Unforgettable Presentation in Pittsburgh

The December 18th, 19th and 20th, 2009 SHOWCASE presentation of BEGGAR'S HOLIDAY at the Master Craftsman's Guild Theater in Pittsburgh was exceptionally well received by audiences, who just loved it. Standing ovations were unstoppable for all three performances. This exciting and most entertaining old/new musical was written by Dale Wasserman, based on the Three-Penny Opera with music by internationally famous Duke Ellington; lyrics by John LaTouche. As previously stated, it is the only musical that Dale was able to convince Duke to write for Broadway many years ago.

An unprecedented December snowstorm kept numerous prestigious members of New York theater from attending; nevertheless, it did not prevent the show from being noticed by a number of top producers from New York, Moscow and Paris. Much appreciation to Artistic Director Jonathan Eaton of the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh for having the courage to present this very timely, Americanized musical satire. Many thanks as well to Mike Tamaro, Musical Director of Jazz Studies at Duquesne University of Pittsburgh, who added the exquisite sound of Ellington, giving it its magic -- his musical arrangements for BEGGAR'S HOLIDAY were truly unforgettable.

Don’t miss it!

American Theatre magazine, a publication of Theatre Communications Group, included in their December 2009 issue a splendid article about W.H, Auden named, “Auden in Autumn: What would MAN OF LA MANCHA be like if the poet W.H. Auden had written lyrics for this classic musical?”