This past weekend, Seussical opened in the town of Carnegie, PA with theatre Stage 62. Sitting at an age-friendly run time of roughly 100 minutes, the story of Seussical combines characters and themes from Dr. Seuss's beloved books. At its core, it follows the adventures of "Horton the Elephant", who discovers a tiny world called "Whoville" on a speck of dust. Horton must protect the "Whos", while also dealing with skepticism from others who don’t believe in the tiny world. Meanwhile, "Jojo", a young "Who" child, faces pressure to conform, but through their shared journey, Horton and Jojo discover the power of imagination, loyalty, and standing up for what’s right. 

On the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall stage, exceptional lighting design (Garth Schafer) gives the room youth and whimsy. Not to go unnoticed is how when each character said a color in the script, the stage would change to that color- an effective choice.
The stage is decorated with colorful and familiar hand-painted, Seuss-inspired flats (Rob James).

As you might guess by the name, this show is designed for and catered to children. Many sat wide-eyed in the audience, immediately drawn to the fun stage and lighting design. But don't let that fool you, this show will entertain any "big kid" as well. Although predominantly performed by adults, this show is childlike and animated through-and-through. There are multiple ways in which Stage 62 accomplishes this beyond the stage itself, including elements like beach balls being thrown into the crowd for little hands to bounce around, and actors on the balcony with bubble-guns to shoot out into the audience below. 

Seussical has no pit, but instead opted for tracks- a personal favorite of mine. Music tracks allow for recognizable and impressive music to grace the audiences ears, and a show like Seussical is perfect for that, as so many instruments can be used that typically would likely not be offered in a community theater setting. 

We open our show with "Oh The Thinks You Can Think!", which is high energy and a great way to draw in young minds. Quickly, we meet "The Cat in the Hat', played by Dixie Surewood. Dixie is always a pleasure to see perform, and they came with the energy and animation for this one. Dixie was engaged with the audience curtain-to-curtain, with fantastic comedic timing and lots of jokes for both kiddos and parents alike. Dixie came prepared with a slew of accents and voices, as early as a giggle-worthy pre-show announcement to get the audience going. The Cat was in the crowd multiple times to get face-to-face with the children and further engage and immerse them in the beauty of theater. 

The choreography (Mikaela Kapeluck, Cristy Crawshaw) is simple enough to engage the children, yet still attractive and sharp. Special shoutout to the choreography and performance for/by the monkeys- impressive ensemble members that brought fantastic talent and energy. 

Next, we meet "JoJo", portrayed by Piper Redford. Piper has a clean and clear voice, and perfectly skirts the line between the cute child character that we expect, but with the talent and pipes of a trained professional. 

My favorite number, "Its Possible", involves bath time for JoJo. This whimsical number was accomplished with blue sheets that stretched all the way from the bathtub into the audience, for the illusion of bath time for the crowd as well. 

Specific character shoutouts; 

"Horton the Elephant" (Nate Perrin) is endearing and lovable, and does a great job clearly narrating the story as it unfolds. 

"Gertrude McFuzz," played by Ivy Ferris, has a beautiful and clear voice that is easy to understand with outstanding diction. Ivy is animated and silly and has fantastic stage presence, especially to engage young audiences. 

"Sour Kangaroo" (​Myriah Cross) later comes in with strong vocals and commands the stage when she is on it. 

"Mayzie La Bird" is portrayed by ​Laura Bartletta. Laura was a fan-favorite in the audience, and we loved the added touch of the lights changing to red when this red-dressed bird donned the stage. 

"Mrs. Mayor" (Kaili Doud) has a beautiful voice that we get to hear in "How to Raise A Child". "Mr. Mayor" (Aaron Cook) plays a silly and charming 'dad' character- complete with corny jokes. 

"Judge Yertel the Turtle", played by Tiara Emery, had an impressive performance that did not go unnoticed. This performers interaction with the others on stage was fantastic. 

All-in-all, Seussical is a fun and vibrant look into the world of Dr. Seuss for kids both big and small. This show has energy from start to finish, with a cast and crew that knows and appreciates the show for all its worth. 

Seussical runs one more weekend- Saturday, February 15th at 11:00 and 3:00, and Sunday February 16th at 3:00. 

Next up for Stage 62 is I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" running May 9-18. 

*please feel free to publicly comment on this blog with any thoughts, corrections, or updates* 

-Sabrina, 2024

​

February 7th, 2025 opened a production of Pippin at Greensburg Civic Theatre in Greensburg, PA. 
Upon entrance, we see the main set, which is intentionally bare-bones; not much more than some rehearsal cubes, milk crates, and a dim light on a stand. To the right, on the audience floor, there is a 4-5 person pit. 

Pippin follows a young prince on a quest for meaning, guided by a mysterious troupe. He explores war, power, love, and fame, only to realize true fulfillment may lie in a simple, ordinary life.

The opening number, "Magic to Do" is a number that involves the entire cast singing predominantly in unison, and led by the "Leading Player" (Aubrey Burchell). This number shows the fraternity and cohesion of the cast. 
Aubrey plays a character who is theatrical and a bit sultry and sexy. Her facial expressions and body movements are intentionally over-the-top, really selling the "circus ringmaster" vibe. Her costume is distinct from the others. While the rest of the cast is in modern street clothes, Aubrey has a costume more akin to a Cabaret style performer, with a lined, bedazzled vest and a bowler hat. Later on, in act 2, Aubrey's character shifts from jovial and bouncy to terrifyingly angry, as she becomes frustrated with the outcome of the show and breaks the fourth wall, instructing the orchestra and lighting crew to discontinue their work in the form of screaming at them. This transition is jarring and efficient.

Aubrey has great stage chemistry with out main character, "Pippin", portrayed by Kevin Rabbits. Pippin begins his journey as optimistic and innocent. Kevin brings us a gentle and coy Pippin, and in his introductory song, "Corner of the Sky", we are introduced to his gentle and clear tenor voice. It's clear and pretty, but swells into a deeper tone and more belt notes. The end of the song garnered a strong and well deserved applause. The song "Extraordinary" is notoriously vocally-demanding, and Kevin gets the chance to show off his finely-tuned range.

Next we meet Pippins father, "Charles", or "Charlemagne", in the song "War is a science". Charles is portrayed by Marty Savolskis. Marty's voice is well trained and the song is entertaining. 
In "glory", we get a short and fun tap number, including a tap "metronome" to the song, which I found to be cute and unique choreography (Marty Savolskis). All-in-all, in this production of Pippin​, I found the choreography to be well in-tune with the vibe of the show, set, and costumes. It was simple, yet impressive, and felt in line with the time period. 

"Berthe", played by Amanda Anne Leight, was a cast favorite of mine. Berthe is Pippin's (arguably over-sexual) grandmother. Amanda gives us a zesty, yet still somehow endearing, grandmother character her song "No Time at All". Berthe seems a bit too interested in Pippin's sex life, and as she slowly strips down into a burlesque costume, Kevin's (Pippin) reaction to this is absolutely hilarious. Amanda absolutely brings it, and Kevin's small choices in facial expressions in response to his grandmothers words and actions had the audience in an uproar of laughter. Amanda and Kevin had great chemistry as well and sold the emotions of the scene perfectly with spot-on comedic timing. 

In the same vein of comedic timing, "Theo", played by a young Declan Rusiewicz never failed to have the audience belly-laughing. Theo was packed with iconic one-liners, yelling out things like "bite me", "dumbass", and getting comedically angry at Pippin's disinterest in his pet duck. He sells his character as bratty and a bit annoying. Declan has great diction and a beautiful voice, and a very bright future in stage entertainment. 

Pippin also had a slew of impressive acrobatics with multiple actors, though mainly and impressively led by "Lewis" (Colby Miller, and dance captain). Colby is a fantastic dancer and entrancing to watch. The opening number in act 2 shows these acrobatics the most, and was an action-packed and entertaining way to come back into Pippin's world. 

Another standout character was ensemble member Brandon Farneth, as he sex-ily and creepily surrounds Pippin, donning a flogger, in a sort-of bdsm scene. Brandon is both funny and dominant and brought an extra element to this important and exciting set of ensemble players. 

Lilian Real is "Fastrada", Pippin's (fairly evil) step-mother. Fastrada is sexy and Lilian's costume, hair and makeup really reflected this. Lilian's dancing kept the audience's eyes wide open and engaged in her song "Spread a Little Sunshine". *Continued below*

In act 2, we meet "Catherine", played by Paulina Neuschwander. Kevin and Paulina's characters later fall in love, and the chemistry between these two actors was through the roof, as their scenes increasingly become filled with kissing, and a comedic suggestive sex-scene. Paulina and Kevins scenes and songs together seemed to just come "easy" to them. Later, Paulina and Kevin engage in a duet, "Love Song", and their voices melt together like butter. It's angelic and stunning, fully engaging the audience. It was a pleasure to get to hear. 
Paulina begins being genial and zany; though later we get to see a shift in her character. Later, in her song "I guess I'll miss the man", we really get to hear her beautiful voice in a song where she inserts lots of stunning swells. 

In the end, the ensemble works together to try to convince Pippin to end his life. In this scene, the ensemble showed a oneness and the overall vibe of the show turned into creepy and concerning. This scene is climactic and cinematic, and keeps the audiences at the edge of their seat on if Pippin will succumb to the pressure. As previously mentioned, the Leading Player completely crashes out and removes most of the theatrics of the theater. The last two songs are a capella, which was a lovely addition when working with such exquisite voices. 

Pippin is a funny, scary, endearing and entertaining show. Running only two more days, 2/8 at 8:00 and 2/9 at 2:00. 

Next up on this stage is Greasepaint Players' Elephant & Piggie's We Are in a Play, running April 11-12. GCT's next show is The Mousetrap, running May 16-18. Tickets on sale now. 

​

CATS the musical opened this weekend at the Main Street Theatre Company in Uniontown, PA. The scenic designer, Eric Luchen, charge, Cedar Sage Elwood, and crew, Kelly Tunney, Jason Smitley, Leslie Outhier, and Andrea Schneider, masterfully brought the audience down to the scale of an alley-cat with the use of large-scale everyday items, such as an oversized tire, trash bags, fence, and even a pencil. MSTC never fails to bring the most exquisite lighting to every production, with design led by Zachery Calloway and ZLX Productions. CATS offers a 9-person orchestra, this time being held in a building next door. This tidbit of info, given before the start of the show by director John F. Wagner-Malia, added an extra element of impressiveness as the pit kept fantastic timing with the cast on stage.

CATS is a show that doesn't have much of a plot. Its a fun hodge-podge of songs that introduce various members of a tribe of cats called the "Jellicle Cats". One cat is chosen to enter the afterlife; an underlying theme of the musical as a whole. For those who are fans of the famous professionally shot 1998 film production of CATS, the costumes at MSTC were sure to deliver. (Costumes by Landers Theatre, Broadway Costumes Inc and Spotlight Costumes LLC)
In act 1, "Jellice Songs for Jellicle Cats" introduces us to the various highly impressive acrobatic performers throughout the show, complete with front handsprings and cartwheels galore. We are also graced with exceptional harmonies; this cast has some of the most impressive choral harmonies I have ever heard. There was so much precision within each part that it led to an absolutely angelic finished sound. (Music director Wyatt Wilson).

Evan Krug plays "Munkustrap", and rings in with clear and precise diction in every word. There is a recurring trio of lady cats, Bombalurina (Cait Crowley), Demeter (Lauren Gross) and Jellylorum (Amy Gartley) in the song "Old Gumbie Cat", whose voices meld wonderfully together. No one voice overpowered the other- it was perfectly balanced and very well cast. We see a lot more of Cait later on, and she always seems to give 100% in her performance.
Also in this number, we meet "Jennyanydots", portrayed by Elizabeth Quairiere, who gave us a ton of energy and whimsy. This number includes an awe-inspiring and highly entertaining tap number (John F. Wagner-Malia) led by Elizabeth as well.

"Rum Tum Tugger", played by Dimitri Apodiakos, is smooth and fun, and gives us one hell of a picture-worthy jazz split in the number "The Rum Tum Tugger".
It's around this point in the show where we are first quickly introduced to "Grizabella" (Rebecca Kaufman-Taylor), who later in the show becomes a very important role. Rebecca's voice is clean, with depth and fine-tuned tone. Later, in act 2, we are graced with the show-stopping number "Memory", which was so hauntingly beautiful, Rebecca received a 3-round applause that seemingly (deservedly) didn't end. Rebecca's flawless execution of this song was filled to the brim with emotion, showcasing perfect swells and a mildly-operatic tone akin to to Sarah Brightman. Grizabella later ascends into her demise, which was shown to us by a symbolic staircase walk to the reveal of bright white light and heavy fog; a perfect depiction of heaven.

One performer in particular stood out in an incredible way. It was impossible to look away from Sophia Hamilton when she was on stage. Sophia portrayed "Mistoffelees". She gave 110% energy and her dancing was completely flawless, complete with one of the cleanest and most impressive sets of pirouettes I've seen. Sophia is an absolute superstar on the stage. 

In act 2, we meet "Asparagus", or "Gus" for short. Adam Drabish sells us a shaky, old, frail cat with an endearing solo number, "Gus: The Theatre Cat". His voice boasted operatic tones and bellowing high notes and made for a fun number. 

All of the cats repeatedly anticipate our villain cat, "Macavity", played by Dylan Pal. Dylan brings the energy to the character with lots of intention-driven movement and excitement. Although Macavity seems to come and go swiftly, an action-packed fight scene makes him a memorable character. 

We end our show with the character "Old Deuteronomy", played by Matt Mlynarski, in "The Ad-Dressing of Cats", which leaves us with a beautiful song and a gorgeous final aesthetic on the stage, leading into much deserved bows.
​CATS was incredibly well done and exciting for all ages and all kinds of theater goers. 

CATS has wrapped up its time on stage, but next up for Main Street Theatre Company will be Shrek The Musical, showing July 11-13. 

**Feel free to comment to add thoughts, updates or corrections. 

-Daryl, 2025

​

Last weekend, The Theatre Factory in Trafford, PA opened a run of Guys and Dolls. I attended the second Friday performance. Upon entrance, you are greeted with the set (Bill Jacka, Katie Ingram Elder, Frankie Shoup), which is colorful, yet dark and sultry. The set was obviously hand-made, but not in a way that is tacky or unprofessional. It's just clear that time and passion went into making the various signs and marquees that make up the multi-layered locations that bring us into the world of Guys and Dolls.
One element I really enjoyed during the entire production was the lighting, led by designer Jimmy Baker. The choices of lighting were incredibly inspired and visually stunning and helped set the tone for the show. The constant use of fog was also incredibly effective, adding to the atmosphere of swanky New York in gambling rings.
Guys and Dolls featured an 8-person live pit, located somewhere unseen in the theater. The pit, orchestrated by pianist Travis Rigby, kept up beautifully with the show with well-timed and seamless renditions of our favorite songs.
Guys and Dolls is a classic musical comedy that captures the vibrant energy of 1940s New York City. It follows the lives of gamblers, showgirls, and missionaries as their paths intertwine in humorous and heartfelt ways.
The story centers on Nathan Detroit, a fast-talking organizer of illegal craps games, who is desperate to find a venue for his next game. To secure the funds, he bets Sky Masterson, a suave high-roller, that he can't woo Sarah Brown, a virtuous Salvation Army missionary. Meanwhile, Nathan's long-time fiancée, Adelaide, grows tired of waiting for him to make good on his promise of marriage. As love, luck, and loyalty collide, the characters navigate a world of high stakes and second chances, all set to a timeless score featuring songs like “Luck Be a Lady” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.”
As the start of the show unfurls, we are immediately greeted by a full ensemble in the opening entr’acte, “Runyonland”. This cast features 20 performers, though on a smaller stage, this fills the space and feels much larger than it might seem. The ensemble is cohesive in their movement and choreography (Marty Savolskis).
This production of Guys and Dolls took a unique and unconventional approach in that it was announced via their Facebook page that it would include gender-neutral casting. It was interesting to see which actors chose to sing in the original key and which sang an octave up or down.
We are introduced to this casting decision immediately in our opening number, where we are presented comedic rogue-sidekicks “Nicely-Nicely Johnson” (Emily Urbaniak) and “Benny Southstreet” (Mairead Roddy). These characters provide some much needed and fun comedic relief. These two actors play well together with lots of onstage chemistry, as if old-time buddies. Mairead and Emily always seemed to be “in it” when on stage- truly immersed in their environment. *A note; one thing I really appreciated and respected about familiar local theater faces Emily and Mairead was their choice to not wear makeup to portray these characters. In my opinion, this really played deeper into director Claire Ivy Stroller’s choice for gender-neutral casting. I was highly impressed by Emily’s authentic sounding New York accent. In fact, there were many heavily convincing accents in the show, led by dialect coach David Nackman, such as characters Nathan and Adelaide. Also in this number, we meet “Harry The Horse”, portrayed by Matt Mlynarski. This number features the trio singing the song “Fugue for Tinhorns”. This number is clean, and the annunciation of the actors makes the song easy to understand. A great opening number. Later, we hear Emily in a more solo-based number, “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat”, where they sing in the original key, and Emily is able to show off their alto pipes.
We next meet “Sarah Brown”, played by Sarah Nadler. Sarah confidently shows off her high soprano 1 singing voice, with her upper notes ringing clear as a bell. Sarah’s voice is reminiscent of that of a Disney princess, with high levels of clarity and clear vocal training. I loved Sarah’s choices that led from their character being uptight and neurotic, to loosening up after unknowingly being fed alcohol. Randi Walker gave us our fourth main character, “Sky Masterson”. Sarah and Randi had smooth comfortable, harmonious stage chemistry as the unwonted couple.
Next, we meet our main character, “Nathan Detroit”, played by Adrien-Sophia Curry. Adrien’s choices to make Nathan awkward and quirky were highly effective and entertaining. Adrien led their portions of the show well, always commanding the stage.
Brennan Wagner-Malia is introduced and steals the show as “Miss Adelaide”, Nathan’s fiancée. Personally, Brennan’s portrayl of this character was my favorite. Every time they were onstage, there was constant laughter ringing from the audience. Adelaide in drag was almost reminiscent of “Edna Turnblad” where many of Brennan’s comedic choices were special to Adelaide being played unconventionally, as they clearly leaned deeply into this character. Brennan gives us a hilarious and fun rendition of “A Bushel and a Peck”, accompanied by a perfect “squeak” on the word “a”. This casting choice also added an extra level of comedy when contrasted to Nathan being a maladroit, yet seedy gambler.
Costumes (Jessica Morse) were a hit in this show, with the “Hotbox Girls” having matching costumes, and exciting numbers like “Take Back Your Mink” and the white costumes from “A Bushel and a Peck” having costumes that are visually stunning. In addition to costumes, many characters had beautiful wigs (Johnathan Parker, Sam Savolskis) and makeup (such as characters “Big Jule” (Matt Dudley) and “Lt. Brannigan/Lady Luck” (Brandon Farneth). “Lady Luck” was an especially fun costume.)
Guys and Dolls had a strong ensemble. In act 2, we see many of them together in the lengthy, suspenseful and smoky gambling scene. The “under-the-breath” banter during this scene was efficacious and entertaining, particularly from actor Mairead Roddy. * Extra shoutout to the consistent and hilarious dice roll from actor Matt Dudley.
Guys and Dolls is reaching it's close, but you have one more chance to see it, tonight (12/14) at 7:30. Up next on the Theatre Factory stage; The Laramie Project.
This show explores the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, in Laramie, Wyoming. Through interviews with residents of the town, the play examines the impact of the crime on the community, as well as the broader issues of homophobia, hatred, and the search for justice. Playing February 21 – March 1.

**As always, feel free to add comments with thoughts, updates, or corrections.

- Violet, 2024
​

In the heart of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, Cinderella opened its first weekend at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall with Stage 62. The theater filled quickly with excited audience members. The stage design was simple yet colorful and whimsical (designer Rachel Ferrari Engel, builder Chris Ritz and painters Tracy Rudzinski, Jesse Connor, and Lynetta Miller). You can easily see the impressive 15-person orchestra nestled in the pit in front of the stage. An apron continues past the pit, ready for the actors to immerse deeper into the audience. I attended the Sunday matinee performance. 

The orchestra begins playing an impressive opening number. The ensemble of musicians, directed by Andrew Peters, meld beautifully together and create a sound worthy of a professional soundtrack recording. (Shoutout to drummer Karman Main who nailed every song with double-ended drumsticks and seemed to be passionately into the music for the whole 2+ hour long show).

Immediately we are greeted by our main character, Cinderella, who goes by "Ella" (Maggie Brashear). Maggie delicately graces the stage and soon we are introduced to her elegant and soft "princess voice" and incredible vibrato, ringing reminiscent that of a traditional and nostalgic animated film from our childhood. Maggie later displays clear comfort and professionalism within her ballroom dancing in act two as she highlights the stage with the smoothness of her performance. 

The song "Me, Who Am I?" showcases the shows male ensemble. Finding strong male singers in theater is no easy feat, and this production of Cinderella did not fall shy. The bellowing voices of tenors, baritones and basses alike made for a beautiful opening ensemble number. 

We meet our male lead in this number. Topher, portrayed by Ryan Hadbavny, arrives to the stage looking like a true clean-cut and handsome prince. Ryan's voice is clearly toned and well trained from the get-go, but it isn't until act two when we get to see his real chops. His character deepens and with that comes songs that showcase Ryan's ability to demand attention to his beautiful voice. Ryan's character seemed to come easy to him, and his lines of comedic relief landed wonderfully. 

Also in the opening number, we are introduced to Sebastian, portrayed by Brock Stanley, who- in my opinion- stole the show when on stage. Brock had the audience laughing, even at the smallest character choices. He was entertaining to watch and every move he made was calculated and filled with clear and wonderfully executed comedic timing. I was beyond impressed with Brock's acting and his comfort with the character. Each minor facial expression seemed so utterly inspired and made Brock give off maaajor villain vibes. 

Lord Pinkleton (Kevin Rabbits) is introduced as a handsome and stoic herald. Kevin leads the fun and energetic number, "The Prince is Giving A Ball", where we are shown his strong and exquisite voice as it rings through the theater. Kevin demands attention when he is on stage- without even having to try. He was a much needed and contrasted character in a bit of a ridiculous-scripted show. 

A few songs later, we meet our antagonists (or so we think). Madame, played by Jess Whittington, Charlotte, played by Kenzie Hartnett, and Gabrielle, played by Paulina Neuschwander. Madame and her two pompous and ditzy daughters are designed to add some comedic relief in the storyline and these three actresses deliver. Kenzie and Paulina have fantastic stage chemistry as they perfectly embody two sisters who bicker and are always in slight competition with each other. Jess portrays Madame as royal, yet haughty. She graced us with various well-timed ad-libs that added so much laughter to the audience. 
Paulina and Kenzie are both exceptionally animated and dynamic performers. Paulina came onto the stage with a bouncy and silly walk that was redolent of the characters from the 1950 Disney Cinderella film. Kenzie really nailed the whiny, bratty and immature sister character, and her abrasive and conniving facial expressions had everyone around me chuckling. (Loved the occasional looks to the audience of fourth wall breaks from Kenzie). It isn't until later that we learn that Gabrielle is actually a protagonist, and Paulina's shift into this kind character was seamless and convincing. Its moments like these with the contrast between Paulina and Kenzie that show how well this show was cast by director Michael Van Newkirk. Paulina later has adorable stage chemistry with Ella, (Maggie Brashear). Paulina also makes the choice to occasionally use a surprising low voice to further the silliness and awkwardness of her character, and it was absolutely a massive comedic feature of the show. 

Jean-Michelle (Eric Talotta) is silly, yet passionate. His love affair with Gabrielle is adorable and clumsy. Shout out to the flawless overly-animated kiss that had the audience roaring. Eric has great comedic timing and pacing to his lines and really embodies the characters love for his newfound lady.

Marie, otherwise best known as the "fairy godmother", portrayed by Joyce Hinnebusch, doubles as a haggard beggar woman and a beautiful fairy with impressive and adeptly toned operatic notes. Shortly before intermission, Joyce makes her transformation with a fun and shocking dress reveal, masterly completed with a dramatic spin. The audience is given a whimsical scene of metamorphosis that brings us the well-remembered carriage, horses, and assistants to Ella. Extra shoutout to the horses on their synchronized movements. 

​One thing that truly stands out about this entire production is the choreography (Cara McClaine, Nathan Hart). Namely, the choreography for "The Prince is Giving A Ball" and "Ten Minutes Ago". Extra shoutout to the women in "Ten Minutes Ago", who never broke their smile once through the elaborate choreo. 

My favorite number of the evening was the quartet of the three sisters and Madame, "A Lovely Night". If there was fun during the rehearsal process for this number, it absolutely showed on stage. It was colorful, silly, and the harmonies were to die for. 

Final Shoutouts:

The ensemble in this show is strong. They work together as a team and really do give the feeling of being townsfolk. Often times, the ensemble sang in unison instead of harmony, and the strength and clarity behind that choice did not go unnoticed. 

To the townswoman wearing the rainbow socks; brava on the hilarity behind trying on the slipper. The townswoman with the red wig absolutely stole the spotlight with some of her featured dancing, as well as the townswoman in lavender with shorter brown hair in the opening numbers. 

All in all, Cinderella at Stage 62 was a beautiful and fun performance full of talent and passion. Its clear from the casting process to the stage that there was time and thought put into every facet of this production, and I wish them a successful rest of the run. 

Cinderella has five more shows this upcoming week; Thursday and Friday, November 14-15 at 8:00pm, Saturday, November 16th at 2:00pm AND 8:00pm, and Sunday, November 17 at 2:00pm. Get your tickets to this wonderful production now, as they're going quickly!

Tickets at ---> stage62.org

**As always, feel free to add comments with thoughts, updates, or corrections. 

- Violet, 2024
​

Last weekend, a production of Cabaret unfolded at the “Main Street Theatre Company” at the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown, PA. This includes my area of coverage, so I was anticipating the show, which only ran three shows, August 2-4, 2024. I attended the closing performance. I had seen The Little Mermaid at this same theater only three- weeks prior, and recognized some familiar faces, including Ursula, King Tritan, Flotsam, Jetsam, and Scuttle, amongst others. These performers really put in the time!

The Cabaret stage (Zachery Calloway, Alena Wight) was sultry, smokey, dark; decadently adorned to put you inside of the seedy and dystopian Kit Kat Club, a Berlin nightclub in 1930. The set was minimal, in the best way- as it should be. There are levels to the Kit Kat Club, which allowed for extra space for scenes to be more “out of the way”, such as Sally’s dressing room. There were two large pivot-flats on stage that were utilized wonderfully, such as exposing extra floor space for the song “Money”. The scenery lowered upstage into the club area to give windows to the structure were also a great addition.

Cabaret is a show that holds my favorite opening number of any show I’ve seen. This casts performance of “Wilkommen” brought fun, excitement, sex and lust to the table. The choreography (Laura Wurzell) was beautifully done, wonderfully on theme and executed well by the cast. During this number, we are introduced to our two leads, Emcee, portrayed by Brennan Wagner-Malia, and Sally Bowles, played by Emily Urbaniak. Both characters are fun, but racy and bawdy.

Emily decided to take on a version of Sally that I would best equate to the portrayal given by Liza Minelli. Oftentimes, especially after the new Broadway production, Sally can be played unhinged and unstable- a character who is erratic and unpredictable with both words and actions. Emily went back to the core of where Sally was designed and approached her with more sophistication than seen most nowadays. Sally can never be fully sophisticated due to who she is. But the way she is shown to others, particularly in Act 1, is up for artist interpretation. Emily showed us a classy and traditional Sally while making sure to keep her enticing for her audience, as well as for her upcoming love interest. Emily shone through with her strong vocals in “Maybe This Time”, arguably the most successful show-stopper of the night.

Brennan as Emcee stole my heart, and attention, as the best performance of the night. I was simply intoxicated with his portrayal of this character. It appears Brennan took a lot of inspiration from actor Alan Cumming, who won a Tony with his performance of the Emcee in 1998. I have mentioned in previous reviews- I am a huge fan of actors who emulate parts of famous performances. Myself and many others got turned on to Cabaret with elements like Cumming’s performance, so to see that echoed so beautifully in live theater is a real treat.

Brennan took the Emcee down a creepy yet alluring path. We follow him throughout the show, though his character is almost more of a shadow figure. One thing I noticed and loved is that Brennan had his body contorted in a specific way that was both unnerving and difficult to look away from- he always had his neck slightly craned downward and looking over his eyebrows to the audience. This was an excellent choice. His flips from happy to angry were contrasted so the audience was on edge about what he might say or do next. One of my favorite performances of the year, hands down.

“Two Ladies” in particular was exceptionally fun, featuring Bobby (Jonathan Parker) and Rosie (Breanna Deutsch). This was a clear audience favorite, and we were all “wow’ed” by the on-stage quick change that happened before we even realized.

Early in the show, yet consistent, one of the most successful elements of the production that was absolutely crucial was the lighting design (Forrest Trimble). Every single scene had a delicate choice of lighting that was disorienting in the way that was necessary to either put you inside the Kit Kat Club or remove you from it and contrast you to scenes within the boarding house. The lighting was one of my absolute favorite elements of this production- a massive standing ovation to Forrest.

Cabaret’s ensemble was extremely strong. Sally’s performance numbers with the women including “Don’t Tell Mama” and “Mein Herr” and full group numbers such as “Money” were entertaining and easy to watch. All the dancers were sharp- but not too sharp. Cabaret has a natural sensual flow to it, even with designated choreography, and this cast nailed it.

The Kit Kat girls and boys are such an integral part to the show, and there was a directorial choice that I really appreciated. Director John F. Wagner-Malia opted to have various ensemble stand on stage for just about every scene not directed in the Kit Kat Club. I absolutely loved this. The audience might forget they were there for a moment only to catch a glimpse of a lingerie-clad man or woman out of the stage lights watching the conversation in the next room. I think this added wonderfully to the eeriness that came with Cliff’s trip to Berlin and the ambiance of where he spent his time. Shoutout to the pregnant Kit Kat Girl (I’m sorry, I am not sure of her name), who would gently hold and rub her belly when in these positions on stage. It was a small but highly effective choice that added depth and empathy to her character. (I also liked the idea of including a pregnant Kit Kat Girl in general- I think that would have been realistic for the club)

The closest thing we have to a protagonist is Cliff Bradshaw, played by Sam Brooks. Cliff serves as the antithesis of the Kit Kat Club and all who inhabit it. Cliff is more pure, naïve, and even a bit boring- that’s what creates the contrast where he is so drawn into Sally. Sam has a dramatic and moving moment in Act 2 when he confronts Sally, accusing her of the paths she has taken to get where she is in life. This was a really great moment for Sam, as his anger really shown through other than the just typically irritated-but-otherwise-pushover Cliff. Cliff’s duet with Sally, “Perfectly Marvelous” in Act 1 was also fun with great vocal and stage chemistry between the two performers.

At some point, we meet our main antagonist, Ernst Ludwig, played by Matt Mlynarski. We also meet a trio of secondary leads. Fraulein Kost, played by McKinley Klotz, Fraulein Schneider, played by Rebecca Kaufman-Taylor, and Herr Shultz, played by Michael Rozell. These four characters have many interactions, but also wonderful characters in themselves.

McKinley gave us a highly sexual Kost, always having sailors in and out of her room. Though she presses that its necessary to pay the rent, we also get the idea that she mostly enjoys it. The Act 1 closer, McKinley delivered a robust rendition of “Tomorrow Belongs to Me”. Her voice was strong and well developed- very reminiscent of the soundtrack itself, which I loved. This entire song was so impactful, and the way it was designed was ingenious. I especially loved the static of the background while there stayed some movement with McKinley and Matt’s characters. I think this choice was metaphoric of the upcoming vibe-shift for Act 2 that shows the dynamic change, and it really gave our two new antagonists power. I had chills during this scene. I was also highly impressed with Matt’s delivery of one of my most anticipated lines of the show, the harrowing second “he is not a German”. Well done.

Michael gave us a Shultz that was affable and lovable and an easy character to root for. Such portrayal is important for Shultz because it makes it all the more painful when everyone turns on him. He gave us wonderful comedic timing, and his beautiful voice melded seamlessly with Rebecca’s voice.

When I saw Rebecca’s headshot in my program, I was shocked to see she seemed much younger, as this character is usually played by a much older actress. After seeing Rebecca perform, even for minutes, the casting choice was clear. Rebecca gave one of my favorite performances of the night; it was absolutely flawless. She made Schneider authoritative to Kost but gentle to Shultz. More frail in Act 1 but more stoic in Act 2, while never losing passion and emotion in the character until the very, very end. Despite her age, Rebecca held herself and spoke with a voice perfectly in sync with the age Schneider typically is. I have never quite understood fully or been on board with the song “What Would You Do” when I had seen it done before, but Rebecca put such emotion into it for me that it all made sense. For once, I really, deeply understood the song and what Schneider was grappling with. I thank Rebecca for that, because it will help my analysis of this show further in the future.

Act 2 was dark and dystopian, as it should be. One of my favorite parts of Cabaret as a whole is the distinction between the acts. Nicole Jones as the gorilla was fun and well-executed, until the end, of course. I think that moment really, really sets the tone for the rest of the show and what the writers wanted to accomplish.

It was an honor to get to see Cabaret while it was here. My only criticism is that this theater really needs longer show runs- the quality of these productions are out-of-this-world and it's just not enough time to give proper appreciation for all of the obvious hard work that the performers and staff put in.

Next up on this stage is a student production of High School Musical, running October 12-13, followed by CATS, starting off the new year, running January 31-Feb 2.


As always, feel free to leave comments with thoughts, questions, or corrections. 

​- Daryl, 2024

​Last weekend closed out a highly successful run of The Little Mermaid at Main Street Theatre Company at the State Theatre Center for the Arts.

The story of The Little Mermaid is that of a young mermaid who falls in love with a prince on the shore. She makes the decision to gain legs and the ability to walk on land in exchange for losing her voice to an evil sea witch.

Only running one weekend with four shows, I was able to attend the Saturday evening show and recognized quite a few faces from various other theaters in this show, demonstrating that there is no distance these dedicated and passionate performers won’t travel, as this beautiful, large theater in Uniontown, Pennsylvania is a lengthy 80-minute drive from Downtown Pittsburgh.

As you walk into the theater, it is mildly reminiscent of a visit to the Benedum theater; there are door greeters, snacks, and even merchandise being sold. The theater itself is wonderfully large, holding an impressive 1,500 seats. The stage is incredibly roomy, and immediately you are greeted with the billowing arches on stage, painted to reflect that of waves. All in all, the set design (Zachary Calloway, Alena Wight), is beautifully executed. Throughout the show, the set pieces are all expertly painted and designed. It’s announced that the main characters will be sticking around after the show for a meet-and-greet with children, which I found to be an adorable addition to a family favorite show and movie.


This show skillfully utilizes the use of “fly rails” to better the illusion of certain characters swimming underwater. The Main Street Theater Company makes complete use of its large proscenium stage.

We begin by meeting our main character, Ariel, portrayed by Paulina Neuschwander. From the moment we meet Paulina, she is 100% in character- and she never leaves, even for a second. While “underwater” in her tail, Paulina is, at all times, doing slight body rolls and arm movements that accurately give the impression she is swimming and stabilizing underwater. I did not see Paulina stop this movement once. This is a highly impressive skill to accomplish while simultaneously remembering lines, blocking, and otherwise fully staying within the scene. There were a select few others who joined in maintaining the illusion of underwater movements as well. Paulina immediately introduces us to her perfectly tailored “Disney Princess” speaking and singing voice. I have seen many non-Broadway productions of this show, and I don’t think in all my years I have seen somebody with a better grasp on how to fully embody Ariel- from her voice, to her movements, to her animations. Once Ariel becomes human and she loses her voice, Paulina must shift from a chatty teen underwater princess to a non-verbal character. Ariel is well known in the theater community for being an exceedingly difficult role, namely due to most of act 2 being dependent on “body/physical acting”. Paulina excelled in every facet of this challenge, portraying Ariel in a way that is so animated, you’ll need to remind yourself you’re not watching a well-drawn cartoon. She stays adorable and elegant while speaking clearly without ever using sound.

Next, we are introduced to Ariel’s love interest, Eric, portrayed by actor Dylan Pal. Pal has the prince look; tall, handsome, and clean cut. His voice is beautifully toned and clearly professionally trained. One thing that greatly impressed me was Dylan’s movement in his harness with the fly rails. When he is in the air, he engaged his core in such a way that it really looked as if he were swimming underwater. This requires full engagement of every muscle to accomplish. Pal’s portrayal of Eric makes him incredibly lovable and an easy character to root for. Paulina and Dylan’s stage chemistry was fantastic. They meshed so well together with both acting and singing and had a beautifully choregraphed (John F. Wagner-Malia) ballroom dance scene during “One Step Closer”. Both actors seem well versed in ballroom dance and this scene really demonstrated the actors comfort with each other on stage.

At some point in the show, we meet our antagonist; the evil sea witch Ursula, played by Emily Urbaniak. Emily skillfully encompasses the exciting complexities that come with being a Disney villain. Her rendition of the fan favorite “Poor Unfortunate Souls” gave me chills. Her demeanor and movements in the role are smooth and conniving. She is manipulative and wonderfully evil. Her two sidekicks, Flotsam and Jetsam, portrayed by Quenten Zboyovsky and Jonathan Parker stay close and add to her antagonistic nature. Both actors fully immersed in the body movements to portray themselves as undersea eels. I couldn’t pick a favorite if I tried- both actors had uniquely different approaches to what it means to be a villainous character, yet both were cohesive enough to remind the audience that they act as one.

Quenten and Jonathan will be working together again in Main Street Theatre Company’s next production of Cabaret as KitKat Boys “Victor” and “Bobby”, alongside other actors from this show including Sam Brooks (King Triton) as “Cliff Bradshaw” and Emily Urbaniak (Ursula) as “Sally Bowles”, as well as others.

Another standout character in the production is the well-loved Sebastian, portrayed by Randi Walker. Randi graces the stage donned in all-red attire. She has a red duku/doek hair wrap, a red blazer, and red flapper pants that have layers similar to the carapace that a crustacean might have, and sway in a way that is reminiscent of being underwater. The costuming for this show (Angela Miller) is exceptional in every way, but Sebastian’s costume specifically is positively inspired. Randi brings a comedic character to the stage, gaining lots of audience laughter with her “crab walk” upon exiting the stage. Her voice stands out best during “Kiss The Girl”, and her gentle tone is perfectly matched with a romantic slow song. This song features our love interests in a boat, slowly wading through water. The boats movements were smooth and enchanting and really immersed the audience within the scene. (I am still not entirely sure how the boat was being made to move! Highly impressive, brava.)

Another standout character was Scuttle, played by actress Breanna Deutsch. Breanna gave us Scuttle as a zany, erratic, lovable character and good friend to Ariel. She also led my absolute favorite number in the show, “Positoovity”. This number has not been a standout favorite in past productions I’ve seen- but Breanna and her dance crew of seagulls gave a wonderfully choregraphed and sharply rehearsed dance number that had me in awe and shot this number to the top of my list. Breanna has a clear background in dance/tap and led the number with pure confidence. Tap is a very easy style of dance to hurt a show as getting tap shoes to synchronize is quite a feat, especially in larger numbers, but that was no issue for these dancers. Huge shoutout to all the gulls on a fantastic number that had the audience in love.

One scene that really grasped the attention of the audience was “Les Poissons”, solely due to being artfully led by actor Michael Dezort, playing Chef Louis. I would say this number was the fan favorite of the show. Michael had everyone belly-laughing with his ridiculous and hysterical rendition of the character. Every single movement, facial expression, and overall character choice was perfectly chosen and made for a hilarious scene. Once Sebastian is added to the song and begins a chase scene, the comedy element is instantly ramped up. You could hear nothing but ringing of children’s laughter in the audience from this physical “Three-Stooges” style choreography.

Additional uncategorized shoutouts;

There were some ensemble and secondary characters who really stood out, as I tend to watch every character on stage when seeing a show. Sophia Hamilton; actress who was doing flips on the stage was a massive stand-out performer. We truly couldn’t take our eyes off of her! She was fully engaged in the show at all times, from facial expressions to movement. Every choice was made with precision, and her addition of the gymnastics moves was such unexpected fun. (we especially loved her perfectly timed flip into the button pose at the end of “Under The Sea”)

Two of Ariel’s sisters- Rachael Szabo, and Abbey Rocks- especially shined on stage, again making small character choices at every step that didn’t go unnoticed. Rachael had constant hilarious and relatable facial expressions in response to her sister’s foolishness.

“If Only”, the quartet in act 2 featuring Ariel, Eric, Sebastian and King Triton (Sam Brooks) was a stunning number with ethereal harmonies that really had the audience feeling so many emotions.

Ariel’s shrine tumbling effect was exciting and well executed. Ariel’s reveal of her legs was seamless and flawless and fun to watch. My co-writer really enjoyed the silhouettes that happened within the lighting design (Forrest Trimble) during the crash scene (that I unfortunately looked down during). The addition of bubbles on stage was an exciting texture to add to the set. Ariel’s sidekick, Flounder (Joe Kosha) was a fun character to be beside Ariel. Joe captured the shy but hopeful nature of Flounder as he vies for Ariel’s love.

This show was adroitly mastered with plenty of laughs, cries, gasps, and “aww’s”. Congratulations to the entire cast, as well as director Matt Mlynarski, on a fantastic and successful run of The Little Mermaid.
Next up at Main Street Theatre Company; Cabaret, running just one weekend- August 2 & 3, (7:00) and 4 (2:00).

**As always, feel free to leave comments with thoughts, questions, or corrections. 

-Daryl, 2024

In Scottsdale, PA, about an hour from Pittsburgh, a performance of "Beauty and the Beast" goes up at the Geyer Performing Arts Center, a beautiful traditional theater built in 1900. The timeless tale of the 1991 classic Disney movie becomes reimagined into a musical with both original music from the movie and new music developed for the stage show.

This performance, directed by Tina Lepidi-Stewart, tells the tale of Belle, a woman who is locked away in a castle by a Beast, to stay forever. During her time at the castle, she not only befriends the enchanted house items around her, she learns to love the Beast, thus transforming him and all of his cursed prisoners back into humans.



After some short exposition, we begin by meeting Belle, played by Carsyn Rivardo. Carsyn portrays her character with true emotion. Her acting shows depth and understanding of the character and what she feels. Bringing the original tonality of Belle's gentle but distinct speaking voice, Carsyn develops chemistry with every character she meets, both protagonist and antagonist. She reads comfortably on stage and delivers her lines with conviction.

The pit, composed of an impressive 14 musicians, helps to put the viewer inside of the world of mystical 18th-century France.
We meet fun and animated characters, such as the trio of "silly girls", portrayed by Barb Rolla, Abby Lanzelotti, and Briana Pologruto. These three actresses play off of each other seamlessly, perfectly animating the whimsical and bubbly desperation they feel for Gaston (James Peperak). Their chemistry on the stage reads fantastically, as they add comic relief to each scene they're in.

There are a few scenes where we are introduced to wolves, played by some of the ensemble cast. Its clear they worked on their "animalistic" movements, as their portrayals of animals involved smooth movements that added to the realism.

The set is simple- until it isn't. In the town, there is very little on the stage. However, when we move to the Beasts' castle, the set becomes a multi-tiered and intricate display that helps envelope the feeling of an old, beautiful, but slightly haunting mansion.

Once in the castle, we meet multiple characters who portray the humanoid objects around the house. Within this group, there are many standout and exceptional character choices. Lumiere, played by Elijah Gilbert, and Cogsworth, played by Jessie Glover, stand out particularly for an absolutely stellar performance. The two actors perfectly mimicked the voices of the original characters that we know, bringing the audience back to their childhood, and the children to the movie they love. Jessie and Elijah have fantastic stage chemistry with each other and give the true feeling that they've known each other for a long time trapped in the castle. Both have fantastic singing voices as well, with Elijah being highlighted in the audience favorite, "Be Our Guest". Elijah led the song with ease and confidence, and kept his unique accent throughout the song, which can be difficult to do.

Another standout performance is from Babette, portrayed by Aubrey Burchell. This is another instance of an actor who knows exactly how to embody the character. Aubrey put her own spin on the character, but stayed true to its origin. She wonderfully grasped the overall "vibe" of Babette, being bubbly and animated, while staying sultry. Aubrey's performance felt very a la "Bernadette Peters".

Lefou, played by Logan Ling, is another perfectly cast and played character. Ling wonderfully captured the whimsical, erratic, yet lovable nature that Lefou calls for. His energy and excitement for the role shines through, and his comedic timing is perfect.

But most notably, we are introduced to the Beast, played by Brandon Kerr. Kerr's performance is by far one of the more impressive depictions of the Beast that I have ever seen on stage. He wears the Beasts' hunchback well with his movements. His speaking voice is reminiscent of the original Robbie Benson, but with a personal style wonderfully intertwined. Most importantly, his clarity and tone in his singing is truly something to behold. It brings the Beast to life and inevitably helps to humanize him when emotion is added into song. Kerr's impressive control over his voice is clear. He is also successful with integrating the Beasts' gruff speaking voice into his singing voice. "If I Can't Love Her" is a beautifully performed piece, and a real highlight to the show.

Through all of this, by far the most entertaining and impressive number of the show is "Gaston", led by Gaston himself (James Peperak), who accurately depicted the confident antagonist with a healthy dose of toxic masculinity. The choreography (Leyna Wright) involves the iconic dance sequence with bar mugs clacking together. This notoriously difficult number was accomplished seamlessly. The number had a massive applause from the audience, and was a clear fan favorite; well deserved.

Other parts of the show I would like to take a moment to highlight include the violinists in the pit (Larissa Marple and Toni Schilb) who captured the real essence of everyones favorite song, "Tale As Old As Time", led by Mrs. Potts (Peggy Bryan)- who did Angela Lansbury justice with her comforting voice. The ballroom choreography in this scene was also eloquently choreographed, and perfectly lands.
Madame De La Grande Bouche played by Keegan Kraisinger had beautiful operatic top notes that stood out without being overpowering.
​The Beast and Belle had a very compelling and emotional death scene, as well as a climactic bout of camaraderie in the end scene featuring the entire cast.

If you're looking for a fun night out with the family, a date, or even on your own, consider the theater. Beauty and the Beast runs only for the weekend of June 20th-23rd, so grab your tickets fast, at https://geyerpac.com/.

**As always, feel free to leave comments with thoughts, questions, or corrections. 

​- Alice, 2024