Tag: Theatre

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli

The Opera Theater’s Summer Fest is in full swing with pop-up productions of Handel’s “Julius Caesar” in a snazzy new venue, running alternatively in the same space as the Shakespearean comedy, “Kiss Me, Kate.”

But for George Frideric Handel’s “Julius Caesar” you don’t even have to brush up your Shakespeare (it’s a “Kiss Me, Kate” reference), because this has nothing to do with the Bard’s tragedy in iambic pentameter. Handel’s story, originally titled, “Julius Caesar in Egypt” or, more accurately, “Giulio Cesare in Egitto,” is an entirely different chapter in Caesar’s life. The Opera Theater’s production is in English with English subtitles projected above the stage.

The story begins on the banks of the Nile as Caesar (Andrey Nemzer) proclaims victory over Pompey. Pompey’s wife Cornelia (Sara Beth Shelton) and son, Sextus (Katherine Beck) seek mercy, but it’s too late. Achillas (James Eder), a soldier of Ptolemy’s (Min Sang Kim) arrives bearing a grotesque gift for Caesar; the severed head of Pompey. Of course, Sextus, son of Pompey, swears vengeance on Ptolemy. Caesar is outraged at the brutal killing (especially since Cornelia is standing right next to him when he opens the present), and he also vows vengeance on Ptolemy (the p is silent like in pneumonia).

Meanwhile, Cleopatra (Lara Lynn McGill) is at the royal court, conspiring against her brother Ptolemy. The two co-rule Egypt, and Cleo wants the throne for herself. It’s evident pretty quickly that Ptolemy is cruel and petty. Cleo wants to ensnare Caesar into doing her dirty work, as luck would have it he’s already angry at her bro. Cleopatra assumes a false identity, Lydia, and rushes off to meet with the Roman general. The two fall madly in love with each other, despite all the political intrigue swirling around them. They vow to meet again. But, you know, war breaks out and things get complicated.

The good news is it ends a lot happier than William Shakespeare’s tale of the Roman leader.

The action takes place on a rake theater, sloped toward the audience. The Falk Theater’s slope is dramatic. Picture the Joker’s lair in the ’66 “Batman” television show. It makes it easy to see all the action, and for an opera, there is plenty of action.

The real reason to go to the show is the music and Nemzer’s voice is mesmerizing. The role was originally written for Senesino (a famed performer who was a member of the castrato), but Nemzer is able to hit all the high notes.

McGill’s Cleopatra is every bit as charismatic as a Cleopatra should be, with a melodic singing voice (probably giving her a leg up on the queen of the Nile).

The entire cast has glorious voices [you can check out clips of the show here]. However, in opera the acting is much broader than in a drama or comedy, and it’s a little distracting at first, but their amazing voices draw you in.

The show only suffered one real flaw. For some reason, director Dan Rigazzi decided it would be funny if cell phones could be used in a few sight gags. Let’s get this straight: There’s no reason to force contrivances of modern society into a timeless opera for a cheap laugh. It was the only infraction of the evening, but it was a particularly vexing one.

On another positive note; there’s a lovely interlude with Caesar, Andrew Fouts, a soloist from Chatham Baroque, and two male dancers, LeTrea Rembert and Brady Sanders, that’s worth the price of admission. Rembert and Sanders are skilled dancers and comport themselves gloriously about the stage. Kudos to choreographer Jessica Marino for one of the most delightful moments of the show.

High marks must be doled out for Chatham Baroque, the music is exquisite and superbly played.

You have one more chance to catch “Julius Caesar” on July 23 at the Falk Auditorium, Winchester Thurston School, 555 Morewood Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. For additional details, click here. If Caesar isn’t your cup of tea, there’s plenty of very different offerings at Summer Fest. You can also check out the rest of the fest right here.

– MB

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

Jingle writer Jerry (Andy Coleman) and his lawyer wife Alice (Anne Rematt) have graciously taken in a houseguest who won’t leave. Alice’s father, Abe Dreyfus (Howard Elson), is finding it difficult to move on after the death of his wife in Marshall Karp’s “Squabbles.”

Abe spends his time calculating the length of the bathroom breaks taken by the handyman, Hector Lopez (Enrique Bazan), disparaging his Asian heart specialist and answering the phone with a local radio station’s slogan in an attempt to win the prize money.

Jerry, being an affable young man, doesn’t seem to mind living with his father-in-law, even though the man is difficult. He’s a sitcom racist (the kind who makes funny comments about stereotypes, but isn’t really evil).

The living arrangements are beginning to grate on Alice’s nerves. Of course, Alice knows something the two men in her life don’t. The household is about to expand (if only she knew how much!).

Alice is expecting a baby. However, when they get a frantic call from Jerry’s mom, Mildred (Lynne Franks), another curveball is thrown into their lives. Mildred moves in after an accident involving a boiling pot of chicken soup and a table full of coupons causes her house to go up in flames.

Here’s the hitch….Abe and Mildred despise each other with a passion. Now the younger couple spends their evenings on the sidelines of the escalating war between their seniors in residence.

“Squabbles” is a darling of the community theater set. It has one simple, standard living room set. It’s chock full of jokes. And it’s got two juicy roles for older actors.

It’s a bit of a sitcom. Playwright Marshall Karp has a few legitimate sitcom’s under his belt, including Sherman Hemsley’s “Amen,” in which the iconic “Jefferson’s” actor plays a preacher who squabbles (the word is actually in the IMDB description of the show) with a new reverend at his church.

Jokes are like buses in “Squabbles.” If you miss one, there’s another one along any minute. Not all of them land, but there are some genuinely funny lines in the play.

There are probably a few too many characters in the play. There’s really no need for Hector the handyman. He’s supposed to be comic relief, but once Mildred enters, he’s not really needed. It’s a stock character, but Bazan makes the most of the role. He is gentle, loving and pretty darn funny. There’s also a walk on role for a Nazi nurse. It’s another character that’s not really needed, but she’s marvelously rendered by Claire Fraley.

Director Wayne Brinda keeps everything moving along effectively.

The actors do a fine job here with the material. Elson is channeling Larry David playing the curmudgeon of Connecticut. Franks is delightful as the bickering Mildred. Rematt does a fine job (her character doesn’t get any good lines). Coleman has a repertoire of funny faces.

The cast really clicks. When Franks drops a line in the heat of an argument, Coleman picks it right up without missing a beat like synchronized swimmers at the Olympics.

The biggest quibble with “Squabbles” was with the audience. At the June 16 performance, there was a woman who coughed like a coal miner. A ringing phone from an oblivious audience member. And several theater patrons talked through the show like they were in their own living room.

“Squabbles” is a pleasant evening out. It’s not profound or groundbreaking, but you should have fun, if you get a nice, quiet audience.

– MB

(“Squabbles” runs through next weekend at the South Park Theatre, at the intersection of Brownsville Road and Corrigan Drive, South Park, PA 15129. For more information, click here.)

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

David Ives play, “Venus in Fur” is a twisty and twisted work. Every movement, every word, peels back onion layers of the thoughts and desires of the characters in this near-classic pas de deux.

Entrée: Fictional playwright and director Thomas Novachek (Christian Conn) can’t find an actress to play Vanda for his theatrical adaptation of  Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s “Venus in Furs (plural in the book title only),” until Vanda (Whitney Maris Brown) storms into the room. She claims to be late for her audition. Novachek is tired and is expected to meet his fiancé for dinner, but Vanda begs for a chance to read the part. Thomas refuses to grant her the audition. She swears, cajoles and cries. Eventually, Thomas folds and they pick up their copies of the script.

In the play within the play, the Vanda (spelled with a W in the original work) von Dunayev enters the room of Severin von Kushemski at a retreat in the Swiss Alps. She returns a copy of “Faust” she found elsewhere on the property. Vanda coyly comments about a bookmark, Titian’s “Venus with a Mirror,” in which the goddess is draped in velvety, red fur. He quickly admits his fondness for the sensual and tactile pleasures of fur.

Both the play and in the play-within-the play start the same way: A woman enters the room of a lone male. Also, Vanda comes in packing a large bag with various costumes to enact scenes from the play. It starts as a joke, but escalates into something much more.

Adagio un: Severin dark desires manifest quickly. He tells of his childhood when he was whipped by an aunt on a bear skin rug, and how he fetishized the traumatic experience. Side note: the word masochism comes from the sur name of the author. There is a power play between Severin and Vanda. The two wrestle for dominance, literally and figuratively. Suddenly the power play between the two characters bleeds out into the ‘real world’ of the play. Actor and author struggle for dominance.

Adagio deux: Slowly we discover that Vanda (both the actor and the character) is more than who she appears to be.

Variations: Vanda offers some suggestions. They improvise a scene where she plays the mythical Venus from the Titian bookmark. Things start to unhinge as each character learns more about the other.

Coda: The play reaches a satisfying, if not nebulous, conclusion. Director Jesse Berger delicately choreographs the two-hander with aplomb. Doubling down on a surprise ending that audience members will love or hate (stick me in the love column).

Conn and Brown are engaging, enthralling, each possessing the charm and charisma needed to play these bigger-than-life characters. Mild spoiler ahead: It’s just as fun watching Brown’s Vanda transform from schlep to diva, as Conn’s character goes from haughty and imperious to terrified.

Scenic Designer David M. Barber places them in a gritty New York rehearsal space with flourishes of urban beauty. Barber proves that grim and gritty has its own particular elegance.

Kudos to Lighting Designer Peter West and Sound Designer Zach Moore for conjuring up a frightful storm in the middle of the O’Reilly Theater.

Come out to “Venus in Fur” and see the shiny, shiny boots of leather and the downy sins of streetlight fancies.

“Venus in Fur” runs from June 2 to June 26 at the O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here.

– MB

Pittsburgh, PA –  MTAP—Musical Theatre Artists of Pittsburgh has wrapped monthly meetings for the season, but its Hot Metal Musicals Incubator will be relaunched this summer with  two free public readings, to be presented with extensive cooperation and support from the Pittsburgh CLO. The Incubator, aimed at helping creative teams move their work forward by thrusting it in front of an audience, will kick-off Monday, June 27, 2016 with Dear Boy, book and lyrics by Jeanne Drennan and music by David Berlin, followed by Me, Myself and Others by Eva Rainforth on Monday, August 29, 2016. Both will be presented at Pittsburgh CLO’s Charles Gray Auditorium at 7:00 pm.

                Incubator show #1, Dear Boy, presents the true story of parental love gone haywire in the 18^th century. The Earl of Chesterfield seems to control every detail of his illegitimate son’s life but in fact knows nothing of the son’s secret life as a husband and father. The show has seen much development since its debut reading in 2010 under the guidance of producer Stephanie Riso while at Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre (PICT). The piece has continued to evolve, benefitting greatly through the MTAP collective, which was established in 2011. Bookwriter/lyricist Jeanne Drennan, also MTAP’s Managing Director, explains the likely impact of the Incubator reading at this stage of development: “Since that initial reading David and I have made huge changes to the work: to the music, to what parts of the story get pulled into the foreground, to the inherent theatricality and the comedy that goes along with it. But since 2010 we haven’t had the opportunity to see the entire show presented as seamlessly as possible. So that, and the immediate audience response to the show, will tell us what more we need to do before the show is ready for production.” This Incubator reading will be produced by MTAP member Vince Ventura, Artistic Director of 12 Peers Theater directed by Stephen Santa.

                Incubator Show #2, Me, Myself and Others, presents a theatrical tapestry of original songs, poems and monologues, all written by mezzo soprano and composer Eva Rainforth and ranging from the deeply disturbing to the poetically poignant, with much of  it leavened by inspired lunacy. The piece has previously been presented for friends and family, but the author sees an opportunity to test out new ideas and gain objective feedback through the Incubator reading. The reading will be produced by MTAP member Joe Domencic.

                The Incubator allows a public audience to become involved in the early stages of a new musical’s long and often arduous journey toward full production. Creative teams benefit by working with a director and music director, along with the artistic and production team. The collaboration often helps to illuminate or clarify the storytelling or song intention as the team prepares the work for presentation. The most recent Incubator reading drew a full house in November 2015 to a presentation of Kitty, with book by John Keating and music and lyrics by Sandra Lowell.

                MTAP welcomes new members, including performing talent, bookwriters, librettists, lyricists, composers, musicians, directors, managers and producers. Please visit MTAP.weebly.com or email MTAPgh@gmail.com for more information about how to get involved.

                MTAP – Musical Theatre Artists of Pittsburgh is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit service organization, and has garnered support from individual donors and grantmaking entities including The Heinz Endowments Small Arts Initiative Program. The Heinz Endowments supports efforts to make southwestern Pennsylvania a premier place to live and work, a center for learning and educational excellence, and a region that embraces diversity and inclusion. Contributions for the charitable purposes of MTAP must be made payable to Fractured Atlas only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 

Event Listing Details:

Who:     MTAP – Musical Theatre Artists of Pittsburgh

What:    Hot Metal Musicals Incubator

Where: Charles Gray Auditorium, Pittsburgh CLO Academy, 130 CLO Academy Way 8^th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
When: Dear Boy, book/lyrics by Jeanne Drennan, music by David Berlin – Monday, June 27, 2016, 7pm

                Me, Myself and Others by Eva Rainforth – Monday, August 29, 2016, 7pm

Cost:      Free and Open to the Public
Reservations encouraged:

Event Page to RSVP is https://www.artful.ly/events/9298 for Dear Boy

Event Page to RSVP is https://www.artful.ly/events/9300 for Me, Myself and Others

Details: The Incubator allows a public audience to become involved in the early stages of a new musical’s long and often arduous journey toward full production. Featuring musical works in development by area artists. Visit mtap.weebly.com for more details on the specific presentations.

PITTSBURGH – A father and son acting duo will be taking center stage in the world premiere of Tim Ruppert’s The Consorts (June 2-12) to kick off The Summer Company’s 23rd season. 

It’s a frigid evening in England, 1556, and Archbishop Thomas Cranmer faces a fiery execution come morning. But when fate offers him an escape, Cranmer must choose between life and death—as well as between the ghosts of Queens Anne Boleyn and Katherine of Aragon, both of whom want Cranmer’s soul.  Directed by John E. Lane, Jr., The Consorts is a witty, time-shifting drama/comedy chronicling the last days of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer (John Yost), attended by Nicholas Woodson (Nathaniel Yost) and visited by the ghosts of Anne Boleyn (Coleen Garrison) and Katherine of Aragon (Jill Jeffrey).  

John Yost, the well-regarded film, TV, and voice-over artist, is a Duquesne University graduate returning to the stage after an 18-year hiatus in order to perform with his son Nathaniel, a junior theater arts major at the university. Garrison is a sophomore at Duquesne, Jeffrey is a theater arts instructor there, and playwright Rupert is also an alumni. Director Lane runs the theater arts program at the university.

All shows take place at Duquesne University’s new Genesius Theater. Tickets are $15, $10 for senior citizens, and $5 for students. Group rates are also available. Tickets and information at www.thesummercompany.com

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

When droll British bachelor, Richard Hannay (Allan Synder) goes out for an entertaining evening of theater, he becomes embroiled in a web of espionage in “The 39 Steps,” a delightfully, funny play loosely (LOOSELY) based on the Alfred Hitchcock movie, which itself is based on John Buchan’s novel.

Hannay is bored with his life until he goes to the aforementioned show (a show within a play based on a movie based on a book…I can do this all day). A mnemonist aptly named Mr. Memory (one of Quinn Patrick Shannon’s crazy characters) stuns the audience with his eidetic memory tricks. A mysterious woman, Annabella Schmidt (Megan Pickrell), joins Hannay in the proscenium box. Annabella draws a gun and fires into the crowd. That’s when things get crazy. Actually, things start crazy and get crazier.

Annabella demands to go home with him, and he obliges eagerly. Once the blinds are drawn, she backs up a metaphorical truck and info dumps, revealing many plot points and tips that Hannay will need later, including a map to Alt Na Shellach, a resplendent home to Professor Jordan (one of Luke Halferty’s nutty characters).

When Annabella ends up dead in his apartment, the game is truly afoot. Hannay is on the run from the police (Quinn Patrick Shannon and Luke Halferty), villains (also Quinn Patrick Shannon and Luke Halferty), and various weirdos (once again, Quinn Patrick Shannon and Luke Halferty). If not for a crofter’s coat and the fortuitously well-placed hymn book, Hannay would be pushing up daisies. It’s a twisted plot, but the plot doesn’t really matter.

Everyone in the show is double, triple and quadruple cast except for Snyder who sticks to playing the lead. He does a superb job as the dashing hero, and he has terrific chemistry with Pickrell, who is enchanting (especially as Pamela). It’s Pickrell’s first foray onto the Pittsburgh stage, and here’s hoping we see a lot more of her.

This show isn’t really about the protagonist and his love interest(s).  Playwright Patrick Barlow, who adapted the story, flipped the script, not just with crazy antics and comedic misdirection. Its biggest performances come from the wacky extras. Constantin Stanislavski once said, “There are no small parts, only small actors.” Director Guy Stroman cast big actors to fill a bunch of small parts. Halferty and Shannon play myriad roles, zany underwear salesman on a train, police officers, paperboys, townspeople, old people, young people, men and women.  There’s a balletic synchronicity between the two  men, and it is uproariously funny. It’s the precision of their movements that cause the largest fits of laughter. We get to see their hijinks ensue on the Scottish highlands, on a  bumpy locomotive and in makeshift cars (plains, trains and automobiles?).

There are a lot of moving pieces in this play, and they are all executed flawlessly. Kudos to the entire crew. Even lighting designer Andrew David Ostroswki and sound designer Bob Bollman get into the act with a visual and auditory gag involving the title of the show.

It’s all quite silly when you get down to it, but it charms with an exceptional cast. Take as many steps as you need, run down and get tickets.

“The 39 Steps” runs all through summer (August 14, 2016) at the Cabaret at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here.