Straight No Chaser Plays Benedum; ‘Between Riverside and Crazy’ Continues at The Public (Tues., 12/6/16)

1) A cappella singing has garnered a loyal audience with movies like Pitch Perfect and TV shows like “Glee” having gained huge fan bases. See what all the buzz is about with Straight No Chaser at the Benedum Center. The group’s 2013 album, Under the Influence, features the likes of superstars Rob Thomas, Dolly Parton, and Phil Collins, among others. SNC’s 10 intertwining voices make for a rich, smooth sound, kind of like a fine bourbon (thus, the name). Don’t expect traditional alma mater tunes though. When covering songs like Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” and Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours,” SNC shows us that a cappella is not only relevant but also worth seeing live. They are celebrating 20 years as a group and are touring their newest release: I’ll Have Another … Christmas Album. 8 p.m. 237 7th St., Cultural District. (EC/RH)

It’s all about the nuts, man! Can young Oswaldo (Alejandro Hernandez, R) give a life lesson to old “Pops” (Eugene Lee)?

2) Stephen Adly Guirgis has won a rep for writing plays that leave you laughing, shuddering, and amazed. His works include The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, an epic fantasy set in Purgatory, where Judas is on trial, and the dark 12-step comedy The Motherfucker with the Hat. Pittsburgh’s smaller theater companies have staged those two and others, and now The Public, the city’s largest company, is doing Guirgis’ winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Between Riverside and Crazy. Your friendly EC theater writer has not seen this one, but it is said to display Guirgis’ signature touches: surreal humor and tense personal drama springing from extreme characters placed in bizarre situations. The central character is a black ex-cop who retired from the NYPD after an incident in which he was shot several times by a white fellow officer. He’s haggling over a lawsuit for damages while dodging eviction from his Riverside Drive apartment, which is peopled by an odd crew ranging from the ex-cop’s son (an ex-con not yet cured of his criminal ways) to a spiritual/sexual healer called Church Lady. Therefore the action unfolds Between Riverside and Crazy.  See our new review. 7 p.m. Performances through December 11. At the O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Ave., Cultural District. (MV)

3) Celli Dancing will be happening at Mullaney’s Harp & Fiddle. Dancing starts at 7:15 p.m. with lessons for beginners, then live music and dancing go from 8-10 p.m. 2329 Penn Ave., Strip District.

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