Big Bang a complete history of the world in 90 minutes

Pittsburgh CLO Cabaret Theater is taking a crack at what most history professors would never… Pittsburgh CLO Cabaret Theater is taking a crack at what most history professors would never dare to do: tell the entire history of the universe in fewer than 90 minutes – in song and dance form.

The company commences its 2008 season on Friday night with “The Big Bang,” a comedy about two actors who perform a 13-hour-long, Broadway-style musical to an audience of investors in an attempt to gain financial backing for their production.

The story covers everything from Adam and Eve to Pocahontas to World War II.

“And it’s just totally politically incorrect,” director Jason Coll said in a telephone interview with The Pitt News. The fast-paced production takes place entirely in a Manhattan apartment, and so the actors must use ordinary objects to create the costumes and set pieces for their spectacle, according to Coll.

As such, the play is very prop-heavy – most of the pre-production for “The Big Bang” focused on set and costume design. Special care went into casting the two actors who could, as Coll put it, “play a million different parts.”

Tim Hartman and Marcus Stevens take on the roles of the two maverick thespians, Boyd and Jed. Coll added that rehearsal only took place about a week and a half before the show began.

“The biggest thing was getting time for the actors to get used to [all the props],” he said. “There are a million props. The biggest difficulty is keeping track of all of them.”

But apparently that hasn’t slowed the show down one bit. According to Coll, in preview performances held last week, “People really laugh from start to finish and have been amazed at the end of the show to see the two guys still standing.”

“They start out so calm and collected, and by the end they are standing in a puddle of sweat,” Coll said. Deana Muro takes credit as the musical director for the production.

The play runs through Sunday, April 27. Tickets can be purchased at the Theater Square Box Office by calling 412-456-6666 or online at pittsburghclo.org. Student tickets are available at the discounted price of $12 with a valid University ID.