Tag: Theatre

PITTSBURGH – Prime Stage Theatre is honored to bring the world premiere adaptation of the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to Pittsburgh just in time for Halloween. The show opens with a special dress-up preview on Oct. 31 and runs through Nov. 9 at the New Hazlett Theater located at 6 Allegheny Square East.

The show was selected from a list of stories requested by teachers for Prime Stage Theatre to bring to life. Adapted by Bruce Hall—to capture the spirit the spirit of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella—and directed by Michael McKelvey, this production brings the audience into the mind and world of Dr. Jekyll where a myriad of characters seek to find the identity of Mr. Hyde. Little do they know this creature is actually Dr. Jekyll. Will they discover this before it is too late?

This world premiere stars Andrew Miller playing both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. His role brings to life all the emotions, actions and struggles of a man transforming from good into evil. Katie Oxman will play Diana Carew who is “in love with a monster without knowing it,” John C. Reilly as Sir Danvers Carew, John Feightner as Jekyll’s friend and lawyer Seth Utterson who is on the journey of finding the truth.

Perfect for the Halloween season, all of your senses will be stimulated as the mysterious world of Dr. Jekyll is revealed on an evocative two-layer set by Karl Jacobson, lit by Jr. Shaw, with music designed by Angela Baughman, and costumes by Kim Brown. The preview on Halloween also invites audiences to dress up in their best costume and win tickets to upcoming shows.

“An Evening of Mystery,” a fundraising event featuring special guests Dr. Cyril Wecht will also occur during production on Wednesday, Nov. 5 from 6-9 p.m. on the set of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The night will include a silent auction and book signing by Dr. Wecht. Tickets are $50. Prime Stage Theatre will also be honoring State Representative Erin Molchany for her support of literacy and theatre.

Tickets for both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and “An Evening of Mystery” are available at www.primestage.com.

by Mike “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant.

In “Macbeth,” Shakespeare’s Scotland is a wild and untamed place; a barbaric land set in the distant past. There is magic there. Three witches (scary sirens played by Erin Whitcomb, Lily Davis, and Cassidy Adkins) prophesize that Macbeth (David Whalen) will one day rule the land. The Thane of Glamis is an ambitious man, but not a patient one.

Whilst walking from the battlefield of a bloody civil war, two generals, Macbeth and Banquo (Justin R. G. Holcomb), come upon the witches. The foul creatures make their bloody predictions, and the wheels in Macbeth’s mind begin to turn. He writes to his wife, Lady Macbeth (Gayle Pazerski), about the prophecies. The wheels in her mind turn even faster. Spinning so fast the wheels are in danger of coming off.

Lady Macbeth suggests that her hubby kill the current king, Duncan (John Henry Steelman), and take his crown. He hesitates, but his reluctance doesn’t last long. When this politician flip flops, blood spills by the bucket. Soon after Duncan’s death, Macbeth is seeing enemies everywhere. He starts offing enemies and friends alike. Best buddy Banquo is one of the first to go.

At a banquet for the newly crowned king, Macbeth’s dead buddy Banquo takes his place at the table. Of course, no one else can see the deceased Thane of Lochaber but our antihero. Macbeth’s guests start to believe their new king is mad. They’re not wrong. The spiral downward from war hero to king to bloody despot is a quick and painful one.

He seeks out the witches, who are now joined by their mistress of the dark, Hecate (Karen Baum), and he is told yet another prophecy. He can’t be killed by any man borne of woman. He doesn’t bother to read the fine print of their poisonous fortune cookie. McDuff (Patrick Jordan) was a cesarean.

This play has something for everyone, just in time for Halloween. There are witches, ghosts and sword fights, as well as poetic monologues that wax philosophical about the nature of fate and free will and the consequences of our actions. The play posits that only the innocent sleep well at night. Macbeth commits so many heinous acts, it’s a shame they didn’t have melatonin pills back then.

“Macbeth” is one of Shakespeare’s shortest plays, but it’s got some of the best soliloquies. You almost can’t stop moving your mouth along to the words, in some deranged form of Shakespearean Karaoke. “Is this a dagger I see before me?” “Out, out, damn spot.” “We are but poor players…”

There are a few great reasons to see this show. Michael Thomas Essad’s sparse but creepy set. The beautiful and barbaric costumes of costume designer Michael Montgomery, and spooky sounds from sound designer Elizabeth Atkinson (a crack of lightning at the play’s opening made more than one audience member leap from their seat).

But go for the talent. Whalen does a fine job as the ambitious despot, but Pazerski is brilliant as his extremely flawed wife, Lady Macbeth. Holcomb’s Banquo is charismatic. He is even a commanding presence in his silent scenes as a ghost. There is a scene with the Porter (Martin Giles) that offers up the plays brief venture into lewd comedy, and it was excellent. There are many good players who strut and fret on this stage, but they are too many to mention. We hope to see them in future productions, tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

The witches are creepy and cool, spectacularly played by Whitcomb, Davis and Adkins. Director Alan Stanford enhances their roles a bit by adding some overlapping dialogue and a haunting minstrel tune. When the witches supreme leader, the goddess Hecate, rises from their bubbling brew, things get even more insane, mostly due a fantastic performance of Karen Baum. If there were more scenery she would have chewed right through it. Note: Hecate was a goddess of three faces, and Baum plays three different personalities for each face. She is both frightening and funny as she writhes around on stage. Her short minutes on stage enliven the entire production.

PICT Classic Theatre’s production of “Macbeth” is wicked fun. There is magic here.

by Mike “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh vivant.

Forty years ago, the Pittsburgh Public Theater mounted their first production. It was Tennessee Williams’ iconic play, “The Glass Menagerie.” In the Seasons of Legends, the Public has returned to the classic tale.

The play is old but not dusty. It was first produced in 1944, and is set slightly earlier, in a pre-war St. Louis. Williams by way of narrator Tom Wingfield (Fisher Neal) calls “The Glass Menagerie” a memory play. Though written as a whiskey-soaked memory, here, it’s more of a misty water-colored one. Tom is Tennessee in many ways. The story skims along the edges of his autobiography, but doesn’t plunge into the darkest places.

The action takes place in the apartment Tom shares with his demanding mother Amanda (Lynne Wintersteller) and broken sister Laura (Cathryn Wake).

Amanda is a bellicose harridan, intense rages bubbles under her genteel, Southern charm. It’s easy to see that her anger is sublimated fear; she lives in constant terror, fretting about the fates of her fractured family. Her deepest desire is to marry off the aforementioned damaged daughter.

Laura is a tragic figure, paralyzed by her introversion, with a stagnating inferiority complex that has isolated her from the outside world. She retreats into a fantasy world constructed around a collection of crystalline figurines, the eponymous glass menagerie. Laura is delicate and fragile; like the creatures of her collection.

Tom is a restless soul, the sole provider and breadwinner for his mother and sister. He is trapped by the confinements of his family, struggling for sanity while slaving away in a shoe warehouse. He can’t take the claustrophobic living conditions and escapes nightly to the movies, bars, and God-Knows-Where-Else. Under pressure from his mother’s constant pleas to marry off his sister, Tom relents and brings home a gentleman caller for dinner.

Things get even more complicated when the aforementioned guest, Laura’s high school crush, Jim O’Connor (Jordan Whalen), arrives for dinner. It is a tragic pairing. Well. It’s supposed to be.

“The Glass Menagerie” is a simply constructed play, a mother wants to marry off her daughter, while her son struggles to find his own way in the world, but it is the depth of the characterization that has kept “The Glass Menagerie” vital and relevant. Though, this is the happiest version of “The Glass Menagerie.” Vitriolic barbs are played for laughs, and the show skims the surface of earlier renditions.

The play is at its best when Neal’s Tom is narrating. Williams’ play is brimming with text and subtext. It’s a wordy play but it’s the words that aren’t spoken that are the most intriguing. Tom Wingfield’s life outside of the apartment is mostly for the speculation of the audience. Some of us speculated that his life was not unlike that of Tennessee Williams, a wild life indeed.

The backdrop, a cityscape etched in rough black lines jutting out of a twilight blue sky, is a work of art gorgeously crafted by scenic designer Michael Schweikhardt.  At the Public, you can always count on their beautifully rendered sets to dazzle the eye (regardless of the content of the show). Luckily, they were working with a brilliant script and a solid cast.

But Wintersteller’s Amanda is almost too likable in this version. Her most vile moments are played for laughs. Amanda seems like she is both devoted to her children and repulsed by them, but here we see a softer side of the harpy. It’s an odd choice from director Pamela Berlin, who grounded the memory play in more of a happier reality. Still, Wintersteller is a talented performer.

It’s Neal’s Tom that steals the show. He is mesmerizing as the poet, spinning in the hamster wheel of his grueling nine-to-five, longing for adventure.

During Tom’s final monologue, a eulogy for the living, the audience is transfixed by the rhythm of his speech, hanging on every word. Then, Laura blows out the final candle and we are in darkness. When the lights are back up, the audience was on their feet, roaring with thunderous applause.

If you are looking for a lighter side of Tennessee Williams, this version is delightful. It has a superb cast and a beautiful set. If you’re looking for those dark, lonely places, you will have to seek out another production. Not all of us are afraid of the dark.