There are two unseen players in this story, Shawn’s ex, the elusive Jonathan and Shawn’s mom, Denise (Brenda Marks in voiceover). Marks even gets a few laughs in a short convo with Shawn via cellphone.
Director Lovell McFadden (an original Fishy Woo Woo alongside Freeland and distaff member Brittany) infuses with verve. He keeps the characters moving around the set constantly. The four cast members could power Pittsburgh with their kinetic energy.
“Fishy Woo Woo” is unapologetically Black and Queer and it’s about damn time for Pittsburgh.
Celebrate Pride with the cast of “Fishy Woo Woo.”
-MB
“Fishy Woo Woo” runs until June 15 at the Madison Arts Center, 3400 Milwaukee Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. For more information, click here.
Oklahoma in 1849 was still a territory, not yet a state. One can only imagine the turmoil that existed in this wild and semi-stable land.
Lawrence Ebitt (Garbie Dukes), a free black man and his wife Eula Ebitt (Robin R. McGee), still enslaved, live in Oklahoma in a relatively calm environment. People who use Lawrence’s services didn’t fight, argue or even complain. Lawrence is a coffin maker.
When bounty hunter Evan Wainwright Hollister (Randy Kovitz) descends into their world, they are thrown into situations that defy calmness and peace. Hollister just killed fugitive The Dead Man (Brandon St. Clair) and deposits his body in Lawrence’s care, demanding that the corpse be prepared for burial with a two-day deadline.
This seemingly routine demand spirals into a turbulent situation, throwing Lawrence and Eula’s world upside down.
Robin R. McGee and Garbie Dukes in THE COFFIN MAKER at Pittsburgh Public Theater.
Dukes is effective in using his facial movements (eye rolls, tilt of the head) and subtle body moves. We know exactly how and what he is feeling without any vocals. His silent deliveries are golden. When he does speak, he becomes a caring but sometimes sparring husband or a man with a plan willing to adjust to any situation.
McGee is outstanding as the religious wife who accepts her fate as an enslaved human as this is the only world she knows. McGee runs the gamut of human emotion. She is combative with Lawrence (in a loving and at times nagging way), serious when the situation warrants. Her comedic timing is spot on. She has a lovely singing voice on the few occasions when she feels the need to seek solace with song.
Robin R. McGee, Connor McCanlus, and Garbie Dukes in THE COFFIN MAKER at Pittsburgh Public Theater.
The chemistry between Dukes and McGee is palpable!
Hired to photograph a corpse, Connor McCanlus characterizes Buchannon as naïve, almost oblivious to the situation he’s in. His humor is enhanced by his physical movements and posture.
Kovitz plays a stereotypical white man of that time who without hesitation barges into Lawrence and Eula’s home and lives. He is believable as the cocky and belligerent man with a gun as his support system. He emanates weakness without the gun.
St. Clair relays emotionally, passionately and powerfully on the evils of slavery and those who support it. He compares his current situation to the heritage of his proud ancestors and his denigration as an enslaved human being. His performance is strong.
This is a wonderful play with the right balance of pathos and comic relief set in a time when slavery was prevalent in certain parts of the country. Slavery affected three of the characters in different, profound ways.
The monochromatic set design with various shades of brown and tan wood by Tony Ferrieri is striking. Subtle suggestions of color exist in the bedroom set on the second floor of the building.
Lighting Designer Latrice Lovett complements the set design through her brilliant use of lighting and shade.
Monteze Freeland does an excellent job in his directorial debut at the Public.
Kudos to Pittsburgher and playwright Mark Clayton Southers for writing such an insightful play. There is not a better way or better venue to celebrate its premiere debut than in Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh Public Theater!
-CED
“The Coffin Maker” is a production of Pittsburgh Public Theater. Performances run from May 29th – June 16th at the O’Reilly Theater. For more information, click here.
Comtra Theater was transformed into a Las Vegas style cabaret this past Friday,(May 24). Ingrid Ullrich, an international performer and Point Park dance school graduate produced and performed in “Bang Bang,” an energetic, glamorous, snazzily choreographed, musical showcase.
The choices for the musical numbers cover several decades. The eclectic variety of songs has something for everyone to enjoy. Prince, Elvis, The Weathergirls, Broadway show tunes, old classics,(Big Spender) are all part of the mix! Audience members couldn’t resist singing and clapping with many of the numbers.
Vaughn Hudspath, the emcee, has almost as many costume changes as the cast of “Greater Tuna.” His costumes are as sexy and glitzy as the women’s are. His humor adds to the overall celebratory tone of the show. He’s especially comical in the audience participation segments of the show. His Improvised comments and ad-libs are truly hilarious.
Ullrch is an amazing performer. Her dance moves are fluid, graceful, funky, and spirited, in turn. Every one of her movements demonstrates an awareness of how her entire body is moving through space. Such perfection seen in a small venue is breathtaking. Sophia Tinstman and Viviana Rocca, the other dancers are exuberant, effervescent and a delight to watch, as well.
Ingrid Ulrich’s “Bang Bang.”
Ullrich is also a well accomplished vocalist, with a melodious voice that conveys a wide range of emotion. The other vocalists, Michelle Johnson and Claire DeArmitt truly rock the house. When Johnson sings, she powerfully belts it out—- eliciting shouted encouragement and enthusiastic vocal approval from the audience! DeArmitt has impressive vocal skills and a powerful stage presence coupled with real charisma.
All of the colorful costumes are gorgeous! Adorned with sequins, glitter, and beaded fringe that whirls right along with the dancers.
It was announced that this spectacular show is soon to be performed on Carnival Cruise Line ships. I’m certain that the passengers will be delighted to see these lively, explosive performers and they’ll agree that this production truly lives up to its name!
-Lonnie the Theatre Lady
For more information about upcoming events at Comtra Theatre, click here.
Matthew Morrison came to Pittsburgh to play, sing, and entertain!
Indeed, he did on Monday, May 20th.
Morrison is a multi-talented actor and singer, nominated for Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe awards (just to name several).
A few of his many television appearances include “The Good Wife,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Glee.”
With his pianist, Brad Ellis (both “Glee” alumni), Morrison regaled the audience with a multitude of vocals from an eclectic mix of songs. Included were “On the Street Where You Live” from “My Fair Lady”, “Rocket Man” by Elton John, “The Music of the Night” from “Phantom of the Opera”.
Note: Ellis has been Morrison’s music director for most of his shows world-wide.
Matthew Morrison
Especially moving were Morrison’s renditions of “Send in the Clowns” from “A Little Night Music” and “Smile” written by Charlie Chaplin.
He accompanied some of his songs playing a ukulele.
Morrison had a genuine and immediate rapport with the audience, engaging them throughout his performance. They were so comfortable with his interaction that it was not unusual to hear a friendly shout out occasionally from a member of the audience, indicating their support.
His talk often centered on how he got started in the business, some of the projects he’s been involved in, plans for the future. His main topic centered on his wife, Renee Puente and their two children. Renee accompanied him to Pittsburgh and Morrison brought her on stage. Puente is a wonderful singer and the couple sang several songs together. It was delightful to watch them and marvel at their talent.
Morrison was called back to the stage for an encore and with the audience’s suggestion, he went through a litany of songs from “Hairspray.”
What a wonderful evening with a great talent!
-CED
“Matthew Morrison” is the last production of the Trust Cabaret Series for the 2023-2024 season. Check out the wonderful lineup for the 2024-2025 at Trustarts.org. For more information about other upcoming events, click here.
Billie Holiday, famous jazz and swing singer/songwriter was born as Eleanora Fagan. She had a problematic childhood, grew up poor, was forced to work at a very young age. A major relief that helped allay this troubled environment was her exposure to black entertainers like Louis Lanie Robertson’s musical play tells Billie Holiday’s (Gabrielle Lee) life story. Based on stories about the famous icon and the selection of some of the songs she made famous, we have a perspective of the turbulent life she led. This musical play was based on one of Holiday’s last performances before her early death.
Note: Longtime musical partner, Lester Young, gave Holiday the nickname Lady Day.
Lee shines as Holiday. She has total command of the stage. Interspersed with the songs is the verbal walkthrough of Holiday’s life from her turbulent childhood to encounters with racism to drug and alcohol abuse. Lee subtly develops the transition in her character from a singer with a bit too much to drink to a totally intoxicated woman as she continues her life story.
Lee’s performance is anything but static. She often interacts directly with the audience, coming down from the stage, talking to them, pulling them into her world.
Billie Holiday (Gabrielle Lee) wows the crowd.
Her excellent acting is complimented by a beautiful singing voice. What a delight to hear her renditions of songs like “When a Woman Loves a Man”, “Somebody’s on My Mind” and “God Bless the Child” (a song she wrote for her mother) and “T’ain’t Nobody’s Business if I Do,” Lee’s delivery of “Strange Fruit” was especially poignant.
Kenney Green-Tilford plays Jimmy Powers, Holiday’s pianist and longtime confidant. Green-Tilford is also the musical conductor for this production.
Bow Wow to Scrappy Mason making his on-stage debut as Holiday’s canine companion, Pepi!
“Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grille” is a fantastic start to Pittsburgh CLO’s 78th season.
Musical play by Lanie Robertson.
Scenic Designer Holly M. Fleischer captures the essence of a well-worn nightclub with a massive brick wall as the backdrop. The use of minimal physical props allows the attention to rest solely on Lee.
Great job by Director Tomé Cousin.
-CED
“Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill” is a production of the Pittsburgh CLO. Performances run from May 17th – June 30th at the Greer Cabaret Theater. For more information, click here.
[Please note the following from Pittsburgh CLO: Gabrielle Lee will perform the role of Billie Holiday for all performances May 17th-31st and then starting on June 1st through June 30th, she will share the role with Ayana Del Valle. Beginning on June 1st, Ayana Del Valle will perform the role of Billie Holiday on Wednesday evenings and Saturday Matinees while Gabrielle Lee will continue to perform all other performances]
In 1983, a musical revue (with some comedic sketches) premiered under the name, “A… My Name is Alice.” The title was taken by the ABC game/rhyme, frequently sung on playgrounds across America. Now, Joan Micklin Silver and Julianne Boyd are back with “A…My Name is Still Alice,” a sequel of sorts…i.e. another musical revue (with some comedic sketches).
Side note: There is a follow-up called, “My Name Will Always Be Alice,” which is a combination of the two previous revues.
Five actors, Natalie Hatcher, Kristiann Menotiades, Delilah Picart, Saige Smith and Becki Toth play various roles (the two understudies Michaela Isenberg and Maya Fullard show up in the grand finale).
The mood and theme shift with each song, from laugh-out-loud funny to melancholy and back again.
While there’s no plot. There is a point. It’s a poignant and humorous look at women’s roles in the 90s. One scathing sketch has Toth playing a doctor who treats a problem men might have with the condescension and flippancy a male doctor would treat a genealogical illness. It’s hilarious and brilliant, and Toth ekes out every scrap of humor in her portrayal.
Cast from left to right: Becki Toth, Saige Smith, Kristiann Menotiades, Natalie Hatcher, Delilah Picart. Photo Credit: Deana Muro
The five stars of the show are amazing.
The aforementioned Toth shines in every role. Her comedic timing is flawless, and her singing is noteworthy.
Smith is charismatic and charming, lighting up the stage every time she trods the boards. There is a powerful moment where Smith and Toth play mother and daughter facing a crisis in the song, “What Did I Do Right,” that is particularly moving.
Menotiades shines in “A Lovely Little Life.”
Hatcher is another gifted comedic actor who is an accomplished singer. While she is delightful in every scene, she brings the house down in the finale like a Broadway Belter.
Picart is delightfully madcap, especially in a song called, “Sensitive New Age Men” where she pulls Doug Levine and the band into the action.
Levine and company, Paul Thompson and Lindsey Lamagna are fantastic musicians who work tirelessly throughout the show.
Nancy McNulty McGeever makes her directorial debut with Front Porch Theatricals. She does an amazing job, putting her actors everywhere on the stage, utilizing every inch of the scenery.
“A…My Name is Still Alice” is giving off a distinct 90s vibe. Jonmichael Bohach’s scenic design is Glendale Galeria meets “Saved By the Bell,” complete with turquoise and purple swirl found on cineplex soda cups, t-shirts and whatnot (Google Designer Gina Ekiss of the Sweetheart/Solo Cup company if you want to spiral down a bizarre 90s-themed rabbit hole).
While some of the show is unnecessarily prop heavy, there is brilliant moment in the song, “Wheels,” where Smith pulls a cloth headband from her hair and uses it to simulate handlebars on a bicycle. McGeever and choreographer Ashley Harmon infuse the scene joyous abandon, and Smith plays it with childlike exuberance.
The show is PG-13. The one F-bomb was mimed silently on opening night, but the case can be made for bringing your children to see this show. In a world where ‘Roe v. Wade’ is being repealed, and football players are giving reprehensible graduation speeches about keeping women barefoot and pregnant, “A…My Name is Still Alice” might be the elixir we need.
-MB
“A…My Name is Still Alice” runs from May 17 to May 26 at the New Hazlett Theatre, 6 Allegheny Square East, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. For more information, click here.
When Helen Clay Frick was a young girl living in Pittsburgh, her father, Henry Clay Frick, the famed (for better or for worse) industrialist who founded a local coke manufacturing company, H.C. Frick & Company, and chaired much of the region’s steel manufacturing business that eventually developed into the U.S. Steel conglomerate, asked Helen what she wanted as a gift to celebrate her becoming a debutante, to formally introduce herself into society, she requested that her father make a land donation to the City of Pittsburgh, which would eventually become a public park, better known today as Frick Park. Years later, long after her father passed away, Helen commissioned the building of an art museum next to this park where she kept her vast and personal art collection. This art museum is The Frick Art Museum at The Frick Pittsburgh.
Prior to founding her own art museum, Helen oversaw the establishment of Henry’s personal art collection, who bequeathed his Fifth Avenue mansion in New York City and numerous Renaissance artworks and other early 20th-century European masterpieces to the public, forming The Frick Collection. This year, The Frick Collection is closed while it undergoes its first comprehensive upgrade since the 1930s, allowing for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Henry and Helen’s art collections to conjoin for the first time ever under one roof at The Frick Art Museum in Pittsburgh from now until July 14, 2024.
The banner outside the Frick.
The exhibit entitled, “Vermeer, Monet, Rembrandt: Forging the Frick Collections in Pittsburgh & New York,” is only on view for a limited time, but is a must-see, more than once if you can, because in the words of The Frick Pittsburgh’s Executive Director, Elizabeth E. Barker, “[I]t’s a project unlikely ever to be repeated.” Why? The Frick Collection’s Curator, Aimee Ng, explains, “During this exceptional period in The Frick Collection’s history—as we renovate the historic Frick house in Manhattan…[we have been able] to share our collection,” which is rarely done under normal conditions because these artworks are rarely, if ever, loaned to other museums.
A view of the gallery.
Thus, fortuitous is the timing, as the title of the exhibit suggests, the exhibition showcases more than 60 works of art from the collections of both The Frick Collection (Henry’s art collection) and The Frick Pittsburgh (Helen’s art collection), including works by Monet, Degas, Whistler, and El Greco. Other paintings featured from the collections include: Rembrandt’s iconic 1658 Self-Portrait, Sassetta’s The Virgin of Humility Crowned by Two Angels, Ingres’s Comtesse d’Haussonville, Titian’s Man in a Red Cap, Frans Hals’s Portrait of a Man, Jean-François Millet’s Woman Sewing by Lamplight.
The piece that steals the show and the attention of its audience, is Johannes Vermeer’s Girl Interrupted at Her Music, which is one of only 36 known works by this artist. This was the first painting of Vermeer’s that Henry acquired during his lifetime. He later acquired two others, Officer and Laughing Girl and Mistress and Maid, owning a sizeable fraction, one-twelfth, of all the Vermeer’s in the world. In 1936, after Henry passed away and Helen took over his collection, The Frick Collection had an opportunity to purchase a fourth Vermeer, but Helen declined. She felt three would suffice.
During Henry’s lifetime, Vermeer’s Girl Interrupted at Her Music hung at the Frick family home in Pittsburgh, called Clayton, which is where Helen grew up with her mother and older brother, Childs, and which she eventually inherited and preserved along with the property at The Frick Pittsburgh. Girl Interrupted at Her Music returning to Pittsburgh is somewhat of a full-circle moment after being featured just last year in the Rijksmuseum’s sold-out landmark Vermeer retrospective in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
While the exhibition is as much about the world-class acclaim of the art, it is every bit as connected to the Frick family. An endearing part of the exhibition is a painting titled House and Piers by none other than Childs Frick, Henry’s son and Helen’s older brother, which like the Vermeer, hung in the halls at Clayton.
One of Van Meer’s paintings.
The exhibition is also more than the museum. The Frick Pittsburgh’s Director of Learning & Visitor Experience, Amanda Gillen, developed interactive programs that complement the art with curators’ conversations, concerts featuring French Impressionist and Dutch Baroque music with Pittsburgh’s Symphony Orchestra and Daphne Alderson, guided evening exhibition tours, a day-long symposium, and multiple full-day programs at Clayton, Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark, and West Overton Village in Westmoreland County. According to Amanda Gillen, “Our art museum is her art museum. Helen spent her life caring for her family’s possessions and works of art as well as furnishing her father’s legacy. She was instrumental in a quiet background kind of way, but this exhibition is bringing Helen to the forefront.”
However, unlike Helen’s response to acquiring an additional Vermeer, visiting this exhibition just three times will not suffice, it is one to see over and over and over again. Once more, “Vermeer, Monet, Rembrandt: Forging the Frick Collections in Pittsburgh & New York,” is on display at The Frick Pittsburgh from now until July 14, 2024. For more information and to secure tickets to the exhibition and its other programs, visit https://www.thefrickpittsburgh.org/.
The second production in Little Lake Theatre Company’s 76th season is Wait Until Dark – the 2013 Jeffrey Hatcher adaptation of Frederick Knott’s 1966 play. Knott’s original play was also adapted as a 1967 film starring Audrey Hepburn, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
This suspenseful thriller traces a coordinated home invasion against a blind woman named Susan Hendrix (Kerry McGrath). The criminals seek to regain a drug-filled doll that, unbeknownst to him, was slipped into her husband Sam’s briefcase for safe transit. Much like her cinematic predecessor, McGrath also serves up an award-worthy performance under the capable, guiding hand of director Sunny Disney Fitchett. Fitchett is a local legend, particularly in the hallowed barn of Little Lake where she served as artistic director for 23 years.
McGrath is utterly convincing as a blind woman, and Fitchett provides flawless direction. When descending the couple of stairs into her garden-level apartment, McGrath unfailingly reaches out, anxiously grasping for physical contact with the railing. As Susan, she never makes direct eye contact, looking towards others as they speak, but never at them. Reading faces and eyes instinctually helps decode communication, so it’s a testimony to both Fitchett and McGrath that she never deviates to a direct gaze.
Any flaws belong to Hatcher’s adaptation. At one point, Susan opens a closet door, and a heavy item is temporarily hanging on the back of the door. Susan notes her “other senses work overtime” since she became blind 18 months prior, so it seems unlikely she wouldn’t haven’t noticed a substantive weight difference when swinging open the door.
Photo: Kerry McGrath by Hawk Photographic and Multimedia LLC.
Vivian McGregor plays Gloria, an upstairs neighbor girl and helper to Susan. The Hendrix apartment clearly provides refuge from what we discern is a troubled home life. Gloria comes and goes at will, and Susan and Gloria emulate a feisty mother/daughter relationship. McGregor captures the seesawing emotional valence of adolescence. Gloria yearns to be older, whining “I’m not a kid,” yet also stamps around and throws silverware on the floor, demonstrating she’s more child than adult. Costume designer Sarah Boice visually reinforces Gloria’s childhood status with a long plaid-printed dress underlaid with a white, Peter Pan collared shirt, solidly anchoring Gloria in the dim trappings of childhood.
Sound designer Laura Thurman opens the play with eerie, ethereal instrumentals and fierce violins that immediately conjure the shower scene in Hitchcock’s Psycho and signify a world set wrong. This sound cue is actualized when two criminals sequentially break into the Hendrix apartment.
The first one, Carlino (Jim Kiley), immediately establishes himself as a sloppy criminal; he’s not even wearing gloves. His examination of the apartment blends the strategic (hiding a knife) with the base (helping himself to leftovers in the fridge). Costume designer Sarah Boice visually supports his disheveled lack of attention to detail as one hem of his button down shirt is perpetually untucked.
When Carlino calls out he’s a cop to the second entrant, Roat (Patrick Daniel) immediately calls his bluff because Carlino didn’t pull a gun. It’s a nuance that brings to mind the saying you can’t con a con man.
Roat’s more discerning nature is evidenced by his gun statement and glove wearing and establishes him as the de facto leader. He also lacks self-awareness as he unironically asserts, “I cannot operate in an atmosphere of mistrust” after Carlino fails to disclose the brass knuckles he’s carrying.
However, the two men collaborate and think they can con Susan, seeing her blindness as a weakness to exploit. With the recent rise in popularity of psychological thrillers, this revival of Wait Until Dark is timely. But just when we think we have it figured out, the ground shifts yet again, plunging us all into darkness.
Wait Until Dark runs through May 26, 2024 at Little Lake Theatre Company in Canonsburg, PA. Purchase tickets online at here.
