Pittsburgh CLO welcomes Tony Award-winner Leslie Uggams as Muzzy in the season-ending “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” part of the first round of summer casting announced Wednesday.
Ms. Uggams, a singing star on concert stages and on Broadway in “Hallelujah, Baby!”,” played Kizzy in the landmark TV miniseries “Roots” and can be seen this summer in a very different role -— on the big screen with Ryan Reynolds in “Deadpool 2.” Ms. Uggams previously played Muzzy in the 2003 Broadway revival of “Millie.”
Also coming to CLO this summer:
• Carnegie Mellon grad Bradley Dean (“Dear Evan Hansen,” among other Broadway credits), Pittsburgher Chris Peluso and Christopher Gurr in “Titanic” (June 22-July 1).
• Andy Kelso, who starred as Charlie in “Kinky Boots,” among other Broadway credits; Tony Award nominee Anita Gillette (and Tina Fey’s mom on “30 Rock”; and John Hickok (Broadway’s “Parade,” “Little Women” and “Aida”) in “The Full Monty” (July 6-15).
• Jeff Kready (Broadway’s “ A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” “Billy Elliot,” “Sunday in the Park With George” and “Les Miserables”); Jason Babinsky (Broadway’s “Billy Elliot” and “Ghost”) and Lenny Wolpe, marking his 18th CLO production, in “Brigadoon (July 17-22).
• Jessica Grove, who was CLO’s Ariel in “Disney’s The Little Mermaid,” returns as Belle (Broadway: Eponine in “Les Miserables); James Snyder (CLO’s “Million Dollar Quartet” and “South Pacific”) returns as the Beast; plus Jennifer Hope Wills in “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” (July 27-Aug. 5).
• Laurie Veldheer (Broadway’s “Mamma Mia!,” “Newsies) and Bobby Conte Thornton (Broadway’s “A Bronx Tale” join Ms. Uggams in “Thorougly Modern Millie” (Aug. 7-12).
Quantum Theatre’s 2018-19 season
It’s usually the case with Quantum Theatre that the who and the what come long before the where. In its upcoming season, the avant-garde company has all the “w’s” covered for two of its three shows.
Among the who’s who, Jeffrey Carpenter and Tami Dixon — the husband-and-wife team responsible for Bricolage Productions and ambitious, immersive theater that complements Quantum in spirit and scope — will immerse themselves in Shakespeare for the season-ending “King Lear” at the Carrie Furnace in Homestead.
Sept. 14-Oct. 28 — “Chatterton,” adapted from Peter Ackroyd’s book and directed by Karla Boos.
The season opens with a world premiere production as part of the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts. “Chatterton” follows in the footsteps of 2014’s “Tamara” as an experience that transcends traditional theater to “immerse its mobile audiences in the haunting spaces of Trinity Cathedral Pittsburgh.”
The plot is inspired by the 18th-century poet Thomas Chatterton, the Romantic era’s “most famous suicide,” immortalized in a famous painting by Henry Wallis, circa 1856. “Chatterton” includes London poets in three centuries and asks, “Is anything ‘authentic’ in the intertwining worlds of art and commerce?’”
In the manner of “Tamara,” which took place throughout Rodef Shalom Congregation, the “Chatterton” experience begins with pre-show drinks in Pittsburgh’s oldest churchyard and includes a full intermission dinner by the celebrity chef of the week. Subscribers receive a free return visit (cost of dinner not included) to explore more of Trinity Cathedral.
Feb. 8-March 3, 2019 — “The Gun Show” by EM Lewis and directed by Sheila McKenna
Andrew William Smith takes on the one-man play that explores the playwright’s own complicated relationship to gun culture. A 2014 Joseph Jefferson Award nominee in Chicago for best solo performance, “The Gun Show” jumps into the middle of the gun control debate and asks, “Can we have a conversation about this?” Mr. Smith previously starred in Quantum’s “The Hard Problem” and “The River”; Ms. McKenna directed “Madagascar” for the company.
May 10-June 2, 2019 — “King Lear” by William Shakespeare, adapted by James Kincaid and Julian Markels and directed by Risher Reddick
Staged in partnership with Rivers of Steel, this “Lear” continues Quantum’s tradition of re-envisioning Shakespeare, “highlighting the vastness and intimacy of this iconic portrayal of grief, loss, family values gone awry and descent into madness.” Described as a “tight, physical” adaptation, with Mr. Carpenter and Ms. Dixon leading the way.
Subscriptions ($155-$205) and details: quantumtheatre.com or 412-362-1713.
Pittsburgh Musical Theater’s 2018-19 season
PMT continues to grow in its West End digs while keeping one foot — or, in the case of “Disney’s Newsies,” lots of dancing feet — in productions at the Downtown Byham Theater. Bold choices for the West End’s Gargaro Theater are “In the Heights,” “Nunsense the Mega Musical” and, for the late-night crowd, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.”
At the Byham Theater, Downtown
Oct. 25-28 — “Annie”: the annual collaboration by the students of the Richard E. Rauh Conservatory, backed by the CAPA Orchestra and produced by Pittsburgh Musical Theater pros.
May 2-12, 2019 — “Disney’s Newsies”: Loosely based on a true story and the original Disney movie, “Newsies” is set in New York City at the turn of the century, when a group of delivery boys goes up against the mighty Joseph Pulitzer and strikes for what’s right.
At the Gargaro Theater, 327 S. Main St., West End
Jan. 24-Feb. 3, 2019: “In the Heights” — Lin-Manuel Miranda’s pre-“Hamilton” Tony Award winner follows a neighborhood with lottery fever as they chase the American dream in hip-hop, pop and Latin rhythms.
March 21-31, 2019 — “Nunsense the Mega Musical”: A supersized version of the original “Nunsense,” with the original five nuns and featuring five new male and female characters, a new song and two expanded dance numbers.
(PMT After Hours) Nov. 9-17, 2019 — “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”: Meet Hedwig, an East German transsexual “slip of a girlyboy” who moves to America after a botched sex change operation. Hedwig’s giving a concert and baring her soul, and she’s not holding anything back.
Tickets available directly from Pittsburgh Musical Theater, 412-539-0900 ext. 232.
Sharon Eberson: seberson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1960. Twitter: @SEberson_pg.
Sharon Eberson: seberson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1960. Twitter: @SEberson_pg.
First Published: May 30, 2018, 10:57 p.m.
