Musical ‘Curtains’ Onstage at The Playhouse (Fri., 10/15/21)

CURTAINS (musical) by Rupert Holmes, John Kander, and Fred Ebb. Pittsburgh Playhouse Conservatory Theatre Company. Through Oct. 17.

Curtains is a mystery. Also, it’s a parody of a mystery: a musical sendup of murder mysteries about murders done backstage at musicals. Mainly, though, Curtains is a mystery because it hasn’t been professionally produced very often lately—nobody here at Entertainment Central has seen it—and deducing its quality is difficult. The musical has a solid gold pedigree. Its original concept and book were by the eminent stage-and-screen writer Peter Stone. He died before finishing, so completion of the project was taken up by Rupert Holmes in collaboration with the distinguished Broadway duo, Kander and Ebb. Fred Ebb also died along the way, another sad event and not a good omen. Curtains opened on Broadway in 2007 to mixed reviews, including a pan from The New York Times. However the show was nominated for eight Tony Awards, winning a Best Actor for David Hyde Pierce. Curtains is described as zany. Being a musical about musicals, it has a show within the show and features a snarky song about critics, “What Kind of Man?” See all mysteries resolved as the Pittsburgh Playhouse  Conservatory Theatre performs Curtains. 350 Forbes Ave., Downtown. 

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