Tag: Theatre

The Importance of being Earnest hits the Stage at The New Hazlett Theater                                                                     

PITTSBURGH – Prime Stage Theatre enjoys continuing its 2013-2014 season with The Importance of being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.

Directed by Rich Keitel, Earnest is “a trivial comedy for serious people” filled with actors who have successfully entertained audiences on many Pittsburgh stages. Two young men, played by Tom Driscoll and Andrew Swackhammer, in order to impress their two young ladies, played by Hayley Nielsen and Magan Dee Yanko, pretend that their names are “Ernest.” But who is Earnest? Will the secret that has been hidden for years finally be revealed? Will Lady Bracknell, played by Susan McGregor-Laine, keep order amidst this confusion?

The elaborate set designs and period costumes are sure to dazzle and the dialogue and antics of the characters will keep the audience laughing from start to finish.

The performance runs from Saturday, March 8 through Sunday, March 16 at The New Hazlett Theater, with a preview performance on Friday, March 7.

Join us on March 8 for opening night’s “Go Wild with Wilde” event.  Dress up in your best Oscar Wilde inspired outfit, wear a carnation in your lapel, or simply wear a fun hat.  Refreshments will be served.

Tickets are on sale now.

For more information on the season or to buy tickets, visit www.primestage.com.

production photos by Jeff Swensen.

Don’t know much about history? Alex Timbers and Michael Friedman give those dull, old American History books a Spring Awakening, adding sass and verve to those dry, dusty tomes. The result is “Bloody BloodyAndrew Jackson” a rock musical about Old Hickory, America’s seventh president, Andrew Jackson. Most people know Jackson from the twenty dollar bill, but the president has a sordid and blood-soaked biography, rife for theatrical adaptation. A musical might not be the first choice for a drama, but it’s a damn good one. This is a rock comic odyssey with the highest body count of any comedy that has ever gone before.

The musical alleges that Jackson puts the party in Democratic Party, putting the ass front in center as the party’s symbol. It’s a fractured fairy tale of an American president, peppered with some historical facts and pithy bon mots. Republicans and Democrats are equally skewered, and the show heaps on a large portion of liberal guilt. The near-genocide of the 500 Nations of Native Americans rests squarely on the broad shoulders of the seventh president (re: the Trail of Tears).

The story, hilariously narrated by the Storyteller (Caitlin Bower), starts off with Jackson’s rough and tumble upbringing as a frontiersman in the wilds of Tennessee, back before there was a 711 on every corner. Jackson endures a horrific series of deaths and strikes out on his own at the ripe old age of thirteen. He quickly rises through the ranks of the army. Famous battles flash by as if we’re watching Andrew Jackson’s E True Hollywood story. We hit all the high points, his famous battles, the introduction of Rachel Donelson Robards (a terrific Brittany Dorazio), his soon-to-be-wife, the adoption of his Native American child, Lyncoya (Dom Masciola), etc. The first act culminates in Jackson’s victory lap around the White House.

The show makes comical uses of anachronisms, and there’s a plethora of them. They even take a few swipes at the iPad, literally and figuratively.

“Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” is energetic and fun. The show is not for sticklers of the finer points of American History. It’s also not for prudes (those guys and gals swear like sailors on shore leave).

Reed Worth plays Andrew Jackson with rock star swagger. He captures the arrogance, the egotism and rare moments of vulnerability. There is a lot of action in this Jackson, and Worth plays it big and enthusiastically.

Michael Montgomery’s costumes are less than historically accurate, but wildly original and exciting. But it’s mostly about those tight blue jeans, daringly worn by Worth and the other the men and women in the cast.

There were some great turns by Martin Van Buren (Conner Gillooly) John Quincy Adams (Patrick Steven Bovo), Henry Clay (Luke Halferty), James Monroe (Wood Van Meter) and John Calhoun (Joe Godley), and a poignant moment with Black Fox (Tal Kroser).

The show has a fantastic ensemble of actors, singers and musicians and director Michael McKelvey garners some top-notch performances out of them. He and choreographer/assistant director Cassidy Adkins keep things (and the cast) moving. Luke Minx, John Rohlf, Kristen Hoover and the rest of the band rock the house.

If you’re looking for a show about sex, democracy and rock & roll (and who isn’t?) catch “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.” It’s a bloody, bloody good time.

You can see the cock-eyed version of history unfold at the Conservatory Theater Company’s production of “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” at the Rockwell Theatre, inside the Pittsburgh Playhouse, 222 Craft Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.

-MB

The Great One is a fascinating and inspirational play that will be at the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, 937 Liberty Avenue, 3^rd floor, downtown from Friday, February 21 through Saturday, March 15.

Written by Russ Babines, The Great One is directed by Don DiGiulio.

Tressa Glover stars in this exciting one woman show about a sports commentator who returns to her hometown of Pittsburgh to mourn a childhood friend. She reminisces about the period of her life between the Pirates’ 1971 World Series win and the New Year’s Eve 1972 death of admired Pirates right fielder Roberto Clemente.

This is an unforgettable tale of not only America’s pastime, but also family, friendship, and redemption!

Babines wrote the screenplay because he felt it “would have broad appeal due to its family friendly nature and nostalgic elements which includes references to Roberto Clemente and the Pittsburgh Pirates.”

Now he’s rewritten The Great One for the stage – making this his debut as a playwright, saying it’s “another way to tell a story that is very relatable, especially to a Pittsburgh audience.”

Complete listing of show times –

• Friday, February 21 “Opening Night” at 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, February 22 at 8:00 p.m.
• Sunday, February 23 at 3:00 p.m.
• Thursday, February 27 at 8:00 p.m.
• Friday, February 28 at 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, March 1, at 8:00 p.m.
• Sunday, March 2 at 3:00 p.m.
• Thursday, March 6 at 8:00 p.m.
• Friday, March 7 at 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, March 8 at 8:00 p.m.
• Sunday, March 9 at 3:00 p.m.
• Thursday, March 13 at 8:00 p.m.
• Friday, March 14 at 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, March 15 at 8:00 p.m.

All tickets are $21. Seating is General Admission.  Tickets may be purchased at the door or online at http://www.pghplaywrights.com/greatone. For group rates call 412-687-4686.

Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, founded by Mark Clayton Southers, is committed to developing and showcasing the works of local playwrights; from accomplished masters like August Wilson and George S. Kaufman to promising new talents. We seek to nurture a racially and culturally diverse community of playwrights, directors, actors and technical specialists to hone their craft and to network creative opportunities.

Co-produced with Philadelphia Theatre Company

Directed by Stuart Carden

March 8–30, 2014

PITTSBURGH, PA (February 12, 2014)—City Theatre continues its 39th season with Tribes by Nina Raine, a provocative New York hit about what it means to hear and listen. Co-produced with Philadelphia Theatre Company and directed by City Theatre’s former associate artistic director Stuart Carden, Tribes runs on City Theatre’s Mainstage from March 8 through 30, 2014, with an Opening Night performance on Friday, March 14 at 8pm.

Verbal jabs fly in this stirring new play about Billy, a deaf twenty-something who is adept at lipreading the brash discourse of his hearing family. It’s tough to get a word in edgewise around the dinner table, but when Billy falls for Sylvia, a woman who’s losing her hearing, everyone is forced to learn a lesson about listening.

“Boasting rave reviews and sold-out, extended runs in New York and London, Tribes incorporates witty spoken language, sign language, and surtitles to fully immerse the audience in the worlds of both deaf and hearing characters,” says Tracy Brigden, City Theatre’s Artistic Director. “This sharp and very funny play is all about family, relationships, and the power and limitations inherent in communication. It’s provocative, it’s lively, and we’re thrilled to produce this new work by one of London’s hottest playwrights.

“We have collaborated closely with our colleagues at Philadelphia Theatre Company to create a production comprised of some of the very best artists from both cities and beyond,” Brigden continues. “The reaction to this production in Philadelphia has been nothing short of extraordinary, and we are excited for the next leg of its run to be here in Pittsburgh.”

Nina Raine began her career as a trainee director at the Royal Court Theatre after graduating from Oxford. She dramaturged and directed Unprotected at the Liverpool Everyman (TMA Best Director Award, Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award). Her debut play, Rabbit, premiered at the Old Red Lion Theatre in 2006 and transferred to the West End before going to New York. Rabbit won the Charles Wintour Evening Standard and Critics Circle Award for most Promising Playwright. Nina also directed her second play, Tiger Country, at Hampstead Theatre. She directed Jumpy at the Royal Court Theatre, later transferring to the West End, and Shades (Critics Circle and Evening Standard Awards for Most Promising Newcomer). Her commission for the Royal Court Theatre, Tribes, directed by Roger Michell, won an Offie award and was also nominated for both Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for best new play. Tribes opened to rave reviews and won the 2012 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Play. It is currently one of the top produced plays of 2014. Recently, Nina opened Longing at Hampstead Theatre, and she is currently directing Moses Raine’s play Donkey Heart in a return to the Old Red Lion Theatre.

Tribes features Robin Abramson (Maple and Vine, Time Stands Still, Blackbird, Mary’s Wedding, and Outlying Islands at City Theatre), Tad Cooley, Alex Hoeffler, John Judd, Amanda Kearns, and Laurie Klatscher (Precious Little, Shooting Star, The Good Body, Slavs, The Cryptogram, Temptation, Moonlight Room, Compleat Female Stage Beauty, Red Herring, and The Baltimore Waltz at City Theatre).

The creative team includes Narelle Sissons (Scenic), Janus Stefanowicz (Costume), Andrew David Ostrowski (Lighting), Mike Tutaj (Sound/Projection), Melanie Julian (Dialect Coach), and Stuart Howard & Paul Hardt (Casting).

CITY THEATRE PRESENTS

Tribes

By Nina Raine
Directed by Stuart Carden

Co-produced with Philadelphia Theatre Company 

When: March 8–30, 2014

Preview Schedule

Saturday, March 8 at 5:30pm

Sunday, March 9 at 7pm

Tuesday, March 11 at 7pm
Wednesday, March 12 at 7pm

Thursday, March 13 at 8pm

PRESS / OPENING NIGHT

Friday, March 14 at 8pm

Regular Run Schedule

Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7pm

Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm

Saturdays at 5:30 and 9pm

Sundays at 2pm

Weekday matinees will be performed on Wednesday, March 19 and Wednesday, March 26 at 1pm.

There will be no evening performance on Wednesday, March 26.

Where: City Theatre, 1300 Bingham Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 (South Side)

Tickets: $35 to $55

Box Office: 412.431.CITY (2489) or citytheatrecompany.org

Audiences under 30 may reserve $15 tickets in advance for all performances except Fridays 8pm and Saturdays 5:30pm. On Fridays and Saturdays, rush tickets are available two hours prior to show time and based on availability.

Seniors age 62 and older may purchase $22 rush tickets at the Box Office beginning two hours before show time. Based on availability.

Groups of 10 or more are eligible for discounts.  Call Kari Shaffer at 412.431.4400 x286.

City Theatre is now in its 39th season. Located on Pittsburgh’s historic South Side, City Theatre specializes in new plays, commissioning and producing work by playwrights including Daniel Beaty, Jessica Dickey, Christopher Durang, Michael Hollinger, Willy Holtzman, Tarell McCraney, and Theresa Rebeck. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Tracy Brigden, Managing Director Mark R. Power, and a 45-member Board of Directors, City Theatre’s mission is to provide an artistic home for the development and production of contemporary plays of substance and ideas that engage and challenge a diverse audience.  CityTheatreCompany.org