‘The Censor’ is on Stage at Throughline; ‘Wig Out!’ at The Playhouse w/The Rep (Thurs., 9/22/16)

When Charlotte the censor (Maura Underwood, R) meets Nellis (Liam Ezra Dickinson), a subversive transgender artist, the battle of wits is a battle to behold. photo: Rick Moore.

1) “Can You Trust the Government?” For 2016, Throughline Theatre Company has themed its summer-to-fall season around that question, exploring it thus far through the classic plays Judgment at Nuremberg and Julius Caesar. Now hot on Caesar’s heels comes a new work: The Censor, by American playwright David L. Williams. Set in a fictional dystopian regime, The Censor follows the adventures of a government official who forms a bond with a dissident artist she’s been assigned to watch over. For several years now, Throughline itself has been a group of young theater artists worth watching. The company’s past shows have included feisty, provocative plays like Stephen Adly Guirgis’ The Last Days of Judas Iscariot and Peter Barnes’ The Ruling Class. If you haven’t yet caught Throughline in action it might be time to try The Censor. 8 p.m. Continues through Saturday. At the Grey Box Theatre, 3595 Butler St., Lawrenceville. (MV)

2) News bulletin, for those unaware of the fact: you do not have to be L,G,B,T, or Q to enjoy LGBTQ theater. Such is the case for the plays of Tarell Alvin McCraney, whose work often features LGBTQ characters but explores universal human themes—and is highly entertaining as well. Last year The REP (Point Park University’s professional company) did McCraney’s Choir Boy, a music-filled play about the not-so-closeted student leader of a young men’s gospel choir. Now The REP returns with Wig Out! This 2008 love story unfolds amid New York’s drag ball scene, where drag queens and persons in other “themed” costumes develop extravagant floor-show routines to compete for coveted prizes. If you’ve seen the excellent 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning, it’s the same scene that the film captured … except Wig Out! gives you a distinctly McCraney treatment and story line, from a 21^st-century perspective. 8 p.m. Ends Sunday. In the Rauh Theatre at Pittsburgh Playhouse, 222 Craft Ave., Oakland. (MV)

3) Belvederes Ultra-Dive is back. Or has been for several months now. Partiers will remember that the bar closed in late 2014 after a fire. This summer saw its return, and with it, some of the most fun nights in Pittsburgh. Every Thursday is Neon ‘80s Night, where DJ Hates You 2.0 balances the decade’s best pop (Michael Jackson, Prince) with its best alternative (The B-52’s, The Smiths). Every First Saturday of the month is ‘90s Night and also very popular, with Sean MC & DJ Thermos spinning. The venue occasionally hosts live music, like it did this August during RANT, a local music festival. Once a month, the bar becomes a roller rink for Down & Derby. Other, daily activities include pool, darts, and pinball. Smokers can light up at the front of the bar unless there is an event, in which case the whole bar becomes smoke free. The “Hours of Food” may run only Sunday through Wednesday, 7 p.m. to midnight, but the “Hours of Fun” are seven days a week. 11 a.m. – 2 a.m. 4016 Butler St., Lawrenceville. (CM)

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