Theater Guide May ’25: Come One, Come All; Many Stages; Many Choices

Even before the advent of modern theater, drama and opera tended to focus on the transformation of a single character affected by tragic or comedic circumstances. But that’s not always the case. And in Pittsburgh’s theaters this May, we see that a great show can shine a transformative light on a whole city, a jury of twelve peers, or even the crew of a greasy, deep sea trawler hunting for sharks. Indeed, even a visit this month by one of the more prestigious French ballet troupes offers up the stage to 22 dancers. In the world of theater arts, almost always are there more people backstage than those applying their craft in front of the scrim. So as flowers burst forth “o’er the hills of” Pittsburgh, our theaters are populating regional stages with plentiful actors, dancers, and artists beckoning you to experience someplace special. Consider visiting: the city of Gander (Newfoundland); the vineyards of Champagne-Ardenne (France); a spooky castle (Hungary); Amity Island (New York); a courthouse (NYC); Oz (not in Kansas); Verona (up the Allegheny); and a university campus, a packed nightclub, or a pie shop (in Anywhere, USA.) You are sure to meet a lot of interesting characters, hear some funny tales, empathize with strangers, make new friends, and come away with the hopeful spirit of May.

Shows are previewed below in two sections, Spotlight Picks for the month and Other Shows of Interest, followed by a look-ahead to Big Shows on the Horizon. Spotlight Picks are listed by run dates. The Theater Guide is created by the theater writers and editors of Entertainment Central including Mike Vargo (M.V.) and C. Prentiss Orr (C.P.O.).

Spotlight Picks

WAITRESS (musical) by Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson, from Adrienne Shelly’s film. Pittsburgh Musical Theater. May 1 – 25

Why is the musical Waitress so popular? An easy answer would be that lots of people have been wait staff, and they can relate, except Waitress isn’t really about the waiting profession. It deals with pies and pregnancy and strange relationships … aha, bingo! We’ve all had at least two of those three. The songs in Waitress include “Bad Idea,” “Club Knocked Up,” and “I Love You Like a Table.” Please excuse the absence of a plot summary, as it is difficult to explain how Revolutionary War re-enactors fit in. You can now see Waitress in its first Pittsburgh-based production, by Pittsburgh Musical Theater. Music and lyrics are by Sara Bareilles and the book is by Jessie Nelson, adapted from the 2007 indie film by Adrienne Shelly. The show is in PMT’s Gargaro Theater, 327 S. Main St., West End. (M.V.)

COME FROM AWAY (musical) by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. Touring company at Benedum Center. May 2 – 4. 

The North American tour of the extremely popular musical Come from Away visits Pittsburgh for a three-day, five-show run. Tickets have been going fast, so reserve promptly or turn to your secondary sources.  In case you hadn’t heard: Come from Away is based on a true story, with much of the material drawn directly from people who were involved. Immediately after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, U.S. airspace and airports were closed for two days, forcing planes already aloft to land elsewhere. Thirty-eight planes, loaded with passengers and crews, were diverted to the international airport in Newfoundland, where residents of the small town of Gander suddenly became hosts to about 7,000 alarmed and confused strangers. The townspeople reached out warmly as their guests responded in kind, leading to heartfelt exchanges, bonding, and an experience so powerful reunions are held. Canadian writer/composers Irene Sankoff and David Hein created the musical, which has been produced in many cities over the past few years. Come from Away is at Benedum Center as part of the PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series. 237 7th St., Cultural District. (M.V.)

TWELVE ANGRY MEN by Reginald Rose, adapted by Sherman L. Sergel.  Prime Stage Theatre. May 2 – 11.

Premiering on television in 1954, CBS Studio One’s drama about a jury who must decide the fate of a young teen indicted for murdering his father was so riveting, Reginald Rose rewrote Twelve Angry Men for the stage the following year. From there it was made into a film, and has been produced on stage and television many times over. You might recall that in the 1957 film, Henry Fonda played the courageous Juror No. 8, an architect, who aptly reconstructs the evidence his peers are obligated to consider. While justice may be served by the play’s end, the drama is a powerful and riveting study of class structure, cultural prejudices, and American character. Prime Stage Theatre presents its cast of 12 male jurors, directed by Shane Valenzi, for audiences to study at the New Hazlett Center for Performing Arts, 6 Allegheny Square East, North Side. (C.P.O.)

MALANDAIN BALLET BIARRITZ (modern dance company). Presented by Pittsburgh Dance Council. May 7 only, 7:30 p.m.  

Many of the world’s foremost modern dance companies visit Pittsburgh when they’re on tour, thanks to Pittsburgh Dance Council and the Cultural Trust. The troupe visiting this time is Malandain Ballet Biarritz. Directed by choreographer Thierry Malandain, and based in the famous French seaside resort town, the company has won quite a reputation in the realms of contemporary and neoclassical ballet since its founding in 1998. That reputation rests on the original dances created by Mr. Malandain, which audiences find to be highly inventive and often playful. The performers consist of 22 dancers employed currently, and they’re known for the fluid grace of their ensemble pieces. In Pittsburgh the company will perform Les Saisons (The Seasons.) The score is unusual, blending the music of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with a composition of the same title by his contemporary, Giovanni Antonio Guido. It’s baroque all the way, but in a new way. See Malandain Ballet Biarritz at the Byham Theater. 7:30 p.m. 101 6th St., Cultural District. (M.V.)

THE WIZARD OF OZ  (ballet) choreography by Septime Webre and music by Matthew Pierce. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. May 9 – 18.

Despite the commercial saturation of the blockbuster film version of Wicked (and we’ve only seen Part 1!) and, in fact, the recently announced arrival of the touring production of the Broadway musical returning to the Benedum stage in January 2026, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will present the kinder, classic story of L. Frank Baum’s original characters in a costumed ballet. Choreographer and Artistic Director of Hong Kong Ballet, Septime Webre has been lauded for staging other children’s stories, including Peter Pan and Cinderella, in his impressive career. With music written by Matthew Pierce, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Orchestra will help take us down the yellow brick road and into the Emerald City where the all-powerful wizard will encourage a fight with the Wicked Witch of the West. Be sure to check on evening and matinee performance dates at the Benedum Center, 237 7th St., Cultural District. (C.P.O.)

EMBERS by Christopher Hampton, from the novel by Sándor Márai. Kinetic Theatre. May 15 – 25. 

The past is a foreign country, the saying goes. Pittsburgh’s Kinetic Theatre has produced strikingly original plays mined from works of the past—most recently, A Sherlock Carol, which blended a Sherlock Holmes story and A Christmas Carol. Now Kinetic goes full-bore into the concept with British playwright Christopher Hampton’s Embers. This one is a tense, haunting psychodrama, adapted from a 1942 novel by the Hungarian writer Sándor Márai. Moreover, the story itself concerns a man’s attempt to revisit, and perhaps solve, a mystery from his past. A reclusive old gentleman lives in an ancient castle somewhere in Hungary. Long ago he was a general in the army of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. As the play begins he’s preparing for a visit from an old friend he hasn’t seen in over 40 years, not since the two parted under testy circumstances. The preparations include taking a gun from a drawer. Will it be used? And on whom? Embers won rave reviews when it premiered in London in 2006, with Jeremy Irons playing the retired general. Kinetic Theatre presents Embers with Sam Tsoutsouvas in the role, accompanied by Jack Wetherall and Susie McGregor-Laine. At Carnegie Stage, 25 W. Main St., Carnegie. (M.V.)

BABY (musical) book by Sybille Pearson, music by David Shire, and lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr. Front Porch Theatricals. May 16 – 25.

Front Porch Theatricals has had great success reviving once-popular Broadway musicals for new audiences. Baby, which originally ran for 241 performances on Broadway from 1983-84, promises to be another bouncing bundle of joy re-delivered. The story follows three different couples on a university campus: young, wide-eyed students, thirty-somethings who desperately want a child, and soon-to-be empty-nesters who get unexpected news. New York Times critic Frank Rich said in 1983 that it was the kind of musical that makes you run to the record store to buy the cast recording. And while it’s highly doubtful today any local shop will offer that album, a CD of the original was released in 2003 and, of course, Spotify has all the tracks. Directed by Kristiann Menotiades with musical direction by Deana Muro, Baby plays for eight performances, including two Sunday matinees at the New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, North Side. (C.P.O.)

ROMERO & JULIET (musical) with book & lyrics by Scott Logsdon; music by Aaron Gandy. Split Stage Productions. May 17 only, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

He may not have invented the conceit of zombies rising from the dead, but Pittsburgh’s own George Romero, more than any other filmmaker, immortalized a genre of horror films that has spawned a cult of the walking dead. Now comes a musical mashup of Shakespeare’s immortal tale of young lovers with Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, titled Romero & Juliet.  With a book and lyrics by Scott Logsdon and music by Aaron Gandy, the musical tale is set in Verona—that is, Verona, Pennsylvania—and a concert production is being presented in Latrobe at Saint Vincent College. While attending a music festival aptly called Deadstock, the human Romero falls for zombie Juliet and all hell (and heaven) break loose in this star-crossed romp that pays homage to the music of eighties pop icons Madonna, George Michael, Bon Jovi, and Boy George. Allison Guinn, who starred as Lucy in the Broadway revival of On The Town and had a recurring role in season three of Only Murders in the Building, will play Nessa, Juliet’s nurse, while Butler native Michael Marra, seen on Broadway in Les Miserables, will take on the role of Friar Laurencee as “Uncle Larry.” Shea Curran and Veronique Chayer headline the show as Romero and Juliet. Other members of the cast include veteran Broadway stars and local professionals. 

The concert is staged by Split Stage Productions in the Carey Performing Arts Center on the Saint Vincent campus,  300 Fraser Purchase Rd. (off Route 30), Latrobe. (C.P.O.)

GIRLS NIGHT: THE MUSICAL (musical revue) presented by Entertainment Events at City Theatre. May 29 – June 1. 

Five female friends make a night of it, celebrating their past and present by reveling in the popular music of the 1980s and ‘90s that inspires most every woman to get to her feet. It’s a dance-a-thon, a poignant story, a comic romp, and a “tell-it-like-it-is” confession of joy and sadness shared by friends and the audience alike. Originating off-Broadway, Girls Night: The Musical is a touring production seemingly landing in every major American city since its New York premiere.  Just a few of the songs included in the revue are “Lady Marmalade,” “It’s Raining Men,” “Man I Feel Like A Woman,” and “I Will Survive.” Get ready to dance in the aisles of City Theatre’s Mainstage, where the show is being hosted in Pittsburgh., 1300 Bingham Street, South Side. (C.P.O.)

MADAME CLICQUOT: A REVOLUTIONARY MUSICAL by Lisette Glodowski and Richard C. Walter. Pittsburgh CLO. May 29 – June 8.

Pittsburgh CLO is the city’s oldest ongoing professional theater company, launched in 1946 as Civic Light Opera, and this year the company kicks off its summer season by staging a world premiere. Madame Clicquot: A Revolutionary Musical is based on a true story. It is a show about wine, women, and a woman who changed the art of winemaking. Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin (1777 – 1866) lived through turbulent times in France: the Revolution, the rise and fall of Napoleon, the Bourbon Restoration and all the contention that followed. And if you think it’s tough running a business in today’s uncertain climate, consider what Mme. Cliquot achieved. Taking over her husband’s business after he died young, the even-younger widow pared down the conglomerate to focus on making champagne … introduced new methods that turned out finer, clearer champagnes more efficiently … and spun off a new company with a brand that’s sold worldwide to this day, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin. 

The musical—by Lisette Glodowski and Richard C. Walter—underwent a development process that included concert-style studio sessions in New York. Pittsburgh CLO has produced the full-up version with support from 42nd Parallel Productions. Expect to hear songs ranging from “Life on the Edge” to “Barrels and Casks.” Pittsburgh CLO presents Madame Clicquot: A Revolutionary Musical at the Byham Theater. 101 6th St., Cultural District. (M.V.) 

THE SHARK IS BROKEN by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon. barebones productions. May 30 – June 15. 

Perhaps you never imagined that cutting-edge contemporary theater would include a crazy comedy about the filming of the movie Jaws. If so, never underestimate where playwrights are liable to get their material. The Shark Is Broken is here, and it’s being staged in the Pittsburgh area by barebones productions. Also never underestimate the presence of nepotistic bloodlines in show business. The play was co-written by Joseph Nixon and Ian Shaw, son of the late actor Robert Shaw who played the shark hunter Quint in Jaws. And of course, actor Robert Shaw has become a character in The Shark Is Broken. Which seems to make this a rare case of father-son meta-theater concerned with the making of a scary movie. But fear not. There will not be blood. The comedy is set on a boat, where three actors—Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, and Roy Scheider—are hanging out, bullshitting and bragging about who-knows-what, while they wait for the production crew to fix Bruce, the broken mechanical shark. See The Shark Is Broken in the barebones black box, 1211 Braddock Ave., Braddock. (M.V.)

Other Shows of Interest
(By Opening Date)

Friday, May 2
Anastasia (Lincoln Park Performing Arts)
Anya Collins’s Fugue (KST’s Alloy Studios)

Saturday, May 3
Horses & Foxes (KST at WQED) 

Monday, May 5
Freedom House: Giving Life a Second Chance! (Prime Stage) 

Friday, May 9
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (Stage 62)

Thursday, May 15
The Da Vinci Code (Little Lake Theatre Company)

Friday, May 16
Anna Bolena (Resonance Works)

Big Shows on the Horizon
(By Opening Date)

June 17
Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot (Pittsburgh CLO)

June 27
Public Works Twelfth Night (Pittsburgh Public Theater)

C. Prentiss Orr is a Pittsburgh-based writer who covers theater and other topics for Entertainment Central. He is the author of the books The Surveyor and the Silversmith and Pittsburgh Born, Pittsburgh Bred. Mike Vargo is an independent writer based in Pittsburgh.

Share on Social Media