Happy New Year: January Theatre in Pittsburgh

As December closes and January creeps up on an unsuspecting public, the year may be new, but the theatre world's 2013-2014 season is in full swing. January will be a full and exciting month for theatre fans in Pittsburgh, with local theatre companies, independent artists, and national tours set to bring incredible shows into the Steel City in the first few weeks of 2014.

City Theatre starts off a brand-new year with an encore presentation of last year's extended-run hit by Tami Dixon, South Side Stories, which runs from January 8 to January 26. "This one-woman show portrays the dynamism of a neighborhood. Embedded in the concrete of South Side's city steps are testimonials of teenage mischief, steel mill toil, and townie haunts. This is a neighborhood where parking chairs mark territory and "paradise" is one turn off of 26th Street," according to marketing director Emily Price.

If one show wasn't enough to keep you satisfied, City Theatre continues the month with a production of Katori Hall's The Mountaintop, directed by Peter Flynn. "The Mountaintop is a unique, fictionalized portrayal of the night before DR. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination," says Tracy Brigden, City Theatre's Artistic Director. "Playwright Katori Hall boldly asks the question: 'What if walls could talk?' Set in the now-legendary Lorraine Motel, the play explores King's humor, achievements, and fears, bringing out the man behind one of America's most significant icons-a true feat." Starring Albert Jones and Bianca LaVerne Jones, The Mountaintop runs January 18 to February 9 at the City Theatre. For tickets or further information about both these shows, visit http://www.citytheatrecompany.org.

For those of us looking for something a little different this time of year, Quantum Theatre, Pittsburgh's roving theatre company specializing in site-specific shows, has just the thing: a production of J.T. Rogers's play Madagascar. Telling the stories of three different Americans at three different times in the same hotel room, Madagascar runs from Januar 31 to February 16 at The Carlyle, Downtown. For tickets or directions to the location, visit http://www.quantumtheatre.com.

Pittsburgh Public Theater kicks off its new year with a look at the love lives and social quirks of New Yorkers in the early 1970s in Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's musical classic, Company. Starring Broadway vet and Pittsburgh regular Jim Stanek as perennial bachelor Bobby, this beloved musical runs from January 23 to February 23 at the O'Reilly Theatre. For more information, visit http://publictheater.culturaldistrict.org.

Finally, what's a season in Pittsburgh without Broadway Across America? The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is ringing in a brand new year with two national tours, direct from Broadway. Ghost: The Musical opens December 31 and runs through January 5 at Heinz Hall, while Wicked makes its return to Pittsburgh on January 15 and runs through February 9 at the Benedum Center. For tickets to either show, visit http://www.trustarts.org.

At this time, press releases and new announcements are still being released, so keep an eye on BWW for more updates, reviews and info on Pittsburgh theatre! Plus, don't forget to like "BroadwayWorld Pittsburgh" on Facebook!