Fly to Neverland with a production of "Peter Pan" at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, check out the Cultural Trust Gallery Crawl or get a little spooked with "Ghosted: Tales from Carson Street" — here's what to do in Pittsburgh this weekend.
Stage
Spooky season ramps up with “Ghosted: Tales from Carson Street.” City Theatre calls this evening of storytelling, live music and drinkies a tradition in the making. Performers Farooq Al-Said and Shannon Williams deliver original tales from playwrights Clare Drobot and Monteze Freeland, all MC’d (and DJ’d) by WYEP’s Brian Siewiorek. The 10 performances run Thu., Oct. 24, through Nov. 2.
Music
Pittsburgh’s most notable stage shows of 2017 included “Angelmakers: Songs for Female Serial Killers,” from RealTime Arts. Molly Rice’s engrossing hour-long rock/country cabaret features 10 songs in the voices of murderers from Aileen Wuornos and the Countess Elizabeth Bathory to assorted nurses’ aides and poisoners. This year’s Halloween reprise features local luminaries Jacquea Mae, Julianne Avolio and Drew Leigh fronting a live band at the intimate Funhouse at Mr. Smalls. The four performances run Thu., Oct. 24, through Oct. 31, with opening acts nightly and special guests Liz Berlin, Mai Khôi and Mari Frazé-Frazénko.
Dance
Acclaimed choreographer Trey McIntyre’s take on “Peter Pan” makes its Pittsburgh debut at the Benedum Center. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre stages this version of the adventures of Peter, Wendy, Tinker Bell and more in Neverland, complete with flying, sword fights and giant puppets. There are four performances, Fri, Oct. 25 through Sun., Oct. 27.
Visual art
Fri., Oct. 25, brings a busy Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Gallery Crawl. More than a dozen Downtown attractions include the return of artist Tom Sarver’s Art Olympics, a live, game-show-style contest for three teams given two hours to build sculptural installations out of random junk (held outdoors at Eighth and Penn). Wood Street Galleries opens the film installation “Roger Jacoby: Pittsburgh Stories”; the August Wilson African American Cultural Center holds a gallery talk for “Collections in Black: A Celebration of Black Comic Book Culture”; Greer Cabaret Theater hosts an interactive Dia de los Muertos experience; and more.
Film
Thom Andersen’s classic feature-length 2003 documentary “Los Angeles Plays Itself” highlights “Urban Legends,” this month’s installment of the Carnegie Museum of Art’s Film Series. Anderson’s film explores the gap between the City of Angels on screen and L.A. in real life. The Sat., Oct. 26, program also includes series curator Astria Suparak’s “On the Neon Horizon,” which looks at how white filmmakers use Asian-language signage in science fiction.
Music
The 54th Annual Pitt Jazz Seminar & Concert counts it off Mon., Oct. 28, with the Big Band Kick-Off Concert in the William Pitt Union Lower Lounge. Five more days of concerts, seminars, talks and film screenings follow at venues around town. On Nov. 2, the concluding Pitt Jazz Concert features an all-star band with the likes of vocalist Jessica Boykin Settles, drummer Roger Humphries and bassist Reggie Workman at the Bellefield Hall Auditorium. That show is ticketed, but the other programs are free.
