Kevin Cuneo: Charlie Corritore leaves Erie Playhouse, Bicentennial Tower doc worth watching

For nearly five decades, Charlie Corritore has been the heart and soul of the Erie Playhouse. Now he has retired, the latest in the string of the community theater’s most talented leaders to move on.

In typical Corritore style, he refuses to talk about his reasons for leaving, only pointing out that he had 48 good years with the Playhouse. He started in local theater as the business manager/choreographer at the Village Dinner Theatre before moving to the Playhouse in 1974.

More:Erie Playhouse terminates director; 3 staff, board president leave for varying reasons

Charlie, who has been the Playhouse’s business manager for decades, is also a gifted writer and performer. Many Playhouse alumni credit him with firing their passion for theater.

I doubt that Corritore will go quietly into retirement. He’s already written 15 interactive mysteries for the performance company, Mayhem, Inc., and he’s teamed up with Michael Malthaner to write numerous original musicals, many of which have been performed around the country.

Yes, the future is bright for Corritore and Malthaner, but I join many local theatergoers who wish that Charlie would have stayed with the Erie Playhouse a little longer.

● Congratulations to Erie native Joseph Cacchione, MD, on his appointment as CEO of Jefferson Health and Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. It’s one of the most prestigious hospitals in the East, and Cacchione’s hiring made banner headlines in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

After many years as executive vice president at Erie's Saint Vincent Hospital, Cacchione spent eight years at the Cleveland Clinic where he served as chairman of operations and strategy for its Heart and Vascular Institute. Cacchione is a world-class cardiologist and administrator who has risen to the very top of his profession. His family must be so proud.

● Erie’s Fred Biletnikoff wrote a beautiful letter to Cliff Branch, his former Oakland Raiders teammate, congratulating him on his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Search online for the letter, which will warm your heart, even if you never liked the Raiders.

● Lou Richards’ documentary film “Landmark,” about Erie’s Bicentennial Tower, will premiere at the Hirt Auditorium, next to Blasco Library, on Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. It will also be shown on WQLN TV on Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. The premiere is free and open to the public and I hear it’s a terrific film.

● U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer has secured $7.5 million to complete repairs and fully restore the USS Sullivans, a treasured World War II Naval Museum ship in Buffalo. It started sinking earlier this year after a serious hull breach. The ship has become a beloved landmark on the waterfront there, and it would not be surprising if Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair in Erie would be hired to complete the repairs.

Donjon did similar work on the USS Cod from Cleveland earlier this year.

● Joel Natalie says TalkErie Radio has added the nationally-known Ron Seggi Show to its lineup. Seggi, who grew up here and started his career at local radio stations, plans to visit Erie later this month to promote the show. With his bright personality and gift of gab, he always entertaining on local radio.

● Sorry to see that Jill McCormick has signed off as co-anchor of the nightly news on WJET-TV. Jill has teamed up with Sean Lafferty for years and they always did well in the ratings. No word on what McCormick will attempt next, but she's a real pro who will have her pick of new jobs.

● St. Paul’s Italian Festival, which starts on Friday and runs through Sunday at the Catholic Church’s grounds at 1617 Walnut St., is always a highlight of Erie’s ethnic celebrations. How can you go wrong when you start with a pasta e fagioli dinner at 5 p.m. on the first night?

I used to enjoy seeing dollar bills pinned to the dress of the statue of the Blessed Mother as it was paraded through the streets. It was similar to what you’d see in so many other Italian festivals throughout North America, but the late Catholic Bishop Donald Trautman thought it was disrespectful and the custom ceased. But now with a friendly Italian bishop, Lawrence Persico, on the job, maybe the custom can be restored.

● Cathedral Prep’s Class of 1973 lost another valued member when Jim Steber died last week at 67. A respected banker at PNC for a quarter of a century, Jim later became involved in numerous charities around Erie and in his native Titusville. Softspoken but extremely bright, Jim was a great guy.

Obituary: James A. Steber, 67

● Friends of the Presque Isle Lighthouse are hosting a fundraiser on Aug. 13 from 6 to 9 p.m. that sounds like a lot of fun. Billed as a Red, White and Blue event, it will feature music by Tennessee Backporch, and plenty of food and beer.

● Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza is finally returning after a three-month absence. The food selection is scheduled to return on Sept. 15. Mexican Pizza came back to Taco Bell menus earlier this year after a two-year hiatus, but the demand was greater than the chain expected and it ran out of ingredients after about two weeks.

The supply chain challenges have apparently been solved and the popular crispy tortilla will return for good, Taco Bell leaders said.

Kevin Cuneo can be reached at kevin.cuneo1844@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Kevin Cuneo: Charlie Corritore leaves Erie Playhouse after 48 years