PMT’s “A Lyrical Christmas Carol” Continues; The SpacePimps Holiday Show at Altar Bar (CPs Sat., 12/20/14)

Come fly with me, said a friendly Ghost (Beth Anderson) in a past production of “A Lyrical Christmas Carol.” Photo: Patti Brahim.

1) Ken Gargaro’s A Lyrical Christmas Carol, written by Ken and Jane Gargaro, continues its run with Pittsburgh Musical Theater’s Richard E. Rauh Conservatory Theater Company. The centuries have seen countless stage versions of this Christmas tale by Charles Dickens, and though we cannot say where A Lyrical Christmas Carol ranks among them, the musical is a guaranteed treat. Gargaro was founding director of the PMT’s school and performance center. His and Jane’s A Lyrical Christmas Carol premiered in 1991 and has been delighting audiences ever since. The show tells the story in an engaging, moving way and features some song-and-dance numbers that will send you home in a supercharged holiday spirit. With Jeremy Czarnick as Scrooge. 7:30 p.m. Through Dec. 21. New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, North Side. (Fun fact: Jane Gargaro was this writer/editor’s English teacher at Peabody High School. She was an excellent and popular instructor!)

2) Tonight at Altar Bar, The SpacePimps are holding their holiday show. They are now in their 11th year—a pretty good run for a band that plays pop punk (a consciously juvenile genre) but it was probably pretty easy to keep going as the band got invites to play the Warped Tour and serenade audiences in Japan and China with their three-chord songs about partying, girls, and feeling confused, man. In any case, we think holding onto your youth in such a way is pretty admirable and totally punk. Patent Pending, Major League, Look Out Loretta, and Dash City Skyline open tonight’s show. 6:30 p.m. 1620 Penn Ave., Strip District.

3) No this isn’t some type of weird Everglades death match like a gator versus a python—but it is a serious game in the NHL, as our Mumps, I mean our Penguins take on the Florida Panthers tonight at Consol Energy Center. Let’s hope that the Penguins escape the battle against the Panthers with a big win. Isn’t nature grand! 7 p.m. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown.

Share on Social Media