‘Lungs’ at Off The Wall; Bill Toms Plays Excuses; Nightlife Band at Baja (Sat., 12/17/16)

Two’s company, but what would three be? Alec Silberblatt and Sarah Silk play the unnamed couple in “Lungs.” photo: Heather Mull.

1) The British are different from us, and one of the most different British playwrights is Duncan Macmillan, who deals with themes of personal and social crisis. Macmillan’s works have included I Wish to Apologise for My Part in the Apocalypse, an end-of-the-world romantic comedy for BBC Radio; and 2071, a stage monologue about the possible long-term effects of climate change, co-written with (and performed by) climate scientist Chris Rapley. The one that off the WALL Productions is staging, Macmillan’s Lungs, has elements of both of these. It’s a comedy/drama about a couple deciding whether to have a baby, agonizing over factors that range from their relationship to the global impact. Estimating that the newborn’s lifetime carbon footprint would come to thousands of tons of greenhouse gases, the woman says: “That’s the weight of the Eiffel Tower. I’d be giving birth to the Eiffel Tower.” Critics have called Lungs an emotional shape-shifter that takes you from comic exasperation with the couple to being caught up in their concerns. 8 p.m. Ends Today. At Carnegie Stage, 25 W. Main St., Carnegie. (MV)

Bill Toms plays some killer lead guitar riffs (c.) while Hard Rain and the Soulville Horns jam on at the Moondog’s Holiday Rock party.

2) Bill Toms and Hard Rain with the Soulville Horns are in the holiday swing and will be rockn’ out Excuses Bar on the South Side tonight. Toms’s slightly raspy, deeply soulful voice and his guitar playing prowess combine with the drums, horns, and rest of the band to create a hot rock sound. Toms’ next gig will be back at Excuses on January 17. 9 p.m. 2526 E. Carson St.

3) Baja Bar & Grill will be jamming tonight as the band Nightlife performs some groovalicious dance and funk hits. Songs from Earth Wind & Fire, Kool & The Gang, and Rick James could be played! 9 p.m. 1366 Old Freeport Rd., O’Hara Township.

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