BLACKBIRD
Saturday, November 7, 2009 - Sunday, December 13, 2009
In Britain, “blackbird” can refer to either A) a creepy avian, or B) an ex-convict. Ray, the con in question, had an affair with the very-underage Una, and now they’re reuniting after years of bitter memories. How will their strange attraction play out? Only two years after Blackbird won a Laurence Olivier Award for “Best New Play,” City Theatre brings this wrenching drama to Pittsburgh. Dates and times vary. - Robert Isenberg
Tickets: $23-$48
(City Theatre, 1300 Bingham St., South Side
Ticket phone #: 412/431-2489
Tickets online: citytheatrecompany.org)
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WALKING OUR MAINSTREETS—EAST LIBERTY
Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 02:00PM
It ain’t your father’s East Liberty anymore. A building boom and cultural transformation have changed the area. And Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, in cooperation with the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh and Mainstreets Pittsburgh, will take you on a free tour of the neighborhood. Action begins with refreshments at Motor Square Garden, 5900 Baum Blvd., where parking is available. Tours are easy walking on level ground. You’ll see Whole Foods Market; Trader Joe’s; Bakery Square; the former YMCA, which will morph into condos/commercial areas; the site of the new Target and more. Reservations required.     - Ann Curran
Tickets: Free
(Begins at Motor Square Garden, 5900 Baum Blvd.,
Ticket phone #: 412/471-5808, ext. 527
Event Website: info: phlf.org)
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GOODTASTE! PITTSBURGH
Saturday, November 7, 2009 ALL DAY
The fifth annual GoodTaste! Pittsburgh will do way more than feed the hungry. Dubbed “Western Pennsylvania’s largest food and cooking extravaganza,” GoodTaste! will feature such celebrities as Howard Helmer, the world’s fastest omelet maker (and he’s funny, too); Anne Bym, the cake-mix doctor; Duff Goldman, star of Food Network’s reality show “Ace of Cakes”; and Katie Lee Joel, a chef whose recipes appear in the book The Comfort Table. There will be wine and food sampling, a kid’s cooking area, demos and classes—all at Monroeville Convention Center. - Ann Curran
Tickets: $15; kids under 12, free.
(Monroeville Convention Center, 105 Mall Blvd.
Event phone #: 412/928-1987
Event Website: goodtastepittsburgh.com)
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PEOPLES OAKLAND GALA BENEFIT
Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 06:30PM
Lending an air to the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, Peoples Oakland has scheduled its third annual Theater Event. The evening will feature cocktails and hors d’oeuvres followed by Carousel at Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse. The event benefits Peoples Oakland, one of the first “nonclinically”-based psychiatric rehabilitation projects in Allegheny County. The program works with people who have a persistent combination of mental-illness and substance-abuse problems. The nonprofit, in existence for about 35 years, grew in response to Pennsylvania’s release of thousands of institutionalized mental-health patients. It offers day programs through social/recreational services, employment and education preparation and support, and provides wellness/recovery programs through exercise, yoga and nutritional education.  - Ann Curran
Tickets: $50
(Point Park University's Pittsburgh Playhouse, 222 Craft Ave., Oakland.
Ticket phone #: 412/683-7140
Tickets online: peoplesoakland.org)
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MEDITERRANEAN NIGHTS: SULTRY SONGS AND PASSIONATE DANCES FROM ITALY AND SPAIN
Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 08:00PM
Light your fire with the Renaissance and Baroque Society of Pittsburgh when it brings the Cleveland-based baroque orchestra Apollo’s Fire to Synod Hall for “Mediterranean Nights: Sultry Songs and Passionate Dances From Italy and Spain.” One the lineup is music by Marini, Merula, Castello and Boccherini’s Fandango Quintet.   - Jim Cunningham
Tickets: $10-$35
(Synod Hall, 125 N. Craig St., Oakland
Ticket phone #: 412/361-2048
Tickets online: rbsp.org)
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JILL SOBULE AND KELLY JOE PHELPS:
Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 07:30PM
It’s been nearly 20 years since singer/songwriter/guitarist Jill Sobule released her first album, Things Here Are Different, and almost 15 since she made a statement with the radio mainstay “I Kissed a Girl.” Even now she’s still delivering the same emotional, personal and sometimes politically driven tunes that her fans remember from her earlier albums. Her sound is a combination of folk and ballads, and she seems to always be challenging or asking questions in her songs: Lyric topics have included religion, the death penalty, adolescence, sexuality and, of course, love—“Love found, love lost, love wished for and love taken away,” as Sobule sees it. Her fifth and latest album, California Years, focuses on her time spent living in California after years in New York. Also on the bill on her concert here on Sat., Nov. 7, is songwriter and guitar virtuoso Kelly Joe Phelps, whose latest CD, Western Bell, came out this year.    - Nicole DiMario
Tickets: $35
(Carnegie Lecture Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland
Ticket phone #: 412/394-3353
Tickets online: proartstickets.org)
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THE ADVENTURES OF HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON
Sunday, November 8, 2009 at 02:00PM
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 07:00PM
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 07:00PM
Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 05:30PM
Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 07:30PM
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 07:00PM
Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 11:00AM
Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 02:00PM
Harold, of the classic Crockett Johnson “Harold” book series, draws his imaginations to life; now he comes to life on the stage in this magical, musical production by The Enchantment Theatre Co. Best for children ages 3 and older, this production is the second in Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater’s 40th Family Series. (Nov. 8, Byham Theater, downtown; Nov. 10, Marshall Middle School, Wexford; Nov. 11, Gateway High School, Monroeville; Nov. 12, Pine-Richland High School, Pine Township; Nov. 13, Ambridge High School; Nov. 14, Keystone Oaks High School, Mount Lebanon.  - Roberta Mintz Levine
Tickets: $9.50 in advance, $11 at the door; under age 2, free.
(Locations vary
Ticket phone #: 412/456-6666
Tickets online: pghkids.org
Event Website: pghkids.org)
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THE LITTLE FOXES
Thursday, November 12, 2009 - Sunday, December 13, 2009
What would you do to procure a quick $75,000? Incestuous marriage? Negligent manslaughter? Blackmail? Regina Hubbard Giddens is stuck in the middle of an ugly family squabble, and she’s just delighted to thicken this ugly plot. Lillian Hellman’s intense 1939 drama is kind of Southern gothic, demonstrating the destructive power of greed. See this masterful revival at Pittsburgh Public Theater.  Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 and 7 p.m.; there are no Saturday matinee performances for the first two weeks. - Robert Isenberg
Tickets: $35-$55; guests under 26 years old, $15
(O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Ave., downtown
Ticket phone #: 412/316-1600
Tickets online: ppt.org)
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GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS
Thursday, November 12, 2009 - Sunday, November 29, 2009
Five guys work in a real-estate office. The company’s downsizing, and somebody’s going to have to “hit the bricks.” David Mamet’s story about salesmen and office infighting is one of the great dramas—and it boasts some of the filthiest language in English letters. The play was practically written for Barebones Productions, the subversive little company that specializes in nail-bitingly tense tragedies. Dates and times vary. - Robert Isenberg
Tickets: $20 in advance; $25 at the door
(New Hazlett Theater, Allegheny Square East, North Side
Ticket phone #: 888-718-2538
Event Website: barebonesproductions.com)
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PNC BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA SERIES PRESENTS “THE RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR STARRING THE ROCKETTES”
Thursday, November 12, 2009 - Sunday, December 6, 2009
For more than 75 years, the Rockettes have been high-stepping across New York’s cavernous Radio City Music Hall stage. In November, a touring contingent tap dances into Pittsburgh with the 2009 version of the annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular, an extravaganza of stagecraft, rock-show lighting and digital wizardry. Programming includes the “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” a precision dance vignette; a visit to Santa’s North Pole workshop; and a living nativity, which underscores the religious origin of Christmas. Dates and times vary.  - Karen Dacko
Tickets: $30.50-$70.50
(Benedum Center, Seventh Street, downtown
Ticket phone #: 412/456-6666
Tickets online: pgharts.org)
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