Pittsburgh Public Theater

want to start by saying that the show was spectacular and so was the venue. However, we arrived at our seats to find an usher, no not a typo, an usher occupying one of our seats in the third row in the middle. The usher asked my girlfriend and I if we would be ok sitting apart as she was not going to move out of her seat. She then proceeded to tell us that it wasn’t a full house and we could find plenty of seats together higher up in the theatre and stayed in the seat for the duration of the show. Without helping anyone to their seats of course. It’s a terrible shame, it was a spectacular performance but I won’t be buying tickets there anytime soon knowing that my seats aren’t guaranteed and can be occupied by employees at any given time

Have to say I love all of the theaters in Pittsburgh, but the O’Reilly is really quite perfect. Not a bad seat in the house at all. The variety of shows they bring in are awesome. Most recently saw The Diary of Anne Frank. Really top notch performance. I’ve seen comedic shows as well and this theater fits the bill for all.
My favorite part of this place is the intimacy of the seating. If you have stage side seating you really feel engrossed in the show and part of the cast. And, to boot… the seats are pretty comfortable!
Reasonably priced and located smack dab in the center of food heaven up and down the street. Definitely look for a show to see here.

The Public theater also known as the O’Reilly theater is a smaller theater used mostly for plays but each year they throw in one musical in their series.
Seating is half moon shaped so people sitting on the side can catch the «action» from a different point of view. There are two small balconies surrounding the theater. This theater is very strict regarding use of cell phones inside and we were advised that if anyone took a picture of the set to delete it immediately.
I came to see «The Diary of Anne Frank». This is the actual Broadway production that won a Tony back in the 1950s and is based off the writings of the diary itself. I had only seen the movie many years ago but never seen it performed live.
From the tearjerking beginning where Otto Frank is given Anne’s diary from Miep Giles, the audience is transported back to 1942 where we meet both the Frank family and their close friends the Van Daan’s. Remy Zaken plays the young spirited Anne Frank who despises her mother, greatly attached to her father, and runs in to conflict with the Van Daan’s son Peter (excellently portrayed by David Edward Jackson).
The set replicates the tight quarters they had to share as well as the lack of food from rationing tickets. Every night they had variations of beans for dinner. Enter Daniel Krell as Mr. Dussell, a dentist who increases the party in hiding to 8 and is forced to share a room with Anne.
The conflicts with Anne and Mr. Dussell heighten as they each want time to themselves in the room. Amidst the fear of being found out Anne brings a positive spirit which is both quoted in the play from her dairy and at the end.
Anne writes «In spite of everything, I still believe people are good at heart.» We are drawn to her warmth when near the close of Act 1 she gives home made Hanukkah gifts to everyone in the annex.
Act 2 finds Anne having gone through puberty and beginning to establish a fondness for Peter whom she was on the outs with earlier. Hope for a quick end of the war comes with Miep’s announcement of D-​Day but is quickly dashed when on Aug 4^th, 1944 the annex is raided. The audience does not see the action but throughout the production background noises suggest an air raid, a thief entry, as well as the Gestapo breaking up the house in search of the families.
We are brought back to the beginning of the story where we learn Anne’s fate. Only the father survived but the diary served as a legacy for generations to come of one of the best literary works of the Holocaust.
I had a great seat near the front so I felt like I was in the heart of the action. This production was one of the best I had ever seen and truly brought tears to my eyes. I highly recommend this show and am looking forward to future productions there.

I took my youngest sister to see The Dairy of Anne Frank at this theater in the heart of the cultural district, and I was quite impressed with both the quality of the production and the venue as a whole. The people working at the front of the house were all so helpful, and there was a small bar as well as a concessions area and coffee stand on both the first and second floors. The intermission for the show we came to see was fifteen minutes, so the readily available options for grabbing a quick drink or snack were appreciated. The theater itself is fairly small, so it feels like there isn’t a bad seat in the house. We got the cheapest tickets, and upon arriving at our seats I was pleasantly surprised by the nice view we had directly overlooking the stage. The one minor issue we encountered was that the ushers were unsure of where exactly our seats were located, and we had to be shuffled between three or four people before being shown where to sit. I’m capable of finding seats on my own, so in future I think I’ll do that at this venue rather than subject myself to the complete and utter confusion of several people. Overall my experience at the O’Reilly Theater was wonderful, and I’ll gladly come to productions here in the future!

My grandma has season passes here. Every now and then, there is a decent play here. Most of the time, we leave at intermission. Unless, like today, there was no intermission. «Buyer and Cellar.» Has got to be the most boring, annoying, NOT funny, waste of time play!!! Couldn’t keep my eyes open!
They need to actually watch the plays they decide to put on here, instead of putting all their energy into getting plays written by someone famous?
Another waste of time, wait until people my age get old. I can guarantee you we will not be wasting our time in this theater. You are going down just like the PSO.

What a great theater. Pretty much every seat in the house is a good seat. The venue has seating and cocktails before showtime and the staff is very helpful Today I went to see the Glass Menagerie, and it was wonderful. The actors were great and the play delightful. I do suggest you see this play before it ends. There was not a full house today, but I wish there was because it was that good. Do not miss out !!!

We went to the Pittsburgh Public Theater last weekend for a show and I was very impressed with the facilities. I really like the horse shoe seating the engulfs the stage, and the experience of looking down on the actors. I also thought the staff was extremely helpful and the actors at the theater were really impressive. We had no problem getting in and out, ordering a drink quickly at intermission, and receiving directions on where to find our seats. I like this theater a lot and plan on many return visits.
The only small drawback is the seats were incredibly uncomfortable for me. Maybe it was because we were in the balcony and had to turn our bodies at a 45degree angle which would smash your legs again the arm rest, or you could just turn your neck but either way it wasn’t real comfy. I hope in the future we can get a seat more in the middle perhaps alleviating this small issue.
Overall this is just another great addition to the Pittsburgh’s cultural district.

Several years ago, my best friend and I saw Camelot here at the O’Reilly Theater while she was visiting from Florida. I was impressed by how nice the theater was and the caliber of actors performing. I have absolutely no reason or excuse why I haven’t been here in a little over 3 years! I finally returned two nights ago to see Company. I truly left the theater smiling after this performance. I thought the actors were very talented, and the view from our seats was great (middle of row G). I’m already looking forward to coming back to the Pittsburgh Public Theater in the near future!

For many years, my best friend and her mother were season ticket holders and when her mother reached a point in age where she could no longer fully appreciate theater (sight and hearing), I became the theater companion. We’ve been going now for three years, and although the overall ‘experience’ of the Public is pleasant, the base reason of why I attend ‘theater’ has been a mixed bag of mostly disappointment.
The theater itself is a grand and beautiful piece of architecture. Acoustically sound, very comfortable, clean and organized. The staff, from box office to ushers, is always pleasant and helpful. As with all theaters, the concessions are overpriced, but in this era, that’s to be expected.
The theater offers a LOT of ‘fun’ incentives to draw in groups and keep folks as regular attendees, like the brunch series for season ticket holders, or the wine Wednesdays, and other ‘groupings’ that give ‘value added’ to the experience.
My friend and I have our tickets on what we call ‘donut day’, or the brunch series. It kind of an all-​you-​can-​eat continental breakfast with mass donuts, bagels and pastries from Giant Eagle, with coffee and tea. It’s a nice incentive, but we’ve begun to look forward to the donuts more so than the actual ‘theatre’ experience.
The reason I go to the ‘theater’ is to enjoy the play that’s on the stage, and in the past three years, I’ve been mostly disappointed with the productions. I’ve seen a LOT of live theater in my life, from small low budget black box, to college, to Broadway tours, with varying levels of production value, but with a much broader range than I’ve yet to see at the Public.
I’ve even seen a few productions in other ‘less substantial’ theaters that the Public presented in the past three years, and had to wonder ‘what were they THINKING?’ One production, ‘ART’ comes specifically to mind, having seen it in Florida presented by a mid-​level budget theater company with high production value that nailed the script, characterizations and flow 100%. I was excited to see the show again, as it is a spectacular piece of writing — when done right. The moment I walked into the Public’s production and sat down and looked at the set, I had to say ‘HUH???’ The play that followed kept me saying ‘Huh?’ They totally missed the boat on direction, character development, as well as a just wrong set.
Their choices in season also seem to pander heavily to the ‘donors’ and not to ‘theatre’ lovers. With all of the scripts available in the world, and I’ve seen a LOT of them, I have to ask why most of the more challenging pieces (intellectually as well as artistically) are never touched. After three years, we’re now asking ourselves if buying season tickets is really worth it, when so many of the shows in the season we’ve already seen — but we seem to go back out of habit, not out of enjoyment. This past season, ‘Private Lives’ was part of the season. I saw Private Lives at the public in the 80’s. Pittsburgh Irish and Classical did it three or four years ago. Theatre Factory in Trafford did it two years ago. Again this past year at the Public? Seriously?
The sets for most productions have been great (except for ART), and the performances have been ‘ok’, with some capable performers who were doing ‘just ok’. Exceptions were Superior Donuts, God Of Carnage, and Circle Mirror Transformation. Three plays in three years that were exceptional and worthy of exceptional applause.
Yet, da burgh audiences give out standing ovations for EVERYTHING, whether or not it deserves a standing ovation. Do they really believe that all of what they’re seeing it exceptional? If so, they need to get out of the box a little more to really experience the difference between ‘Yeah, that was ok’ and ‘WOW!’.
I really miss well-​done challenging live theater, and rarely do I find it in Pittsburgh. Instead, I end up settling for an day out with lunch or dinner, good company, and two hours of ‘diversion’ on the stage that make going to the movies more appealing. And for me, this is what the Public is…
Maybe it’s just Pittsburgh, and a matter of ‘giving them what they want’. But every time I receive a ‘now playing’ e-​mail from the many theater sites I belong to, and read the synopsis of the MANY production listings, I drool, and wonder ‘Why can’t anyone do this stuff HERE??‘
The Public SHOULD be that venue. And their productions SHOULD be on that exceptional level. Sadly, they just aren’t.

I can’t remember the last time I was here before I saw a show last week as part of the Mix at Six series that the PPT hosts. It’s a young professionals event that serves light appetizers and drinks prior to the show. Networking starts at 6 pm and the show starts at 8 pm.
As for the venue, it was a great space and stadium seating ensures that all seats can see the stage below — which is a huge plus for me since I’m short!
I almost forgot how much I enjoy plays and I hope to see shows here more often! Don’t delay as I did and check out a show here sooner rather than later.

I saw Shakespeare’s «As You Like It». Great performance!

We just saw «As You Like It» here and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The cast did a great job engaging the audience. It was a long show (two and a half hours) but I was surprised afterwards that it didn’t feel nearly that long and kept my attention throughout. My only issue was the difficulty in understanding all of the Shakespearean English, but it was easy to follow the storyline.
I think our usher may have been having an off-​night. We were led to two wrong sections before we found our seats ourselves.
We have been here a few times and have will definitely be back for more!

This is my second year as a subscriber. I’ve seen some really excellent productions here, especially Red and Superior Donuts. I like that the stage harkens back to Shakespeare, the «theatre in the round» concept. I recommend you try the «Mix at 6,» as a way of introducing yourself to the Public, then consider becoming a subscriber. The seating is very good, one can hear and see well from everywhere in the theater. Customer service has been very good when I have needed to exchange my tickets for another night. I also recommend the Preview Night, where Ted Pappas introduces the upcoming season. This is a reasonably priced event that will get you excited about the new season of plays.

Very cool theater. Different in that it is modern but still located in the Theater District. It’s easily accessible and in a great location. Probably the best aspect is the intimacy of the theater. Only drawback is that any noise made can be heard a long ways… (i.e. be careful with children)
I went to see Electra thanks to Unilocal’s Culture Month. The tickets were half price! Can’t be that! We were 6 minutes late, oops, but the box office was still able to give us our will call tickets and we were lead to watch the performance on a monitor until we could be taken inside. We were lead inside with 3 other couples while the show was going on. The only drawback was that we kind of had to just sit wherever (instead of our assigned seats) so as to not make much ruckus.
All in all, FANTASTIC performance, and lovely theater.

Just saw «God of Carnage» it was well acted and funny. A good night out. Don’t expect a resolution but do expect a good time.

I am submitting a review based on the customer service at Pittsburgh Public Theater, and also a recent play GOD OF CARNAGE.
CUSTOMER SERVICE: I purchased two tickets to the God of Carnage play. I was ill the day of the show, and contacted the box office to inquire about their refund/​exchange/​resell policy. The ladies in the box office were very nice and allowed me to reschedule my tickets for another performance of my choice. This was great customer service, because some places would just say you’re out of luck!
GOD OF CARNAGE: If you see one play or want to see a play for the first time, see God of Carnage. It is absolutely hilarious! Great script, great concept, great acting.

I just saw Superior Donuts! Fantastic show with a REALLY talented cast! This show will definitely go down as a favorite of mine!

SeasonTicketHolder: Like too many other undiscovered, underrated cultural treasures, the Public Theater makes for a wonderful night downtown. (I guess I am writing a review to encourage others to «Come On! Give it a try! You might like it!»). The theater itself is the perfect size and the stage can allow for an up close and personal experience when you almost touch the actors to a balcony seat which offers some distance (but not too much!). I started coming to the theater after seeing «The Secret Letters of Jackie & Marilyn» and then bought in 2008 starting buying season tickets. The selected productions range from slightly high-​brow to fun, light-​hearted one woman/​man shows. Also there are «TGIF» Live Music nights, Wine Wednesdays, Saturday Brunches, and Sunday Post-​Performance Discussions. Ted Pappas does an excellent job!