Virtual theater performances are fine in a pinch but, all in all, pretty close to TV.
For the fall, there are still some digital shows but actors are back in front of live audiences for productions by the city’s major theater companies and presenters. Here’s the rundown:
City Theatre
The theater’s 47th season begins with a collaboration with Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse and Los Angeles-based Cornerstone Theater Company for the world premiere of “The Rivers Don’t Know,” a play about immigration in Pittsburgh by James McManus, a Donora, Washington County, native.
“The Rivers Don’t Know” will take place through Sept. 19 at the Pittsburgh Playhouse and is free to the public, with reservations.
The subscription series opens at the South Side theater with “Live from the Edge,” a collaboration with national company Universes that tracks the evolution of language from nursery rhymes and community rituals to poetry, hip-hop and gospel (Oct. 9-31).
City then co-produces a musical with Pittsburgh CLO for the first time. “An Untitled New Play by Justin Timberlake,” a world premiere by Matt Schatz, brings comedy to the age-old debate over art vs. commerce (Nov. 27-Dec. 19); citytheatrecompany.org.
Pittsburgh Public Theater
The Cultural District company’s 47th season — titled “All Aboard” — begins with Wendy MacLeod’s “Slow Food,” a digital comedy that will be shot at Pittsburgh restaurant Con Alma (Oct. 5-17). Daina Michelle Griffith, Daniel Krell and Jason Shavers star in the play about a couple who get more than they bargained for from a neurotic, oversharing waiter at a charming Greek restaurant. Access at ppt.org/slowfood.
The first play to return to the O’Reilly stage is an all-new production of “The Chief,” the story of Steelers founder Art Rooney, played by John Noble (“Lord of the Rings”) (Oct. 20-Nov. 7); ppt.org.
Broadway Series
Winner of 10 Tonys and a Grammy for best theater album, “The Band's Visit” is an offbeat story about a band of musicians who lose their way and arrive in a small town (Oct. 28-31).
“Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” tracks how the singer from Boston went from gospel choir to dance floor diva (Nov. 16-21); Benedum Center, Downtown; trustarts.org.
Pittsburgh CLO
“A Musical Christmas Carol,” a holiday tradition, returns to the Byham Theater, Downtown (Dec. 10-23); pittsburghclo.org.
Quantum Theatre
Quantum’s 30th anniversary season features “Chimerica,” an award-winning 2013 play by Lucy Kirkwood that follows a young photojournalist who stunned the world with the photo of a lone protester facing down tanks in China’s Tiananmen Square in 1989. The play fast forwards to our time to examine the geopolitical dominance of the U.S. and China and the ethics of photojournalism (Nov. 27-Dec. 19); quantumtheatre.com.
Pittsburgh Musical Theater
“The SpongeBob Musical” comes loaded with original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Sara Bareilles, The Flaming Lips, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, They Might Be Giants and more (Byham, Downtown, Nov. 4-7).
The seasonal production of “A Lyrical Christmas Carol” is at Gargaro Theater, West End (Dec. 16-19); pittsburghmusicals.com.
PICT Classic Theatre
“As You Like It,” Shakespeare’s comedy about love and lust, is staged at Fred Rogers Studio, WQED, Oakland (Oct. 30-Nov. 20); picttheatre.org or 412-561-6000.
Prime Stage
The Beechview-based company’s 25th anniversary season features a world premiere of sci-fi/horror novelist Lawrence C. Connolly’s adaptation of “Frankenstein” (Nov. 5-14); primestage.com.
First Published: September 16, 2021, 10:00 a.m.
Updated: September 16, 2021, 10:16 a.m.
