Teenagers, Gymnasts, & Bunnies. Oh my.

Eeep, 10 days.  I'm really bad at this when I'm not in rehearsal.  Since last time:

* Saw Pittsburgh Musical Theatre's production of Hairspray at the Byham theatre.  Considering my heavy disappointment with their previous production of Seussical, I was pleasantly surprised by the cohesiveness of this production.  The fact many of the roles were played by age appropriate actors really made for an interesting take on some of the humor.  However, being from not too far outside of Baltimore, my heart will always be with the 1st National Tour production which kicked off in Baltimore.  Seeing this production in Baltimore was one of the most visceral theatrical experiences I've ever had due in large part to the audience.  Every subtle local reference was noticed, cheered for, and at several times the show literally come to a halt from applause and cheering for these jokes and references.

* Saw Pittsburgh School of the Creative Arts' (CAPA) production of Sweet Charity.  I must admit I had never seen nor listened to the soundtrack from this show outside of the few notable songs such as "Big Spender" and "If My Friends Could See Me Now".  I went alone on a whim with a free Friday night both to check out the school and to expose myself to a new show.  Their theatre is small but their talent is not.  The high school senior who played Oscar stole the show and at his young age is arguably one of the most talented comic musical theatre actors I've seen on stage in years.  I laughed until I cried over a hackneyed broken elevator scene.

* Saw Cirque du Soleil's production of Totem currently performing in the Strip District here in Pittsburgh.  I had the chance to see another of their productions, Ovo, in DC for my birthday this past October and I truthfully enjoyed Totem much more.  As much as most Cirque shows have a narrative, Totem explores origin and evolution in a way that is not only visually stunning but witty.  This production in particular also incorporates the "clown acts" very seamlessly into the storyline, where as in other shows they often seem like fillers between acts.  They have also done breathtaking work with interactive projections sometimes so realistic I felt uncomfortable.

* Nope, not done, saw the Kennedy Center Theatre For Young Audience's touring production of Knuffle Bunny today as part of the Pittsburgh International Children's Festival.  Tragically disconnected from the world of children's literature, I had no previous knowledge of the story or characters...unlike the theatre full of children who brought along their stuffed animals.  Although I clearly wasn't the target audience I did enjoy myself (and the puppets!).  I did stick out like a sore thumb as the only person over the age of 21 not pushing a stroller.

Outside of the excitement of actually being able to take in some shows this past week, we have finished casting a reading of one of the musicals I'm working on this summer.  The reading is the first week of June and is a closed performance (so don't ask :p).  I will, however, make sure to post the link to purchase tickets to the performances in July & August.