Broadway gives thanks for a big week
Sharon Eberson on theater
Broadway shows had a lot to be thankful for over the Thanksgiving week, when the Tony-winning “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 and 2” became the highest-grossing play in Broadway history. The plays took in more than $2,338,000, the most ever in a single week for a play.
Despite savage reviews, the new musical “King Kong” had its best week since it opened last month, while Tony-nominated musicals “Mean Girls” and “Frozen” broke records at the August Wilson and St. James theaters, respectively.
To put the newcomers into perspective, though, the top three Broadway shows, by gross, for the week ending Nov. 25 were “Hamilton,” “The Lion King” and “Wicked,” followed by “HP and the Cursed Child” and “Frozen.”
At the bottom of the list is the Go-Go’s musical “Head Over Heels,” which is closing Jan. 6, leading to speculation about what will be next at the Hudson Theatre. Broadway insider Seth Rudetsky speculated it might be the genderswitch “Company” starring Patti LuPone, now in London.
Going by capacity, top shows are “The Book of Mormon,” “Come From Away,” “Hamilton” and “Dear Evan Hansen” — all coming here this season as part of the PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series. Newcomer “To Kill a Mockingbird,” adapted by Aaron Sorkin and starring Jeff Daniels, is next in the list of five shows over 100 percent capacity.
Jeremy Reynolds on classical music
The idea of greatness in classical music has come under significant scrutiny lately, especially as the canon expands, however grudgingly and glacially.
The greatest worry in categorizing some music as capital G “Great” and some as not great comes from justified distrust of the qualifications of the gatekeepers. Who determines what is Great — for anyone besides him or herself — and what are the metrics for Greatness?
Historically, these metrics excluded a significant amount of music from the canon for reasons that had little to do with greatness and more to do with cultural power dynamics, i.e., most of the canon is music by white men who lived centuries ago. Here lies much of the strife, though it’s more complicated than that.
What makes a piece of music great came up at a recent concert Q and A, with listeners shouting things like “makes you feel emotionally” and “personally significant to many people.” Again, it’s more complicated than that, but that seems a good start to me.
Recognizing why we like what we like (or why we don’t like certain pieces) is valuable. So let’s talk about greatness.
Sara Bauknecht on dance
Is learning something new on your resolution list for 2019? Why not try a dance lesson at Studio 101, one of Pittsburgh’s newest open dance studios?
Located at 5877 Commerce St. in East Liberty, it offers private and group lessons in such styles as ballroom, West Coast swing and hip-hop for adults with little to no dance background. (Advanced classes are available, too.)
Owner Amanda Wolf, a veteran competitive dancer, is also the creator of Pittsburgh Wedding Dance, which helps couples and their families spruce up their dance skills for wedding receptions. The school has a robust schedule, which is updated on its website at studio101pgh.com.
Studio 101 joins a healthy list of open dance class options across Pittsburgh. Others worth checking out are Level Up Studios in Garfield, the Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s Alloy Studios in Friendship, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in the Strip District, Arthur Murray Dance Center in Downtown, Millennium Dance Complex on the South Side — and the list goes on. So grab a partner and hit the dance floor next year!
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