Check out Vintage Pittsburgh's retro fair, a Wizard of Oz cabaret-style concert, and a decennial celebration of the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden — here's what to do in Pittsburgh this weekend.
Visual Art
The Associated Artists of Pittsburgh continues its sixth annual Feature Artists Exhibition, with work by a dozen of the region’s top artists as highlighted over the year past in the AAP newsletter. Art by Clayton Merrell, LaVerne Kemp, Ashley Cecil, Robert Bowden, Elizabeth Myers Castonguay and more is on exhibit at the AAP’s gallery in Lawrenceville through April 18.
Event
In 2015, years of planning, extensive environmental remediation and reforestation came to fruition when 460 acres of land in Oakdale, formerly home to coal mines and oil wells, reopened as Pittsburgh Botanic Garden. This week, the hidden gem west of the city marks its decennial. The free mid-day celebration on Fri., April 4, includes refreshments, activities and an announcement about the Garden’s future.
Dance
In Attack Theatre’s season finale, “Someplace, Not Here,” five company dancers assume the roles of the staff of a neighborhood bar, dancing the stories of their life and work in the intimate setting of the group’s Lawrenceville studios. Attack continues its tradition of live music with Miami-based Cuban roots-funk band Mama Fuma. There are three performances, Fri., April 4, Sat., April 5, and Sun., April 6.
Dance
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre offers its annual concert of short works old and new. Spring Mix includes classics like George Balanchine’s “Emeralds” and Dwight Roden’s “Ave Maria” and two world premieres: a new “Rite of Spring” by PBT choreographer in residence William Moore and Caili Quan’s “Falling Forward.” There are four performances at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Fri., April 4, through Sun., April 6.
Music
Has any children’s book inspired more movies or stage musicals — or indeed, as many memorable songs — as L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”? Renaissance City Choir celebrates that legacy with “Follow the Yellow Brick Road,” a cabaret-style concert at East Liberty Presbyterian Church. The region’s only LGBTQ chorus sings tunes from the iconic 1939 film, “The Wiz” and “Wicked,” from “Ding Dong, The Witch is Dead” to “Defying Gravity.” The performances are Fri., April 4, and Sat., April 5.
Marketplace
Wearable, listenable and otherwise still desirable blasts from the past are the stuff of the 11th annual Vintage Pittsburgh retro fair. Pittsburgh’s Neighborhood Flea stages the event Sat., April 5, at Heinz History Center. The casual marketplace for vintage clothing, accessories, vinyl records, home décor and more is free with museum admission.
