All the ‘Burgh’s a stage

Pittsburgh’s local theaters have taken inspiration from celebrities of both the past and… Pittsburgh’s local theaters have taken inspiration from celebrities of both the past and present in their choices for summer productions. While City Theatre’s stage offers the wit and humor of Lauren Weedman, former “Daily Show with Jon Stewart” correspondent, Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre invites audiences to experience the work of Oscar Wilde, a 19th century writer and one of the most successful playwrights of his time.

City Theatre, known for its unique range of shows, specializes in bringing contemporary plays and up-and-coming artists from all over the country to local audiences. This summer, City Theatre will be showing “Bust,” Weedman’s one-woman show, “Momentum,” its sixth annual festival and “The Wonder Bread Years,” a theatrical nod to the baby boomers generation.

After appearing on shows such as “Reno 911” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Lauren Weedman has proven herself in the television world, but she is taking her act to the stage from May 22 to June 29 with “Bust,” written and performed by Weedman herself. According to City Theatre’s Web site, Weedman “contrasts her volunteer working helping female inmates at the Los Angeles County Jail with her experience in beauty-obsessed Hollywood.” Weedman manages to play every character throughout the show, switching back and forth between contrasting personalities and lifestyles.

For its sixth annual festival, City Theatre presents “Momentum,” a mixture of brand new play readings and talks with insiders of the entertainment industry June 12-15.

“The Wonder Bread Years,” a one-man show written by former “Seinfeld” writer Pat Hazell and performed by John Mueller, will be starting at City Theatre’s Lester Hamburg Studio on July 10. This performance will take audiences on a comical journey through the twists and turns of the baby boomer culture.

Pittsburgh’s Public Theater has opted to stick with a more classic play this summer. Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple” will be playing at the O’Reilly Theater until June 29. Director Ted Pappas takes the humorous story of two wacky, mismatched roommates and brings it to Public’s stage. “The Odd Couple” is Public’s first Neil Simon play since the theater opened in 1975.

Appropriate to the company, Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre will be showing Irish playwright Oscar Wilde’s “Salome” from June 12 through June 28. Once banned from the stages of London for its sometimes-gory depictions of Biblical characters, director Alan Stanford recreates this tragic story for a modern audience and sets it to live music composed and played by Roger Doyle.

Beginning July 17 and ending August 16, PICT will be offering what they call “Synge Cycle: A celebration of the plays of John Millington Synge.” Throughout this series, audiences can enjoy one of Synge’s most infamous plays, “The Playboy of the Western World,” but also many nights of one-acts from other Synge plays.

Instead of trying to distinguish a single thematic tie between the summer performances of Pittsburgh’s local theaters, audiences can take solace knowing that they offer a taste of everything.