“Macbeth” Continues at PICT; City Theatre Plays “Outside Mullingar” (CPs Sun., 10/19/14)

1) Few plays have resonated through the centuries like Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The story has been adapted many times (most chillingly, on film, in Akira Kurosawa’s spooky samurai version, Throne of Blood) and it has been the butt of parody, as in the “Prairie Home Companion” radio skit that imagined Mister Rogers playing a bright and bubbly Macbeth. (“Is this a dagger which I see before me? Is it? Yesss, it is! …”). PICT Classic Theatre is mounting a fresh take on the original, giving it an avant-Goth flavor but staying true to the text, in a treatment the company says will appeal to Shakespeare purists as well as “Game of Thrones” fans. With David Whalen in the title role and Gayle Pazerski as Lady You-Know-Who. 2 p.m. Runs through Oct. 25. The Charity Randall Theatre in the Stephen Foster Memorial, 4301 Forbes Ave., Oakland.

2) City Theatre is devoted to presenting new plays, written or debuted within the past five years. Outside Mullingar comes to Pittsburgh hot from Broadway, having finished its run there in March, and it comes with a pedigree few can match. Playwright John Patrick Shanley owns a triple crown: He’s won a Pulitzer Prize and a Best-Play Tony Award (both for Doubt: A Parable) plus an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay (Moonstruck). The colorful Shanley—who was born and raised in blue-collar America but calls himself “Irish as hell”—returns to his roots in this latest work. Set on a farm in rural Ireland, Outside Mullingar is a love story with a twist. 2 p.m. Continues until Nov. 2. 1300 Bingham St., South Side.

3) Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! is happening today at Benedum Center. Round up your kids, their friends, nieces and nephews and head on down for a fun show. “Yo Gabba Gabba” is an educational TV show which features five colorfully costumed toys come to life—Muno, Plex, Toodee, Brobee, and Foofa—and their friend DJ Lance Rock. The action is built on a solid musical foundation. 2 and 5 p.m. 237 7th Ave., Cultural District.

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