Classic shows such as “The Great Gatsby,” “My Fair Lady,” “Kinky Boots” and “A Christmas Carol” represent the theme of the 10th annual Symphony Splendor House Tour — “Christmas on Broadway.”
Hosted by the Pittsburgh Symphony Association to benefit the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the tour will include a Broadway-themed tree and decorations in each room of the Victorian mansion built in 1897 on what is known as “Millionaire’s Row” on Fifth Avenue in Shadyside.
The three-story home has been dressed in holiday style with an accent of details from theater productions.
Live music will be provided by Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra musicians. Docents will share the history of the home with guests.
“I love everything about this house,” said Cathy Trombetta, president of the Pittsburgh Symphony Association and special events committee chair. “Anyone can have a house tour, but the way the owners have the Broadway elements incorporated into the decorations is what makes this home very special. And when people see this, we hope they’re going to tell their friends and their relatives to come and see just how spectacular this home is.”
Homeowners Scott Cavanaugh and Ron Graham, who have lived in the house for more than two decades, did a total remodel and continue to update the residence. Cavanaugh said they are honored to welcome people to their home for the tour.
They also use the house as an Airbnb.
Cavanaugh and Graham are the fourth owners. The couple purchased it in 2000. It was designed by architects George S. Orth & Brothers, and the first owner was W. Howard Nimick, who lived there with his wife Letitia and their seven children.
The holiday-decorating process takes roughly two months. Each room of the home is decorated with its own tree. The outside of the home is adorned with lights you notice as you enter the governor’s driveway.
Once inside, a 12-foot tree — one of 35 trees throughout — shines by the staircase.
The formal dining room is decorated for the musical “The Great Gatsby” in gold, black, and copper. There is a bar for a champagne toast for guests. The production “Phantom of the Opera” is represented with decorations adorning the first-level parlor.
The drawing room is bursting with some of the thousands of ornaments acquired by Graham and Cavanaugh over the years, created by designers Christopher Radko, Polonaise and Jay Strongwater. Some of the ornaments are attached to a chandelier from the former Kaufmann’s department store in Downtown Pittsburgh.
Cavanaugh started collecting holiday ornaments as a kid. He would save his money to buy them after the holidays.
“There is just something about this time of year,” Cavanaugh said. “The trees. The lights. The ornaments. The sparkle. It is truly the most wonderful time of the year.”
The kitchen is, of course, the perfect spot for the “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” show, with sweet treats and a light show of various color patterns.
One of the upper level bedrooms is done in a “My Fair Lady” motif, complete with a cardboard cutout of fashion icon Audrey Hepburn.
It wouldn’t be a Pittsburgh tour without a “Kinky Boots” themed room, complete with a pair of shiny red boots near a tree with bright red ornaments, a poster signed by the original cast and a Playbill autographed by the city’s own “Kinky Boots” star Billy Porter.
A colorful sign on a nearby door reads “Billy Porter dressing room,” created by graphic artist and Pittsburgh Symphony Foundation board member Kathy Jozefov, who made several signs throughout the home.
Charles Dickens figurines for “A Christmas Carol” are on the landing.
Not far away is “The Grinch” with the green character lounging in a bubble bath of balloons in a bathroom.
And we cannot forget the musical “Wicked,” which has been adapted into a movie that opens Friday.
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“People will be in awe on this tour,” said Trombetta. “I know I am in awe. It is just gorgeous, isn’t it? Doesn’t this make you want to go and get ready for Christmas?”
Catch this tour before the curtain goes down.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Association’s 10th annual Symphony Splendor House Tour is Friday through Sunday and Nov. 29 through Dec. 1.Tickets are $50, $40 in advance from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.Tickets are $60 for candlelight tours, $50 in advance from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
Details: 412-392-3303 or pittsburghsymphonyassociation.org.