The Nutcracker, More than Just a Ballet, a Pittsburgh Tradition

A Fashion Show for Little Girls and Night Out for the Family

Review of The Nutcracker Ballet

by Good News Reporter, Joanne Quinn-Smith

Sugar plum fairies, toys coming to life, magicians, a man walking on stilts, oh my!  What a fantasy performance is The Nutcracker for both children and adults.  This was my four year old granddaughter’s second year to see it but it was the sixty something previous date who suggested we should go ahead.  If the truth were to be known he knows all the songs and starts to hum them as soon as they begin.  What a family tradition if you haven’t started it, START NOW.

There is pageantry not just in the many bedazzled and colorful costumes and performances on stage but it is a veritable fashion show of little girls dressed up in their sequined, satin and studded Christmas dresses with bows and patent leather shoes and delightful jewelry and a small tiara here and there.

The Nutcracker performed by the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre never ceases to amaze me at its ability to capture and keep the attention for the duration of toddlers, middle schoolers, teens, young adults, couples and yes, Senior citizens.  But if you think it’s just for children, think again.  The Nutcracker Ballet is one of the most romantic Christmas traditions right up there with the movie, “It’s a Wonderful World.”  

A timeless classic with toys coming to life and multiple ethnic dances and superlative scenery and costuming, it is a buffet of interesting sights and sounds and yes smells too.  It’s a nice touch to walk into the theatre to the aroma of roasted almonds, pecans and cashews.

And the opulent setting of the Benedum, well it’s both child and adult and senior princesses’ idea of romance, glamour and the elegance of days gone by.   Great family night, great date night!  Dad’s you will be a hero for buying the tickets and escorting all of your princesses.  Mom’s you will be the Queen for suggesting it.

My favorite scenes are the ethnic dances, Pas de Caractère (A dance that is nonclassical, a character dance, national or folk dance.)   The Arabic and the Chines fire dragon and Cossacks are my absolute favorites.  And the score, well it gives Tchaikovsky a chance to continue just a bit of his robust war sounds in the battle with the Mouse King while tripping through also winter wonderland scenes and fairies dancing and romantic interlude.   Also Zack Brown has outdone himself with Costumes and Scenery. 

Did you know about the Pittsburgh Connection?

It is Christmas Eve in the early years of the 20^th century at the Stahlbaum home in Shadyside.  On the Street outside, Godfather Drosselmeyer and his Nephew unload mysterious packages from their carriage.  This is a house that actually existed in Shadyside at the turn of the twentieth Century. 

Also the Pittsburgh Ballet is to be commended for its use of younger local talent to fill the many small roles in the Nutcracker.  I especially liked and so did my granddaughter, the tiny bumble bees that shook their tales in the finale. 

As the last scene ended my 4 year old granddaughter put two thumbs up and said, “A big thumbs up for The Nutcracker.”

Always worth far more than the price of admission:

Performances still available:

*Friday, December 14, at 7 PM
Saturday, December 15, at 2 PM
Saturday, December 15, at 7 PM
Sunday, December 16, at 12 PM
Sunday, December 16, at 4:30 PM
Thursday, December 20, at 7 PM
Friday, December 21, at 7 PM
Saturday, December 22, at 2 PM
Saturday, December 22, at 7 PM
Sunday, December 23, at 12 PM
Sunday, December 23, at 4:30 PM
Friday, December 28, at 7 PM - Best Availability
Saturday, December 29, at 2 PM - Best Availability
Saturday, December 29, at 7 PM - Best Availability
Sunday, December 30, at 12 PM - Best Availability

Purchase tickets:

http://pbt.culturaldistrict.org/production/31961/nutcracker

Radio Host and Serial Blogger, Joanne Quinn-Smith is the host of PositivelyPittsburghLive™ Internet Talkcast and TechnoGrannyShow™  On her shows, Joanne has interviewed over 1800 guests.  As an advocate for small Business, she was awarded the National Small Business Administration Journalist of the Year Award.  She is also the publisher of PositivelyPittsburghLiveMagazine.com which is a 2010 National Stevie Award finalist for best Media Website or Blog. PPL Mag features the GOOD NEWS, about Pittsburgh  and is  Pittsburgh’s First internet radio and TV network. PPL Mag attracted 2.25 million visitors last year.  Her radio network has accumulated over one million listeners. The Creative Energy Officer of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates, Joanne also teaches her online media platform building to small businesses in a client personalized, “Web2.0 Gorilla Branding Training™”.  Connect with Joanne at:  http://joannequinnsmith.com

Rigoletto at Pittsburgh Opera, Revenge the Italian Renaissance Way

Rigoletto at Pittsburgh Opera

VERDI’S RIGOLETTO

Pittsburgh Symphony 

October 6, 9, 12, 14 2012

REVIEW by JoAnn R. Forrester

RIGOLETTO…REVENGE…THE ITALIAN RENNAISANCE WAY!

 The prime time soap Revenge, that so many are loving to watch with its sex, vengeance, murder, betrayal, dastardly people, sexual conquests and scandals has met its match and MUCH more in Verdi’s opera RIGOLETT0.  We think, today, we live in immoral and scandalous times…hah! It is nothing compared to the Italian Renaissance where excess was the rule.  Fabulous amazing art was created and flourished during that period … but the morals of the time were centered on the pleasure and revenge principal. Life for the rich, powerful and nobility was one constant hunt for pleasure and relief from boredom.

I love the opera for many reasons.  First let me explain I am not musically trained.  I do not have the ear of a music coach.  I am lucky that I know  women sing alto, soprano, mezzo soprano, contralto, men think bass, tenor  and baritone (I hope this is right).  What I love about the opera is how the drama and foibles of life are portrayed.  I find myself engulfed in the drama and music.  I lose myself and I am transported to that time and period. 

Rigoletto was filled with performances I enjoyed.  The singing, the dramatic acting, the costumes (on and off stage) the scenery, all conveyed this mesmerizing and yet dangerous age.  The search for pleasure rules the day.  The wealthy and powerful seek relief from boredom by affairs, intrigues while maintaining their power by political manipulation, cruelty, power and assassinations.

The story centers around Rigoletto, the court jester, a hunch back, who wields his personal bitterness into a sharp tongue to amuse, jab and make fools of all those involved in Duke Mantua’s court.  While he amuses the Duke he antagonizes many of his “followers” and they look for ways to make a “fool” out of him.

Photos by David Bachman for Pittsburgh Opera

Rigoletto has a secret….he has a daughter.  Gilda, young, beautiful, terribly naïve, and longing for romance. He loves her and wants to protect her from all harm. And of course that cannot happen.  His love for her and desire for vengeance after the Dukes betrayal becomes the source of his downfall and ultimate tragedy.

I invite you go see this fabulous Italian opera.Rigoletto.  You will enjoy the experience of the sights, sounds and ambiance of it.   Go and have a wonderful time indulging your secret soap opera fantasies.

Also for those classic opera fans my Italian, opera loving companion tells me you will not be disappointed by Michael W. Lee’s Rendition of “La Donna e Mobile”.  TechnoGranny says the aria was an instant success as soon as this opera hit its original stage in Venice and a classic hit today.   She remembers her Italian uncle Si Pepe, singing it repeatedly around their home when she was a young girl.

  

JoAnn Forrester is the Host of Empress of Biz, Reinvent in Rugged Times, a business Talkcast syndicated on PPLMag, Pittsburgh's First Internet Radio and TV Network.  You can hear JoAnn at Business friends every Thursday at 9 AM on the TalkShoe network or archived later at:  http://pplmag.com 

"Private Lives" Wows the Pittsburgh Public Theatre

Private Lives – by Noel Coward

Pittsburgh Public Theatre – O’Reilly Theatre

Review by RovingPittsburgher Reproter, Tamar Cerafici

There’s a lot of fun in a Noël Coward play, even before the lights dim. My companion for the evening searched the program in vain for a synopsis of the play and was a bit frustrated. I looked through as well, and then explained the plot:

Two couples are on their honeymoon at the same hotel. Wife (Amanda) of one couple was married to husband (Ellyot) of other couple. They bump nto each other on their adjoining balconies. Hilarity ensues.  Roughly, that’s the plot of nearly every Noel Coward comedy.

 

Victoria Mack as Amanda and 
Michael Brusasco as Elyot

            That’s the short version of this review. PPT’s Private Lives is a delightful study in contrasts, from the silky, sinuous lines of the lead couple, to the frumpy gowns and “scratchy” suits of their new mates. Scenery, costuming, and direction all convince us that these supersized, extravagant characters were made to live life together. Who else would have them?

            The PPT’s ensemble performance captured the elegant, if strained, tone of the English upper class, still reeling from the emotional and economic toll of World War I. The Stodgy Victor (played to the hilt by Laird Mackintosh) and the Sensible Sibyl (Amanda Leigh Cobb’s absolutely serious take on the poor jilted girl is sensational) represent the part of society that responded by returning to Victorian England. Amanda and Ellyot are having none of that, and neither is the playwright.

Michael Brusasco as Elyot and
Victoria Mack as Amanda

            The cast is remarkably good at dispensing Coward’s lightning-quick dialogue. It’s accompanied with passionate fights and raw physical comedy that would look rather silly if not played by really skilled actors. Michael Brusasco, as Ellyot, and Victoria Mack, as Amanda, are fleet of tongue and foot. Every invective is sharp; every caress carries the potential of a left hook. (I must add here that much of the humor of this play stems from the fact that Amanda and Ellyot would have at least 10 restraining orders apiece in this century. Private Lives could be a pretty heavy play if it wanted to be.)

Mr. Mackintosh and Ms. Cobb are perfect foils to the passionate leads. If anything, they keep the play from bobbing away like a beach ball on the waves. They absolutely don’t weight the play down, they just do what their character types are supposed to do: be the sea anchor to keep the boat from going completely off course. And they do it so well that the entire ensemble is perfectly balanced, like a well-made champagne cocktail.

Laird Mackintosh (Victor),
Victoria Mack (Amanda),
Michael Brusasco (Elyot),
 Amanda Leigh Cobb (Sibyl)

I must mention the fifth wheel, Louise the maid. Louise’s role is short, and spoken entirely in French. Elena Alexandratos is simply delightful as the French peasant serving the silly English. I was glad I understood what she said. She brings humor into the third act, which could have devolved into Greek tragedy in lesser hands.

The production continues through June 24, and is the perfect early summer entertainment. Get your tickets. Live it up for a change. The stock market and the presidential campaigns will take care of themselves.

Tamar Cerafici is an environmental lawyer whose national practice includes nuclear power and sustainable development consulting. She is the author of “Dominate: How Lawyers Crush Their Competition (with these 4 Powerhouse Marketing Techniques),” and the founder of The-Barefoot-Barrister.com as well as LegalShoe, and The Lawyer’s New Clothes, new media channels on PositivelyPittsburghlivemagazine.com that teach lawyers how to build enterprises and find balance in their practices without selling their souls