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Quantum celebrates 20 years of going here, there and everywhere
This is the group that started out with little fanfare and then became a critic's darling by staging its productions in gardens, cemeteries, stables, parks, storefronts, abandoned warehouses, even in a swimming pool and once - just last fall, for the musical "Candide" - in the garage of a soon-to-be-razed auto dealership.
So the "homelessness" that looked like a disadvantage in the beginning, 20 years ago, evolved into more than an advantage. Now it's the hook.
"And isn't it hard to believe?," asked Boos about the group's longevity compared to the shorter histories of Penn Avenue Theater, Upstairs Theatre, Starlight Productions, Open Stage Theatre and others that came and went. "Well, I was pregnant with my daughter for the first show, and she's in college now, so maybe it's not too hard to believe."
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With a champagne and hors d'oeuvre reception next Wednesday, 6:30 to 8 p.m., at the Frick Environmental Center (the entrance to Frick Park) in Squirrel Hill. Any and every player, director, designer and crew member who has been part of Quantum's journey received an invitation.
And the wording on that invitation certainly has the Karla Boos touch. "Twenty years of the poetic beauty of our prosaic city, hidden corners, steel mill temples, fantastic moonrises, summer thunderstorms," it reads. "Twenty years of transcending the traditional, breathtaking intimacy, blankets, porta-johns, artists acclaimed, artists unknown. Twenty years of made-up stories in real places."
That says it all!
At the reception, Boos will announce the lineup for Quantum's 2010-11 season, which gets off the ground in the summer. QuantumTheatre.com is the company's website.
Strike up the band
In two weeks, the Gershwin revue "'S Wonderful" begins its three-month run at the Pittsburgh CLO Cabaret in the city's Cultural District. Given the seal of approval by the Gershwin family, including producer Todd Gershwin, the show comes to Pittsburgh for its world premiere and will be directed by Ray Roderick.
But if you can't wait for "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Our Love is Here to Stay," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," "I Got Rhythm" and 26 other Gershwin classics?
You can make a trip to the cabaret and hear songs from an equally great American music legend this Saturday night, 10:30 p.m., when producer Gorman Lowe introduces his revue "It's De-lightful! It's De-licious! It's Cole Porter!" to a new audience.
"I put the show together for a performance at the Allegheny HYP Club for March 18. We were then asked to do an encore performance on April 24," said Lowe, a Cole Porter enthusiast to the core. He could probably sing the entire Porter songbook himself, but for "It's De-lightful ...," he assigned performing duties to the very talented Krista Kaley, Sean Flaherty, Carol Wiltman and Eric Thomas.
Visit PittsburghCLO.org for all the details. While you're there, look for updates concerning "Oliver!," "Miss Saigon," "Curtains" and the rest of the CLO season at Benedum Center. "Oliver!" opened last night.
Hello, Munchkinland
Molly Malady, a 16-year-old student at Charleroi High School, will tackle her first leading role for Washington Community Theatre this month. And what a role! Director Cindy Berg cast the young actress to play Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," which rides a tornado into Washington Community Park on June 22 and stays through the following Sunday.
She's in good company, too. The "Wizard" cast includes Robyn Miller as the Wicked Witch, Summerlea Klinar as Glinda, Dennis Taylor as the Scarecrow, Jim Auld as the Tin Man, Bob Anderson as the Cowardly Lion, Elaine Frost as Auntie Em, Harold Fergus as Uncle Henry and Kevin Ryan as the "man behind the curtain."
I'll write more about "Wizard" later on. In the meantime, call 724-225-0140 for reservations.
Doug Shanaberger covers theater for the Observer-Reporter. He can be reached at ds7f@andrew.cmu.edu
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