‘Last Gas’ at Little Lake Theatre; South Park Hosts Chris Smither Concert (Fri., 7/17/15)

Mike Petrucci (standing) plays the perplexed Nat Paradis—yep, he’s Paradis Lost—and John Michnya is his buddy Guy in “Last Gas.”  Photo: Heather Spririk.

1) Aroostook County in Maine is one of the remotest corners of the U.S., long known for its rugged beauty, black flies, and moose. Because of playwright John Cariani it has also gained a rep as the setting for quirky seriocomic plays about the angst of modern life. Ten years ago Cariani’s Almost, Maine became an under-the-radar hit. Now Little Lake Theatre is doing his lesser known but highly regarded follow-up, Last Gas. Set in a gas station and convenience store at the edge of nowhere, Last Gas revolves around an existentially troubled single dad, all of whose exes do not live in Texas. They’re coming out of the Maine woods to hover about him as he runs on empty, toward a hazy future that holds a hidden surprise. 8 p.m. Runs through July 25. 500 Lakeside Dr., Canonsburg. (MV)

Chris Smither
Photo by: Jeff Fasano

2) Chris Smither creates some very beautiful acoustic guitar music; add to that Smither’s husky blues voice and meaningful, heartfelt lyrics. The combination is almost transformational, with songs like “Killing the Blues” and “Leave the Light On.”  Smither is touring in support of his latest release—Still on the Levee—a double CD retrospective, which he recorded in New Orleans. Smither will be at South Park Amphitheater for a free concert as part of the Allegheny County Summer Concert Series. Special guest is Rusty Belle. 7:30 p.m. Free. Brownsville and McCorkle Roads, South Park.

Euripides, a controversial figure in his time, raised feminist issues with plays like “Medea” and “The Trojan Women.” Photo: Marie-Lan Nguyen.

3) The year 431 BCE was a tough one for Euripides but a memorable one for posterity. At the annual theater competition during the Dionysia festival in Athens, with the public watching (and judges rating) new plays by the city’s leading playwrights, Euripides finished last. Yet one of his entries from that year has become the modern world’s most frequently produced ancient Greek tragedy. The play is Medea and it is a hair-raiser. Medea, a barbarian woman married to Jason of the Golden Fleece, goes mad when her husband leaves her for a proper Greek princess. In revenge she coldly plots a murder spree that includes killing the children she’s had with Jason. The play’s grisly outcome and its undertones of proto-feminist rage may have been what prompted a thumbs-down from Athenians of 2500 years ago. Judge for yourself, as Throughline Theatre Company presents Medea in Pittsburgh. 8 p.m. Ends July 25. At the Grey Box Theatre, 3595 Butler St., Lawrenceville. (MV)

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