Pitt vs. Penn State in the Keystone Classic; Dance Band Mercedez at Baja (Sat., 9/10/16)

1) Ladies and gentlemen step right up. Here is the marquee event many of you have been waiting a long time for. In this corner we have a panther and in the other corner we have a lion. They will fight one another for 60 minutes. The victor will have bragging rights for a full year. We are of course speaking of the Pitt – Penn State football game. A storied rivalry that has not been played since 2000! Let’s hope that Penn State sees the light and agrees to renew the series in perpetuity. The Keystone Classic kicks off at noon and will be televised nationally. Pitt is favored to win the game, however in this game anything can happen. Heinz Field, 100 Art Rooney Ave., North Shore.

2) Mercedez, one of Pittsburgh’s best funk/dance/soul bands, plays “the wharf” at Baja Bar and Grill. 8 p.m. Fox Chapel Yacht Club and Marina, 1366 Old Freeport Rd., O’Hara Township.

3) The 39 Steps, Alfred Hitchcock’s black-and-white thriller about a man pursued by sinister spies, has been remade several times but for many years hadn’t been properly parodied. In 2005 the English comedian and playwright Patrick Barlow took care of that. His madcap play won an Olivier Award (the British equivalent of a Tony) for Best New Comedy. It has become an audience favorite on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in cities from Shanghai to Montevideo. Barlow’s send-up of The 39 Steps is officially titled John Buchan’s The 39 Steps, after the author of the novel that Hitchcock adapted for the screen (got that?). Since the play uses only four actors for 150 roles, there’s a lot of high-speed shuffling, which helps build a comic energy that parrots the suspenseful energy of the movie. The small cast of Barlow’s John Buchan’s The 39 Steps also makes it a natural for cabaret theater, so naturally the Pittsburgh production is being done by CLO Cabaret. In the Cabaret at Theater Square, 655 Penn Ave., Cultural District. 2 and 7:30 p.m. Ends tomorrow. (MV)

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