City Theatre Staging ‘The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey’; Alexion’s Bar & Grill Serving Carnegie Since ’53 (Sun., 1/21/18)

Keith Randolph Smith plays Detective Chuck DeSantis in City Theatre’s production of ‘The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey.’ Photo: Kristi Jan Hoover.

1) One-person plays are, by their nature, unusual. Typically the lone actor plays multiple roles while also narrating. The one-person play on tap at City Theatre is doubly unusual, because of its subject matter and treatment thereof. The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey concerns the murder of a gay teenager. Young Leonard himself (a fictional character) never appears; he’s already dead. We learn about him from a detective who investigated the crime. Various people who knew Leonard chime in with their stories. And while his brutal end is tragic, the play has been described as the opposite of a tragedy. It’s said to come across as a portrait of a witty, high-spirited youth who lived briefly, but brilliantly. Writer/actor James Lecesne adapted the play from a novel he’d written previously, then performed it in its 2015 New York premiere. The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey was an off-Broadway sensation, winning rave reviews. Actor Keith Randolph Smith plays all the parts at City Theatre. 7 p.m. Performances continue through February 18. 1300 Bingham St., South Side. (MV)

2) Tucked into the eastern corner of Carnegie, right on the Green Tree border, is Alexions Bar & Grill, which has proudly served patrons since 1953. Happy Hour, when all drinks are a dollar off, is 5 to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Every day features different food and drink specials, such as 40-cent wings Tuesday after 5 p.m. and dollar-off craft drafts Wednesday. Speaking of drafts, the list includes macros and micros, IPAs and stouts, and just about everything in between. The food menu boasts pizza, calzones, wedgies, specialty sandwiches, gourmet burgers, and salads. Or take control by creating your own sandwich instead. Be sure to try the pepperoni roll—homemade and available after 2 p.m. weekdays and all day weekends. Don’t forget, too, the jukebox is free Wednesday. The interior is cozy; the outdoor patio, smoker-friendly. 141 Hawthorne St., Carnegie. (CM)

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