Wanda’s Wizardry

Set in Pittsburgh in May 1919, this vaudevillian farce is filled with idiosyncratic showbiz personalities from the golden age of stage shows. It takes place backstage at the Pitts Theatre (It ain’t the Ritz. No, it’s the Pitts). Rising stars and an over-the-hill magician, theater crews, and backstage geeks attempt to pool expertise (often contradictory) in helping Wanda (the protagonist) morph from a naïve but bright-eyed young woman, filled with hope but no magic skills, into a true prodigious purveyor of prestidigitation. Her metamorphosis occurs at multiple levels. Wanda’s magic skills emerge from a rookie amateur to a full-fledged professional over a six month period. Her self-image transforms from a shy, bashful kid to a female bursting over with self-confidence (sometimes a bit much). Perhaps more important, her backstage buddies toss out some chauvinistic characterizations (especially antagonist Frack) filled with snide and caustic comments that become shattered as gender equity is finally achieved and she doesn’t have to get the coffee any more. Instead, she becomes the leading female magician of the 1920s. Read more