Sunday, March 16, 2025, 4:42AM |  67°
MENU
Advertisement
Lin-Manuel Miranda, foreground, with the cast during a performance of
8
MORE

'Hamilton' to greet 2019 in Pittsburgh in blockbuster Broadway series season

Joan Marcus/The Public Theater via AP

'Hamilton' to greet 2019 in Pittsburgh in blockbuster Broadway series season

Get ready to celebrate the new year in a big way. “Hamilton” arrives in Pittsburgh and stays for four weeks, Jan. 1-27, 2019.

The 11-time Tony Award-winning musical leads a blockbuster 2018-19 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh lineup that includes the 2017 best musical, “Dear Evan Hansen.”

“Hamilton” is the musical sensation about America’s Founding Fathers and one unsung man’s influence on the birth of a nation. “Dear Evan Hansen” is fiction but of the moment — it’s about teenagers desperate to make meaningful connections in a world where everyone is digitally connected every second of their lives.

Advertisement

Both shows are still on Broadway, as are two other musicals coming to Pittsburgh next season: the lush stage adaptation of “Anastasia,” with songs by Dormont’s Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics), and “Come From Away,” the inspiring, spirited true story of a small Newfoundland town that welcomed 7,000 passengers who were grounded on 9/11.

Actress Julie Reiber, left, and retired airline captain Beverley Bass, were at the Benedum Center Monday to promote
Sharon Eberson
Pioneer pilot Beverley Bass tells how the '9/12' musical 'Come From Away' changed her life

“Come From Away” was one of the shows represented with a performance at the Benedum Center Monday night, when the season was announced to a packed crowd of Broadway Series patrons. Julie Reiber of the Broadway production was there to sing “Between Me and the Sky,” that tells of the aviation career of Beverley Bass, the first female pilot for American Airlines. Ms. Bass was there as well, telling how her story became part of a musical.

“Come From Away” is about “what happened on 9/12,” when the worst day many had ever experienced turned into the generosity and spirit of the people of Gander, who welcomed passengers from all over the world. Pittsburgh is the fifth city where the pilot and the singer who portrays her have helped to announce that “Come From Away” is on its way. 

In every city, people want to share their own stories of that tragedy and its aftermath.

Advertisement

“But we like that. We are so happy that the show brings that out in people, that they feel comfortable talking aboutit,” Ms. Bass said after the announcement. “It brings closure for a lot of people who were so closely related to people in the Towers or Pennsylvania or D.C., and they often tell us that the show brings closure for them.”

The only revival in the seven-show lineup is “Fiddler on the Roof,” which was heralded with a fiddler on the Benedum marquee, where Emily Trifaro played Monday evening, and a rendition of “If I Were a Rich Man” by John Saunders, and Stephanie Rothenberg kicked off the entertainment with “Journey to the Past” from “Anastasia.”

Also on the way are the family-friendly “Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and the toast of Broadway and London’s West End, the nonmusical farce “The Play That Goes Wrong,” which opens the series on Sept. 17.

One of “Hamilton’s” dates is a dedicated education performance, “which is a great get for us — not every city gets that,” said Pittsburgh Cultural Trust marketing and communications vice president Marc Fleming, who programmed the season. “It is limited to Title I schools [schools with high numbers of children from low-income families]. It is handled through a foundation, but we coordinate with the schools.”

From left: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs and Okieriete Onaodowan are part of the original cast of
Sharon Eberson
'Hamilton' movie at least 2 years away, tour plays Pittsburgh in January

One of the four season specials, the world premiere of “Cirque Eloize Hotel” in September, is part of the fourth Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts. It has been five years since the previous festival, which in 2018 will welcome 30 international companies and artists from 18 countries. The full festival schedule will be announced in May.

With the previously announced coming of “Hamilton,” the Trust has witnessed an unprecedented demand for tickets and suggests that patrons visit TrustArts.org/BroadwayFAQ for the most up-to-date ticketing information. To be assured of a ticket, season ticket holders must renew their subscriptions, and new subscribers can add themselves to an online waiting list at TrustArts.org/Broadway starting at 10 a.m. April 2.

2018-19 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh Season

Sept. 17-23: “The Play That Goes Wrong” (Benedum Center): A small community theater is putting on a show that is bound for disaster. Welcome to opening night of “The Murder at Haversham Manor,” where things are quickly going from bad to hilarious. With an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead and actors who trip over everything (including their lines), it’s sure to bring down the house — literally.

Oct. 16-21: “Anastasia” (Benedum): Based on the animated movie, “Anastasia” features a book by Terrence McNally, a new score by Flaherty & Ahrens and a spectacular projection design that transports us from Russia to 1920s Paris as brave Anya sets out to discover the mystery of her past.

Nov. 20-25: “Fiddler on the Roof” (Benedum): Director Bartlett Sher and the team behind the revivals of “South Pacific” and “The King and I” bring a fresh vision to the musical masterpiece, with movement and dance from choreographer Hofesh Shechter, based on the original staging by Jerome Robbins. Featuring classic songs “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset” and more, “Fiddler” is a timeless tale of family, faith and tradition.

Jan. 1-27, 2019: “Hamilton” (Benedum Center): The story of Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington's right-hand man and was the new nation’s first treasury secretary, has captured the imaginations of fans on Broadway and beyond. Featuring a score that blends rap, R&B, Broadway and more, “Hamilton” is the story of America then, as told by America now.

Jan. 29-Feb. 3, 2019: “Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (Benedum): The new musical inspired by the Dahl book includes songs from the original film, including “Pure Imagination,” “The Candy Man” and “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket.” With new songs by the “Hairspray” team,” the musical tells the tale of Willy Wonka and his mysterious chocolate factory and the golden ticket winners who enter Wonka’s world of wonders. Oompa-Loompas? Check. The great glass elevator? Check. And more, more, more.

April 9-14, 2019: “Come From Away” (Benedum): The uplifting true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small Canadian town that welcomed them on 9/11. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but gratitude and trust grew into enduring friendships. With spirited Irish-pop music by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, and direction by Tony winner Christopher Ashley.

May 21-26, 2019: “Dear Evan Hansen” (Heinz Hall): Winner of six 2017 Tonys, including best musical, and the 2018 Grammy for musical theater album. A lie leads a teen to a life Evan Hansen never dreamed he could have — a chance to finally fit in. With music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (“La La Land,” “The Greatest Showman”) and direction by Michael Greif (“Rent,” “Next to Normal”).

Season specials: Sept. 25-30: “Cirque Eloize Hotel” (Benedum); Dec. 26-30: “Elf the Musical” (Heinz Hall); Feb. 20-March 3, 2019: “The Phantom of the Opera” (Benedum); April 16-26, 2019: “The Book of Mormon” (Heinz Hall).

Sharon Eberson: seberson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1960. Twitter: @SEberson_pg.

First Published: March 27, 2018, 12:00 a.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Partygoers fill Semple Street during a party near the University of Pittsburgh on Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Oakland.
1
local
Police clear Oakland street of St. Patrick’s Day partygoers day after porch roof collapse
Ken Gormley Inauguration as Duquesne University's 13th President.
2
news
Duquesne University President Ken Gormley to step down in 2026
The Social Security Administration Building at 6117 Penn Circle North in East Liberty Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019 in Pittsburgh.
3
news
Social Security Administration to begin withholding full benefits from overpaid recipients
South Fayette bench celebrates a basket against Hollidaysburg  in a PIAA Class 5A quarterfinal girls basketball playoff game at Armstrong High School on Saturday, March15, 2025.
4
sports
PIAA girls basketball playoffs: Uniform gaffe gives South Fayette pregame edge in win against Hollidaysburg
Firefighters and officers respond to a collapsed porch roof on Friday, March 14, 2025, in Oakland. Earlier, during a college party, the roof caved in with over a dozen people on and below the structure. Multiple injuries were reported, and the porch was condemned.
5
local
WATCH: Several injured after roof collapsed on Oakland building
Lin-Manuel Miranda, foreground, with the cast during a performance of "Hamilton" on Broadway in New York.  (Joan Marcus/The Public Theater via AP)
Violinist Emily Trifaro of Washington plays songs from the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" on the marquee roof of the Benedum Center on Monday, part of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's event to announce its 2018-19 season.  (Stephanie Strasburg/Post-Gazette)
Actress Julie Reiber, left, and Captain Beverly Bass stand for a portrait together at the Benedum Center on Monday, March 26, in Downtown. Reiner plays Bass, a female pilot for American Airlines, in the play "Come From Away," which tells the story of Bass' piloting a diverted flight on 9/11.  (Stephanie Strasburg/Post-Gazette)
Violinist Emily Trifaro of Washington plays songs from the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" on the marquee roof of the Benedum Center on Monday. The revival of "Fiddler" is one of seven shows announced for the 2018-19 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh season.  (Stephanie Strasburg/Post-Gazette)
A scene from the Tony-winning best musical "Dear Evan Hansen" on Broadway. The tour is part of the PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh's 2018-19 season.  (Sara Krulwich/The New York Times)
Alex Mandell and Amelia McClain in "The Play That Goes on Wrong" on Broadway.  (Jeremy Daniel)
The cast of "Come From Away' on Broadway. The show about hope and friendship on 9/11 is coming to Pittsburgh in 2018-19.  (Matthew Murphy)
Christy Altomare, from the original Broadway cast of "Anastasia."  (Matthew Murphy)
Joan Marcus/The Public Theater via AP
Advertisement
LATEST ae
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story