Comedian Artie Lange Plays CHMH; PICT Opens ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ Reel Q Ends Today (Sat., 10/21/17)

1) Artie Lange, a supporting cast member on “The Howard Stern Show” for five years, is in town at the Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall for a night of laughs. Before signing with Stern, Lange played New York City comedy clubs and was part of the “Mad TV” troupe. He’s also a New York Times best-selling author with his 2008 memoir, Too Fat to Fish, which was co-written by journalist Anthony Bozza. The pair wrote Crash and Burn, another New York Times best-seller, in 2013.  Lange co-wrote and produced his own feature film, Artie Lange’s Beer League, in 2006. Most recently, he had a recurring role on the HBO television series Crashing, created by fellow comedian Pete Holmes. Lange plays himself and both mentors and exasperates a fictionalized version of Holmes. The latter often tries to help Lange get out of trouble with predictably frustrating and comedic results. 8 p.m. 510 E. 10th Ave., Munhall. (EC, CM)

2) PICT Classic Theatre is really good at doing Shakespeare. Last year the company produced a sensational Merchant of Venice, not by coming from deep left field with an unconventional interpretation, but just by seeing what’s in (and between) the lines of the script and making it sing. This year PICT opens its season with Romeo and Juliet—another of Shakespeare’s really good ones, for reasons beyond the dramatic pull of its tale of star-crossed lovers. When played well, it’s a rollercoaster of emotional twists and tragicomic turns. Romeo and Juliet has been made into two memorable movies: Franco Zeffirelli’s colorful 1968 version, in which supporting actor John McEnery nearly stole the show as a red-hot Mercutio, and Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 Romeo + Juliet, which gave the story a modern urban-mafia setting and had Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo. But the play begs to be experienced live, in the flesh, and there might not be a better chance than PICT’s production. In the Fred Rogers Studio at WQED, 7:30 p.m. Continues through November 4. 4802 Fifth Ave., Oakland. (MV)

3) Cherry Pop—This 2017 release is a comedy about a a down-and-out drag club in a small town and a newcomer’s wild night there. The show’s matriarch Zaza (Tempest Dojour) refuses to come out of her dressing room, meanwhile a young newcomer, The Cherry (Lars Berge), is bedeviled by the regular troupe of back-stabbing queens. The film stars Caldwell Tidicue, aka Bob the Drag Queen, winner of Season 8 of “Ru Paul’s Drag Race.” The film is the closing night feature of the 2017 Reel Q LGBT Film Festival. There will be a post-screening party at Tilden. 7:30 p.m. Harris Theater, 809 Liberty Ave., Cultural District.

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