By JESSICA NEU “To be or not to be” a Shakespeare historian… “that is the question.” Regardless of your Shakespeare knowledge, you can conjure up a general synopsis of Romeo and…
By JESSICA NEU Iron Horse Theater Company continues its 2024 season with a riveting production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The play by Simon Stephens, based on M…
By JESSICA NEU Miguel Muñoz, World Champion of Magic, opens Liberty Magic‘s 2024-25 season with his show What is Magic for You? Muñoz is a magician, circus artist, and Puntocero co-dir…
By JESSICA NEU Texture Contemporary Ballet’s Fragments of Time opened Friday evening at the New Hazlett Theater. The show opens Artistic Director Alan Obuzor’s 2016 work “Un-Pres…
Portraying "Hamilton" Tyler Fauntleroy leads us on a journey. Fauntleroy's Hamilton is near perfection. He adds his own modulations and inflections throughout the show to make the character …
By JESSICA NEU I had the pleasure of recently interviewing Marja Harmon and Lauren Mariasoosay, who will perform on stage at the Benedum Center from September 11th to 29th as part of t…
By JESSICA NEU I was supposed to see Henok Negash in Meant to Be at Liberty Magic last Wednesday on Henok’s opening night. However, I decided to go out with friends the night before.…
Reviewed by JESSICA NEU Walking into the Benedum Center last night, fans were immediately reminded of why Idina Menzel is one of the reigning queens of Broadway. The merchandise table …
By JESSICA NEU As August falls upon us, the chatter of back-to-school not-so-subtlety emerges. Teachers begin to prepare their classrooms and write their lesson plans, but no matter how vet…
By JESSICA NEU There’s magic in the air from the moment when young JoJo (Henry Thomas) steps on stage to begin Seussical. For the next 75 minutes, that magic comes alive in the form of cl…
By JESSICA NEU The Old Schoolhouse Players continue their 2024 season as Mary Poppins flies into 17 Cherry Tree Lane. Mary Poppins The Broadway Musical is based on the beloved 1964 Disney…
By JESSICA NEU Whether you are a Star Wars aficionado, could identify Yoda, or have ridden a ride in Star Wars land at Disney, odds are you can recognize the opening score of the franchise…
By JESSICA NEU, updated 6/14/24 Following a beautiful opening number performed en pointe, Maria Caruso stepped on stage to introduce Bodiography‘s student spring performance. Immediately, …
By JESSICA NEU Liberty Magic’s Spotlight on the Burgh concludes its three-week run with a show featuring card tricks, sleight of hand, and mentalism from three magnificent magicians. Mr.…
By JESSICA NEU I remember when the Trust Cabaret series announced that Matthew Morrison would close out the 2023-24 season. As I exited Norm Lewis’ performance around this time last year…
By JESSICA NEU Liberty Magic is celebrating its fifth season as Pittsburgh’s self-proclaimed “hidden gem” of the Cultural District. Since the conclusion of its first season, Liberty M…
By JESSICA NEW If we reflect on pop culture history, we can likely recall numerous examples of allegorical tales of suburban relational dysfunction. From American Beauty to Revolutionary R…
By JESSICA NEU Music historians often reminisce about unique times throughout the 1900s that helped to shift, transform, or inspire the musical zeitgeist of the era. Stories are told of the …
By JESSICA NEU Renowned vocalist Catherine Russell was born with music in her blood. Her father, Luis Russell, was a famous composer, performer and also Louis Armstrong’s long-time music…
By Jessica Neu No matter our age, occupation, personal relationships, or where we currently live, I feel like we have all, at one point or another, thought about the “what if.” What if w…
By JESSICA NEU Rent opened on Broadway in 1996 at a time when Broadway was in desperate need of revitalization after the London theater scene had recently produced smash hits such as Les M…
By JESSICA NEU Winner of nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, The Book of Mormon is a true unity of contraries. Although technically a musical about religion, The Book of Mormon doe…
By JESSICA NEU It’s a “tale as old as time, and a song as old as rhyme.” Beauty and the Beast is the classic tale of Belle and the Beast that many people, young and old, have become fa…
By JESSICA NEU I had the pleasure of attending the opening night performance of Faculty Choreolab, presented by the Conservatory Dance Company of the Pittsburgh Playhouse at Point Park …
By JESSICA NEU My husband, Ben, and I just celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. We met 13 years ago, in person, at work. Had someone asked me the day before I met my now husband all of th…