City Theatre Previews ‘The Revolutionists’; Nakama Offers Steak, Sushi, and Showmanship (Tues., 9/11/18)

Playwright Lauren Gunderson is known for her witty plays about women and history; ‘The Revolutionists’ is a hot take on both. (Photo: courtesy of the artist and City Theatre)

1) City Theatre opens its season with a comedy about a very un-funny episode of Western history. The setting is Paris in 1793, during the Reign of Terror. Driven by factional disputes, leaders of the French Revolution are beheading all suspected “enemies of the people,” including each other. Would things go better if the women took charge? Lauren Gunderson’s The Revolutionists gives us an imagined meeting of four women working toward that end. Three are real historical figures: proto-feminist writer Olympe de Gouges, author of the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen; Charlotte Corday, soon to assassinate radical leader Jean-Paul Marat in hopes of stopping the Terror; and Marie Antoinette, who aims to escape her late husband’s fate (King Louis XVI has been guillotined) by getting everyone to just get along. Joining this trio is the fictional Marianne Angelle, a rebel from the French slave colony Saint-Domingue, now Haiti. The Revolutionists has been drawing rave notices at theaters across the country. The women engage in high-spirited comical banter while confronting dire issues that are deemed still relevant today—and none can expect to live happily ever after. 7 p.m. Tonight is a pick-your-price-preview. Continues through September 30. 1300 Bingham St., South Side. (MV)

2) Nakama Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar is one of the most acclaimed restaurants in Pittsburgh, having amassed more than two dozen “Best of” awards from local publications and nearly 50 people’s choice awards—all since they opened their doors in 2003. The hibachi restaurant owes the accolades to its unique combination of high-quality ingredients, memorable flavors, and the impeccable showmanship of the chefs. Each has his or her own repertoire of tricks, so the experience is different every time. The grills seat up to 12, so you can go with a group or go it alone and make new friends. The front half of the restaurant is a great hangout spot with a full-service bar, TV screens tuned to the night’s sports action, and a sushi bar that can make you any of several dozen traditional or house specialty rolls. 1611 E. Carson St., South Side. There is also a Nakama in the North Hills. (CM)

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