‘Lobby Hero’ Opens at barebones productions; A Taste of Blues Party at August Wilson Ctr. (Fri., 9/28/18)

1) Braddock’s barebones productions has gained a reputation for doing big work in a small venue, the cozy (and usually filled-to-capacity) barebones black box. Now the company performs a tight, tense comedy/drama with a story arc that fits the confines of the room. Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero is set in the entrance lobby of a New York apartment building, where four characters—a new security guard, his supervisor, and a pair of NYPD cops—are chatting away the wee hours of the night. The chat turns into an emotional cage match, as it’s revealed that the four are faced with interlocking moral dilemmas to which there are no easy answers: The walls are closing in. Playwright Lonergan is best known as writer and director of the 2016 film Manchester by the Sea, but he’s been crafting stage plays about complex, conflicted people caught in sticky situations for quite a while. Lobby Hero premiered off-Broadway in 2001; a Broadway revival this year has earned rave reviews. 8 p.m. Performances continue through October 20. Barebones puts the action right in your lap at 1211 Braddock Ave., Braddock. (MV)   

2) If you enjoy blues music and BBQ, than the Pittsburgh Cultural trust has you covered with their First Annual A Taste of  Blues Party to kickoff the 2018 Highmark Blues & Heritage Festival. Some of Pittsburgh’s top restaurants will give their take on BBQ renditions of their top dishes. Restaurants on the scene include: Braddock’s Pittsburgh Brasserie, Walter’s BBQ, Vallozzi’s Pittsburgh, Fogo De Chao, Capital Grille, Pirata, Market Street Grocery, Eddie Merlot’s, and A519 Chocolates. Blume Honey Water and Wiggle Whiskey will be on site and doing tastings. Providing the blues music will be:  Michael Mwenso and the Harlem Shakes, New Breed Brass Band, Teeny Tucker, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Blind Boy Jerron Paxton, and Deva Mahal. 8 p.m., August Wilson Center, 980 Liberty Ave., Cultural District.

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