‘Off the Record XXV’ mines its past for laughs in ‘Burgh to the Future’

Most of us know the tale of the classic sci-fi comedy “Back to the Future.” Marty McFly finds himself accidentally transported to the past. There he meets his parents as teenagers and must ensure his own future by making sure their romance still takes place.

The 25^th edition of “Off the Record,” themed “Burgh to the Future,” will look to its past and the future as the musical satire skewers Pittsburgh news and newsmakers while raising money for the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank on Thursday at the Byham Theater, Downtown. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for lobby food, cash bar and mingling; show time is at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30, $50 and $80 at https://trustarts.org/production/103444.

The show is presented by the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, SAG-AFTRA Ohio-Pittsburgh and the United Steelworkers.

In addition to celebrating its 25th year, this “Off the Record” will signal a major change, as Sharon Eberson is making this her last year as the show’s producer. She has served in that role for the past five years, following Christopher Rawson, who founded the event with Gary Rotstein. But she’s been involved behind the scenes since the beginning in 2001.

“I don’t know how Chris Rawson produced this zany show for nearly 21 years while he was a critic and a professor at Pitt. I am exhausted after just five,” Eberson says.

“Burgh to the Future” will mark the returns of many “OTR” alumni. Serving as emcee is KDKA Radio morning host Larry Richert, who was behind the mic when “OTR” debuted.

“It’s such a great full-circle moment,” Eberson says, “25 years of the show to have our first emcee back.”

The evening will also include a salute to Ken Rice, David Johnson and Jon Delano for their contributions to the show. In addition, Allegheny County Controller and Democratic mayoral candidate Corey O’Connor, who has previously performed, will take the stage again to get in a few digs at the start as the event’s “prebuttalist.”

Longtime “OTR” performer Christine Laitta takes the helm again this year as director as well as choreographer and a writer of the show. Students from Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12, where Laitta teaches, are also back.

Laitta continued her “Off the Record” duties this year despite dealing with serious health issues. Eberson worried about her stalwart director and wondered, “Did I want to go to 25 years without her? Would she be able to [do the show]? But she never wavered. She was going to do it, dammit.”

The “OTR” homecomings actually started early last month, when the shows’ participants were invited to celebrate 25 years on Riverlife’s Shore Thing, the new floating entertainment venue off Allegheny Landing on the North Shore.

“We had Smiley cookies, we had a nice time, and we shared memories,” Eberson said. Video of the attendees recounting their favorite moments can be found on the “Off the Record” website.

Also last month, Pittsburgh City Council honored “Off the Record,” which has raised more than $800,000 for the food bank and other charities and scholarships, by declaring Oct. 16 Off the Record Day.   

“They did a really funny and sweet proclamation. They tried to read it very theatrically, and that was REALLY funny,” says Eberson. She had assumed council member Erika Strassburger had been, like many other local politicians, in the show, but, “She said, ‘Oh no, but I’ve been portrayed many times.’”

During the proclamation, “The first thing I said is, ‘I apologize to anyone in this room that we portrayed in a way that they found offensive, but it was off the record,’” Eberson says with a laugh.

Eberson says she decided last year that this show would be her last as producer.

“I will miss fun times with the Off the Record family, and I am so proud of what we have accomplished post-pandemic, but I have come to realize, now more than ever, that my passion is advocating for our community of dedicated, talented theater organizations and artists, and for the future of arts journalism. At age 68, it’s time to narrow my focus, do some traveling, enjoy time with family and friends, and still have time to volunteer year-round at Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.” 

What are Eberson’s favorite memories of the show? There are quite a few, but she quickly recalls “Kevin Brown singing ‘Hello Sophie’ to [former Mayor] Sophie Masloff in what was her last public appearance.”  

She also points out Billy Hepfinger being wheeled out on stage like Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs” and drag performer Victor Aponte portraying Wendy Bell.

She was also surprised by the people who said yes to taking part in “OTR,” such as Allan Snyder, a former “Phantom of the Opera” who sang as one of the Rooneys; Ryan Patrick Kearney, who performed as Kenny Pickett; among many, many others. In 2020, when the pandemic prevented an in-person show, Mark Cuban, Billy Porter, Rob Marshall, Franco Harris and just about “every politician ever” signed up for a virtual online offering.

Eberson appreciates the spirit of family that draws people to the cast, which is an all-volunteer mix of professional stage performers, faces from local media and folks who just love theater. They’ve included Garbie Dukes, Bob Turano, Tressa Glover, Howard Elson, Jeff Pollack, Sam Turich, Heather Abraham, Mary Ours, Daisy Jade, Kym Gable, Rick Sebak, just to name a few.

She also credits local SAG-AFTRA Executive Director Brian Lysell and USW’s R.J. Hufnagel, a former president of the Newspaper Guild, and their unions for keeping the show going.

But is anyone worried about ruffling feathers, especially in this current political climate?

“I think for the most part we have been very Pittsburgh-specific,” Eberson says. “Obviously we lean left. But I will say in the early days, [former County Executive] Jim Roddey loved coming to ‘Off the Record.’ … Instead of him being a prebuttalist he did a musical number and brought chorus girls. And [former U.S. Attorney] Mary Beth Buchanan came one time dressed as a witch. [Current County Executive] Sara Innamorato, who evidently had some comic standup in her, boy, she didn’t hold back last year” as prebuttalist.

“Usually we were messing with Cyril Wecht or Jeffrey Romoff. Those were the people in the early days that you were having fun with. I don’t think anyone ever got really, really demonized,” Eberson says.  

“I think if anything we’ve learned who can take a joke. … The tag line [for the show] was the perfect tag line from the beginning: laughter for a good cause.”