‘True West’ Onstage at barebones black box; Alexions Serving Carnegie Since 1953 (Sun., 9/8/19)

1) American theater classics don’t get more American, or more classic, than Sam Shepard’s True West. The play bundles bizarre humor and hallucinatory levels of meaning into a tale of two brothers fighting over a question: Who has the chops to tell the truth about the wild West? Little brother Austin is a strait-laced, college-prepped screenwriter working on a movie script that he hopes will capture the essence. Big brother Lee, the family’s black sheep, is a disreputable drifter who’s actually lived a lot of the wildness that such a script may depict—so he tries to take artistic control. Tensions between them escalate to a stage where myth, reality, and hilarity mingle madly. True West premiered in San Francisco in 1980. It became a hit when Gary Sinise (as Austin) and John Malkovitch (Lee) played the leads at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, then reprised their roles in New York. Braddock’s barebones productions presents True West with Gabriel King as Austin, Patrick Jordan as Lee, Randy Kovitz as Agent Saul, and Heidi Mueller Smith in a brief but memorable scene near the end. 3 p.m. Performances continue through September 29. At the barebones black box, 1211 Braddock Ave., Braddock.

2) Tucked into the eastern corner of Carnegie, right on the Green Tree border, is Alexions Bar & Grill, which has proudly served patrons since 1953. Happy Hour, when all drinks are a dollar off, is 5 to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Every day features different food and drink specials, such as 40-cent wings Thursday after 5 p.m. and dollar-off craft drafts Wednesday. Speaking of drafts, the list includes macros and micros, IPAs and stouts, and just about everything in between. The food menu boasts pizza, calzones, wedgies, specialty sandwiches, gourmet burgers, and salads. Or take control by creating your own sandwich instead. Be sure to try the pepperoni roll—homemade and available after 2 p.m. weekdays and all day weekends. Don’t forget, too, the jukebox is free Wednesday. The interior is cozy; the outdoor patio, smoker-friendly. 141 Hawthorne St., Carnegie. (CM)

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