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  Marissa Lily, Mils James, Manny Walker, Emir Hardy, Chuck Timbers, Cheryl El Walker, Katy Cotten & Brenda Marks Set by Mark Clayton Southers Credit all Photos: Kim El One of the many things live theater does well is taking its audience to different places, times and moods through the power of story-telling. While this is a fairly obvious observation, this thought became especially poignant when, over a period of less than 24 hours, when I found myself on board a battleship in late 18 th century Portsmouth, England, then, 17 hours later, walking into a small Black church in rural South Carolina in the present day. The vehicles for this geographic time travel to places and times worlds apart were Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera, “H.M. S. Pinafore” and playwright Javon Johnson’s “Sanctified.” Both works, while musical comedies with morals to the story, came from diverse and rich cultural backgrounds. I’ve already published my review of Pinafore on my arts and enterta...

  City Theatre Pittsburgh Courtesy Photo City Theatre announces the fourth show of the 2024/2025 season, Birthday Candles by Noah Haidle and directed by Marc Masterson. Masterson, who retired as co-artistic director in June, after returning to the organization after 20 years in 2018, will direct his 51st City Theatre production in his career (he most recently directed Andy Warhol in Iran by Brent Askari in 2024). Birthday Candles premiered on Broadway at the American Airlines Theatre on April 10, 2022. This hilarious and heartwarming 90-minute play follows one woman’s life, one birthday at a time. "This beautiful play celebrates rituals and connections on the page and on the stage. There are decades of City Theatre experience in this talented cast,” Masterson shared. “We can’t wait to share our gift of Noah Haidle’s Birthday Candles with everyone!” The cast includes Deena Aziz (American Fast, 2023), Gavin Lawrence (1997) José Perez (Native Gardens, 2023), Saige Smith (POTUS....

  Even before we hear “We Sail the Ocean Blue,” the first of 21 songs in Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore , we get a first taste of the quality of the orchestra in a well-performed overture. All sections under the baton of music director, Guy Russo, play with pizzazz and polish the brief mash up of the comic opera’s tunes, which promises an entertaining and harmonious evening of sound. The auditorium of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie has a reputation for good acoustics, and the Pittsburgh Savoyards and its large cast of 36 take advantage of the amenity. Make that 37 if you count in Marmalade the Cat, a rather contented feline judging by its docile nature. The Large cast assembled aboard the H.M.S. Pinafore Credit: Lara Rogers for all Photos The comic opera is set abord the H.M.S., a Royal battleship docked in Portsmouth, England. Scenic designer, Robert Hockenberry, creates a solid representation of the quarterdeck of the ship, giving it a...

  MOA Member and Executive Director Jason White Unloading Trout at Stocking Event Credit All: Bill Rockwell      After holing up indoors for most of cold and blustery January and February, it was a great pleasure to venture outdoors one spring-like day at the beginning of March and head for Ten Mile Creek at Wild Acres Farm in Clarksville, Pa. The road down to the creek was fairly steep and somewhat rugged, but I didn’t bat an eyelash because I had my mind set on watching the stocking spectacle. At least 20 cars were already parked when I reached the stocking site; their owners were busy getting ready and anticipating the arrival of a large truck from the Cedar Springs Trout Hatchery in Mill Hall, Pa. The Truck Arrives with c. 300 Trout from Mill Hall, Pa. It wasn’t long before the truck drove in close to its scheduled 3 p.m. arrival time with close to 300 trout swimming in aerated bins. As the Marrianna Outdoorsmen Association members stood ready with storage ch...

The Mixed Repertory Production Features Five Works, Including Favorite Works from PBT’s 55-Year History and Two World Premieres   PBT Principal Artists Tommie Lin Kesten, Lucius Kirst and Hannah Carter; Photo: Anita Buzzy Prentiss PITTSBURGH, PA (March 11, 2025) –  As a retrospective of its 55-year history, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT) will perform five stunning classical and contemporary works in  Spring Mix: 5 for 55 . The program   pays homage to PBT’s commitment to giving life to the classical tradition, nurturing new ideas and inspiring Pittsburgh’s communities throughout the decades.   The mixed repertory program features three PBT favorite works from the past and two new world premieres.  Spring Mix: 5 for 5 5 will take  place at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center April 4-6, 2025.  The program includes  George Balanchine’s sumptuous and sparkling  Emeralds , the return of   Jorma Elo’s divine, fast-paced...

  Elizabeth is not your easily recognizable eye of newt, tongue of bat sort of witch. Nor is she one of the horrific hags Shakespeare so cleverly inserted into his tragic masterwork, “Macbeth” or one of the pitiful victims accused of witchcraft in Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible. For that matter, she may not even be a witch at all, but in playwright Jen Silverman’s “Witch,” scenic designer, Jenn Bechak creates a convincing abode on one half of the stage fitting for one versed in the magic arts, with her array of mysterious, perhaps nefarious, bottles and Earth Mother-ish trappings. As the title character, Shammen McCune puts in a brilliant rendition of someone who’s borne the whispering undertones of her gossiping neighbors, the furtive accusatory glances and suspicions of her fellow townsfolk and the menacing ostracism from the social fabric of the community for years. Worn down by their subtle hostility, she seems to have settled into a solitary life without the hope of red...