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.

Family Night at the Symphony is a Home Run Review of Triple Play the PSO's Aug. 2nd 2014 Performance

Family Night at the Symphony is a Home Run
Review of Triple Play the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's Aug. 2nd 2014 Performance
From:  Roving Pittsburgher Report and PositivePittsburghLiveMagazine.com
Written By:  Stephanie Curtice  |  Aug. 02, 2014

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra closed their 2014 summer season on Saturday, August 2nd, with a concert entitled Triple Play.  For a baseball loving family, we thought the concert was a home run.  With my partner’s children visiting for the summer, this was a great concert to take the whole family to.  It featured opera and operetta overtures in the first third, a stunningly played piano concerto in the second, and for the final third movie music from some of our favorite action blockbusters.  Now I normally report mostly on the music and just a little on the experience, but for this review I will share how fun it can be to take the whole family to the symphony.

We have only been here for a year, so this was the first opportunity to bring the kids to Heinz Hall and it was so fun to see their reaction walking into the beautiful hall.  They were in aw just as we were the first time.  But the most quote of the evening came as we were getting seated.  We had two sets of seats: two media seats fifth row/stage left, and four towards the back/center section/isle seats - still main floor mind you.  First, we got Dad (Mike VanStipdonk), Martin (15), Josie (13), and Quinn (10) seated and then Nina (7) and I proceeded to find our seats.  After we at least located them I asked Nina if she wanted to go back and hang out with the rest of the family until the concert started.  She replied, “No I don’t think I want to go way back there.  These seats are WAY better.”  And with that we now have a seven year old, prime seating connoisseur.  Instead we practiced reading the concert notes, which proved to be very good concert preparation even for her.

Christian Capocaccia
(photo courtesy: PSO)

With a countdown of the side stage doors closing one by one, we were tuning up for our first family PSO experience.  As a result of her pre-concert reading, Nina was able to point out the evil dwarf played by the basses in Glinka’s Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla.  Next was one of my favorites of the evening, Franz Von Suppe’s Overture to The Beautiful Galatea.  Nina thought she might have been familiar with the third piece, Intermezzo and Barcarolle from The Tales of Hoffmann.  But at its conclusion, said “Maybe I know one of his other songs, because I did not know that one after all.”  To close out the first section of the concert, the PSO played Rossini’s Overture to William Tell.  Guest conductor Christian Capocaccia playfully reminded us that we should also recognize it from many cartoons, like Looney Tunes.  During this piece Nina nudged me and perceptively pointed to the words thunderstorm, countryside, and triumphant return during each of the respective sections.  During the first intermission we met up with the rest of the troops for a leg stretch and work out the wiggles walk.  Quinn noted that he heard lots of cymbals during the Bugs Bunny song.

Xiayin Wang
(photo courtesy: PSO)

Next on deck was Ravel’s Concerto in G major for Piano and Orchestra.  As we readied for the second part of the concert and enjoyed a rootbeer barrel, Nina noted how beautiful the pianist Xiayin Wang is and that she studied from another person named Nina (Svetlanova).  Miss Wang played exquisitely.  The program notes used the perfect words to describe each of the movements, the first sparkling, the second graceful, and the third whirling.  Wang’s care in how she played each note was stellar and her interaction and balance with the PSO was perfect.  As we got up for the 7th inning stretch (yes, exactly after seven movements) Nina again pointed out how primo our seats were and that we could actually see Miss Wang playing each note even in high heals and a pretty purple dress with sparkly gems.

Reluctantly Nina, shared her great seats with Martin and Josie for the last section of the concert.  Leading off was a Medley from Pirates of the Caribbean by Hans Badelt and then Hans Zimmer’s Music from Batman: The Dark Knight Rises.  And finally, as maestro Capocaccia pointed out, no movie music section is complete without John Williams.  The concert concluded with Suite from Star Wars including The Imperial March, Princess Leia’s Theme, and the Main Title.  Watching the older kids from afar made Mike and me smile to see how engaged they were enjoying the music.

As we were exiting the concert hall we got many compliments on how well behaved everyone was and that we brought them at all.  As a note to other parents who might be thinking this all happened in the twilight zone of perfection… the evening was not without little reminders to not have our feet in the chairs or that you can read the program but not whip it around like a fan.  We took potty breaks, exploration walks, and had a piece of hard candy before the show and at each intermission.

There was something for everyone in the family at our night at the symphony.  Other than the music being “very pretty” and the PSO being “really good,” the kids noted the hall is beautiful, the 12 chandelers are “very sparkely,” the main stair case is “really old and cool,” and the small round red couch in the ladies lounge is “so fun.”

On the ride home, we went around the car and all shared our favorite pieces from the concert.  Here are the final stats:
Nina (7) – Overture to William Tell AND Star Wars: The Imperial March
Quinn (10) – Star Wars
Josie (13) – Medley from Pirates of the Caribbean
Martin (15) –  Music from Batman: The Dark Knight Rises
Dad – Ravel Piano Concerto and Star Wars: The Imperial March
Miss Stephanie – Overture to The Barcarolle and Ravel Piano Concerto

So if you are on the fence about taking your children or grand children to the symphony, our advice is to take them.  It is an experience they will always remember, and you will too.  The PSO has two great series that are extra family friendly PNC POPS! And Fiddlesticks Family Concerts presented by Macy’s.  As for our experience, we all thought our evening at Heinz Hall with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra was an out of the park home run.


Fiddlesticks Family Concerts presented by Macy's – Recommended for children ages 3 to 8
Introduce your children to music at these special Saturday morning concerts with your world-class Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra!  During the pre-concert DISCOVERY TIME ADVENTURES, children will have the opportunity to sing, dance, create a take-home craft, meet musicians and listen to stories – all unique to each concert.  PittsburghSymphony.org

PNC POPS! – Rated E: For Everyone
Welcome to a season of big pictures, accompanied by big sounds. Popular movies, beloved Broadway musicals, animated Disney adventures, successful television shows and award-winning jazz artists take front and center stage in the 2014-2015 season of PNC POPS! It's entertainment for the ages. For all ages.  PittsburghSymphony.org

By:  Stephanie Curtice

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