Rosanne Cash and Husband John Leventhal Play Byham; “Curse of the Starving Class” at Pitt (CPs Wed., 4/8/15)

1) You know that a famous performer’s kid has made it on her own when people stop referring to her as, say, “Judy Garland’s daughter.” Liza Minnelli has done it and so has Rosanne Cash. The artist formerly known as Johnny Cash’s daughter is having a pretty good year: so far, she’s won three Grammy Awards. Cash will be at the Byham Theater for a duo concert with her husband, instrumentalist-composer John Leventhal. They’ll perform songs from The River & The Thread, Cash’s Grammy-winning Best Americana Album, including the track which took two more Grammys (for Best American Roots Song and Performance), “A Feather’s Not a Bird.” 7:30 p.m. 101 6th St., Cultural District.

2) There are lots of plays about dysfunctional families, but nobody does dysfunction like Sam Shepard. Curse of the Starving Class is the play that put him on the map in that regard, winning the 1978 Obie Award for best new work. Like Shepard’s other classics such as Buried Child and True West, this one is a dark comedy—except with a capital D. It’s about a California farm family whose members are losing the farm, losing their minds, and losing their way in a society where family farms often don’t cut it any longer. Curse of the Starving Class is seldom performed nowadays, and Pitt’s Department of Theatre Arts is out to correct that omission with a new production. Also: Bring pre-packaged food donations for Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and receive $2 off your ticket. 8 p.m.  Runs through Sunday. Henry Heymann Theatre in the Stephen Foster Memorial, 4301 Forbes Ave., Oakland.

3) After last summer’s Jason Aldean and Toby Keith concerts, our “Southern” (PA) town of Pittsburgh is in the midst of a slack country music period. What’s a country fan to do? Don’t be a “hayseed.” Get on over to Peter’s Pub for country music night with DJ JB. Check out their great specials: $5.50 fish bowls, $7.50 Smirnoff fish bowls, $2 Yuengling bottles (10 p.m. – midnight), and $5.50 Bud Lt. pitchers (7 p.m. to close). If you want to add some protein to the picture, try the $5 sandwiches ( 5 – 10 p.m.). Plus, unlike the summer country concerts, they’ll clean up and bag your trash. 116 Oakland Ave., Oakland.

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