Presley Ridge Ice Cream Fundae at Pittsburgh Zoo; Thoughline Theatre Staging ‘The Inspector General’ (Sun., 8/12/18)

PRESSLEY RIDGE ICE CREAM FUNDAE— Aug. 12, Pittsburgh Zoo + more ice cream everywhere.  

These young post-Millennial women find the Ice Cream Fundae concept to be an excellent plan for a summer evening.

1) Ice cream is good. The Pittsburgh Zoo is good. Ice cream at the Zoo, for a good cause, is super-good. Ice Cream Fundae—an early-evening event for all persons of ice cream age—supports Pressley Ridge, a nonprofit that offers mental health and behavioral services to kids and families facing challenges. The gourmet ice cream is provided by Graeter’s. It comes in about a dozen flavors, including chocolate chips embedded in various matrices of ice cream. Enjoying it at the Zoo, in company with the elephants and kangaroos after public visiting hours have ended, is very cool. The Zoo’s official title, Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, indicates that sea lions, penguins, and many, many fishes will also be present. Playful activities for children are part of Ice Cream Fundae. Admission fees are moderate and all proceeds go to Pressley Ridge. 6 – 9 p.m., Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, One Wild Place, Highland Park.  

Much more good ice cream is available in Pittsburgh and nearby as well. Along with Graeter’s, in Wexford, some establishments serving fine homemade ice cream and related treats are: Scoops (multiple locations in the South Hills), Millie’s (Downtown and Shadyside), Klavon’s (Strip District), and Yetter’s (Millvale). Specialists in the soft varieties include Glen’s Homemade Custard (Springdale) and Page Dairy Mart (where South Side meets Hays). There are still more, but these should get you started. (MV)

Life amused Gogol, who cranked up the absurdity in works like ‘The Inspector General.’

2) Throughline Theatre closes its 2018 season, themed “Make ’Em Laugh,” with the third of three bizarre comedies. The play is by Nikolai Gogol, best known as the author of short stories like “The Nose,” about a body part that escapes its owner. It would be fascinating to see this attempted on stage but Throughline has chosen Gogol’s The Inspector General. Surreal in its own way, it’s a satirical farce set in a small Russian town run by crooked politicians. They get word that officials in the capital have sent an undercover inspector, and sure enough there’s a mysterious guest at the local inn. So the naughty boys scramble to hide their dirty laundry and they grovel before the man, assuring him the town is his to see or do anything he wants—except he’s no inspector, just a loopy guy who proceeds to see how far he can run with it.

The Inspector General follows Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Aflred Jarry’s Ubu Roi in the Throughline lineup. Continues through August 18. 937 Liberty Ave., Cultural District. (MV)

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