City Theatre Staging ‘One Night in Miami’; ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ at Pgh Playhouse; Byham Hosts ‘Judy Moody and Stink’ (Sun., 11/17/19)

‘One Night in Miami’ is onstage at City Theatre. (photo: Kris Jan Hoover)

1) It can be hard today to grasp the public impact that Muhammad Ali had in his prime. Boxing was then a much more high-profile sport, and Ali was arguably the most charismatic and unusual athlete that any sport had seen. Everything about him, from his boxing style to his personal style and politics, defied convention. City Theatre presents One Night in Miami, a fictionalized play about an event early in his career. It’s set in 1964 on the night when Ali, only 22 and still using his birth name, Cassius Clay, had just won the heavyweight title. But he didn’t paint the town to celebrate. He spent that night in a private hotel suite with three other prominent African Americans: Malcolm X, football star Jim Brown, and gospel/soul singer Sam Cooke. All present (including the new champ) were in the midst of re-thinking their lives and identities—at a time when struggles and debates were erupting nationwide over the place of African Americans in our society. One Night in Miami, by playwright Kemp Powers, imagines what might have gone on among the four men on that eventful night. 2 p.m. Post-show Talkback with playwright Kemp Powers. Performances continue through December 1. 1300 Bingham St., South Side. (MV) 

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING by William Shakespeare. Nov. 8 – 17, Point Park Conservatory Theatre. 

2) With its bizarre plot, sarcastically sniping lovers, and the daffy constable Dogberry, Much Ado About Nothing is an all-time popular Shakespeare comedy. The poster for Point Park Conservatory Theatre’s production depicts a baseball made into a hand grenade, so expect an explosive treatment. PNC Theatre in the new Pittsburgh Playhouse. 2 p.m. Ends today. 350 Forbes Ave., Downtown. (MV)

3) Attention fans of the Judy Moody book series, by Megan McDonald and Peter H. Reynolds, and the 2011 movie Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer, Judy and her brother Stink will be appearing on Pittsburgh area stages today through next Sunday. The two of them will be joined by friends on another exciting adventure. In this production Judy wants to become famous after seeing a classmates’s picture on the front page on the newspaper. Will her wish come true, or will Stink hold her back? You’ll have to see for yourself at the Byham Theater today at 2 p.m. and tomorrow at 10:15 a.m. Then the show hits the road to several area schools. For more info visit the event page. 101 6th St., Cultural District.

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