There will be "magic to do" this weekend, when The Pennsylvania Playhouse opens its steampunk-inspired version of the musical "Pippin" at the Civic Theatre of Allentown's historic 19th Street Theatre, which is located at 527 N. 19th St.
In Stephen Schwartz's award-winning musical masterpiece, a prince learns the true meaning of glory, love and war. With an infectious score from the four-time Grammy Award-winner and three-time Academy Award-winner, "Pippin" is the story of a young man's journey to be extraordinary.
The young prince, Pippin, played by Patrick Mertz, is in search of the secret to true happiness and fulfillment.
The musical uses the premise of a mysterious performance troupe, led by the leading player, played by Mariel Letourneau, to tell the story and is known for breaking the "fourth wall" frequently.
Pippin's father, King Charlemagne, played by Armand Reiser, wants his son to follow in his footsteps as a courageous and ruthless crusader, but Pippin finds that nearly impossible and runs away, only to find the fair Catherine, played by Sam Levisay, who may be the answer to his prayers, or not. She has a precocious son named Theo, played by Cashton Morrow and Colton Pile, who helps Pippin realize there are more important things than a life of meaningless riches, glory, and sex.
Also helping Pippin find his way is his feisty grandmother, Berthe, played by JoAnn Wilchek Basist, who gives him musical advice, while his stepmother Fastrada, played by Kimberly Mertz, and her dim-witted son Lewis, played by John Capocasale, plot to remove Charlemagne as king to further their own plans. In the end, Pippin finds that happiness lies not in extraordinary endeavors, but rather in the unextraordinary moments that happen every day.
The musical premiered on Broadway in 1973 and was nominated for 11 Tony Awards, winning nine. A Broadway revival in 2013 was nominated for 10 Tony Awards and won four.
The score includes memorable songs like "Magic to Do," "Corner of the Sky," "No Time at All," and "Spread a Little Sunshine."
The cast also features Jackie Appel, Shannon Cornish, Ashleigh Markin, Marcell McKenzie, Jaedon Muhl, Nate Rosario, Ali Santos, Jessica Schafer, Julie Burchfield, Olivia Emens, Justan Parker Fields, Jordan Frantz, Caitlin McDermott, Nina Metrick, Andrew Shephard, Marie Ann Sutera, Andy Van Antwerp, and Alyssa Weber.
Direction and choreography are by Deena Lin, who was inspired by Bob Fosse's iconic choreography. Rebecca Pieper is music director and Michael McDonald, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his costume design for "Hair," is the costume designer who has included elements of steampunk.
May 8 is a pay-what-you-will performance. Tickets cost $35 for adults, $30 for seniors and students, and $13 for children age 13 and under.
Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and May 8-11 and 16-18 and at 2 p.m. on Sunday and May 12 and 19.
'The Prom' in Emmaus
Star of the Day will present "The Prom" at St. John's United Church of Christ, which is located at 139 N. Fourth St. in Emmaus, Lehigh County.
In a small Midwest town, people are outraged about a teenage lesbian wanting to attend her school's prom with her girlfriend. While the musical, written by Chad Beguelin, Bob Martin, and Matthew Sklar, is not based on a true story, it is based on an original concept by Jack Viertel. The musical follows four Broadway actors, played by Mandi Kalbach, Matt Redline, Shannon Seip, and Dylan Firestone, who are lamenting their days of fame as they travel to the conservative town of Edgewater, Indiana, to help Emma, played by Mary Bolan, the lesbian student banned from taking her girlfriend Alyssa, played by Kyleigh Vicoso, to their high school prom.
"The importance of authentic and sensitive representation is important to the story," said Star of the Day founder Kirsten Almeida. "For so much of theater history, and especially musical theater, queer characters are often portrayed as stereotypes or the butt of the joke. This show really goes in a hugely different direction."
Almeida said Star of the Day has a commitment to the show's overall theme and to the LGBTQ community and will have a special PRIDE performance on Saturday, at which money will be collected for the Valley Youth House SILK program for LGBTQ+ youth in the Lehigh Valley.
"This show highlights the power of listening and understanding and how working together amplifies the love we can create as a community," said Parker Ryan, the show's director.
The show is musically directed by Chris Hamm, choreographed by Almeida, stage managed by Alexis Leon, and assistant directed by Jillian Petrie. Stage design is by Mickey Brown,
Julisa Trinidad and Elisa Osorto are understudies for the roles of Emma and Alyssa and will perform May 10.
The cast also features Daniel VanArsdale, Richie Warmkessel, Christine Ebert, TJ Seislove, Jack Warnke, Courtney Bodnar, Kaela Frankenfield, Abby Roth, Abby Schechter, Sarah Danner, Oliver Thompson, Wyatt Steiner, and Dominick Dinzey.
Tickets cost $22 for adults, $18.50 for seniors, and $16.50 for students.
Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and May 10, at 3 p.m. on Sunday and May 12, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. on May 11.
'Ella Enchanted' in West Lawn
Yocum Institute for Arts Education will present "Ella Enchanted: The Musical" at the Yocum Institute, which is located at 3000 Penn Ave. in Spring Township, Berks County.
The musical, written by Karen Zacarías with music by Deborah Wicks LaPuma, is based on Gail Carson Levine's 1997 fantasy novel "Ella Enchanted," which won the Newbery Medal. It is a retelling of the Cinderella story.
Ella of Frell is given the "gift" of obedience by Lucinda, her misguided fairy godmother, and is forced to do anything people command her. On her adventure to rid herself of the curse, she must outwit ogres, sidestep giants, befriend a prince, survive her step-family, and ultimately find the power to be her true self. The musical was the winner of the 2018 Helen Hayes Award for outstanding musical adaptation.
Tickets cost $18 for adults and $15 for students and seniors.
Performances will be at 7 p.m. on Friday and May 9 and 10, at 3 and 7 p.m. on Saturday and May 11, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
West Reading choral concert
The Reading Choral Society, under the direction of Graham Bier, will perform "Brahms' Liebeslieder Waltzes & Elgar's from the Bavarian Highlands" at 4 p.m. on Sunday at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in West Reading, Berks County.
The choral society will be accompanied by Mary Bishop and Ya-Jhu Yang on a nine-foot grand piano.
The Liebeslieder Waltzes are a collection of love songs for voices and piano with four hands. "From the Bavarian Highlands" is a set of choral songs written as a remembrance of a holiday the Elgars had enjoyed in Upper Bavaria.
The society also will present scholarship and high school awards. Each spring concert, the society honors students for their choral achievements.
Founded in 1875, the Reading Choral Society is made up of 80 dedicated amateur singers from the greater Reading community.
Tickets cost $15 for adults and $10 for students.
Steven Sametz' final concert
The Lehigh University Music Department will present "I Have Had Singing," the final Lehigh University Choral Arts concert of director Steven Sametz's career at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at Zoellner Arts Center in Bethlehem.
Sametz is retiring at the end of the 2023-24 school term after 45 years on the faculty at Lehigh, and this is his final concert, which includes one of his original compositions.
The program will include Sametz' "I Have Had Singing" and Brahms' "Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem)."
Sametz will direct with Hana Cai as associate director.
Sametz is known for his works as both composer and conductor. He is the Ronald J. Ulrich Professor of Music and director of Lehigh University Choral Arts, one of the country's premiere choral programs. He also serves as the artistic director for the a cappella ensemble The Princeton Singers and is the founding director of The Lehigh University Choral Composer Forum, a summer course of study designed to mentor emerging choral composers.
Recent guest conducting appearances include the Taipei Philharmonic Foundation, the Berkshire Music Festival, the New York Chamber Symphony, and the Netherlands Radio Choir. Sametz' compositions have been heard at the Tanglewood, Ravinia, Salzburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Santa Fe music festivals. His work appears on the recent Grammy Award-winning CD by Chanticleer, "Colors of Love," and his work may be heard on six other Chanticleer CDs as well as Lehigh University Choir's "Live from Taipei," Lehigh University Choral Arts' "What Wondrous Love is This," The Princeton Singers' "Reincarnations," "Christmas with the Princeton Singers," and "Old, New Borrowed, Blues," a collection of his choral arrangements and compositions featuring guest artists Chanticleer in collaboration with The Princeton Singers performing his "Dudaryku — A Village Scene."
Tickets cost $18.
Youth chorus in Catasauqua
Mosaic Youth Chorus will present its spring concert, "To Dream A World," at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church, which is located at 604 Fourth St. in Catasauqua, Lehigh County.
In a program that examines dreams, identities and future, the choristers will perform works from a wide variety of musical styles.
Mosaic Youth Chorus is under the leadership of Joy Hirokawa. With 30 years of experience leading youth choirs, Hirokawa understands the musical, artistic, and emotional needs of today's youth.
"We sing music that is both artistically beautiful and meaningful," Hirokawa shared. "This particular program examines our identities and gives voice to the lived experiences of young people. From a Nepalese traditional song to a hip-hop inspired piece, our singers explore many musical styles and genres with relevant texts."
The mission of Mosaic Youth Chorus is to empower diverse youth of the Lehigh Valley to create community, build empathy, and effect positive social change through artistic and expressive choral singing. The choir is open to youth in grades 6 to 12, changed and unchanged voices, and is accepting new choristers for next season.
Tickets are a suggested donation of $15 at the door. Children age 17 and under are free.
Ride a historic locomotive
The National Museum of Industrial History offers a hands-on train engineer experience on its restored narrow gauge locomotive.
Located in the museum's park area, the 1941 Whitcomb diesel-electric locomotive was used in the electric furnace melt shop at Bethlehem Steel, where it moved trains of scrap metal. Restored by museum volunteers and staff to working condition, the train operates on a little more than 100 feet of demonstration track. During this educational experience, participants will be able to climb into the cab, learn how the locomotive works, then take the controls under the supervision of museum personnel. The short but memorable runs will let you step back in time, putting you in the same engineer's seat as the steelworkers who helped build the country.
Each experience is limited to two adults or one adult and one child. Each session lasts approximately 20 minutes and is weather-dependent. Tickets cost $30 per session for one or two people.
Pre-registration is required. Available dates are this Sunday and May 19; June 2 and 16; July 7 and 21; Aug. 4 and 18; Sept. 1 and 15; and Oct. 6 and 20.
The museum is located at 602 E. Second St. in Bethlehem.
