The Decemberists March into The Benedum; “Beauty and the Beast” Opens at Heinz Hall (CPs Tues., 3/31/15)

1) After nearly four years on hiatus, The Decemberists are back, with a new album: What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World. The band amassed a gathering over the past decade with their indie folk rock sound, culminating in their number one album, 2011’s The King Is Dead. In that same year, the band collided auditory, literary, and televisual worlds with their music video for “Calamity Song.” The video, directed by Parks and Recreation co-creator Michael Schur, adapts a scene from David Foster Wallace’s novel Infinite Jest. Their concerts are known for audience participation, so be ready to contribute to their show at The Benedum Center. At a recent concert in Glasgow, the band ended their set with “The Mariner’s Revenge Song,” a tune which details the story of a sailor swallowed by a whale. Frontman Colin Meloy cued audience screams while bassist Nate Query mimed rowing with his fiddle. 8 p.m. 237 7th St., Cultural District.

2) In 1991 Disney released the animated film Beauty and the Beast. If you were a child or had children at any point since then, you may have seen it. Perhaps you marveled at how cheerfully the filmmakers managed to render this dark tale. But did you know that the movie made show-business history? In 1994 it was the first Disney animated feature to be turned into a Broadway musical! Now you can see history re-enacted, as the PNC Broadway Across America series has booked the latest road-show production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast into Heinz Hall, where “Be Our Guest” and a host of other song-and-dance numbers should provide entertainment that’s more beautiful than beastly. 7:30 p.m. Runs through April 5. 600 Penn Ave., Cultural District.

3) The Riot Club – There exists at Oxford University in England a private all-male society called “The Bullingdon Club.” Founded more than 300 years ago, the club is famous for two things; the hedonistic, vandalism-prone activities of it’s aristocratic, moneyed members and that most of England’s ruling elite have been part of it. Current Prime Minister David Cameron, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and London mayor Boris Johnson were all members at the same time of the Bullingdon. The Riot Club, based on the play Posh, is a fictional recreation of that world and what some young men will do when they know they’ll never be faced with consequences. Featuring a Who’s Who of upcoming British talent including Sam Claflin, Douglas Booth, Max (son of Jeremy) Irons and Freddie (son of Edward) Fox. Check Fandango for screens and times.

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