Romero & Juliet at Greer; Byham Has Step Afrika!; Pro Bull Riders at PPG Paints Arena (Fri., 2/13/26)

February 11, 2026/Rick Handler

ROMERO & JULIET (musical) with book & lyrics by Scott Logsdon; music by Aaron Gandy. BDE Productions. February 13 – 14.

1) He may not have invented the conceit of zombies rising from the dead, but Pittsburgh’s own George Romero, more than any other filmmaker, immortalized a genre of sci-fi horror films that has spawned a cult of the walking dead. Now comes a musical mashup of Shakespeare’s immortal tale of young lovers, Romeo and Juliet, with Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, titled succinctly Romero & Juliet. With a book and lyrics by Scott Logsdon and music by Aaron Gandy, the musical tale is set in mid-1980s Verona—that is, Verona, Pennsylvania, of course. While attending a music festival aptly called Deadstock, the human Romero falls for zombie Juliet and all of hell rises in this star-crossed romp that pays homage to the music of eighties pop icons Madonna, George Michael, Bon Jovi, and Boy George.

The production at the Cultural Trust’s Greer Cabaret Theater will be a world premiere. Earlier staged concert performances were well attended both in Greensburg at St. Vincent’s College and at the Cutting Room in New York City. The cast is largely from the Pittsburgh area. Christopher Patrick, a protege of acclaimed (and local) make-up artist, Tom Savini, will feature his grease paint talents. At the Greer Cabaret Theater, 655 Penn Ave., Cultural District. (C.P.O.)

STEP AFRIKA! The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence (dance). Touring dance company at theByham Theater. 7:30 p.m., February 13.

2) If you’re not familiar with stepping, it’s something akin to tap dancing, syncopated hand-clapping, stomping, and vocalese all combined to generate a very percussive, rhythmic, and rousing style of modern dance. No, it is not derived from traditional African culture, but rather from fraternities and sororities of 1940s historically Black colleges and universities. It is a rare treat to experience because the more dancers that perform, the greater the sound and thrill.

If you’re not familiar with Jacob Lawrence, he was an iconic painter who covered—almost as a journalist might—the Black experience from the early 1900s until his death in 2000. Lawrence was prolific, choosing to paint as many as 60 “panels” at a time, each dedicated to interpreting a series of events relevant to the Black experience. Step Afrika’s production draws from many of the panels Lawrence created in the 1940s depicting scenes of The Great Migration when southern Black workers went north during WWI to seek opportunity and escape Jim Crow laws. Finding work in industrial cities like Pittsburgh didn’t come easy nor did it resolve issues of segregation or outright racism. Lawrence, born in Atlantic City, had never been “down south” when he started his epic Migration Series.

At the invitation of Pittsburgh Dance Council, Step Afrika! performs The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence at the Byham Theater for one night only. 7:30 p.m. 101 6th St., Cultural District. (C.P.O.)

3) Eight seconds is not a lot of time, but if you’re on the back of a raging bull trying to hold on, it is a long time. Eight seconds is the amount of time riders need to stay on a bull to get a score. PBR (Professional Bull Riders) is coming to PPG Paints Arena tonight and tomorrow night. 7:45 P.M. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown.