Review: Pittsburgh CLO Sets Sail with ANYTHING GOES at Benedum CenterJune 15, 2023Almost every time you see a major production of Anything Goes, it'll vary in some way from the last one you saw. There are at least three licensable editions of the show, from as far back as the 1930s and as recent as 2022. The song stack is in perpetual flux between a long list of Cole Porter greatest hits and B-sides, and there are several characters who appear only in certain editions of the show. About a decade ago, the show underwent a reputation update from 'park and bark' diva and vaudeville standard to an all-singing-all-dancing showcase for triple-threat performers. It's a lot of wigs on a very old head, but somehow the show still works.
Review: BEETLEJUICE Brings Big Demon Energy to the Benedum CenterFebruary 24, 2023Go see Beetlejuice. Go see Beetlejuice. Go see Beetlejuice. Okay, storytime! I have a personal connection to the Beetlejuice musical on two levels. First, when I was a senior in high school and a freshman in college, I followed Stephen Sondheim's advice on learning how to write by adapting an existing work solely for educational purposes, to learn 'how' to do it. My 'untitled unauthorized Beetlejuice musical' project was almost uniformly bad, but it taught me a lot; the two songs from it that showed any promise both wound up revised and repurposed into the musical I wrote during the pandemic. Second... I'm the guy who named the Netherlings. Yes, the devoted, rabid and sometimes frightening Beetlejuice musical fan club is named after a term I coined online. Naturally, when the tour came to town, I had to see it, and believe me: it did not disappoint.
Review: FRONT PORCH CABARET Reunites Old Friends at Front Porch TheatricalsNovember 30, 2022Front Porch announces a season of Finn and Sondheim, in an evening of song and stories. As far as I'm concerned, if you want to measure the pulse of the Pittsburgh theatre scene, you will feel it the most intensely and regionally in Front Porch. The company's mission to produce exciting musicals specifically highlighting the talents of Pittsburgh-area artists makes it feel somehow organically part of the community; much as I love seeing the talents of major Broadway stars at Pittsburgh CLO every years, there's a thrill in seeing a Front Porch show and knowing 'all of this was made here.' Though Front Porch's impresario and producer Leon S. Zionts passed away several years ago, he has remained an active member of its creative community, as the shortlist of shows he crafted with fellow producers Bruce E. G. Smith and Nancy D. Zionts continues to guide the company's mission statement forward.