‘Mr. Edgar A. Poe’ Presents at Prime Stage; barebones productions has ‘God of Carnage’; ‘Sugar Ray’ at Pittsburgh Playwrights (Sat., 11/8/25)

MR. EDGAR A. POE PRESENTS: TALES OF MYSTERY, HORROR & IMAGINATION by Lawrence C. Connolly, from the works of Poe. Prime Stage Theatre. November 7 – 16

1) So, you think spooky season ends with Halloween? You think Thanksgiving isn’t scary, with giant helium-inflated monsters parading in the streets of New York, and tribal rituals performed around the corpse of a murdered bird? Bwah-hah-hah! Perhaps you should prepare by seeing Prime Stage Theatre’s new Edgar Allan Poe show. Bearing the comprehensive title Mr. Edgar A. Poe Presents: Tales of Mystery, Horror & Imagination, this anthology is scripted by the veteran horror-and-fantasy author Lawrence C. Connolly. The show features Poe himself as a character, played by Sam Lander, while a quartet of fellow actors perform a quartet of stories from the Poe corpus. Presumably this combination provides insights into the mind of Poe, provided you’re willing to go there. And since Prime Stage has education as part of its mission, the page to reserve tickets for Mr. Edgar A. Poe includes an array of links to fascinating info about the mysterious Mr. 7:30 p.m. At the New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, North Side. (M.V.)  

GOD OF CARNAGE by Yasmina Reza. barebones productions. Through November 23.

2) Surprisingly, the play God of Carnage is billed as a comedy. A rapt audience will indeed laugh because this extraordinary playwright clearly encourages it. And for good reason. God of Carnage is so intense, so emotional and so dark, the audience must relieve the tension that tightens on stage. We weird humans exhale with laughter when the roller coaster ride has ended or when the magician has nearly drowned, kicking and gasping in his own escape tank. It’s much the same with Yasmina Reza’s 2009 Tony Award-winning play, translated from the French by Christopher Hampton and also produced as a taut 2011 film, Carnage. The story is simple. Two couples meet after their respective eleven-year-old sons have had a playground fight. Sticks and stones may have broken some bones, but just wait for the words and name-calling that fly among the adult parents who should know better. God of Carnage is one of the great plays of this century. And, if you think you’ve heard the name Yasmina Reza somewhere before, the revival of her play Art is currently selling out on Broadway. Meanwhile, barebones productions presents God of Carnage in its black box theater. 8 p.m. Sold out.1211 Braddock Ave., Braddock. (C.P.O.)

SUGAR RAY by Laurence Holder, acted by Reginald L. Lewis. Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company. November 8 – 9. 

3) Today, boxing is mostly a niche sport, but during the 1950s it rivaled baseball and football in mass-market popularity, and the most dazzling athlete of that era was middleweight champ “Sugar” Ray Robinson. He was breathtaking to watch, even on a tiny black-and-white TV. Robinson combined a lightning knockout punch with an uncanny ability to dance and weave (in fact, at one point he quit boxing to try a career as a dancer and singer). Robinson was a generous man who lived large. He made a splash in Paris with his entourage, drove a hot pink Cadillac, and owned a New York restaurant frequented by show-biz celebrities—at a time when a Black man couldn’t be served in many restaurants in other parts of the country. Robinson died in 1989 but now you can spend an evening with him thanks to AI: artistic ingenuity. Actor Reginald L. Wilson, acclaimed for playing the boxer in the one-man show Sugar Ray, visits town courtesy of Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company. See Wilson as Sugar Ray in the cabaret space at PPTCo’s Madison Arts Center. Three performances only, so reserve a ringside seat promptly. 3401 Milwaukee St., Upper Hill District. (M.V.)

Share on Social Media