Review: THE MUSIC MAN Is Still Charming at Pittsburgh CLO
I'll admit, I had a huge smile on my face all the way through The Music Man that had little to nothing to do with the production itself. You see, I'm a nerd and a theatre kid in my thirties, and to that demographic, there was a cultural phenomenon just as big as Monty Python and Star Trek were to Gen X. I refer, of course, to the legendary ABC comedy variety show, Whose Line Is It Anyway. Seeing Charles Esten (who you may recall by his improv-era stage name Chip Esten) appear onstage and flash that memorable toothy grin for the first time, I felt like I was transported back to fifth grade again. This was just the first pleasure in an altogether lovely evening of theatre: the artistic equivalent of a good old-fashioned picnic.
Review: Pittsburgh CLO Sets Sail with ANYTHING GOES at Benedum Center
Almost 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.