'Burgh Vivant

by Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant. 

 

On the preview performance of July 10th: 

The end is the beginning in Marina Carr’s “Woman and Scarecrow,” as an unnamed woman (Nike Doukas known simply as Woman) lay dying. The only companion on her journey to the other realm is Scarecrow (Karen Baum), a creature who is invisible to the Woman’s unfaithful husband, Him (James FitzGerald) or her hardened Auntie Ah (Sharon Brady).

The Woman and Scarecrow ruminate, recriminate and reflect on life as the final hours pass. Who or what is the Scarecrow is a mystifying question. The audience never gets a definitive answer. She’s both guardian angel and devil’s advocate. Perhaps she’s merely a morphine induced illusion. It seems most likely that the Scarecrow is the Inner Critic, that nagging voice that pushes you down while begging you to be better.

Karen Baum (Scarecrow) and Nike Doukas (Woman).  Photo by Suellen Fitzsimmons.

 

Woman’s reflection of her life is not a sentimental journey, but an Ulyssean one, primarily set inside her drug-addled brain.

The Scarecrow hasn’t come to comfort the Woman on her final voyage. She reminds her that death is around the corner, or, more precisely, inside the bureau, hiding among the high heels, sneakers and alligator boots. Scarecrow attacks her with the revelation. She spews out lines like, “He’s waiting in the wardrobe. Can’t you hear him sucking his oily wings?”

Scarecrow glares at the husband and aunt whenever they appear, partially to defend the Woman as the husband and aunt spit venomous barbs at each other like Dilophosauruses of the early Jurassic.

 

Karen Baum (Scarecrow), Sharon Brady (Auntie Ah), and Nike Doukas (Woman).  Photo by Suellen Fitzsimmons.

 

The characters are locked into their fates like the metal harnesses on the Steel Phantom, taking us on a wild verbal roller coaster ride, careening inevitably to its sudden, abrupt ending. It’s a hell of a ride; chugging up steep metaphors and flying down into dark tunnels of philosophy.

There’s a lot going on. The characters pluck ideas from metaphysical trees, polish them up and bite into them; love, hate, life, death, marriage, infidelity, lust and greed.

Deathbed pronouncements that claim “Dying is easy, comedy is hard,” run contrary to Carr’s “Woman and Scarecrow.” The playwright proves that dying is hard and comedy is easy. There are more laughs in the end-of-life play than you would imagine as the Woman rails against the end.

Baum immerses herself in the character. The perky, lovable redhead disappears into the role, becoming an ethereal, unforgiving creature, who shoots (metaphorical) silver daggers from her white orbs of her eyes.

Doukas is magnificent. She runs through a gamut of emotion in every scene, in every sentence. She is a dervish whirling through the Kubler-Ross stages of death and dying. It’s a joy to watch Doukas battle the life, the afterlife, and her own inner demons. Outside of pornography, you’ll never see a more energetic performance by a woman who never rises from her bed.

For a talky play that is set in the bedroom of a dying woman, there is energy, movement and vitality. Credit goes to Carr and director Alan Stanford, who seem to be breathing the same rarefied air.

Nike Doukas (Woman), James FitzGerald (Him).  Photo by Suellen Fitzsimmons.

 

Brady offers some much-needed comic relief, even while doling out vicious bon mots. FitzGerald is a talented actor with nary a false note, but this is clearly “The Doukas and Baum Show.” They are mesmerizing together.

The play is not for the faint of heart, but it is for anyone who likes dense dialogue, poetry and philosophy.

Carr reminds us that through the brutality and finality of death, only love matters. We’re with her and her characters till the end.

“Woman and Scarecrow” runs till August 2^nd at the Stephen Foster Memorial on the University of Pittsburgh campus, 4301 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15213.  More information available at the PICT Classic Theatre website HERE.

 

– MB.

CARNEGIE, PA (June 17, 2014)-STAGE 62 closes its 51st season with Side Show. A moving portrait of two women joined at the hip whose extraordinary bondage brings them fame but denies them love, based on the true story of conjoined twins Violet and Daisy Hilton who became stars during the Depression. Music by Henry Krieger; Lyrics by Bill Russell; Book by Bill Russell. Side Show is presented through special arrangement with Samuel French.

Director Rob James takes on another challenge at STAGE 62 having most recently directed Sweeney Todd (2012) in addition to Into the Woods and Company.

The rest of the creative team includes; Musical Director – Andrew Peters; Choreographer – Alivia Owen; Producer – Seamus Ricci; Stage Managers – Alec Spragg and Shwan Spragg

Side Show features Jorie Bagnato, Kelly Burgess, David Cary, Kevin Cole, Jesse Connor, Michael Davidson, Andrew DeBonis, Cynthia Dougherty, Chad Elder, Anna Gergerich, J’Quay Gibbs, George Heigel, Mikaela Kapeluck, Lindsey Lawrence, Adam Mazza, Ivy Nowakowski, Tyler Piper, Drew Praskovich, Becki Toth, Cara Walkowiak, Andy Weier, Kristin Welch, Korey White, Jessica Whittington

Cara Walkowiak and Kristin Welch as
SIDE SHOW’s conjoined Hilton sisters.

Stage 62 is the non-profit theater company in residence at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie, PA. What started in Bethel Park in 1962 (and yes, that’s where the name comes from!) as an adult education theater project turned into a thriving theater company that has produced shows continuously ever since.

STAGE 62 Presents

Side Show – Music by Henry Krieger ; Lyrics by Bill Russell; Book by Bill Russell

Dates:

Thursday to Saturday Jul. 17-19 and 24-26 at 8 pm

Sunday Matinees July 20 and 27 at 2 pm

Tickets:

Adults: $18Students/Seniors: $15Reserve online at www.stage62.com

Location:

Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall and Balcony
300 Beechwood Avenue
Carnegie, PA 15106

 

PITTSBURGH – Point Park University’s Conservatory Theatre Company will produce five works, including the world premiere of a new musical about the life of the legendary Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, in the 2014-2015 season.

The season begins Oct. 17 and runs through April 26, 2015, at the Pittsburgh Playhouse in the city’s Oakland neighborhood.

Written by Alki Steriopoulos, “21” will be directed by Richard Sabellico, who has directed Off-Broadway, national tours, and several Pittsburgh CLO productions, including The Music Man (starring Jeff Goldblum and Ed Begley Jr.), The Pajama Game, and Bells Are Ringing.

The season’s other productions are William Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy, As You Like It, directed by John Amplas, the musicals Urinetown, directed by Zeva Barzell, and The Boy Friend, directed by Jack Allison, and Tennessee Williams’ timeless classic, A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by Martin Giles.

The Conservatory Theatre Company 2014-2015 season subscriptions, which save patrons up to 35 percent off single-ticket prices, are available now. Five-show season packages are $50-$70. Those who purchase three subscriptions get the fourth free. Single tickets are $18-$20 and go on sale at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 2. To order tickets, contact the Pittsburgh Playhouse box office at 412.392.8000, or visit www.pittsburghplayhouse.com.

The 2014-2015 season:

 

“21”

Book, music, and lyrics by Alki Steriopoulos

Directed by Richard Sabellico

Friday, Oct. 17 – Sunday, Oct. 26

Rockwell Theatre

“21” tells the compelling story of the unparalleled life and death of baseball legend, Roberto Clemente, as well as the three women who were instrumental in making Clemente the man he was – his mother, Doña Luisa,  his wife, Vera, and his doting sister, Anairis.

Alki Steriopoulos’ extensive theatre resume includes conducting Those Were the Days on Broadway, Gifts of the Magi at the Lambs’, The Little Prince starring Tony-winner Daisy Egan at the John Houseman, and the 25th Anniversary production of Jacques Brel… at the Village Gate.  He played keyboards for Tommy, served as associate conductor for A Chorus Line, and conducted the U.S tour of Five Guys Named Moe.  He also musical directed Tony Award-winner Joel Gray in his solo portrayal of his father, Mickey Katz, at the Philadelphia Academy of Music, and conducted two-time Tony-nominee Bruce Adler in concert.

Richard Sabellico is an award winning director, seasoned Broadway actor, as well as an acting coach and script adapter. Sabellico directed, choreographed, and adapted the critically acclaimed American Jewish Theatre production of The Cocoanuts and its transfer to Broadway. He has also directed Wonderful Town at Lincoln Center, Leonard Bernstein: A Helluva Town at Rainbow and Stars, as well as a revised version of Jerry Herman’s first musical Milk and Honey. He was nominated for two Outer Critics Circle and one Drama Desk Award for his work on I Can Get It for You Wholesale and Rags. As an actor, he’s performed in seven Broadway shows, most notably as Rooster in Annie and as Pasty in Gypsy.

As You Like It

By William Shakespeare

Directed by John Amplas

Friday, Nov. 7 – Sunday, Nov. 23

Studio Theatre

A favorite among audiences, Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy, which features one of the most often-quoted speeches – “All the world’s a stage” – follows Rosalind as she flees her uncle’s court with her cousin Celia and the court jester, Touchstone, to find safety and love in the Forest of Arden.

A professor with the Conservatory of Performing Arts, John Amplas teaches all levels of acting and directing. He has served as both an actor and director in countless Pittsburgh Playhouse productions dating back to 1972. He is one of the founding members of the Playhouse Repertory Company and has served as associate artistic director since 1999. Most recently, he directed the world premiere of Soldier’s Heart for Point Park University’s professional theatre company, The REP, in September.

Urinetown

Book by Greg Kotis, music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Kotis and Hollmann

Directed by Zeva Barzell

Tuesday, Dec. 9 – Sunday, Dec. 14

Rauh Theatre

Winner of three Tony Awards, three Outer Critic’s Circle Awards, two Lucille Lortel Awards, and two Obie Awards, Urinetown parodies popular musicals and the Broadway musical form itself. Set in an undisclosed town where a 20-year drought has made private toilets unthinkable, Urinetown is a hilarious, irreverent and poignant musical about greed, corruption, love, and revolution.

Director Zeva Barzell has trained in London and New York City where she resided for many years. Professional acting credits include Off- and Off-Off-Broadway, where, among other roles, she originated the Great Lady in Robert Patrick’s Orpheus and Amerika, as well as performing in regional theater, summer stock, dinner theater, daytime television, industrials, and national voice over work. Credits include Sweeney Todd (Mrs. Lovett), Broadway (Lillian Rice), My Three Angels (Madame Parole), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Titania), Annie Get Your Gun (Annie), Hello, Dolly! (Dolly), and Angels in America (Hannah). National directing and choreography credits include I Heard It at the Movies, Just Jerry, Once Upon a Mattress, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (revival), Bye Bye Birdie, Hello, Dolly! Red Hot and Cole, Peter Pan, Godspell, Pride and Prejudice, Dracula, No U Turns?, Disney Days. Most recently, she directed the Point Park University Playhouse Jr. production of The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

The Boy Friend

Book, music, and lyrics by Sandy Wilson

Directed by Jack Allison

Friday, Feb. 27 – Sunday, March 15

Rockwell Theatre

Set on the French Riviera during the Roaring Twenties, The Boy Friend premiered on the West End in England in 1953 and ran for more than 2,000 performances. It premiered the following year on Broadway and was revived in 1970. A film version, starring Twiggy and directed by Ken Russell, hit theaters in 1971.

Jack Allison has directed at most of the major regional theatres in the United States, Canada, and Europe, including, among others, The Walnut Street Theatre, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Cincinnati Opera and the North Shore Music Theatre. In New York, he has staged acclaimed productions at the Manhattan Theatre Club and the Circle Repertory Company. He premiered Cabaret at the National Theatre of Belgium. He has received prestigious awards for his direction, including three Florida Carbonell Awards and three Boston Globe Best of Season Awards. At the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera he served as resident director and staged more than 30 productions.

A Streetcar Named Desire

By Tennessee Williams

Directed by Martin Giles

Friday, April 17 – Sunday, April 26

Rauh Theatre

Tennessee Williams’ sultry, steamy classic needs no introduction. One of the greatest plays of the 20^th century, this 1948 Pulitzer Prize-winner opened on Broadway with a cast that featured Marlon Brando, Jessica Tandy, Kim Hunter and Karl Malden. In 1951, most of this cast – Vivien Leigh replaced Tandy as Blanche – and director Elia Kazan turned Williams’ play into an unforgettable film.

A popular Pittsburgh actor, director and writer, Martin Giles’ directing credits include many productions for The New Group Theatre, where he served as Artistic Director and playwright. He also directed productions in PICT’s BeckettFest and Synge Cycle. Best-known for his work on stage, he has performed for both Opera Theater of Pittsburgh and PICT. His Opera Theater credits include Beggar’s Holiday and Lost in the Stars. For PICT, his credits include The History Boys and What the Butler Saw. He is the 2002 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Performer of the Year.

 

Andrew Paul and Phoenix Theatre board re-name company, announce summer plans for Pittsburgh premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet’s ROMANCE

 

Pittsburgh, PA – June 20, 2014. Long-time PICT artistic director and founder Andrew Paul and Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre founder and former director of theatre initiatives at the August Wilson Center Mark Clayton Southers have decided to part ways after just one production of their fledgling company, The Phoenix, but Paul and the Board of Directors have decided to re-name the company and continue with a 2014 season of two plays. “The two Artistic Director model simply didn’t work,” says Paul, “we work in very different ways and it proved impossible for Mark and me to adapt to one another’s methods. After much discussion, we have decided to separate. Mark will continue to produce through his excellent Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Co. and the Board and I will continue on under this new moniker.” The newly minted Kinetic Theatre Co. will produce the Pittsburgh premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet’s Romance this summer, running July 17-August 2 at the Alloy Studios on Penn Avenue and a second play TBA, running from September 25-October 5 at The New Hazlett Theatre on Pittsburgh’s north-side. The mission of Kinetic Theatre Co. is three-fold: to explore the issues facing our diverse and rapidly changing world through the language of theatre, to value text, both classic and contemporary, as our primary source of inspiration, and to honor, value, and respectfully compensate the artist.

David Mamet meets the Marx Brothers in Romance, an uproarious courtroom comedy.  The play will star two of Pittsburgh’s go-to leading men, Patrick Jordan and David Whalen, alongside Matt DeCaro, who starred in the play’s Chicago premier at the Goodman Theatre. Patrick Jordan will play the defendant, a Jewish chiropractor. Jordan is the founder and artistic director of Pittsburgh’s Barebones Productions and recently starred in the acclaimed Barebones productions of The Motherfucker with the Hat and A Steady Rain. His conservative Christian, anti-semitic defense attorney will be played by David Whalen. Whalen played Bruce in The Phoenix’s production of Blue/Orange last November and recently appeared in Shaw’s Candida at Pittsburgh Public Theatre. He plays the father of Gus (the Ansel Elgort character) in the current hit film The Fault in Our Stars, based on the best-selling novel by John Green. Matt DeCaro played the judge in the Chicago premier of the play at the Goodman Theatre and repeats his acclaimed performance here. DeCaro is well-known to Pittsburgh audiences for his many collaborations with director Paul at PICT. He recently starred in Mary Zimmerman’s The White Snake at the Goodman and McCarter Theatres and in productions of Gypsy and The Merry Wives of Windsor at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. The ensemble will include Kevin Brown (PICT’s Beautiful Dreamers, Comfort Zone, Jitney, and Radio Golf at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Co,) as the bailiff, Paul Guggenheimer (Bricolage’s The War of the Worlds, host of Essential Pittsburgh on WESA radio) as the prosecutor, John Reilly as the Doctor, and Point Park University graduate Andrew Swackhamer (No Name Players Viva los Bastarditos!) as Bernard.

Andrew Paul directed the acclaimed production of Joe Penhall’s Blue/Orange that launched The Phoenix last year. He recently directed a sold-out, extended run of David Ives’ The School for Lies at San Diego’s North Coast Repertory Theatre and a workshop of Edward Ravenscroft’s The London Cuckolds at Los Angeles’ classic repertory company, Antaeus Theatre. Paul previously co-founded the acclaimed Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre (PICT) and served as the company’s producing artistic director from 1996 to 2013.  Under his leadership, PICT produced more than a hundred plays, festivals devoted to the plays of Samuel Beckett, John Millington Synge, Harold Pinter, and Anton Chekhov, and two successful international tours.  His many PICT productions as director include the 2012 productions of Lee Hall’s The Pitmen Painters, Chekhov’s Ivanov, and David Ives’ The School for Lies, 2011’s productions of David Mamet’s Race and Alan Ayckbourn’s House and Garden (co-directed with Melissa Hill Grande), the 2010 productions of Shakespeare’s Othello, Pinter’s No Man’s Land, and Harold Brighouse’s Hobson’s Choice, and the 2009 productions of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys and Tom Stoppard’s Rock’n’Roll.   Andrew’s 2002 production of Friel’s Faith Healer starring Bingo O’Malley played to acclaim at thirteen venues in Ireland and Northern Ireland and he appeared as an actor in the 2003 PICT production of Shaw’s Major Barbara which performed 14 sold-out performances at the Galway Arts Festival and transferred to Dublin for three weeks of performances at the Pavilion Theatre.  In 2008, he directed and collaborated with David Hare on the non English language premiere of Stuff Happens at the Slaski Theatre in Katowice, Poland.  In 2010, Andrew was a featured speaker at the World Theatre Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The design team for Romance reunites Paul with two of his favorite collaborators, scenic designer Gianni Downs and sound designer Elizabeth Atkinson. Downs is a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh. His many designs for director Paul at PICT include The Pitmen Painters, The School for Lies, No Man’s Land, House & Garden, The History Boys, and Stuff Happens. Atkinson served as sound designer and composer for The Phoenix production of Blue/Orange and recently re-united with director Paul on the San Diego production of The School for Lies at North Coast Repertory Theatre. Her many PICT designs include the Beckett, Synge, Pinter, and Chekhov festivals. CMU graduate students Julianne D’Errico and Keith Truax will design the costumes and lighting. Production stage manager is A.J. Bradshaw.

This autumn, Kinetic Theatre Co., thanks to the generosity of Richard E. Rauh, The Steinberg Charitable Foundation, and Dr. Michael Ramsay, will begin a two-play residency at the beautiful New Hazlett Theatre on Pittsburgh’s historic Northside. The two plays will be announced this summer, with the first production running September 25-October 5, 2014 and the second running April 16-May 3, 2015.

The Alloy Studios, former home of the Dance Alloy, is located at 5530 Penn Avenue, between Negley and Stratford Avenues and across the street from the restaurant Salt of the Earth. There will be a special Pay-What-You-Can industry night performance on Monday, July 28^th.   Single tickets for Romance at Alloy Studios are available now! For tickets, phone 1-888-718-4253, visit Showclix online at www.showclix.com/event/KineticTheatreCoROMANCE, or visit Kinetic Theatre Company online at www.kinetictheatre.org.

 

Kinetic Theatre Company

Mainstage Productions

2014 Season

 

Romance by David Mamet

A Pittsburgh Premiere

Directed by Andrew Paul

Starring David Whalen, Patrick Jordan, Kevin Brown, Paul Guggenheimer, Andrew Swackhamer, John Reilly, and Matt DeCaro

Alloy Studios, 5530 Penn Avenue

(near Negley and across from the restaurant Salt of the Earth)

July 17-August 2, 2014

Tickets:

Advance Single Tickets:      $30

           At the door:                           $35

25 and Under (w/ valid ID) $15

Artists            :                                   $20

To Purchase tickets online go to:

www.showclix.com/event/KineticTheatreCoROMANCE

Call Showclix at 1-888-718-4253 or visit Kinetic Theatre Co. online at www.kinetictheatre.org

Performance Schedule

Week One:

Thursday and Friday, July 17 & 18 – previews at 8:00pm, Saturday, July 19 (opening night) at 8:00pm, and Sunday, July 20 at 2:00pm.

Week Two:

Wednesday-Sunday, July 23-27 all performances at 8:00pm

Week Three:

Monday, July 28 (pay-what-you-can industry night) at 8:00pm, Wednesday, July 30 at 8:00pm, Friday, August 1 at 8:00pm, and Saturday, August 2 at 2:00pm AND 8:00pm.

There is no performance on Thursday, July 31.