Did Hill’s Department Store Blow Up Your Sky Every Fourth of July? Don’t Read This Post.

Fourth of July

In 2014, I wrote a blog post about the Fourth of July, focusing on things we saw in movies but didn’t experience in real life. The thing most people take away from that post is my reference to the annual firework displays hosted by Hill’s Department Stores around the region. Something about that simple experience […]

Review: The Queen of My Dreams Explores Queer Pakistani Themes

My third indie movie review with Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) characters (watching the fourth now) was a little disappointing. The story focuses on a mother-daughter relationship between Pakistani-Canadian Azra, a young queer filmmaker, and her traditional Pakistani mother, Mariam. Azra’s father and Mariam’s husband dies at the beginning of the film. […]

Brian Wilson, Love, Mercy, and What God Only Knows

“I may not always love you” As I move through the transformation of a divorce, I am humbled that I can look back at the past 20+ years and find those exquisite aching moments of happiness, joy, and beauty. Music is a language my spouse shared with me. She helped me level up from pop […]

RIP Loretta Swit. Thank you for being Major Margaret Houlihan

When I was a child, I thought Major Margaret Houlihan was one of the prettiest, smartest women in the TV world. She had beautiful blond hair and was the head nurse so she was the best. She was one of the highest ranking officers. Her tent was pretty and well appointed. She had lovers who […]

Pittsburgh Native Janet Campbell Talks Costuming Lines for Madame Clicquot with the CLO: A Seven with Sue Q&A

For the summer arts and culture season, we’ve revived ‘Seven With Sue’ – a sort of quick Q&A with seven questions (and a plus one!) To kick off this new-ish series, we are talking this week with creators involved with Madame Clicquot opening on Thursday.  Pittsburgh CLO is proud to present this exclusive world premiere at the […]

Pittsburgh Native Laurie Glodowski Directs, Produces CLO Debut of Madame Clicquot with the CLO (and her daughters): A Seven with Sue Q&A

For the summer arts and culture season, we’ve revived ‘Seven With Sue’ – a sort of quick Q&A with seven questions (and a plus one!) To kick off this new-ish series, we are talking this week with creators involved with Madame Clicquot opening on Thursday.  Pittsburgh CLO is proud to present this exclusive world premiere […]

Review: ‘Come From Away’ Changed My Relationship to Musicals

Here’s a review secret – I don’t love musicals. I grew up immersed in the old-school classics that my mother watched, they hold a special place in the nostalgia corner of my heart. But the tendency to convert everything that moves into a musical – Disney, children’s books, movies – has left me skeptical of […]

Q&A with Shammen McCune, the Actor, Educator, and Artist

Magic happens (like empathy, compassion, respect, passion, trust…) when we take a moment to listen to one another, acknowledge our specific existence in the world without judgment, and respect each other Sometimes it is the show, sometimes it is the actor who connects with you, or me in this case. I find that when it is […]

Spying on the appropriation of the ‘real’ James Bond with City Theatre

THE REAL JAMES BOND…WAS DOMINICAN closes this weekend at City Theatre. I think you should check it out. While I am no James Bond fan, I do appreciate his legacy in contemporary culture so the title caught my attention. Turns out Porfirio Rubirosa, a Dominican diplomat, race car driver, soldier and polo player who’s believed to […]

Here’s What is Coming to Pittsburgh Live Theater This Spring

Pittsburgh theater

Among the many losses I’ve experienced these past two years, my connection to local live theater has been a significant source of grief. Without a car, I must rely on others to transport me and hope it is a show they’d like to see as well. And I’ve lost my best theater companion. It is […]