Award-Winning Musical Coming To Local Stage Has Pittsburgh Ties
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's another night of rehearsal at City Theater.
The stage has been transformed into the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. Nine Point Park students and five from CMU are part of the cast for the Tony Award-winning musical, "In the Heights."
Justin Fortunato directs the play for Carrnivale Theatrics, now in its fifth year.
"We do a show every summer, and we have been growing each year," the director says. And we look for challenging shows, but at the same time, shows we think are important for Pittsburgh audiences and audiences as a whole."
The immigrant father is played by Puerto Rico native Tony Chiroldes, a 1984 graduate of Allegheny College. Fourteen years later, he returned to Pittsburgh for a two-year stint in Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.
"In the Neighborhood of Make Believe I was the royal hula mouse," he recalls. "Bilingual, mostly Spanish speaking mouse. And in the Neighborhood I was Tony, owner of a toy, music and gift shop."
Marina Pires, who plays the daughter, is seeing Pittsburgh for the first time.
"We really see a very diverse theater scene here," she says. "Contemporary works, not only classical works."
Rehearsals have moved to the New Hazlett Theater on the North Side. That's where the performers will take the stage Friday night, for the first of eight performances.
For more information, visit www.showclix.com.
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