"Jersey Boys" and the Three Rivers Arts Festival

We took in the first show of the Pittsburgh CLO season this year, which, if you zoom in on the picture of the marquee above, you can see if "Jersey Boys", the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.   The show was terrific, great performances by the cast, wonderfully staged, and, of course, all that great music of the Four Seasons.  Just a great theatrical experience.  

Seeing it on Saturday brought to mind two memories.  One was seeing the play back in 2009 on one of Marilyn's and my trips to Las Vegas.  There's a great story there about how we ended up with tickets in the second row that night, but too long to go into here.  The other memory was seeing Frankie Valli perform live at Heinz Hall, back in either 2008 or 2009.  A client of mine had asked if I could get tickets through Highmark for he and his wife, who REALLY wanted to see Valli perform, so off we went with low to medium expectations.  Valli was 75 years old at the time, so how good could he be?  Well, he was terrific, and it was and remains one of the better evenings of professional show biz entertainment that we had ever experienced.  I believe that Frankie Valli is still performing, even thought he now is in his late eighties.

A Three Star rating from The Grandstander for the CLO's "Jersey Boys".

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While in town for the matinee performance, we strolled through that long time staple of the Pittsburgh summer scene, The Three Rivers Arts Festival.  Something now this year:  the Festival has abandoned its forever location at Gateway Center and Point State Park and has taken residence within the "Cultural District."  What they have done is block off Penn Avenue between Seventh and Ninth Streets and set up all of the booths and other exhibits, including the big stage, within those two blocks.  I'm sure that there is a story of political football behind such a move, but how was it anyway, you may ask?

First off, it seemed smaller.  There just could have been as many exhibitors there than in years past.  Also, the TRAF has been reduced to one week over two weekends, as opposed to two weeks over three weekends.  Whether all of this is good or bad for the Arts Festival, its vendors, and the economic impact it has on the City is to be determined, I suppose, but I must say that we liked the new set up.  It seemed that the foot traffic flowed more easily and you never felt as claustrophobic while walking through the place as you did in Gateway Center.

 

"Spamilton" at the CLO Caberet

Marilyn and I took ourselves on down to the Greer Cabaret Theater this afternoon to see "Spamilton, An American Parody", and I have this to say about it.

If you have seen and enjoyed  "Hamilton", go see this.  

It you haven't seen "Hamilton", but are familiar with the music and the score, go see this.

If you haven't seen "Hamilton", but are a follower and fan of the Broadway musical theater, go see this.

It is a parody of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical, and it takes some pointed, but loving, shots at the phenomenal success of his show, but it also parodies lots of other things currently going on on Broadway.  It was smart, cleverly done, and wonderfully performed by a cast of five actors and a musical accompanist on the piano (who also does a terrific bit with his version of King George III's "You'll Be Back").

"Spamilton" was "created, written, and originally directed by" Gerard Allessandrini, who has similar parodies on his theatrical resume.  All the actors were great, but special kudos to Erin Ramirez, the only female in the cast.  Among other bits, she performed as all three Schuyler Sisters with the assistance of two hand puppets, as well as portraying other notable Broadway divas that you would recognize.  Brilliant.

It is my understanding that Lin-Manuel Miranda himself saw this show performed in one of its earlier incarnations and gave it his enthusiastic endorsement.

Those "Hamilton" fans in the Pittsburgh area should make it a point to catch this show before its run ends in mid-August.  And if you've never seen a show in the CLO's Cabaret Theater, you're in for a treat.  Small and intimate, you're right on top of the stage, and you can grab a nice light pre-show meal and adult beverage before curtain time.  A great venue.

"Grease", The Pittsburgh CLO, and Other Broadway Thoughts

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.