VivantAdmin, Author at 'Burgh Vivant

August 18, 2014

The “Buzz” from Buzzelli: Pittsburgh’s Top To-Do’s THIS WEEKEND (8/22 – 8/25)

by Mike “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant.

Here are the Top Five Things To Do in Pittsburgh this weekend, August 22 – 25.

Raw!

The Bricolage is launching two very, very, very new plays. The premise of “Raw (R)evolution” is two acting ensembles, e ach with a writer, director and dramaturg, have one month to generate two workshop productions that are set to premiere at the Bricolage. Their mission is to build a stronger bond between the creation of work and how it relates to the zeitgeist of the Pittsburgh community and beyond. Bricolage is located at 937 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. For more information, visit the Bricolage website.

I Love a Parade

Front Porch Theatricals are presenting “Parade,” the true story of Leo Frank in 1913 Atlanta, Georgia. It is about how past history and the events of the Civil War perpetuated beliefs and feelings long after the actual event. 1913 Georgia remained in a mind-set of North versus South; wealthy versus poor; black versus white; and non-Jew versus Jew. It also looks at the unique relationship between Leo and his wife, Lucille, and how their love develops and soars during times of tragedy, ignorance and rage. Parade also reveals the heartwarming and persistent efforts of Lucille to reverse the injustice done to her husband. March down to the New Hazlett, Allegheny Square East, Pittsburgh (North Side). For more information, visit Front Porch online.

Hipster Doofus

John McIntire is back with “McIntire Dangerously Live – Hipsterization Of Pittsburgh Too – The 2nd One!” John and his guests will discuss beards, tattoos and Pabst Blue Ribbon and the strange hipsterization of Pittsburgh. Panelists include Hipster in denial/lesbian/feminist/environmentalist/ride-sharing-enthusiast Ellie Gordon, City of Pittsburgh Hipster Monitor Mayoral Chief of Staff Kevin Acklin, Origins of Pittsburgh Hipsterism Chronicler PG Columnist Tony Norman, and Zack Keim from the hipster band “Nox Boys” will be representin’ teenage male hipsters. Plus a couple of live tunes! Come down Saturday, August 23rd, 10:30 pm for the McIntire show. It’s at Cabaret Theater 655 Penn Ave. Downtown Pittsburgh. It’s $10.00 or Free with same night Cultural Trust ticket. For more information, go to http://www.trustarts.org/visit/facilities/cabaret/ or check out the Facebook page here.

Four!

It’s the perfect weekend for golfing. If you don’t golf, you could always watch other guys golf. Do it with aplomb at “The Foursome.” You have two weeks left to catch Norm Foster’s show about the world’s most scenic sport. It’s playing at a scenic little spot in Canonsburg. Charge up your golf cart and head down to the Little Lake Theater, 500 Lakeside Drive, Canonsburg, PA.

Freebies

On Sunday, August 24 and August 31 you can see a staged reading of three new short plays at the kickoff night for the Pittsburgh New Works Festival. This week offers “The Art of Seduction,’ by Michael Wolfson, “The Double, Half-Broken Line” by Christopher Cotton and “The Wager,” by William Sikorski. Readings start at 7:00 pm, and really there’s no need to miss them…they’re free! Come back next week for a list of the next batch of free staged readings. They will be held at Off the Wall Theatre, 25 W. Main Street, Carnegie. For more information, go to http://www.pittsburghnewworks.org for more!

-MB.

August 15, 2014

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Presents Free “Ballet Under the Stars” Performance at Hartwood Acres this Sunday

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre presents its free performance and picnic in the park at the Hartwood Acres Middle Road Concert Area on Sunday, Aug. 17. “Ballet Under the Stars” begins at 5 p.m. with free children’s activities and a ticketed pre-show picnic dinner followed by the 7:30 p.m. performance. As part of the Allegheny County Summer Concert Series, PBT invites community members to gather their lawn chairs and blankets for a summer evening of classical and contemporary choreography at the Hartwood Acres amphitheater. “Ballet Under the Stars” gives audiences their first look at the 2014-2015 company roster and builds excitement for PBT’s 45^th Anniversary Season, which opens in October at the Benedum Center. This year’s performance will provide a sneak peek of the grand pas de deux from PBT’s 45^th Anniversary Season opener, “The Sleeping Beauty.” The program also will reprise 2013-2014 Season highlights with bravura dancing from the classic “Don Quixote” and an encore performance of choreographer Viktor Plotnikov’s contemporary ballet, “In Your Eyes,” which PBT gave its world premiere in March.

Audience members also can take advantage of a special single ticket pre-sale for PBT’s 45^th Anniversary Season, which opens Oct. 24-26, with “The Sleeping Beauty” at the Benedum Center. The five-ballet lineup will continue with “The Nutcracker” in December, “Beauty and the Beast” in February, “PBT Premieres” in March and “La Bayadère” in April. For more information about PBT’s 2014-2015 Season, visit www.pbt.org.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Pre-Show Children’s Activities (Free) – 5:00 p.m.

Dinner Under the PBT Tent (Tickets needed) – 5:00 p.m.

PBT Performance (Free) – 7:30 p.m.

Hartwood Acres –Middle Road Performance Area

Hartwood Acres

Pittsburgh, PA 15238

*Follow signs to Middle Road Performance Area off of Harts Run Road

TICKETS: Performance and pre-performance children’s activities are free and open to the public.

*Please note that the pre-show barbecue dinner under the PBT Tent is a ticketed, fundraising event. Tickets are available for $75 for adults and $20 for children. Tickets are available at www.pbt.org or by calling 412-454-9138.

August 14, 2014

Gay For Good celebrates three years of service in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, August 14, 2014 – Launched in Pittsburgh in 2011 by five enthusiastic gay young professionals, Gay For Good has impacted many in its three years, having worked with 28 area non-profits ranging from Tree Pittsburgh to The East End Cooperative Ministry to The Cancer Caring Center. Gay For Good: Pittsburgh has clocked in over 4,800 volunteer hours.

“Our organization is unique in that, while comprised of primarily LGBT members, it does not operate with the primary objective of benefiting the LGBT community. We provide help wherever it is needed and welcomed.” said Jared Pascoe, co-founder of Gay For Good: Pittsburgh.

On Wednesday, August 27 from 6:00p – 8:00p, Spin Bartini (5744 Ellsworth, Shadyside) will host Gay For Good: Pittsburgh’s third year anniversary happy hour. G4G will be collecting item donations for the Ronald McDonald House of Pittsburgh’s wish list. The night will include a cash bar, raffle prizes and good people will be in attendance.

Founded in Los Angeles in 2008, Gay For Good aims to energize and mobilize the LGBT community to interact with the broader community by volunteering the time of its members to various social welfare and environmental service projects. Each month, Gay For Good members donate their time to a community service project that benefits a local non-profit organization. Participants do not need to be a member of the LGBT community to join Gay For Good or to participate in any of its community service projects. Gay For Good has ten chapter cities across the country.

For further information about Gay For Good: Pittsburgh please visit www.gayforgood.org.

August 11, 2014August 12, 2014

The “Buzz” from Buzzelli: Pittsburgh’s Top To-Do’s THIS WEEKEND (8/14 – 8/17)

by Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant.

Here are the Top Five Things to do in Pittsburgh, August 14 through 17. This week you can go underground with the Underground Arts or go Underneath the Lintel, with lots of other stops in between.

Get Under

Brace yourself for some Day Bracey and “Underground Arts – National Comedy on a Local Scene” It will feature five funny men standing up telling jokes, including Terry Jones (of the YouTube sensation “Jello Pudding,” the tall, dark and hilarious John Dick Winters (emphasis on dark), James J. Hamilton, Harry Gilliand and hosted by Mr. Day Bracey himself! There will also be music by Stationary Pebbles. The Underground Arts event is above ground Saturday, August 16, at Club Café, 56 S. 12^th Street (right off Carson Street in the South Side), Pittsburgh, PA 15203. For more information, call 412-431-4950 or visit their Facebook page.

Caped Crusaders

The South Side will be hopping August 16^th. There is also the Superhero Bar Crawl. The Heroes and Villains will gather at the Hofbrahaus for dinner. It’s like the Hall of Justice, but with food! Then, the caped crusaders will venture forth on East Carson Street drinking beers. Grab a mask and a cape and join the fun! It’s strictly heroes and villains, no Doctor Who or Anime cosplay allowed. Go up, up and away to the Southside Works. More information HERE.

Heart Emojis and lotsa LOLs

Love goes modern in “Virtually Yours: A Comedic Road Trip for the New Millennium.” Mash up a 1930s romantic comedy with the reality TV craze and you’ll get “Virtually Yours.” Local writer and performer Chuck Lanigan brings his madcap show to the Cabaret at Theater Square, Saturday August 16 at 10 pm. The Cabaret at Theater Square is located at 655 Penn Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh. For more information call 412-456-6666 or go to http://www.trustarts.org/visit/facilities/cabaret/

Middle Men

The Summer Reading series is on at 12 Peers. Up next, “The Middle Distance” by Sam Havens. Ernie and A.J. hang out in lawn chairs on the campus of their old community college. Neither has figured out what to do with his life, so the guys while away the time dreaming up dubious schemes that range from heading for Alaska to creative ways of committing suicide. Then, the mysterious Peter comes along on a bicycle. For more information, visit the 12 Peers website.

Under There!

It’s back. Glen Berger’s ‘existential detective story,’ “Underneath the Lintel” is down at Off The Wall Theater. If you missed it back when 12 Peers ran it at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater earlier this year, you have another chance to see this amazing show. Go “Underneath the Lintel” at Off the Wall Theater, 25 W. Main Street, Carnegie. For more information, call 724-873-3576 or click http://www.insideoffthewall.com/

-MB.

August 11, 2014

Phipps for Foodies: Garden-to-Plate Dinner to feature local summer bounty

Pittsburgh, Pa. — On Sept. 7, 2014, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens will celebrate the bounty of field, farm and garden with a savory, multi-course feast served against the beautiful backdrop of its flower-filled glasshouse. This unforgettable Sunday garden party, featuring locally sourced fare, select wines and special entertainment will not only allow guests to savor the fresh flavors of a vibrant Garden to Plate Dinner, but also revel in the warm spirit of community and the company of friends.

The Garden to Plate Dinner — with Diane Holder as event chair and Theodora Polamalu and Ryan B. Martin and Dr. Maureen Russell as honorary event co-chairs — will commence at 6:30 p.m. with a V.I.P. Reception for benefactors complete with fine wines and delectable hors d’oeuvres. At 7:30 p.m., all other guests will join the party for the Garden to Plate Dinner and enjoy select wines, the multi-course feast and live entertainment. Valet parking is available and attire is garden party.

Tickets for the Garden to Plate Dinner can be purchased through Aug. 31 at phipps.conservatory.org, by phone at 412/651-5281, or via email at reservations@phipps.conservatory.org. Benefactor tickets cost $200 per person and include the V.I.P. Reception at 6:30 p.m. and Garden to Plate Dinner at 7:30 p.m. Patron tickets cost $175 per person and include the Garden to Plate Dinner at 7:30 p.m. Host committee tickets and sponsorship packages are also available. For event questions, contact Rachel Kernic at 412/622-6915, ext. 6404. For ticketing questions, call Cherise Clark at 412/622-6915, ext. 3966. Learn more at phipps.conservatory.org.

About Phipps: Founded in 1893, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, Pa. is a green leader among public gardens with a mission to inspire and educate all with the beauty and importance of plants; to advance sustainability and promote human and environmental well-being through action and research; and to celebrate its historic glasshouse. Learn more: phipps.conservatory.org.

August 5, 2014

The “Buzz” from Buzzelli: Pittsburgh’s Top To-Do’s THIS WEEKEND (8/7 – 8/10)

by Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant.

Here are the Top Five Things To Do in Pittsburgh this weekend, August 7 through 10.

Magic Myq

The Last Comic Standing finalist Mike (Myq) Kaplan will be yukking it up down at the Arcade Comedy Theater, Wednesday, August 6th. The small, dork and handsome comedian (hey, it’s the name of his one hour special on Netflix) will start your weekend off with laughs. Arcade Comedy Theater is located at 811 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh. For more information, go to http://www.showclix.com/event/3858747

Empiric Evidence

Continuum Dance Theater and Founding Artistic Director Sarah Parker is ready to dance at the 2014 World Premier of EMPIRE. Featuring Continuum Dance Theater 2014-2015 Company and guest artist LaMar Williams. They’ll be whirling about over at the Off the Wall Theatre, 25 West Main Street, Carnegie, PA 15106. For more information, go to http://www.showclix.com/event/3859402

Here’s the thing…

There’s an immersive theatrical experience over at Modern Formations Gallery August 8 through 10 with “Her Things: An Interactive Estate Sale.” Search for clues among 100 touchable artifacts; interact with performers, both gracious and intimidating. The clever and the brave will be rewarded with the solution to a mystery! This wacky show sold out in March, so now’s your chance to go to this crazy, innovative show. You will find “Her Things” over at Modern Formations Gallery, 4919 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh. For more information, go to http://www.uncumbertheatrics.com/

Today and Tamara

Quantum Theatre opens their season with John Krizanc’s “Tamara.” It’s another interactive, immersive theater event, where patrons get to follow along with their character of choice. Stalking as a theatrical event. Fun! The action takes place at Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh. For more information, call 412-362-1713 or click https://quantum-tamara.squarespace.com/

Cover the Exits

Three strangers are brought together unaware that they’ll be spending a lot of time together. Eternity! Go see Jean-Paul Sartre’s classic existential tale about the afterlife, “No Exit.” You can enter “No Exit” by going to Schenley Park, Panther Hollow Road, Pittsburgh. Look for the bubble on Flagstaff Hill. For additional details, call 502-263-3326 or go to http://bubblepgh.com

-MB.

August 5, 2014

City Theatre presents THE PAJAMA MEN

PITTSBURGH, PA—August 4, 2014—City Theatre wraps up August with the Pittsburgh debut of award-winning sketch comedians The Pajama Men, performing their brand new show Just the Two of Each of Us. This City Events special presentation will run on City Theatre’s Mainstage August 27 – September 7, 2014. Press night is Thursday, August 28 at 8pm.

Critically-acclaimed comedy duo The Pajama Men bring their trademark style of blink-of-an-eye character switches and sidesplitting humor to Pittsburgh! Originally from Albuquerque, the sketch comedians and masters of improv have become stars of the international comedy circuit, earning five stars from the London Times and comparisons to comic luminaries including Abbott and Costello, Monty Python, and “South Park.”

“Without elaborate costumes or props, The Pajama Men produce a riotous, theatrical evening of smart comedy—the kind that makes you laugh so hard it hurts,” says Tracy Brigden, City Theatre’s Artistic Director. “Expect fast-paced physical comedy and outlandish characters that you won’t find watching stand-up at a club. It is truly something you have never seen before. These guys take hilarity to new heights.”

The Pajama Men are Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez. The duo met in high school in the early 1990s in Albuquerque, auditioning for the high school improv team. It was at a time when having three side-by-side mohawks seemed like a good idea to Shenoah, and Mark was annually being voted class clown. They were teenagers. They didn’t know where they were headed, but they found, in each other, a vast ocean of bizarre, imaginary worlds that they chose to live in. The immeasurable blandness of their suburban surroundings became a blank canvas, and they spent their time talking in ridiculous voices to each other, absentmindedly creating long soap operas between characters that they spent more time inhabiting than they did being their “normal” selves. Eventually the lack of creative influences in the vicinity allowed, for better or worse, their unique comic voice to emerge in the form of partially-improvised, multi-character, narrative-sketch comedy shows. They have since written nine shows together and toured them to theatres and festivals around the world, receiving awards and acclaim, including “Double Act of the Year” by the London Times.

CITY THEATRE PRESENTS

The Pajama Men

Just the Two of Each of Us

Created and performed by Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez

When: August 27 – September 7, 2014

PRESS / OPENING NIGHT

Thursday, August 28 at 8pm

Performance Schedule

Wednesdays at 7pm

Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm

Saturdays at 5:30 and 8pm

Sundays at 2pm

Where: City Theatre, 1300 Bingham Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 (South Side)

Tickets: $35 to $40

Run time: approximately 70 minutes

Contains some suggestive content suitable for mature audiences.

Box Office: 412.431.CITY (2489) or citytheatrecompany.org

Audiences under 30 may reserve $15 tickets in advance for all performances except Fridays 8pm and Saturdays 5:30pm. On Fridays and Saturdays, rush tickets are available two hours prior to show time and based on availability.

Seniors age 62 and older may purchase $22 rush tickets at the Box Office beginning two hours before show time. Based on availability.

City Theatre season subscribers are eligible for $25 tickets by phone only at 412.431.2489.

Groups of 10 or more are eligible for discounts. Call Kari at 412.431.4400 x286.

City Events is City Theatre’s annual series of limited engagement special presentations.

City Theatre is now in its 40th anniversary season. Located on Pittsburgh’s historic South Side, City Theatre specializes in new plays, commissioning and producing work by playwrights including Daniel Beaty, Jessica Dickey, Christopher Durang, Michael Hollinger, Willy Holtzman, Tarell McCraney, and Theresa Rebeck. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Tracy Brigden, Managing Director Mark R. Power, and a 45-member Board of Directors, City Theatre’s mission is to provide an artistic home for the development and production of contemporary plays of substance and ideas that engage and challenge a diverse audience. CityTheatreCompany.org

July 31, 2014

AS YOU LIKE IT marks 10th anniversary of free Shakespeare in city parks

Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks marks its 10th season of presenting free Shakespeare plays in city parks by reprising its inaugural 2005 production of “As You Like It,” one of the Bard’s finest comedies which takes place in the ‘Forest of Arden’ and deals with the familiar themes of gender-disguising and mistaken identities. Free performances run Saturday and Sunday afternoons, Sept. 6-28.

Directed by local favorite Lisa Ann Goldsmith and featuring PSIP Artistic Director Jennifer Tober as the spunky female protagonist “Rosalind,” PSIP’s 10th anniversary offering will present the First Folio, using Shakespeare’s original language. PSIP promotes its own unique brand of engaging, physical classical theater outdoors in public parks, using no set except the natural environs.

“What PSIP offers our audience is so different from what we think of as ‘typical’ theater – we use the grass, trees, woods – and bring the text to life in an exciting way, often right up in the audience’s face,” Tober says. “Our style is vibrant and our language understandable; we make Shakespeare accessible to those brand new to the Bard (even tiny children) as well as seasoned theatre-goers.”

Tober, a New York transplant, started the company upon arriving in 2005. The inaugural production of “As You Like It” ran for two weekends in Frick Park in November, right before Thanksgiving. One show ended in light snow flurries.

“Pittsburgh had been missing outdoor Shakespeare, and thus I started the company – outdoor Shakespeare has been such a huge, and fantastic, part of my creative life for so many years,” Tober says.

Her professional experience includes appearances at such companies as Quantum Theatre, The REP, PICT, UnSeam’d Shakespeare, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, the Shakespeare Project, and New York Classical Theatre.

“Really, nothing makes me happier than doing or seeing Shakespeare outdoors on a beautiful day – or even a yucky day. It really has been a joy to see how the company has grown over the past 10 years,” she adds.

Goldsmith and Tober are happy to be working together again, having both performed in UnSeam’d Shakespeare Company’s 2009 production of “Macbeth 3,” directed by Michael Hood. Goldsmith is fresh off playing ‘Rachel’ in Quantum Theatre’s “Pantagleize” as well as directing “The Devil’s Arithmetic” for Prime Stage Theatre.

“As You Like It is arguably Shakespeare’s finest comedy. And where better to play the Forest of Arden than in the parks of Pittsburgh? Filled with love, deception, gender reversals and laugh-out-loud comedy, “As You Like It” is a great late-summer offering for theatre-goers of all ages,” says Goldsmith.

SHOWTIMES: AYLI runs each Saturday and Sunday through September.

Sept. 6 and 7 Frick Park, Blue Slide Playground, Beechwood Blvd. & Nicholson Street, Squirrel Hill2 PM

Sept. 13 Allegheny Commons West Park, Ridge Ave & Arch St, North Side (behind the Aviary)2 PM

Sept. 14 Arsenal Park, 40th and Butler Streets, Lawrenceville, 2 PM

Sept. 20 and 21 Schenley Park, Flagstaff Hill at Frew St. 2 PM

Sept. 27 Frick Park, Blue Slide Playground, Beechwood Blvd. & Nicholson St., Squirrel Hill 11 AM & 2:30 PM (note: this is a two-show day!)

Sept. 28 Frick Park, Blue Slide Playground, Beechwood Blvd. & Nicholson St., Squirrel Hill 2 PM

www.pittsburghshakespeare.com

Twitter: @Pgh Shakespeare

July 27, 2014July 28, 2014

LAVISH IN LAWRENCEVILLE: Eye Kandy fashion show dazzles at Revision Space

by Brian Edward, ‘Burgh Vivant.

On the evening of Saturday, July 26th, Revision Space gallery in Lawrenceville hosted and elegant fashion show featuring the wares of Eye Kandy Boutique Clothing and Accessories with hairstyles by Velvet Salon and Boutique. Eye Kandy owner Kandy Barkley designed the evening’s fashion ensembles to to compliment Revision Space’s exhibiting artists.

The gallery walls were adorned with works from the current exhibition GREAT WAVES, featuring works by artists Masha Fikhman, Zack Lee, and Travis Schwab. GREAT WAVES is a rotating exhibition curated by Revision Space Director Cindy Lisica. Audiences will see different iterations of the exhibition on various visits and events at the gallery through September 7th. The art works are available “off the wall” and the show will be actively re-imagined throughout the summer.

Adding to the delightful decadence were a variety of cake pops and cupcakes prepared expertly by 2 Local Girls, and locally brewed beers courtesy of Roundabout Brewery.

It is the mission of Revision Space to offer an energetic program of curated solo and small group exhibitions and to maintain a diverse roster of both emerging and established artists. The gallery is interested in providing a quality space for artists to expose their work and for their work to be appreciated in Pittsburgh. Their new storefront gallery is situated in the growing and creative neighborhood of Lawrenceville and exhibits local, national and international contemporary artists.

I COULD SEE FOR JUST ONE MOMENT, by Masha Fikhman.

Roundabout Brewery brought the party with three original and local brews.

Eye Kandy owner Kandy Barkley with daughter, Zaydra.

Kandy Barkley and Revision Space Curator, Cindy Lisica

-BE.

July 27, 2014

The “Buzz” from Buzzelli: Pittsburgh’s Top To-Do’s THIS WEEKEND (7/31 – 8/3)

by Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant.

Here are the Top Five things to do this weekend, July 31 to Aug. 3

Holy Grail!

Start your week with “Spamalot,” the Tony-winning musical based on “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” The comedy troupe takes Arthurian legend and shish kabobs it. Now, with added music! Beware the Black Knight, the Knights that go Ni and the world’s deadliest bunny rabbit. “Spamalot” runs from Tuesday, July 29^th to Sunday August 3^rd at the Benedum Center, 803 Liberty Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh. For more information, go to http://www.pittsburghclo.org/shows/view/73/refer:clo-shows

True Romance

You have one last weekend to see, “Romance,” David Mamet’s courtroom farce. It’s being presented by the newly reborn Kinetic Theatre Company (rising from the ashes of the flash-in-the-pan Phoenix). You can find “Romance” at The Alloy Studios, 5530 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh. Pretty much catty-corner to Salt of the Earth. For more information, go to www.kinetictheatre.org

Well, Hello!

Bend a gender at “Hello Donna,” a sing-along at the Backstage Bar. Picture it, Karaoke meets “Wife Swap.” Men will sing songs normally sung by women, and vice versa. Originally titled, “Hello Donny,” a parody of “Hello Dolly,” things get kicked up a notch at “Hello Donna.” From this month’s title, we surmise that there will be fewer show tunes and more disco. Things are happening July 30^th at the Backstage Bar and Cabaret at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh. You can call them at 412-325-6769 or visit the “Hello Donny” Facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/events/270357209818981/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

Jungle Fever

Every once and a while; Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens pumps up the jams. On Friday, August 1^st it’s time again to “Party in the Tropics.” Dance inside Phipps lush indoor garden. You can tour the grounds, eat drink and be merry! There will be cocktails, dancing and some light hors d’oeuvres. It’s over 21 but its lots and lots of fun. For more information, call 412-622-6914, or go to http://phipps.conservatory.org/exhibits-and-events/featured-event.aspx?eventid=815

Get the Frick outta here!

There’s an outdoor concert at the Frick. Every first Friday in the summer, the Frick hosts an outdoor summer concert. Bring chairs, blankets and snacks and listen to the music of Jerry Grevich and his Tamburitza Orchestra. I can think of no other historical home offering Croatian string music for five dollars! The Frick Art and Historical Center is located at 7227 Reynolds Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15208. For more information, call 412-371-0600 or visit http://www.thefrickpittsburgh.org/programs_events/concertsfilms.php

And now a sixth thing….

Da Dum. Da Dum…

No. It’s not safe to go in the water. It’s not safe to be on land. Actually, it’s not safe to watch SyFy The majesty of entertainment that is Sharknado returns with Sharknado II: Aftersharks! On July 30 at 9:00, Cruze Bar will be having a Sharknado II Viewing party. You’re going to need plenty of alcohol to get slog through this mess of a movie. Did I mention that the main character’s name is Finn? See the glory and majesty of Sharknado II at Cruze Bar, 1600 Smallman Street, Pittsburgh. Check out their Facebook events page; https://www.facebook.com/events/1572872919606254/?fref=ts

– MB.