Pittsburgh Opera’s ‘La Traviata’ Ends Today; Shadyside House Tour Occuring (Sun., 10/16/16)

1) Opera seasons should open resoundingly, and Pittsburgh Opera answers the call by staging an acclaimed chandelier-shaker and tear-jerker, La Traviata. This Verdi masterpiece takes off with the famous “Brindisi” (“Drinking Song”) at an all-night party, soars into a blossoming love story, shatters amid scenes of conflict and misunderstanding, and ends tragically. Who could ask for more? La Traviata has become one of the world’s most-performed operas since its 1853 premiere in Venice. The story will be familiar to readers of classical romantic novels as it is based on The Lady of the Camellias, a.k.a. Camille, by Alexandre Dumas the younger. Verdi’s librettist for La Traviata was Francesco Maria Piave. In the roles of the ill-fated lovers, Pittsburgh Opera has cast a suitably dashing pair: soprano Danielle Pastin as Violetta and tenor Cody Austin as Alfredo. 2 p.m. Pre-opera talk begins at 1 p.m. Last day. Benedum Center, 237 7^th St., Cultural District. (MV)

2) Are you a little “nebby?” Would you like to see the insides of some nice houses? Then the annual Shadyside House Tour is for you. View the interiors of homes in this architecturally diverse neighborhood best know for Victorian style. Six to seven very interesting houses are on the tour this year. Tickets can be purchased in advance, or on the day of the tour for a slight additional charge. For tickets and more information visit the Shadyside Action Coalition or purchase tickets before Sunday at Eureka Chocolate + Gifts, 735 Copeland St., Shadyside.

3) When Lynn Nottage first made her mark in theater, it was a mark that often had niches specified. She was hailed as an up-and-coming female playwright, a promising African-American playwright, and, not surprisingly, a writer of plays about black women. Now, after a Pulitzer Prize and other high honors, it’s time to just call her one of our leading playwrights. Pitt’s Department of Theatre Arts is performing the Nottage play Intimate Apparel, regarded by many fans as perhaps her best. Set in New York in the early 1900s, Intimate Apparel traces the story of a seamstress who makes fashionable undergarments for ladies who can pay. Her clients run the gamut from wealthy white women to a prostitute. The men in her life include a friendly (but ultimately verboten to her) Jewish dry-goods dealer and a hard-driving construction worker intent on marriage. What unfolds is a panorama of life, hopes, and limitations in the big city during a formative time. 8 p.m. Ends Sunday. In the Henry Heymann Theatre at the Stephen Foster Memorial, 4301 Forbes Ave., Oakland. (MV)

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