March/February Preview of Events and Posts

Since this blog is  all about keeping a forward trajectory in midst of change and reaching your personal best, I wanted to preview some of my planned experiences in  the hope  that it will inspire some to join in. As Dale Carnegie once said, "Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy." Let's all get busy!

RENT-PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh-March 27-April 1, 2018- Heinz Hall 

Rent  is a 1996 rock musical about poverty struck artists living in a NYC Greenwich Village flat who are determined to follow their  dreams but  have problems paying the  rent.  Being of a practical mind, my first thought about this  plot was, “get a job so you can pay the rent”.  After experiencing the show  several years ago, I was hooked by the fantastic music that emulates the power of love.  Rent chronicles an unforgettable  and inspiring  year of  these individuals in the shadow of  HIV/AIDS .  

Join me and experience the power of  love in all forms in this rock musical at the Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh. For tickets go to TrustArts.org.

RUSH: The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is sponsoring $25.00  tickets on a first come in- person bases  2 hours before the show at the Heinz Hall box office.   Tickets for the RUSH are  for the  first three rows of the orchestra section available for cash only and  limited to two tickets per person. 

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Pittsburgh Opera -Moby-Dick - March 17, 20 23, 25, 2018- Benedum Center

I have recently added the Pittsburgh Opera to my empty- nest repertoire but I have only experienced one American Opera (see Day 212 Summer King). Moby-Dick  is an American opera with music by Jake Heggie and lyrics by Gene Scheer .  It is based on the classic novel by Herman Melville. With the strong male cast  and a story that  chronicles  Captain Ahab’s feverish pursuit of the great white whale that previously took his leg, this should be a powerful musical night!  

Join me and experience this Pittsburgh premier of the American Opera Moby-Dick at the Benedum Center March 17,20,23,25, 2018. For tickets go www.pittsburghopera.org.

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Pittsburgh Opera Fashion show-“ Songs of Thrones”- March 19, 2016-Opera Headquarters, Strip District 

The Pittsburgh Opera Fashion Show, "Songs of Thrones"  is going to feature some of their ornate costumes in conjunction with fashions by Diana Misetic of Shadyside fashion studio and boutique, Little Black Dress. How fun to mix the pageantry of operatic fashions with life fashions!  I have never watched the epic series “Game of Thrones” but know that it has medieval  plot. I can’t wait to see how they combine the past with the present in this night of song and fashion.

There will also be resident opera artist molding the costumes from the vault, hair and make up styling by Studio Booth, and jewelry designed pieces for the show and for purchase by artist Deborah Phillips and Murial Spitz.  

Join me and support the Pittsburgh Opera at this evening of  fun and fashion with a medieval twist at  at the Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters in the Strip District. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres  are at 6:30 with the show  at 7:30.  For tickets  click here. 

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Heisenberg, March 8 to April 8, 2018 Pittsburgh Public Theater

It’s always fun to laugh at romance and Heisenberg  is a romantic comedy named after physicist, Werner Heisenberg that pioneered the  “Uncertainty Principle”- that  particles position and momentum  can not be  measured at the same time.  The play applies this scientific unpredictability to a relationship between a spirited 40 something year old American women and a 75 year old Irishman.  I can’t wait to see the stages of this seemly mismatched relationship  as it is performed in the round with the audience on all sides.

Join me for a little Irish/American unpredictable romance in Heisenberg at the Pittsburgh Public Theater.  For tickets go to  https://ppt.org/production/51429/heisenberg.

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Waitress, March 6 to 11, 2018- PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh-Benedum

The musical Waitress  like this blog, is about a woman’s  life journey. Jenna is an expert pie baker who uses this delicious skill to cope with a burnt life in a small town. Jenna and her two friends, Becky and Dawn, are waitresses who through friendship and love finally savor the flavors of life.  With a musical score from Sara Bareilles this should be a tasty show (food pun intended).

Join me for Waitress from March 6 to March 11, 2018, part of  the  PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series from the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. For tickets go to TrustArts.org   

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Phipps Conservatory- Orchids and Tropical Bonsai Show through Feb 25, 2018 and The New Tropical Cuban Forest

Instead giving your sweetheart  flowers why not surround him or her with beautiful flowers during a visit to Phipps Conservatory. I’d much rather have a durable  plant than a bouquet of cut flowers.  I guess that is the practical side of me. A visit to Phipps Conservatory, where you are surrounded by beauty, is an even better option in my book!

 There are just a few days left  to experience the Orchid and Tropical Bonsai show with the vibrant colors of over 40 species  of orchids on display through out Phipps.  I am amazed at the skill used in the Japanese art of shaping  Bonsai trees into a “mini me” of their giant counter parts. The new Tropical Cuban Forest  with  native foliage and exhibit stations on Cuban birds, Cuban cuisine, natural medicine and a 1946 Chevy in a little Havana setting, are sure to  provide a  “Cuban experience.”

Join me and surround your sweetheart with beauty and  get a little bit of Cuba! For tickets go to https://www.phipps.conservatory.org/

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The Musical Bodyguard- Feb 27 through March 4-Benedum

The musical, The Bodyguard, is based on the iconic 1992 movie that skyrocketed Whiney Huston's career and that was packed with record billboard hits: So Emotional, One Moment in Time, Saving All My love, I Wana Dance with Somebody and the song that always gives me goose bumps- I Will Always Love You.   Who can forget the romance between singing star Rachel Marron (Whitney Huston) and her hired bodyguard (Kevin Costner). It was a thriller and love story.

I can’t wait to hear film and R&B/pop artist Debra Cox belt these iconic songs in the musical  with  television star Judson Mills as her bodyguard.  Join me at the Benedum from February 27 through March 4, 2018  and experience this “musical romance” during this month of love!

For tickets go to TrustArts.org

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Pittsburgh Ballet-Swan Lake-February 16-25, 2018-Benedum 

The pinnacle of classical ballet is reached in the love story, Swan Lake with  Tchaikovsky's masterful  score performed by PBT Orchestra.  In this ballet  an  evil sorcerer casts a spell that turns a princess into a swan by day and human at night. The spell is only broken by true love (of course). The princess  and  prince  fall in love but the sorcerer sends his daughter (the black swan) to trick him into professing his love to this impostor - fairy tale drama to match the fairy tale dance.

I can not wait to experience the scenic beauty and the  masterful classic ballet technique  of the the graceful swan, and the power of the black swan with  jumps and turns and the famous 32 fouette turns (whipping turns) in Act 3.

Join me and celebrate  Valentine’s Day week with  Pittsburgh Ballet Theater's  Swan Lake which runs  Feb. 16-25, 2018 at the Benedum Center. For tickets go to www.pbt.org.

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From Swing to Rock-February 16-18, 2018-Heinz Hall

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra collaborates with  Dave Bennett to bring the  legendary  swing sound of Benny Goodman and the rock n’ roll sounds of  Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash in the show “From Swing to Rock”.  Dave Bennett, a  self-taught jazz clarinet player, also plays the electric guitar, piano, drums and sings.  This guy seems like the perfect artist to take us on this musical journey!  

I can’t wait to experience  the  music of these  rock  n’ roll  pioneers  (just like in the musical,  Million Dollar Quartet, see Day 231)  combined with the full sound of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The symphony will be conducted by a woman, Sarah Hick, and I am just as excited to see her command our Grammy winning symphony!

(Join me and experience this musical journey at Heinz Hall from February 16-18, 2018. For tickets go pittsburghsymphony.org) 

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Dance/Machine (Meeting) and After Show Dance Party-Feb 8, 2018 -Multiple Choice Event at The Wilson Center

Movement  performed to the sound of 64 miniature robotic devices that  produce  rhythms for the dance show Meeting is definitely thinking outside the box which is just what Austrian choreographer, Anthony Hamilton is known for.  Meeting comes to Pittsburgh after touring several countries.   Hamiton's collaboration with dancer, composer and sound engineer, Alisdair Macindoe, brings a unique performance duo to the August Wilson Center (watch Meeting trailer here).

This is another “Multiple Choice” event where you can see the show and then take part in a dance marathon and after party where judges will crown “A Dance Machine” and give away a $250 prize. The  ticket cost for both events is  $25.00. You can also decide to  only join the after show dance party for a ticket price of  $5.00. It’s your choice, and there will be food trucks on site to enjoy.  

Join me for Dance/Machine(Meeting)which should be a  fascinating show of movement. I may even join the after party and experience my first marathon to see if I have what it takes to be “A Dance Machine”! For tickets go to TrustArts.org.

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