SATIRICAL “OFF THE RECORD V” DELIVERS HISTORICAL HYSTERIA

PITTSBURGH (Friday, September 30, 2005) A few things I didn't know until recently:

Adam and Eve had Pittsburgh accents.

	John Burnett, Patrice King Brown, KDKA; Vince Sims, WPXI join the crowd at “Off the Record V”. Click for larger image.

Former Mayor Sophie Masloff's singing voice is much more pleasant than her speaking voice.

Andrew Carnegie bore a striking resemblance to Pittsburgh actor par excellence Bingo O'Malley.

Richard King Mellon looked a lot like former CLO chief Charles Gray.

All this was revealed last night at the 2005 edition of “Off the Record,” the fifth annual satire of what many consider to be a satire in its own right -- Pittsburgh politics and culture.

This year's incarnation was “Off the Record V,” a thinly veiled tribute to pompous Super Bowl numerology. Presented at the Byham Theater last evening, with the sub-title, “Burgh History Remixed!”, the show marked the return of director Greg Lehane after a one-year absence. As always, it featured comic skits and songs by Post-Gazette writers and editors, and a who's- who of local professional actors, writers and singers an'at.

The show was written and produced by members of the Newspaper Guild/CWA (the union of Post-Gazette writers, editors, photographers and artists) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

	AFTRA Members at Work, Selling Raffle Tickets for Original Artwork by Tim Menees and Rob Rogers. Click for larger image.

The show, a benefit for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank with some proceeds going to the Newspaper Guild and AFTRA scholarship funds, was an education to anyone who hasn't kept up with Pittsburgh history.

“Lots of figures come back to life,” the director said, referring to famous and infamous 'Burgh personages like Mayor David L. Lawrence, industrialist Henry Clay Frick, composer Stephen Foster and Steeler founder Art Rooney. These larger-than-life characters show up when outgoing Mayor Tom Murphy (Chuck Aber) takes heir apparent Bob O'Connor (Dave Flick) back through time to show him how to get the job done.

Most of those involved in this year's show were “Off the Record” veterans such as Aber, Johnna Pro, Michael Moats, David Early, Christine Laitta, Tim Menees, Tom Schaller, Nancy Mimless and Billy Hartung, all of whom -- presumably for lack of a more original thought -- said they were back again because doing the show is “fun and for a good cause.” Number IV raised more than $30,000 for the food bank last year.

New to the proceedings were such performers as O'Malley, Sheila McKenna and 8-month-old ingenue Angelina Marie Moats, as well as musical director Deana Muro, who Lehane says “gives us a whole new spirit and energy.”

Lehane also claims that “Off the Record” is a Pittsburgh tradition “at the top of the Pittsburgh social calendar,” ranking right up there with Queen Pierogi Night at the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern and the Lanny Frattare bobble-head giveaway at PNC Park.

KDKA's Ken Rice did a satiric warm-up such as he never gets to do on TV, including a show-stopping version of “Onorato”, sung to the tune of the Eagles' “Desperado”. It was worth the price of admission itself and could have been improved only by having Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt as backup vocalists. Maybe next year. Following the show, those two zany mayoral candidates, Democrat O'Connor and Republican Joe Weinroth, presented a comic rebuttal.

NOTE: Much (almost all) of this article came from a review of a rehearsal for the show, written by A.J. Caliendo, and printed in the Post-Gazette. Only the tense has been changed. And the Ken Rice outing. Thank you P-G. Thank you A.J.