Little Big Town and Sugarland in Concert at PPG Paints Arena; Quantum Opens ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’ (Fri., 11/01/24)

1) Are you ready for Christmas? It’s never too soon to ask, and Little Big Town is visiting Pittsburgh to get you in the mood. The two guys and two gals of this country music quartet are touring in support of their new album, titled simply The Christmas Record. The release is a mashup of original songs with old standards like, believe it or not, “Santa Claus Is Back in Town.” Combining the new with the familiar has been a staple of the group since they formed in Homewood, Alabama in 1998. All four original members continue to record and tour together. There’s no lead singer; they either harmonize or take turns as the lead. And they’ve scored a series of crossover hits through 11 studio albums and numerous awards, including Grammys and CMAs. The plaintive 2015 single “Girl Crush” was one of Little Big Town’s many songs to chart on both country and popular radio. In a different vein, they’ve done raucous numbers like 2020’s  “Wine, Beer, Whiskey.” And of course they are inductees of the Grand Ole Opry. Little Big Town plays at PPG Paints Arena with guest artists Sugarland. 7 p.m. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown. (C.M., M.V.) 

THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI by Jay Ball, adapted from the film. Quantum Theatre. November 1 – 24.

Quantum’s ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’ is as they say, an “Out of the box experience.” Pictured here are Jerreme Rodriguez (Cesare) and Sara Lindsey (Hannah). (Photo: Jason Snyder)

2) If you feel that real life has gotten scary and surreal, Quantum Theatre has a play for you. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is an original adaptation of the spooky German silent film of 1920, in which a mad hypnotist induces a sleepwalking subject to commit ghastly crimes. And if you suspect that the story might carry a political message—a parable of how an unwitting populace can fall under the spell of a mad authoritarian regime—you are right. By 1920 this had already happened across Europe with the horrors of the First World War, and in Germany it would happen again. (Years later, a German film critic even wrote a book titled From Caligari to Hitler.) But let’s not forget aesthetics. The classic film has been called the first true horror movie. At once tense and disorienting, it was shot entirely in a studio, using weird, distorted sets and stark lighting to reinforce a tale that teeters between dementia and reality. Re-creating those effects on stage has been the challenge for Quantum. The script is by Jay Ball, who previously adapted parts of the Odyssey to write Quantum’s 2021 play An Odyssey. The cast includes Daniel Krell as Dr. Caligari, on sets designed by Yafei Hu. See The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in the theater at the Union Trust Building. 8 p.m. 501 Grant St., Downtown. (M.V.) 

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