By JESSICA NEU I would have loved to have been at the first table reading for Once. As I imagine it, the cast and crew are gathered around and read the description of the first scene: “S…
By JESSICA NEU Driving down to Liberty Magic to see Noah Sonie in Trust No One, I listened to Peter Gabriel’s music as he had announced his North American tour earlier that day. In his 197…
by JESSICA NEU “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.” Say his name three times in a row, and the deceased yet paradoxically demonic yet kind-hearted man will come alive and visible for…
Reviewed by JESSICA NEU “Think back to a time in your life when you felt extreme gratitude. Now let your spirit sink into that feeling. Feel it through your body. Remember how you were bre…
By Jessica Neu A sold-out crowd of “ladies, gentlemen, and those who have yet to make up their minds” converged on Irwin’s The Lamp Theater to see Split Stage’s production of Kinky …
By Jessica Neu As conductor Moon Doh takes the stage with a Harry Potter wand in hand, you get the feeling that something, dare I say…magical is about to occur. Doh introduces the evening�…
Robin McGee’s performance is nothing short of stunning. She does not play Fannie; she becomes Fannie. By Jessica Neu Historical narratives surrounding African American injustice and equali…
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Liberty Magic features Steve Valentine through January 20th, 2023. By Jessica Neu The word “magic” is used colloquially quite often. There’s holiday magic…
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s PNC Broadwai in Pittsburgh presentation of Hairspray is at the Benedum Center this week through January 8th. By Jessica Neu Adapted from the 1988 film of the sa…
By Jessica Neu The Cultural Trust’s Benedum Center comes alive this weekend with Las Vegas Production’s Holiday Dreams: A Spectacular Holiday Cirque! This high-energy holiday show combin…
Maestro Daniel Meyer conducts the always spectacular Pittsburgh Symphony through a tour-de-force of well-known holiday classics in various stylistic presentations. ByJessica Neu Holiday …
By Jessica Neu Thanksgiving is over, which means that the holiday season has officially commenced. It is never too early to enjoy some Christmas magic, which is precisely what the Comtra The…
By Jessica Neu What is Hell? Is it a place, a mindset, a metaphor? Can you return from it if you happen to find yourself there? Anais Mitchell’s musical, Hadestown, grapples with these i…
By Jessica Neu There is an underlying challenge whenever something as iconic as Disney’s Frozen is represented or reimagined for a space other than the original film with a beloved cast.…
By Jessica Neu As October falls upon us, Pittsburghers typically seek their favorite haunted houses, Halloween costumes, and of course, everything pumpkin-flavored. However, Pittsburgh Music…
By Jessica Neu Oh, what a night it was as some of Pittsburgh Musical Theater’s brightest stars took the stage to present Oh What a Season! PMT’s Broadway at the Overlook. Running through…
By Jessica Neu Children’s theater is an excellent opportunity for kids of any age to get involved in a community while learning valuable personal life lessons. Participating in theater hel…
Reviewed by Jessica Neu The skies have parted, and the heavens have opened on the Benedum Center, where the Pittsburgh CLO concludes its triumphant 2022 summer season with Sister Act. Runn…
Reviewed by Jessica Neu Dust off your roller skates, leg warmers, and ribbon dancers and glide over to the Allegheny RiverTrail Park for Riverfront Theater Company’s production of the cult…
By Jessica Neu I had the pleasure of speaking with Wayne Brinda, Prime Stage Theater Artistic Director, about Prime Stage Sprouts. The goal of Sprouts is to bring literature to life in the f…