Toots and the Maytals at Hartwood; Summer Co. Staging ‘Heathers: The Musical’ (Sun., 8/5/18)

1) Toots and the Maytals are a cornerstone group of the reggae music genre, led by Toots Hibbert. They even helped coin the name for their new genre with their 1968 song “Do the Reggay.” Founded in Jamaica in the early 1960’s, Toots and the Maytals are especially well-known for a top charting album and song called Funky Kingston. You can catch their cool reggae vibe as part of the Allegheny County Summer Concert Series. Hollis Brown opens. 7:30 p.m. Hartwood Acres, 4070 Middle Rd., Allison Park, PA

2) America is still in its adolescence. No other country produces so many works of stage and screen with high-school students as main characters. From TV series like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Veronica Mars,” to stage shows that won’t die such as Grease, and movies too numerous to name—all of which have adult audiences as well as teenaged fans—it’s clear that we perceive high school as a microcosm or defining metaphor of our society. Which may explain a lot of things, including the popularity of Heathers: The Musical. It’s a dark musical. Amid comical interplay between a high school’s in-group kids and outsiders, there’s a dangerously deranged teen. He is not a mass killer, but he’s an insidious schemer, and multiple deaths ensue, accompanied by songs including “My Dead Gay Son” and “I Am Damaged.” Adapted from the cult film Heathers, the show was an off-Broadway hit a few years ago. The Summer Company performs Heathers: The Musical in the Genesius Theater at Duquesne University. 2 p.m. PErformances through August 12. 1225 Seitz St., Uptown.(MV)

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