40 Years of Theater; PPT’s 2014 season opens with an American classic: The Glass Menagerie.

40 Years of Theater; PPT’s 2014 season opens with an American classic:  The Glass Menagerie.

Review by Megan Grabowski

Fall has officially arrived in Pittsburgh.  This means, the Pittsburgh Public Theater (PPT) is opening their doors for another season.   On October 9, 2014 I stepped inside the wide windowed atrium of the O’ Reilly Theater on Penn Avenue anticipating an evening of escapism at its’ finest.   This performance of the Tennessee Williams play The Glass Menagerie will surely clutch the strings of the collective hearts of Pittsburghers- expressly those who have supported the success of the PPT since its inception 40 years ago.  Yes, that’s right; this is the 40^th anniversary of the PPT.   What better way to commemorate the achievements of the theater than by producing, Menagerie, mirroring the theater’s first season.  

The evening began when  Producing Artistic Director, Ted Pappas, bestowed upon the eager audience an honorable introduction, which included a gracious recognition of PNC and their long withstanding commitment, not only to the achievements of PPT  but to the arts as a whole in our region. Then the lights dim-

The show begins with an overview of the period by Tom Wingfield, played by Fisher Neal. Neal, a

Fisher Neal as Tom and Lynne Wintersteller as Amanda.

seasoned actor is making his Pittsburgh debut in Menagerie.  Williams writing is a vessel for Neal’s eloquence. His voice grants the audience a glimpse into the lives of his family in 1937.  As narrator, Neal reminds us, with the reflective and introverted tone, utilizing the intellect of a poet, that this story is not real; it is a memory and intended to be interpreted as such.  The show proceeds with the remaining characters, Cathyrn Wake, as Laura Wingfield, Lynne Wintersteller staring as Amanda Wingfield and Jordan Whalen cast as Jim O’Connor. Each actor shares with the audience a moment in time, a snap chat of memory and most unfortunate, the immense cruelty and weight of disenchantment that can accompany said remembrances. 

Cathryn Wake as Laura and Jordan Whalen as Jim.

The plot, centers on Laura, a painfully shy and childish young woman.   She suffers from a defect causing her to walk with a pronounced limp. Tom, Laura’s brother, is obliged to play the role of family man since their father left 16 years prior.  Amanda, Tom and Laura’s mother, is a loquacious Southern woman who possesses a parenting style which is nearly suffocating both them both.  Amanda cannot accept her children for who they are. Tom, a poet at heart, works a dead end job in a warehouse, forced to, ‘rise and shine’ day after day, in order to earn a meager wage.  Laura suffers from disillusionment and appears perfectly content to live without ambition.  She spends her time tinkering with a collection of glass figurines, her menagerie, a tactic used to elude her future and any associations with the outside world.  With no plans and no prospects for life on her own, Laura is at the mercy of her mother.  Amanda is becoming increasingly desperate to secure some manner of care for her fragile daughter.  She schemes, and then introduces Tom to a plan to find Laura a gentleman caller.  Tom invites an acquaintance from the warehouse to dinner.  Amanda, irrationally optimistic, believes this gentleman caller, the dinner guest, is Laura’s opportunity to secure a husband. Jim O’Connor, the gentleman caller, accepts Tom’s dinner invitation; totally unaware of any ulterior motives.

Fisher Neal as Tom

Wintersteller’s performance as the high strung and excitable Amanda was unquestionably authentic. Amanda’s incessant criticisms of her children followed by over simplified solutions to their shortcomings in rapid and continuous chitchat was as natural as any neighbor. The rate of her dialogue is sometimes disorienting yet entrancing, as lifelike a character to ever stroll a stage.   Neal presents Tom as astute and withdrawn. His character personifies the struggling artist; a visionary who must break free from the familiar order in to enable the growth of his creativity. Neal naturally captures his place amidst the family dynamics through his portrayal of Tom. The arguments that swell between Tom and Amanda provoke a sense that is unique to familial conflict. His cool mannered narration preserves Laura’s memory and a minute of the past, for all to take in. 

Wake portrays the meek and innocent Laura.  She is quiet and reserved, and very aware of the future unfolding before her.  Nearly a hermit, she has no goals and no self-esteem.  When Amanda announces Laura is to open the door upon Jim’s arrival she is nearly paralyzed. The anguish in her voice as she pleads with her mother not make her open the door is gut wrenching.  Then dinner is served.  Laura is summoned to the table; she collapses in a heap onto the floor.  This moment, Wake’s finest scene in the play, produced gasps and compassionate sighs from the audience.   It was during this scene I felt the burden of humanness.  Wake’s depiction of Laura awakened the memory referred to in the opening narration- Laura’s display of anxiety rings true; it is something primal. Who hasn’t, at one time, frozen with fear?  She is petrified; stifled by her own self judgment and inadequacies.    Wake’s small stature helps give rise to the young Laura.  Her shakiness, limp and near inaudible single word responses to Jim’s inquisition further enhances the model of a weakly young woman. Whatever ails sweet Laura, Wake invokes.

Whalen, cast as Jim O’Connor, the handsome has-bin with natural magnetism, incites Laura.  As a man of many talents, O’Connor excels in reading people’s dispositions.  It is this particular skill that he uses to begin coaxing Laura out of her shell.   His voice and gestures communicate a man on a mission; he’s going places.  Not just in the role of Jim O’Connor the warehouse worker by day, public speaking student at night; destined for something bigger and better than the warehouse, but as a renowned actor sure to make many more appearances on stage across the country.

PPT’s 3^rd rendition of The Glass Menagerie reminds us, “Time is the longest distance between two places”. Pittsburgh in the 1970’s, and St. Louis, Missouri in the 1930’s couldn’t be more different, yet, the expertly attuned direction from Pamela Berlin captures the memory of the Wingfield’s troubles through moving dialogue and staging.  The actors make it easy for the audience to suspend their own feelings of disbelief and become swept up into the unfolding drama. But it is Williams’s words which give us an honest glance into the enduring complexities of humanity.

  The Glass Menagerie is a classic 20^th century American drama and can be seen from now through November 2, 2014. Purchase tickets here: http://publictheater.culturaldistrict.org/production/40790

Reviewed by Megan Grabowski

Professional writer, Social-Media Junkie, Community Fundraiser and Pittsburgh Enthusiast.

And the Angels Sang--Celtic Woman

And the Angels Sang!

Celtic Woman 

"A Christmas Celebration--The Symphony Tour"

by Roving Pittsburgher Zineb Outnouna

Celtic Woman “A Christmas Celebration--the Symphony Tour” was simply amazing. The concert was incredible. The presentation from the lighting to the sound to the instrumentation was flawless. This was beyond what I had hoped to experience.

The concert, as expected, was a collection of popular Christmas carols; but even though I had heard those thousands of times before, the angelic voices of Chloe, Lisa and Susan, accompanied by the sheer talent of Mairead breathed a new life in each song, and gave it a complete new dimension. Their performance of 

‘‘O Holy Night'' ended the first half of the show bringing the house down. In the second half, these amazing singers continued to stir our deepest emotions thanks to songs like “You Raise Me Up”, "Danny Boy” and of course the magical “Ave Maria”, which was absolutely breathtaking and won Chloe a sincere standing ovation.

The evening was PERFECT! Watching these ladies on PBS is nothing compared to watching them perform live. Their unbridled passion for singing is as captivating as it is powerful.

I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to enjoy such magnificent show, and would recommend it to anyone who has ever wondered about how angels might sound like.  

There are still some great seats available for tonight's performance, December 4, 2012 starting at 7:30 PM.

Celtic Woman is performing tonight at Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave in Downtown Pittsburgh,  For tickets: www.pittsburghsymphony.org/ 

If you cannot make it tonight, all is not lost, the ladies announced from the stage that they would return to Pittsburgh in June of 2013,

Zineb Outnouna

CEO and Founder

412-537-1525

zineb@atlasdreamslanguages.com

www.atlasdreamslanguages.com

Atlas Dreams Languages, LLC teaches foreign languages to clients of all ages and educational background. Whether it is for pleasure or business, ADL helps you become fluent in the foreign language of your choice. We tailor the content of the lessons to fit your purpose and skill level. For your convenience, we offer flexible hours and meeting locations.  

Pittsburgh Symphony Orcestra, Thriller with Music of Michael Jackson

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, 

A THRILLER with The Music of Michael Jackson

by Jenn Carr, Roving Pittsburgher Reviewer

On a chilly November evening, I attended the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, The Music of Michael Jackson at Heinz Hall with my son, Noah.  We were both interested to see how the symphony would interact with the King of Pop’s extensive collection of decade-spanning music. 

What a pleasant surprise!!  The Symphony was integrated with a professional troupe of vocalists, electric guitar, bass, keyboards and drum kit.  The solo vocalist was an energetic young man, Jason Delisco who paid homage to the enigmatic MJ without trying to be an impersonation of the man.  He was entertaining and engaging telling stories of how the music influenced him and other musicians.

The audience had come ready to fully enjoy the musical influences of Michael Jackson.  It was demonstrated in the whoops and hollers MJ-style throughout the evening.  Showing a great influence across people of all ages, there were many young children and teens dressed in the “Beat It” signature jacket, sequined gloves and sleek fedoras.  It was not a wasted effort to show your MJ influence as Delisco brought children up on stage to display their best dance moves.  It was not the ominous effects of Wagner or the crystallized delights of Tchaikovsky however; it was a wonderful evening of reminiscing across the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s of one man’s tremendous talents.

 

Jenn Carr, Your Credit Mechanic.com, the maven of credit repair and education can help you raise your credit scores an average of 50-100 points with her “90 Day Credit Makeover”.

Halloween Night Stomp

“STOMP” left us speechless and wanting more. . .

by Jenn Carr, Roving Pittsburgher Reporter

                                                                    

What a great way to spend a cold, rainy evening in Pittsburgh…in fact, what an awesome way to spend any type of evening.  My 12 year old son and I saw the production of STOMP.  We went to the show with the expectation that we were about to see a lot of drumming and banging on stuff.  

Immensely entertaining!! We were intrigued, amused, and downright flabbergasted by the entire performance.

The show starts so quietly with a lone, spiky-haired, muscular man pushing a broom, in a spotlight.  The man begins a tapping out a rhythm with the broom, his feet scratching and tapping along the stage floor.  Slowly he is joined by other members of the troupe, pushing brooms, scratching the floor, flipping brooms upside down to rhythmically tap the floor. It becomes a choreographed chaos of movement across the full stage.  You don’t know where to watch first. Performers cross in front of each other as they hand off their broom to another person. It was watching a very complex juggling act.

A parade of fantastical situations are brought to the stage from kitchen sinks, inner tubes, scaffolding, and a fantastic cigarette lighter sequence.

From off-stage 4 guys walk out carrying what looks like a drum kit.  However, it turns be out to be different size stainless steel kitchen sinks hanging from chains around their necks. It is hard to even imagine how kitchen sinks, rubber gloves and water can become a composition of rhythm and musicality. 

As the lights come up, the performers are bouncing in synch on large, truck inner tubes.  The squeak of the rubber against the floor is the foundation for this next composition.  Then, they start drumming on the tube and reaching across to tap sticks with their performing neighbors.  Unbelievably inventive!!

As if we were not already in awe at the creativity of the show, the complete cast lines up in the dark across the front of the stage.  Soon we realize, in each hand, they are holding old-fashioned cigarette lighters.  Click and swish, we understand the display and music will be created as they flick open the lids, spin the lighter wheel, ignite a flame and slam the lid closed.  However, the audience starts to understand the visual sequencing as flames appear and disappear in syncopation with the rhythm

The normal person does not look at brown paper bags, tire rims and rubber piping and imagine a concerto.  The skills of the performers and the talent of the producers shine brilliantly from beginning to end.

You walk out of the concert hall with a better appreciation for ordinary, even mundane pieces of our everyday can bring music to life.  The only bad point of the whole evening is walking out of the concert hall with a 12 year old boy tapping and banging on everything in arm’s reach.


Jenn Carr, “Your Credit Mechanic”
                                                                                                      
“Let us help you get back on the road to better credit”

Roving Pittsburgher Review, Anoushka Shankar, April 12, 2012

Roving Pittsburgher Review

Anoushka Shankar

April 12, 2012

by Good News Reporter, Joanne Quinn-Smith, aka Techno Granny

Cohen & Grigsby TRUST PRESENTS Series

I must admit that I am an old yuppie head.  I think I made a new term.  But I have every Ravi Shankar album (on vinyl) that was ever produced but I had not really paid much attention to Anoushka.  Just by mere name recognition I decided to attend the concert with some Indian clients and friends.  Great move on my part. Cohen Grisby Trust Presents and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust as usual did not disappoint  in their grand selection of artists.

What an evening.  I had no idea that flamenco had its roots in Indian classical music or that there were so many unusual instruments used in both Spanish and Indian music.  What a stroke of genius to combine Flamenco guitar, a Spanish Singer and classical Indian music.

It was a night of beautiful, relaxing and sometimes erotic Indian music combined with the haunting chords of the flamenco guitar.  Andalusian flamenco singer, Sandra Carrasco’s singing was both flawless and unforgettable.

Sanjeev Shankar was remarkable on the Shenal and flute taking you back hundreds of years with his renderings.  What a blending of the old and the new, the East and the West.  Who knew?  Obviously Anoushka as she smiled and moderated in between sets about the music.

And the percussion!  After this concert I am convinced there is no percussion or percussion instruments in the world that can rival Indian classical and flamenco rhythms.  Pirashanna Thevarajah and Bernhard Shimelsberger (not of course an Indian name) put the bong and the bang and bunches of other sounds in percussion as far as I am concerned.

And Melon Jimenez on flamenco guitar and solos in combination with Anoushka on sitar was simply genius.  I was so incredibly thankful for the close orchestra seats that we had because this truly was a smorgasbord of sight and sound as you watched the strumming and drumming and listened to the playing and singing.  Truly a night to remember!

Good News Reporter, Joanne Quinn-Smith is also the Host of PositivelyPittsburghLive Talkcast and the Publisher of PositivelyPittsburghLiveMagazine.com, Pittsburgh's first internet radio and TV network http://pplmag.com

Joanne is the Creative Energy Officer of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates a Pittsburgh Marketing firm which specializes in Web 2.0 Branding.  She is a speaker and author and prolific talkcaster.  Find her profile on LinkedIn at:  http://joannequinnsmith.com

(c) Joanne Quinn-Smith 2012 All Rights Reserved.

RovingPittsburgherReport: Review, Dutch Festival, "Die Space"

by Delana Flowers

DieSpace: A Lively Look At Death

It’s not often that you hear the words “elderly” and “technology” in the same sentence and you never hear “death” and “digital” in so much as the same phrase, unless you attend DieSpace by Pips:lab March 22 through the 24. This production is part of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Distinctively Dutch Festival.

http://www.dutchperformingarts.com/distinctively-dutch/ 

DieSpace is what you get when you put four creative men from the Netherlands discussing death and aging together with multimedia and audience participation. This production gives a moment of comic relief to the common fears of senior citizens: fear of the unknown afterlife, fear of dying, and fear of technology. DieSpace is MySpace for the dead, complete with a membership fee, music, and video uploads. “We are not going to heaven. We are not going to hell. We are going to upload to DieSpace.”

This performance is a non-intimidating audiovisual tech fest that utilizes music, video and software designed specifically for the show by Pips:lab. The interactive nature of the production makes you forget how morbid the reality of becoming older and dying. It makes the inevitable laughable.

The set, or lack thereof, in a stage less space made for a rather intimate but fun 60 minutes. The space was a simple laboratory of sorts complete with a projection screen, musical instruments, and several laptops among a few other things. The integration of these mediums coupled with the interesting subject matter made a set unnecessary.

Seeing two of the four men dressed as and playing the roles of elderly women was quite striking. I wonder how different the production would be had these roles been played by women.

This was certainly a unique experience in both subject matter and execution. The crowd was fairly young and I couldn’t help but wonder how the 65 and up would react to this production. The young audience present opening night seemed to enjoy the entertainment but without fully understanding the why of it. Without the traditional plot to follow, this was more like experimental theater.

If I ever had a doubt that technology and theater can and should work together, this was an impressive demonstration of the endless possibilities that can result from the meeting of the two.

Pittsburgh Good News Reviewer and Reporter
Delana Flowers

Delana Flowers is a multi-talented creative. She is a Positively Pittsburgh Live reporter, a dynamic vocalist, an amazing Actress, and an independent writer. Delana is owner of Ingenuity by Delana Flowers ©, writing effective copy so you don’t have to. Services include copywriting for newsletters, blogs, ad copy, marketing pieces, articles, reviews, invitations, postcards, flyers and more.