theater – Carol's Notebook

Liberty Magic – Pittsburgh

April 16, 2019April 16, 2019 by Carol6 Comments

My husband's birthday was this past weekend and I surprised him with tickets to Lee Terbosic's show at Liberty Magic in downtown Pittsburgh. Liberty Magic just opened in February of this year, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The theater is small, with less than 70 seats. The show is geared for those 18+, but children as young as 12 are permitted. There were a couple of kids in the audience around that 12 age when we went, and while a couple of jokes probably (hopefully) went over their heads, there was nothing that was totally inappropriate. It may vary by the magician, but I would have had no problem bringing a young teen to the show we saw. When you walk in, the main lobby and the second room have walls filled with magic paraphernalia, which sets the tone well. There were also books, magic kits, cards and cards for sale. The theater is BYOB with a $5...

Much Ado About Murder by Elizabeth J. Duncan

November 14, 2018 by Carol8 Comments

I finished Much Ado About Murder a few days ago, but then I couldn't remember if I finished it or not. I had started another book on my Kindle, which meant I must have finished it, but then I had to look back and see who the killer was. The book obviously didn't leave much of a lingering impression, or at least the reveal didn't. I like the setting, a hotel/theater in the Catskills. I also like Charlotte. She's from England and is a very talented costume designer. Due to the turnover of directors and her friendship with the Director of the Board, she is to some extent in charge of the theater. Between the actors, director and costume staff, we've got a lot of characters, several of whom had motive for killing Edmund, because of course Charlotte's right—it was murder. I guess overall it was just fine. The characters were fine, each had their bit of backstory that made them possible suspects....

Enter a Murderer by Ngaio Marsh

April 7, 2018April 25, 2018 by Carol5 Comments

I do love a good vintage mystery and in Enter a Murderer, Marsh takes us behind the scenes in a theater, which she does so well. In addition to a mystery writer, she was a theater director and knew the habits of everyone from actresses to stage managers to dressers. Our Inspector Alleyn is attending a performance of a play with his friend from the first in the series, Nigel Bathgate. During the play, one of the characters kills another, but this time the gun goes off for real, leaving an actor dead. The play does go on, as they say, but after the curtain closes, Alleyn, is immediately called up and begins his investigation. Once again, Bathgate is Alleyn's Watson. Fox has a bigger part here, I'm glad to see. I'm hoping by the next one he's the permanent sidekick. I like Bathgate, I just like Fox more. Here, Bathgate is kind of stuck between a rock and hard place. He...