‘Hir’ Continues Onstage at barebones Productions; CLO Cabaret Hosts ‘Perfect Wedding’ (Wed., 5/23/18)

There’s nothing like banjo music to bring a fractured family together—especially banjo music from a trans teen! Max (Liam Ezra Dickinson, L) gamely gives Mom’s (Helena Ruotti) latest scheme a try while Issac (Tad Cooley) looks on. Photo: Jeff Swensen.

1) Taylor Mac is the transgender theater artist who uses a self-chosen personal pronoun. The pronoun is “judy,” as in: “Taylor Mac is both a performer and playwright. Judy’s plays have been produced at major venues nationwide, and judy has received many awards for judy’s work.” Now barebones productions, the largest theater company in Braddock, is presenting Taylor Mac’s Hir. The play won rave reviews in its 2015 New York premiere. It’s a seriocomedy about a dysfunctional family made from pieces of the Great American Nightmare. The formerly domineering and abusive dad is being kept in line by extremely non-doctor-approved hormone treatments. The treatments are administered by the unstrung mom, much to the dismay of the couple’s ex-G.I. son, who suffers from PTSD after combat in Afghanistan, while the straightest shooter in the house appears to be his younger sibling, a trans teen. Hir has been compared to earlier great whacked-family plays by Sam Shepard and David Rabe. But as Taylor Mac judy’s self has written, “Comparison is violence.” See our review of the production. 8 p.m. Continues through May 26.At the barebones black box, 1211 Braddock Ave., Braddock. (MV)

Baaad groom! Julia Geisler gives Tim McGeever a piece of her cake in CLO’s ‘Perfect Wedding.’ Photo: Archie Carpenter.

2) Starting in June, Pittsburgh CLO will mount its summer slate of Broadway musicals at Benedum Center—and meanwhile the action never stops at the company’s smaller venue, the CLO Cabaret. Next up in the Cabaret is Robin Hawdon’s Perfect Wedding. It’s billed as a romantic comedy, though one might question how romantic it is for the groom to wake up on the morning of the wedding and find a strange woman in his bed. Complications then multiply. Perfect Wedding is neither big nor fat nor Greek but is reported to be exceptionally worthy of laughter. CLO Cabaret serves food and drinks, so please laugh safely while consuming these. 7:30 p.m. Performances through August 12. 655 Penn Ave., Cultural District. (MV)

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