1,756 stories by "Ghoover"
There is something inherently disconcerting about going to see a theatrical restaging of the 1976 film Carrie, and finding out the theatre it’s presented in is a rustic barn. Seemingly b…
Many people credit The Who as one of their favorite rock bands. Maybe you like their music as the theme song for your favorite CSI: series. One thing the Who should probably get credit for i…
People know when attending a Pittsburgh Musical Theater’s Richard E. Rauh Conservatory Company (RERC) show that the production features all youths, rather than a Broadway cast of professi…
When asked to review The Pittsburgh Savoyard’s productions of Gianni Schicchi and Trial by Jury I at first refused. Up until my attendance of these operas my experience of this art form wa…
I remember the first time in my life I asked a question that had no satisfactory answer. I was maybe, 11 and asked a buddy at school something about why other kids made such a big deal about…
There is a certain added poignancy felt when watching the marvelously, passionately staged work Intimate Apparel at the University of Pittsburgh Stages. Set in New York in 1905 and functioni…
Try to remember a time when you were young and in love. You had a certain mindset for how the world would be: you’d fall in love, get married, and live out years and years in perfect bliss…
It’s 2016, America. A time of vigilant political correction, when we can look at the follies of our past faux pas and indict our recent ancestors for insensitivity. That’s the game, …
It should be noted, in all fairness as a spectator, that I walked into The Red Masquers production of Avenue Q with a profoundly intense ardor for the quirky—at times aberrant—…
I’m Gonna Pray For You So Hard is a play about a genius playwright father and his daughter, an aspiring actress who cares for him. The potently acted drama is a bit like David Auburn’s P…
Do you remember The Toxic Avenger? A cult film from the eighties about a little nerd who gets drenched in chemicals and becomes a violent, deformed mutant hero? Bad production value but an e…
One of Pittsburgh’s most treasured annual events, the Pittsburgh New Works Festival has successfully bestowed upon us another year of marvelous original work! I had the pleasure of viewing…
Often disheartening fodder for plays, films and other creative works, the concept of a world in which art is subjected to critical sanitization and scorning approval from a dispassionate dem…
Mental health is a tricky subject to approach in storytelling. Do you try to solve the depression of a character, and risk pulling all the weight out from under your story’s credibility? D…
I am consistently impressed by unique staging techniques, and each of the three short pieces at the New Works festival managed to pack a unique idea into a small running time. While it is ce…
There is a certain uncanny valley effect to the popular theatrical adaptation. The more well-oiled productions of a play there are, the less vital the story will feel. This is not to say tha…
There is a certain acuity and adroitness in presentation and delivery that must be fostered in order for one act plays to be successful. To conceive of a one act play—a scenario, a colle…
In the past few years drag culture has begun to stake its place in the public eye. Drag queens have, of course, been around forever but shows like Rupaul’s Drag Race have provided recent i…
I stumbled upon a conversation rather surreptitiously the other day at a coffee shop, feigning productivity and industriousness, that centered around theatre and its import to those ensconce…
It’s especially moving to revisit this particular geography—a place once so painful, and so overwhelming, and to so tangibly get to recognize the distance one travels in life, especially…
Longevity and loyalty weave strong bonds, so as the venerable Pittsburgh Savoyards begin their 79th season, it’s clear to one of Pittsburgh’s longest running companies. When it comes to …
At last, our hot and humid dog days of summer are yielding to fall, bringing with it quite an interesting range of offerings for musicals in the Steel City this season. We’ve got a bit of …
To open its 78th season, Pittsburgh Opera will present the first of four performances of Verdi’s tuneful warhorse, La Traviata, on October 8, at 8:00 p.m. at the Benedum. The work is well …
A letter from the Editor, To our fantastic readers, We’ve done it; we made it through another Pittsburgh summer. Summer 2016 was a very big season for us. Not only did we review 34 shows a…
Shakespeare. What a hack, right? He forms a few couplets; uses iambic pentameter as a parlor trick; creates a convoluted plot a la Larry David that utilizes misunderstandings, unjustified …
