CLO’s ‘Madame Clicquot: A Revolutionary Musical’ Continues Onstage at Byham (Sun., 6/1/25)

MADAME CLICQUOT: A REVOLUTIONARY MUSICAL by Lisette Glodowski and Richard C. Walter. Pittsburgh CLO. Through 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. 2 p.m. 101 6th St., Cultural District. (M.V.) 

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