About Us

Musical Mysteries & More is a Pittsburgh-based entertainment company that employs professional actors, directors, and writers. Unlike many other entertainment companies we focus more on improvisational and interactive entertainment for our patrons. For this reason, you’ll find that our mystery and improvisational shows are of the very highest quality. Likewise, our roaming characters are very popular for adding that extra bit of ambiance to your party or soirée. All of our shows are designed to be a mixture of theatre and improvisation, guaranteeing that you’ll be riveted from beginning to end and allowing you, the audience, to join in the fun by participating as much or as little as you wish.

For those who like a more traditional bill of fare, we also have swing bands, singers, balloon artists, face painters, etc.

Joe Cannito: Artistic Director

Joe has been a professional performer for over 20 years. Originally a native of New York, he moved to Pittsburgh in 1992 for an acting job. Since then, he’s been an active member of the Pittsburgh professional theatre community as both an actor and director in such diverse theatres as: Saltworks Theatre Company, Latshaw Productions, Canterbury Dinner Theatre, The Struthers Library Theatre (in Warren, PA), Sight & Sound (in Lancaster), The Shawnee Playhouse (in Stroudsburg), and Theatre by the Sea (in Cape May, NJ).

Locally and throughout Western PA he has performed as John Adams in 1776, Petrucchio in The Taming of the Shrew, Nathan Detroit in Guys & Dolls, El Gallo in The Fantasticks, both Mortimer and Dr. Einstein in separate productions of Arsenic and Old Lace, and Geoffrey in The Lion in Winter as well as numerous interactive shows including Tony and Tina’s Wedding and Flanagan’s Wake.

After performing, writing and directing with another mystery troupe for 6 years (which he co-founded), Joe and his wife, Michelle left to entertain on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. With some newly developed skills learned while with RCCL: clowning, stilt-walking, etc., they decided to start their own entertainment company when they returned.

Thus Much Ado Entertainment (now Musical Mysteries & More) was born.

"God breathed life into this company and we are thankful to Him for all the ways He continually blesses us. And with His help, we hope to remain watchful over the great responsibility He has entrusted to us."

Michelle Cannito: Producing Director

Michelle came to Pittsburgh in 1992 after receiving her BA in Theatre at Penn State main campus. Initially a home base in between acting jobs, Pittsburgh has only recently become home for her and husband Joe.

Traveling work has taken her to The Burt Reynolds Theatre and Musicana, in Florida; Circa ’21 Dinner Theatre in Illinois; The Good Times Theatre in Indiana; and Sight and Sound and The Rainbow Dinner Theatre in Lancaster.

Locally she has performed with various theatres such as: Pittsburgh Musical Theatre, Saltworks Theatre, Latshaw Productions, Gateway To The Arts, and Canterbury Dinner Theatre.

Favorite roles include: Johanna in Sweeney Todd, Katharina in The Taming of the Shrew, and Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors.

Michelle has also taught at Pittsburgh Musical Theatre, The Larry Cervi School of Performing Arts, and the Jewish Community Center.

Michelle has accumulated a rather large character repertoire through working as an interactive performer aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines as well as performing in a number of interactive shows such as Tony and Tina’s Wedding, Flanagan’s Wake, and over a dozen different mysteries.

After performing with (and sometimes managing) other dinner theatre companies she is thrilled to finally be running a theatre and entertainment company with her husband (and it only took us about 10 years!).

“I am thanking God for His faithfulness to us through the birth of Much Ado Entertainment (now Musical Mysteries & More) – a word spoken into my life 15 years ago. We pray for a strong faith and willing hearts to follow wherever He leads us.”