Tady: Bob Dylan jukebox musical hits Pittsburgh; New Brighton & Beaver Falls events shined

The Bob Dylan jukebox musical, "Girl from The North Country" makes its Pittsburgh premiere Jan. 9 at the Benedum Center.

The Tony Award-winner, declared "a Broadway revelation" by the Chicago Tribune,reimagines 20 legendary Dylan songs including “All Along The Watchtower,” “Hurricane,” “Slow Train Coming,” and “Like A Rolling Stone," and newer, deeper Dylan cuts like "Duquesne Whistle."

Set in 1934 Duluth, Minn., the story centers around a group of wayward travelers whose lives intersect in a family-run guesthouse filled with music, life and hope.

The cast includes David Benoit("Les Miserables"), Ben Biggers ("Beautiful: The Carole King Musical"), Jennifer Blood (the show's original Broadway cast) and Sharaé Moultrie ("Dreamgirls.")

The Broadway version, starring Tony nominee Mare Winningham, opened March 5, 2020, but closed just a week later because of COVID restrictions in New York. The show reopened Oct. 13, 2021, and played two Broadway theaters through June 2022.

Running through Jan. 14 as part of the 2023-2024 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series, tickets cost $35 to $115 at TrustArts.org, or by calling 412-456-4800.

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Do look back (and ahead)

As we close the book on 2023, I want to briefly mention two Beaver County events I thoroughly enjoyed this month and hope to see return here in 2024.

First came the A Novel Noel fundraiser Dec. 1 at the Carnegie Free Library in Beaver Falls. For the first time in years, the historic library opened its second floor to the public, showcasing the live music of powerhouse vocalist Jacquea Mae and guitar ace Byron Nash, both of the Pittsburgh rock band NASH.V.ILL.

Decked out festively with candles and Christmas trees, and offering prize basket raffles, two open bars, an upstairs cookie table, a fancy cheese and crackers table and an Italian-American food buffet, the downtown Beaver Falls library teemed with warm vibes and holiday spirit.

Guests toured the library's cozy children's book area, and the used bookstore in the basement.

There's so much potential for that grand old building with its good bones. With multiple, worthwhile redevelopment projects underway in Beaver Falls, I'd hope to see a continued funding emphasis devoted to the library, which among its needs is major roof repairs. The Novel Noel party was a modest and important step in that direction.

Across the river on Dec. 9, the second annual Fire & Ice Festival in New Brighton blew me away.

Spanning a 1.2-mile stretch of Third Avenue, I can't recall a Beaver County festival offering so much variety of food trucks, including Syrian, Guatemalan and Argentinian cuisine, plus standbys like BBQ, pizza and chicken.

Multiple wineries, cocktail makers and the hometown Bullseye Brewing all sold adult beverages on the street, with hot chocolate an option for families.

Kids enjoyed the synthetic ice skating, merry-go-round and horse-drawn carriage rides.

The Ambridge Steel Drum Band made the mood merrier, entertaining outside the new Eighth Street storefront and performance space at Pappy's Handcrafted Candles.

Townsend Park hosted musical acts, including "America's Got Talent" alum Ashley Marina, whose poise and powerful voice were crowd-pleasers as always. Marina sounded Mariah Carey-like on her version of "All I Want for Christmas is You." The Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School student opened her set with one of her many originals, "Fire on Ice" from a few years back, cleverly tweaking the lyric for the festival so it was "Fire & Ice."

Coordinated by the Everest Events Group, I hope we see the holiday event return to Beaver County for a third year.

Big Smalls show

Will it be Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here"? The Rolling Stones' "Let It Bleed"? The Band's self-titled '69 debut, or maybe Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms" or David Bowie's "The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust"?

Could be any great album, and fans will find out tonight (Dec. 29) when Pittsburgh's nationally known soul-rockers The Commonheart perform a "Secret Album Show" at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale.

Contacted Wednesday, The Commonheart's frontman Clinton Clegg would only tell me his band hand-picked a very special and historic album to perform it in its entirety. Fans won't know what it is until the first note.

"All I can share is it’s a very special record to the band that played a huge roll in our lives and sound," Clegg said. "We will also be performing a full set of our music after the album is finished."

Tiny Wars opens the show at 8 p.m.

"We are also collecting dry non-perishable food donations for the Light of Life Rescue Mission," Clegg said.

Tickets cost $25 available at ticketweb.com or possibly the door, though few remain.

“It’s been a wild ride leading up to this show," Clegg said. "We wanted to do some fun and different with the secret show and we have. And based on our rehearsals, I think we may have stumbled into the one of the coolest shows this band has ever prepared for. I would not miss this!”

Scott Tady is entertainment editor for The Times and easy to reach at stady@timesonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Tady: Dylan musical hits Pittsburgh; New Brighton-Beaver Falls events shined