‘I’m Very Into You” at CMU Drama; Pitt Theatre Let’s it’s “Hair” Out (Thurs., 11/10/16)

1) Who was Kathy Acker? Genre identifiers don’t help much, since the late writer (she died in 1997 at age 50) has so many: Wikipedia summarizes her as an “experimental novelist, punk poet, playwright, essayist, postmodernist and sex-positive feminist” whose influences included “French critical theory, philosophy, and pornography.” But wait, there’s more. In 1995, Acker—author of notable works such as Rip-Off Red, Girl Detective and the Burning Bombing of America—had a brief, torrid affair with the Australian media theorist McKenzie (Ken) Wark, author of A Hacker Manifesto. Separated afterward by distance, Acker and Wark kept the sexual and intellectual fervor alive for a while in an email correspondence. Later their emails were put together in a book titled I’m Very Into You. And Sara Lyons, a graduate student in directing at Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama, has written a stage play adapted from the book. Kathy Acker and her Aussie sidekick ride again in Lyons’ I’m Very Into You. Performances through Friday. 8 p.m. Purnell Center on the Carnegie Mellon campus, 5000 Forbes Ave., Oakland. (MV)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4740nZKERw

2) Across I-376 from the borough of Carnegie lies a little-known corner of Pittsburgh known as East Carnegie. Years ago it was (and largely still is) a blue-collar district, not the kind that anyone back in the day would’ve called a hippie haven. Yet East Carnegie was the birthplace and home neighborhood of one of the defining hipsters of his generation: Gerome Ragni, who went on to co-write the 1967 rock musical Hair. Ragni, now deceased, teamed up in New York with fellow actor/singer James Rado and composer Galt McDermot to create the musical. And Hair turned out to be a groundbreaking hit. Some of its songs became pop-culture anthems, including “Aquarius” and “Let the Sunshine In” (performed above by the Broadway revival cast on ABC-TV). The show’s story line, centered around a group of rebellious young people, mixed raucous merrymaking with serious societal issues. Its exuberant energy wowed audiences worldwide, while its transgressive features raised the hackles of censors and conservative citizens’ groups worldwide. 8 p.m. Runs through November 20. Pitt’s Department of Theatre Arts presents a Pittsburgh revival of  Hair in the Charity Randall Theatre in the Stephen Foster Memorial. 4301 Forbes Ave., Oakland. (MV)

3) The Pens are in action tonight against the Minnesota Wild. The puck drops at 7 p.m.. Let’s go Pens! Next up is a home game Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. PPG Paints Arena, 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown.

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