Yesterday we attended the Pittsburgh CLO's production of the musical "Grease". We attended as a part of a group of people from the Highmark "Out Of The Blue" Retiree Club. It was fun day out, and we all enjoyed the energetic performances of the cast, with a lot of cool Fifties-type songs and some great dance numbers.
The real highlight of the day, however, was a pre-show, backstage tour that as arranged for us by Chris Kobus, a retired Highmark Vice President and current member of the Pittsburgh CLO Board of Directors (and also one of my former bosses!). We got to see the dressing room area, a lot of the props, and got to actually stand on stage and look out into the seating area of the Benedum Center. Kudos to CLO Producing Director Mark Fleischer for conducting this great tour for us.
Some views of the house from the stage.....
The OOTB Gang gets ready for their audition!
Insofar as this production is concerned, the guy who gets top billing is former American Idol Clay Aiken as "Teen Angel". He got one number and was on stage for all of about six minutes or so. Meh. To me, though, the real stars and the key to what makes the Pittsburgh CLO such an institution is the level of talent that comes to Pittsburgh to perform in these shows. None of these people are household names, but get a load of these credentials....
Zach Adkins (Danny) - In addition to a slew of regional theatrical productions, he has played on Broadway in "Anastasia".
Kristen Martin (Sandy) - Performed in "Wicked" on Broadway and has appeared in national touring companies of "Wicked", "42nd Street", and "A Chorus Line".
Jackie Burns (Rizzo) - Has performed the role of Elphaba in "Wicked" on Broadway more than any other actress.
Ruth Gotschall (Miss Lynch) - Has performed on Broadway in nine different musicals, including "Mary Poppins", "The Music man", and "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas".
I could go on and on with other cast members, but the point is that when you go to a performance of the Pittsburgh CLO, you ain't seeing second rate talent up there on the stage.
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The Tony Awards will be presented tonight, and I will watch and look forward to seeing performances from many of the nominated plays and musicals. I will watch them, however, with a heavy heart. Regular readers know that I always turned The Grandstander over at this time of year to our Official Broadway Correspondent and our longtime friend Bill Montrose for his always uncannily accurate Tony Awards predictions. Regular readers also know that Bill left us last year, so no predictions this year, and the Tonys will definitely not be the same. Rest assured that Bill will be heavily on our minds tonight as we watch the show, as he was yesterday when we toured backstage, watched the performance of "Grease", and anytime we see a play or a musical.
It is quiet uptown without him.
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