Roving Pittsburgher Report, Guys & Dolls, A Showcase of Talent at PPT

Guys & Dolls:  A Showcase of Talent at PPT

By Good News Reporter, Megan Grabowski

When Pittsburgh Public Theater (PPT) produces a musical you are sure to be wowed.  This season, the American classic, Guys & Dolls will not disappoint.  An audience pleaser all around, Guys & Dolls is entertaining for both the musical maven as well as any theater novice.  Producing artistic director, the esteemed Ted Pappas, has covered all the bases to assure this performance is nothing less than stellar. Guys & Dolls is a must see.

One of America's most beloved musicals, Guys & Dolls takes place in mid-century bustling New York City.  Small time gambler Nathan Detroit (Joel Hurt Jones) is scrambling  to find a location for the next floating crap game, while dodging Lt. Brannigan (Tony Bingham) and  Miss Adelaide, (Kirsten Wyatt) leading performer at the Hot Box night club and his fiancée of fourteen years.   With help from fellow hoodlums Nicely, Nicely Johnson (Quinn Patrick Shannon), Rusty Charlie (Joe Jackson) and Benny Southstreet (Gavan Pamer), Detroit attempts to arrange the game at the Biltmore Garage.  Owner Joey Biltmore (Daniel Krell) wants a $1000.00 deposit before he agrees and Detroit is broke.   He decides to earn the $1000.00 by making a wager with Sky Masterson (Charlie Brady) a man who will bet on anything. Detroit bets Masterson that he can't convince the beautiful and pious, Sarah Brown, Sergeant of Save- a- Soul Mission, to take a trip with him to Havana, Cuba.  Masterson, accepts the challenge. What follows is a quest for love and redemption depicted through an award winning score and clever choreography.

 

Charlie Brady and Doreen Burns

The four leading roles, Nathan Detroit, Sky Masterson, Sarah Brown and Miss Adelaide boast notable credits ranging from live theater,  film and television, national as well as local theater.  The leading ladies are exactly what you would expect from a PPT production, refined and skilled in their craft.  Burn's operatic vocal range is resounding and at times nearly drowns out her male counterparts.  Kudos to Wyatt whose New York accent is on spot. She manages to maintain it throughout the entire performance, something I have witnessed many talented men and women struggle with on stage.   Masterson, a ladies' man, can schmooze a woman and roll a set of dice, sing and dance too.  His rendition of “Luck Be a Lady” was a highlight of the show but my heart melted listening to Miss Adelaide and Nathan Detroit sing the duet, “Sue Me”, it was sweet and harmonic.

Although there isn't one single cast member who disappoints, the supporting cast and ensemble are especially brilliant. The beautiful Hot Box girls, as Farmerettes, in “A Bushel and a Peck”, are just the right amount of risqué.  Sarah's grandfather, Arvide Abernathy (Larry John Meyers) sings “More I Cannot Wish You”, a sentimental tune that warms the heart and Nicely, Nicely Johnson and the ensemble receive a roar of applause after “Sit Down, Your Rockin' the Boat”. 

  The O'Reilly Theater has a mid-sized stage and the choreography is tailored to the space.  Personally, when I see a strong male cast I look forward to powerful leaps and turns.  The dancing in Guys and Dolls doesn't lack these attributes but there were moments when I expected  larger.  The dancing was most engaging during “Havana” and “The Crapshooters Dance”. 

Guys & Dolls boasts bright and cheery costumes, an uplifting musical score, energetic dancing and engaging acting.  The show runs through February 28 at The O'Reilly Theater in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. 

  For more information or to purchase tickets visit http://trustarts.culturaldistrict.org/production/44232/guys-and-dolls

Reviewed by Megan Grabowski
Income Maintance Caseworker at State of Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
Positively Pittsburgh Good News Reviewer, Professional writer, Social-Media Junkie, Community Fundraiser and Pittsburgh Enthusiast. 

Roving Pittsburgher Report - Exploration of Emotion at PSO’s Haydn & Zarathustra

Exploration of Emotion
A Review of PSO’s 2014 January 17th Concert - Haydn & Zarathustra

A clever start to the concert brought a smile to my face.  Now of course, I should let on that I’m partial to this era of music and the one before it.  So in my opinion Franz Joseph Haydn and his contemporaries of the first Viennese School hit that sweet spot.

What I love about Haydn’s Symphony No. 22 in E-flat major, “The Philosopher” is the cheekiness that

Christoph König
(Photo from PittsburghSymphony.org)

emerges amidst stuffy austerity, a kind of Jane Austen feel.  Guest conductor Christoph König maintained the beautiful dichotomy of this piece in every way.  While the piece begins with an adagio, it can sometimes, unfortunately, be almost dirge-like, but König maintained the perfect and unyielding tempo.

With a continuo that oscillated between solid but not plodding, delicate but not tentative, and firm but not harsh, the perfect foundation was laid for the antiphonal cleverness that Haydn was known for.  Soaring above, and woven into the continuo, were the subtle blossoming of long arching swells in the Adagio, suspenseful rumblings both vivacious and robust in the Presto, and a delightful Menuetto that pleasantly whisks you away.  The Finale begins with an intense drive to reinforce control and above it a beautiful call and response plight.  This work showcases the diverse spectrum of tone created by the French and English horns, from warm to pungent tones paired with mellow but crisp strings.

The concert then turned from flirting with danger to living in danger.  Richard Danielpour’s symphony Darkness in the Ancient Valley depicts the struggle of an Iranian woman living in an abusive relationship, choosing to not respond to violence with yet more violence.  Every night I watch the national news, thankful that I live where I do.  The stories that Elizabeth Palmer reports are unfathomable to me.

Hila Plitmann
(Photo by: Marc Royce)

Danielpour created a beautiful cacophony of sound that dramatically creates whining horn sirens of distress, a careless romp of tyranny, frantic bells attempting to flee, brief melodies of hope, strings crying of agony and a single violin pleading – praying.  Then the terror-filled pursuit continues, full of intense chases alternating with very brief moments of relief, until finally being trapped with no where to turn.

The final movement featured soprano, Hila Plitmann singing an English translation of a 13^th century poem by Rumi.  Her voice soared gloriously above huge orchestral swells of pain and doom.  The Iranian woman’s bewildering and dutiful perseverance are professed, along with ethereal sounds of harp and bells and soaring strings of hope.  And she stands there, takes the final blow, and does nothing in retaliation.  I was baffled by her strength, grace and inner peace.  Her story was that of many who suffocate under an oppression most of us can not fathom.  PSO’s playing and Hila Plitmann’s singing of Darkness in the Ancient Valley left my heart and mind wrenched.

After intermission, a smile returned to my face with the familiar and bombastic grand entrance of trumpets. Oh yeah, some Also sprach Zarathustra, Opus 30 by Richard Strauss! And while I do like this work, what made me smile more was the young gal in front of me was seat dancing – yes bee-bopping in her seat at the symphony, with her date quietly giggling at her.  And one might think this reaction would be confined to young, inexperienced symphony goers. But oh no, a woman a few seats down and probably 40 years her elder was head bobbing rhythmically too – both beaming with smiles.

(Photo from PittsburghSymphony.org)

PSO crushed this one.  From percussive wonderment to lush enveloping hope and ecstasy, the curious pursuit of the unknown to exhilarating happiness, an unraveling dream sequence to sounds tumbling into consequence and despair, tonal sonorities were folded in one over the other, making it growingly more complex like home made bread.   The human quest for understanding kept soaring with what seemed to have no tonal resolution, and when we thought that guy in the front (Noah Bendix-Balgley) couldn’t play any higher, so beautifully, so in tune ‑ it kept climbing and soaring and searching. And then ‑ we were left hanging, wandering

As for the young gal in front of me, well I asked her if she had ever heard the full work or just the opening.  She had, in fact, never heard the whole work, but I enjoyed the enthusiasm she had as she, without being prompted, told me how even though the piece had lots of different parts that had very different feelings that she thought it was cool how she could hear that recognizable theme resurface at various points.  I loved that she enjoyed it and was there experiencing something that seemed maybe outside the normal date-night activity.

That was a well crafted emotional roller coaster of music.  The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra fully embodied the spectrum of human experience and emotion depicted in all three works beautifully.  Christoph König was a delight to watch.  He had stealthy, clean and subtle gestures that commanded rich and accurate sound – and was cute in a non baby ducks sort of way.  Hila Plitmann “shined bright like a diamond, shined bright like a diamond.”  As a fellow soprano I’m probably most critical in this area, but she was exquisite in both sound and performance.

My first night at the PSO #awesome!  I’m putting the PSO on my list of favorites, right up there with Jimmy and Nino Sunseri’s sfogliatelle (which tastes like Christmas in your mouth).  I love to hear precision and passion in music and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has both.

Not to go all Eminem on you, but if you missed this concert, “you’ve got one shot, so don’t miss you’re chance.”  Its Sunday, January 19, 2014 at 2:30 PM.
(c) PositivelyPittsburghLiveMagazine.com 2013

Stephanie Curtice

Good News Reporter & Contributing Journalist

PositivelyPittsburghLiveMagazine.com
TheNewGirlintheBurgh.blogspot.com

Hunks and Harmony Invade the Benedum

Hunks and Harmony Invade the Benedum

by Good News Reporter, Joanne Quinn-Smith

The Celtic Thunder Show, MYTHOLOGY, follows the incredible success of Voyage and presents the perfect blend of entertainment, ideology and Gaelic spirituality, providing a modern twist on the old Celtic storytelling tradition.Timeless Celtic classics like Danny Boy and The Rocky Road to Dublin are part of what makes MYTHOLOGY a must-see. Modern ballads Scarlet Ribbons and Now We Are Free give the production a contemporary flair. MYTHOLOGY also features a wide variety of instruments in the eight-piece Celtic Thunder Band. 

What an ecclectic mix of insturments.  For the bulk of the show you should know that you need an affinity or appreciation for classic Irish music, the fiddle and the reel. 

The very look of this group belies description.  It is much more than five "beautiful men"  who sing like the seraphim and cherubim with one hulking hunk of manhood, George Donaldson who not fills up his portion of the stage but presents a boulder in a rock solid landscape and he is a lightning bolt of an entertainer.

 

George Donaldson is a self-taught and accomplished musician. George's love of Celtic music stems from his childhood in Glasgow, where his main influence was his late father Bernard, who had a love and appreciation of all kinds of live music played from the heart. In the Mythology show his solos are gripping and touchingly romantic.  He delivers the classic "The Grand Affaire" like a Hollywood matinee star.  And his love song "Scarlet Ribbons" left no hearts untouched.  But the real crowd pleaser was the Proclaimer's hit song, "Life with You."  Everytime he made an endaring gesture or sweep of those massive construction worker arms, the crowd roared.

Baritone  Emmet Cahill,  performs the inspirational love song "Always There," the haunting Irish ballad "Isle of Inisfree" and a uniquely beautiful version of the all-time favorite "Danny Boy."

Ryan Kelly's "Carrickfergus," is superb.  "Carrickfergus" is an Irish folk song , named after the town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.  He also brings new dimension to "House of the Rising Sun" and "Danny Boy."

Surfer looking Keith Harkin with his longish blonde hair is another crowd favorite.  What a powerful performance of "Now We are Free" (the theme from Gladiator.) We were also touched by his performance of "Lauren & I," a ballad he composed about his niece.

Named Top World Music Artist twice by industry bible Billboard, Celtic Thunder’s six male soloists perform both solo and ensemble numbers. They are known for performing an eclectic mix of songs, ranging from traditional Irish fare to international hits such as "The Boys are Back in Town" and "Still Haven't Found", as well as original compositions.

Mythology was characterized by Celtic Thunder's use of dramatic effects via lighting and choreography as well as a stage set resembling an ancient stone pathway like those from Celtic lore, with real Irish Instruments.

An interesting side note is the multi-generational family attendance in the audience from granddaughters to great grandmothers.  Also surprising are their repertoire of covers from, Garth Brooks, Billy Joel and even The Police.

Celtic Thunder at Benedum on October 6 was amazing. What talent! But I am sure for most of the ladies, the hi-light of the evening was when all the Celtic Thunder singers came out in kilts. From Celtic standards to Danny Boy and House of the Rising Sun, the performance was pure masterpiece.

Joanne Quinn-Smith, Award winning internet radio broadcaster, blogger, author and internet radio and TV network editor and publisher. Joanne is the owner and CEO, Creative Energy Officer, of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates, a successful Pittsburgh-based marketing company. She is a grandmother and great grandmother, an unlikely trendsetter for online journalism and broadcasting. Joanne is internationally known as the “Get Your Google On” Gal. But better known as Techno Granny™ to over one million accumulated online listeners worldwide. Joanne has created a revolutionary online NEW MEDIA platform in Internet broadcasting, blogging and other social media participation that represents the new second generation of World Wide Web interactions, known in technology circles as Web 2.0. JQS is the online publisher of PositivelyPittsburghLiveMagazine.com, an online community magazine to disseminate the Positive News for Positive Pittsburghers. PPL Mag is Pittsburgh’s First Internet radio and TV network with syndicated channels and online radio and TV capabilities. 

Giuseppe Verdi's "Aida"

Giuseppe Verdi's "Aida"Pittsburgh Opera

Review by Angel Thomas-Williams

The opera that I attended on opening night was astonishing. The orchestra played relaxingly and mellifluously to the ear. The setting to Giuseppe Verdi’s version of “Aida” was located in Egypt. Aida played by Latonia Moore, was a gorgeous Ethiopian servant to Amneris from Egypt and also a princess. The tone of the opening act was quite calm.

Since I have never been to an opera, I did not know what to expect. The translation to the singing were presented high above the theater stage. In Act I, the people of Ethiopia threatened

Radames

Egypt by terrorizing their land. The high priest Ramfis tells the warrior Radames to go out and defend Egypt. Now, although Aida was a servant to the people of Egypt, the warrior Radames was also deeply in love with her. At the time Aida’s father Amonasro, was one of the people captured after Egypt declared war against the Ethiopians and were defeated.

In this act, there were marvelous animals that appeared on stage for the jubilee of victory. There were snakes, birds, horses, and greyhounds all featured. After hearing the "oohs" and "ahhs", you could tell the audience was thrilled. The animals were also exhilarating to the audience because I looked around, with the glow of the stage and saw several kids and knew they would benefit from seeing the parade. Not to mention the roar from the crowd when the prominent Pittsburgh Steeler Charlie Batch appeared as the 'champion of champions'.

Aida has to identify her father to beg for him to be freed. Ramfis agrees to let her father go only

Radames Triumphal

under the condition that their war leader, Radames, the person who Aida is in love with, courts his daughter. Aida and Radames are not pleased with this decision. When the marriage day comes, Aida and Radames meet and decide to run away together. When the Egyptian king Amneris finds out that not only is Amonasro an Ethiopian but he is also the king, he is enraged and sends his people out to hunt him down. With everyone on the loose, Aida’s father is caught and killed. Aida and Radames are put in a tomb to suffocate while sharing their love and final words to each other.

The costumes used in the Opera fit perfectly to the Egyptian times of warriors, kings, queens and slaves. I remember sitting there as the opera began and seeing 4 guards who at the time, I thought were statues but were not. So the make-up, lighting and poise of the cast were quintessential!

Now I don’t know if I was so amazed by the opera singing because of the divine voices or because I never heard opera before, which gave it some perks but the voice of the main characters were astounding. Amonasro played by Lester Lynch, had a very compelling, vigorous tone. Aida played by Latonia Moore had a melodious sweet sound.

The opera itself was very dramatic. Between the love triangle and having to imagine choosing between my father and the love of my life how Aida did in this melodrama made it very emotional. I actually found myself getting teary eyed towards the final ‘hours’ of Aida and Radames' life.

Angel Thomas-Williams is a pharmacy technician for Giant Eagle and a Business Student at CCAC.  She is also the mother of a precocious five year old Anaiyah who loves the symphony.