The Lone Bellow Makes Sound at Stage AE; Byham Hosts Ira Glass and the Monica Bill Barnes Company (CPs Sat., 2/28/15)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A_6gKFItwc

1) Three voices. One lone bellow. So goes the harmonization of The Lone Bellow, a Brooklyn-based indie-folk trio. Add production by Aaron Dessner (of The National) and brass and string arrangements by Bryce Dessner (also of The National), and you have 2015’s Then Came Morning, the group’s second album. You also have a superb follow-up to their self-titled debut. That debut, by the way, ranked on many a “Best of” list in 2013, from Paste to People. With new singles like “Fake Roses,” a song flush with imagery and subtle instrumentation, The Lone Bellow seems poised to repeat that acclaim. They’ve opened for the Avett Brothers and the Civil Wars. Tonight they headline The Club at Stage AE. Odessa opens. Doors open 7 p.m. 400 North Shore Dr., North Shore.

2) Fans of the award-winning public radio series “This American Life” may want to be at the Byham Theater for a most unusual evening. Ira Glass, longtime host of TAL, is appearing in person—along with two dancers, Monica Bill Barnes and Anna Bass. Together the trio will use voice, movement, and perhaps other means to act out segments from the radio program as well as stories from their own lives. The spectacle is reputed to be both hilarious and touching, and no prior knowledge of TAL is required; even non-radio heads can get a charge out of the show. Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host: An Evening with Ira Glass and the Monica Bill Barnes Company. presented by the Pittsburgh Dance Council. 8 p.m. 101 6th St., Cultural District.

3) If there are laughs to be had from the class divisions in today’s society, this play is determined to find them. Elemeno Pea, opening tonight, is a tale of two sisters from a working-class background, one of whom is barely scraping by, and one who has landed a deluxe job as the live-in personal assistant to the trophy wife of a tycoon. Feathers begin to fly when scraper sis visits lap-of-luxury sis in her employers’ lavish roost. City Theatre presents this comedy by Brooklyn-based Molly Smith Metzler as part of its mission to bring new and recent plays to Pittsburgh.5:30 p.m. Through March 22. City Theatre, 1300 Bingham St., South Side.

4) Pittsburgh Playwright Co’s annual Black and White Festival has premiered a number of one-acts that were later developed into full-length plays, making it a useful launch pad for writers while giving audiences a first look at exciting new material. The festival’s name comes from its unique format, in which one-acts by African American writers have been directed by white directors, and vice versa. PPTCo devised this setup to promote cross-cultural exchange—but Pittsburgh is no longer just an Afro/Euro city. With the population becoming truly global, the company is making this year’s festival the “Multicultural Edition,” mixing plays and directors from a variety of ethnic and national backgrounds. A highlight of Program A’s Roar of the Crowd is actress Patricia Cena Fuchel, who has performed in productions here in Pittsburgh, as well as off-Broadway plays and TV soap operas in New York City. Roar was written by Matt Henderson and is directed by Vanessa German. Program A, 3 p.m.; Program B, 8 p.m. Ends today. 937 Liberty Ave., Cultural District.

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