Quantum Theatre Staging ‘The Gun Show (Can We Talk About This?)’; Bill Toms and Hard Rain at Moondog’s (Sat., 2/19/19)

Andrew William Smith portrays playwright E.M. Lewis in Lewis’s ‘The Gun Show.’ (photo: Jason Snyder)

1) Is it a one-man or one-woman play? Actually, The Gun Show (Can We Talk About This?) is both. Playwright E.M. Lewis wrote it about her experiences with guns and her feelings toward them. But she specifies that the play be performed by a man pretending to read her words from a script. The device brings contrasting voices together, which is the purpose of the play generally. Lewis grew up around firearms in rural Oregon and appreciates their uses, but also knows the dangers of gun violence. She says gun issues have become so polarizing that “the commentary is killing the conversation” we need to have, and The Gun Show is meant to take a more nuanced look. The play has been staged in various cities since its 2014 premiere in Chicago. Quantum Theatre presents The Gun Show here, performed by Andrew William Smith and directed by Sheila McKenna. The run is split among three locations, with audience talkbacks after every performance: Feb. 8-17 in the Carnegie Library branch at 7101 Hamilton Ave., Homewood; Feb. 20-24 at CCAC’s West Hall, 808 Ridge Ave., North Side; and Feb. 27-March 3 at The Tull Family Theater, 418 Walnut St., Sewickley. 8 p.m. tonight. (MV)

2) Bill Toms and Hard Rain with the Soulville Horns will be rockin’ out Moondog’s for a combination birthday party for Toms and Steve Binsberger. Toms’ slightly raspy, deeply soulful voice and his guitar playing prowess combine with the drums, horns, and rest of the band to create a hot rock sound. Their latest release is Good For My Soul. The band also recorded a concert last year at Club Cafe, a live CD release party will be held at Club cafe on March 30. 8 p.m. Moondog’s, 578 Freeport Rd., Blawnox.

3) Split Stage Productions, dedicated to staging adventurous musicals in Westmoreland County, roars into 2019 with a rip-roarer. Bonnie & Clyde is based on the true story of the young Depression-era couple who fell madly in love, and then let their small-time crime spree grow ever more madly murderous. Songs include “This World Will Remember Us” and “Too Late to Turn Back Now.” Bonnie & Clyde had only a short run on Broadway but has been popular in regional theaters and internationally; a recent Czech production was big in Prague. Runs through February 16. Split Stage presents the show at The Lamp Theatre, 222 Main St., Irwin. (MV) 

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