The Oak Ridge Boys Bring “Elvira” to Palace; “L’Hotel” Continues Run at PPT (CPs Sun., 12/7/14)

1) Renowned country/gospel quartet The Oak Ridge Boys stop by The Palace Theatre on their “Boys Night Out 2014” tour and also perform some Christmas songs. An American fixture for well over 50 years, the Oak Ridge Boys got their start as the Oak Ridge Quartet in Knoxville, Tennessee in the 1940s, shortly after World War II. Since then, they’ve had a history nearly as rich as their signature vocals—a history filled with countless awards, lineup changes, innovation, and hit singles. Their ’81 mega-hit “Elvira” has a great line “Giddy up a Oom Poppa Oom Poppa Mow Mow.” Prevailing above all else is the vocal talent employed by the four Boys: Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall, William Lee Golden, and Richard Sterban. That same vocal talent has, over the years, helped the Oak Ridge Boys accrue invitations to record with country music greats like Johnny Cash, George Jones, Brenda Lee, and Billy Ray Cyrus. 2 and 7 p.m. 21 W. Otterman St., Greensburg.

Brent Harris is Wilde in “L’Hotel’.”

2) What do Oscar Wilde and Isadora Duncan have in common with Jim Morrison of The Doors and opera composer Gioacchino Rossini? Though none were French, all are buried in the historic Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. And, along with two natively French yet equally dead icons—Victor Hugo and Sarah Bernhardt—they are characters in L’Hotel, a play that resurrects these strange grave-fellows for a few rounds of high-spirited bickering about life, art, and the meanings thereof. The Public’s production is a world premiere and you can read our review. Playwright Ed Dixon promises some entertaining intellectual fisticuffs but no resolution, noting that the residents of L’Hotel are doomed to “duke it out in eternity.” 7 p.m. Continues through Dec. 14. Pittsburgh Public Theater at the O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Ave., Cultural District.

Chuck Connelly, “Slag,” 2013, courtesy of the artist.

3) Continuing at The Warhol is Chuck Connelly: My America. As part of the Pittsburgh Biennial, the museum is presenting a selection of artworks by Connelly, a noted neo-Expressionist painter who was born in Pittsburgh, studied at Philadelphia’s Tyler School, rose to fame in the New York City art world, and now lives and paints back in Philadelphia. His striking works deal with a vast range of subject matter. You’ll find religious imagery and cosmic visions mixed with still lifes of breakfast cereal and home interiors, as well as portraits, landscapes, and street scenes. Through January 4. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Warhol, 117 Sandusky St., North Shore.

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