Review: FAT HAM Serves Cookout Chaos Realness at City Theatre
by Greg Kerestan - March 11, 2024
James Ijames's Pulitzer-winning comedy Fat Ham is less an adaptation or reimagining of Hamlet, and more a play ABOUT Hamlet, a response to Hamlet. The characters are all too aware of how their stories and behaviors are mirroring characters from Shakespeare's tragedy: they quote it, riff on it, confi...
Review: DRAGON LADY Weaves Memory and Magic at Pittsburgh Public Theater
by Greg Kerestan - February 14, 2024
Sara Porkalob's solo show is a captivating mix of musical, monologue and alternative vibes. Solo shows are growing in popularity, both due to their artistic charms and their economic advantages post-COVID. Solo musicals, however, are still a rarity. What's the last one you can think of? ...
Review: THE PERFECT MATE Is Fantastic, and Fantastical, at Pittsburgh CLO
by Greg Kerestan - February 14, 2024
CLO's Spark program has a large-sized hit with the latest small-scale musical it commissioned. As a musical writer, let me just say: it's TOUGH to launch a new musical. The best thing you can do is have a company commission a show from you based on your pitch, otherwise you're going to have a long, ...
Review: URINETOWN Hits Below the Belt at The Lamp Theatre
by Greg Kerestan - February 05, 2024
If you asked me about important works of twentieth century literature, I'll rattle off all the obvious ones like The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman, but I'll also make a case for the first ten years of The Simpsons as an essential piece of American literature. Hyper-referential, joke dense, to...
Review: A CHRISTMAS STORY Continues the Marathon at Pittsburgh Public Theater
by Greg Kerestan - December 14, 2023
It's back! Just last year I made the prediction that Philip Grecian's A Christmas Story: The Play would become a yearly staple, becoming the Christmas equivalent of Rocky Horror. To my delight, I was correct. Distinct from the more popular but more sentimentalized musical version by Pasek and Paul, ...