…and we are merely players. Shakespeare. The man knew how to write a tragedy, there’s no denying that. He knew his ghosts too. Think Hamlet, for example – or – the misfortune associated with Macbeth. Mention the proper name of the “Scottish play” in a theatre and watch the attention you will illicit. This article is not about the work of good William, however. Rather, it is about the people who have gone about their lives reenacting his famous works. Many have come and gone over the years putting in performance after performance night after night, memorizing their lines and, in a sense, bringing a certain aspect of life to the character they portray. The individuals here at present are no more, um, cautious than their predecessors who have since “retired,” shuffled off their once mortal coil and moved on to a brighter limelight… or have they?

Where are we and why are we “here” you ask? The “where” is easy part… where is the 100+ year old Pittsburgh Playhouse on Craft Avenue, but the “why” well, that is another story – or four. You see The Pittsburgh Playhouse is home to at least four confirmed ghosts: the Lady in White, Weeping Eleanor, John Johns and Gorgeous George. But before we get to them the building it self has a bit of a story to tell. See, the building is not really comprised of one building per se; it has had other incarnations – other lives in the past. Some of the building materials used to construct The Pittsburgh Playhouse were salvaged from other buildings such as a former brothel, a social hall, a bar and the Tree of Life Synagogue. It seems that for as many places that have been salvaged and resurrected in the form of The Pittsburgh Playhouse there are ghosts that have come along with them, more or less.

Since it is a matter of tradition we should see that the ladies go first, and, in accordance with that tradition we should consider a story of Shakespearean-like tragedy – that of the Lady in White. Often times the Lady in White, aptly named thanks to the white evening gown she is always wearing, is usually seen hurriedly crossing through the upstairs balcony area as if there were still some urgent business she needed to tend to. It should be noted, however, that all of her earthly business ended in the early 1930s when she shot her husband, his mistress and herself in what used to be the building’s bar. Those who have encountered the Lady in White have noticed that she still brandishes in hand her weapon of choice – a small caliber revolver – that is with her wherever and whenever she is seen.

Less visible is the spirit of Weeping Eleanor. In fact, Weeping Eleanor has never been seen; it is only her pitiful sobs that echo throughout the Playhouse. The crying seems to emanate from a particular “green room ” but when the door is opened no one is there and the crying stops. It is believed that Weeping Eleanor is the spirit of a woman who lived in one of the row houses that used to back up to the rear of the theatre. The row houses were destroyed by fire decades ago and many believe that Weeping Eleanor cries out for her daughter who was also believed lost in the fire.
Then we have John Johns – a man with two first names. John Johns is a man of much more recent note, a leading Pittsburgh actor in the 1950s and early 1960s who, in 1963, suffered a heart attack at a banquet he was attending in the building’s lower level after a show. Upon seeing that Johns was going into cardiac arrest several attendees of the banquet carried Johns to green room 7 and waited for medical help to arrive. As it turned out help was too late and Johns died in green room 7. In many instances Johns’ ghost is encountered while walking through one of the many labyrinthine hallways that twist and turn throughout the Playhouse, connecting the innards of the structure to one another. On other occasions students from Point Park University, who use the Playhouse to conduct their theatrical productions, have – from a distance – noted a man in a black tuxedo on stage checking props, scenery and other implements seemingly oblivious to anything else that is going on around him. When shown a collage of old photos from the theatre’s archives the students positively identify Johns as the man that they saw without any prior knowledge of the incidents surrounding his life or untimely demise.

The aberration of the lot is “Gorgeous” George. Unlike the Lady in White, Weeping Eleanor and John Johns there is no historical record of him – no one knows who he is, where he came from or why he is there. The man does have a sense of humor though, even for someone with his “condition.” When I say “condition” I don’t mean the “condition” that he is dead – that much is obvious – by “condition” I mean that when he appears he is always seen with a face that is green with decay and rot, as if he were decomposing. Apparently, he is aware of his appearance and seems to be particularly fond of scaring the hell out of young ladies in the basement costume storage area, but he does this out of fun – to give a little fright, not out of meanness or spite. Ah, an actor with a sense of humor – the afterlife of the party, as it were.

So, if you happen to be in the area and you want to take in a show, the Pittsburgh Playhouse is the place to go but be assured, much like many other live production theatres, the actors and other staff personnel take their theatrical lore, superstitions – and ghosts – very seriously. At night the ghost light is always on – you never know which of the spectral menagerie who call the Pittsburgh Playhouse “home” may want to come out for a “final” curtain call.