‘Grease’ (Thursday-Sunday)
It’s the second and final weekend for this Pittsburgh Musical Theater production on the Byham Theater stage, Downtown, of the rock ’n’ roll musical set in 1959. It opened on Broadway in 1972 and was adapted into the 1978 film featuring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Maya Santiago, Davis Wayne and Chris Laitta lead a cast that brings to life such classics as “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’” and “You’re the One That I Want.”
Showtimes this weekend include 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $19.50; trustarts.org.
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (Friday and Sunday)
Dalia Stasevska makes her PSO debut, conducting the orchestra at Heinz Hall in a program titled “Bernstein and Sibelius.” It features violinist James Ehnes performing Leonard Bernstein’s “Serenade (after Plato's 'Symposium')” for violin and orchestra as well as Einojuhani Rautavaara’s “Cantus Arcticus: Concerto for Birds and Orchestra" and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5.
Concerts are 8 p.m. Friday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $25; pittsburghsymphony.org.
Bryan Adams (Friday)
This is the first Pittsburgh arena show for the heartland rocker since he played the Civic Arena in 1994. Since then, he’s done amphitheaters and smaller venues like the Byham Theater and UPMC Events Center. He’ll fill PPG Paints Arena with such hits as “Summer of ‘69,” “Run to You,” “Heaven” and “Cuts Like a Knife.”
Dave Stewart’s Eurythmics Songbook opens at PPG Paints Arena at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $56.75; ticketmaster.com.
Pittsburgh Garden & Home Show (Friday-Sunday)
The 45th annual show continues at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center with more than 1,500 exhibitors and such features as: the Dream Home Innovation Center, the Kitchen Idea Center, the Ultimate Backyard, the Food & Wine Festival, the Home Interior Galleries, Farm to Table Area, Pets at Home Aisle, Children’s Village, Train Collectors Association display and Steel City LUG (LEGO) Creations. Guest speakers include former White House chief floral designer Laura Dowling and host of the Magnolia Network’s “Barnwood Living” Mark Bowe.
Hours this weekend are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $12; $11 online; $4 kids 6-12; pghhome.com.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade (Saturday)
The parade, dating back to 1869, is one of the city’s biggest and most festive events, with marching bands, dance troupes, businesses, politicians, organizations and animal groups. It begins at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Liberty and 11th Streets and proceeds to Grant Street and Boulevard of the Allies, where it turns right and ends at the Reviewing Stand at Stanwix Street. This year’s grand marshal is Robert Tierney, a Dublin native who served as vice president of the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh, and The Miss Smiling Irish Eyes Queen is Madalyn Byrnes, a junior majoring in public relations and advertising at Robert Morris University.
More into at pittsburghstpatricksdayparade.com.
Parade Day parties (Saturday)
Mullaney’s Harp and Fiddle, the city’s premier Irish pub, gets the party started at noon and will roll till midnight with music by Mark Guiser, Whiskey Limerick, Skipper Johnson Band, Donnie Irish Band, Maddie Arnold Band and Guaranteed Irish. In Carnegie, Riley’s Pour House kicks off at 9 a.m. with Brad Wagner and continues with The Jive Daisy, Murphy Givens and The Low Kings. The city’s wildest Irish rockers, Bastard Bearded Irishmen, hold court once again at the Thunderbird Music Hall in Lawrenceville with The Filthy Lowdown, Platinum Moon, and Bob & Joel.
For more details, visit establishment websites.
Spring Flower Show (Saturday)
“A Closer Look” is the title of the Spring Flower Show opening at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens Saturday and running through April 14. The show features tens of thousands of spring blooms, including tulips, narcissus and hyacinths; rotating kaleidoscopes showcasing purple and red blooms; a spinning geometric sculpture in violet, hot pink and orange in the Victoria Room pond; perched model blue birds amongst topiary deer and foxes; chrysalid sculptures and an animatronic butterfly flapping its wings in the Broderie Room; and a rainy day in the Serpentine Room.
Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $21.95; $19.95 62 and up and students over 18; $13.95 kids 2-18; phipps.conservatory.org.
‘Fat Ham’ (Friday-Sunday)
The fourth show of the City Theatre Company’s season is this Pulitzer Prize-winning comedic twist on “Hamlet” that follows Juicy, a queer Black man tasked by the ghost of his father to avenge his murder. Deemed a “hilarious yet profound tragedy smothered in comedy” by the New York Times, the James Ijames play went to Broadway in 2023 and was nominated for five Tony Awards. The cast includes Brandon Foxworth, Maria Becoates-Bey, Khalil Kain and Elexa Hanner.
It runs through March 24. Times this weekend at the South Side venue are 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 1 and 5:30 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $44; CityTheatreCompany.org.
Donnie Iris and the Cruisers (Saturday)
After spending most of 2023 battling cancer, King Cool is back on the street, just a few weeks after his 81st birthday. He plans to do a two-hour set of the hits that will include “Ah! Leah!,” “Love is Like a Rock” and “My Girl” at UPMC Events Center in Moon on a bill with The Clarks and The Vindys.
The show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $39.95; ticketmaster.com.
Simply the Best: A Tina Turner Tribute Concert (Saturday)
Musical director and pianist Dwayne Fulton, who helmed the Kelly Strayhorn Theater tributes to Motown, Prince and Aretha Franklin, is back at the East Liberty venue with this salute to the R&B dynamo who passed away last year. Her music will be performed by Chanell C.J. Harris, Julia Flowers, J.R. Jones, Michael Davis, Zuliakha Mason, Krystyn Kirkland, and Gary Davis.
“There are a lot of parallels in her story and mine,” Harris said in a statement. “She didn’t get her first real hit record until she was 44 years old, and I’m 45 years old. This industry can age a lot of people out, because they always want the new, younger talent. But sometimes they pass over some really dynamic individuals. The story we’re telling is all about Tina’s energy, energy, energy. It’s going to be nonstop from the time we hit.”
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $25; kelly-strayhorn.org.
Dropkick Murphys stream (Sunday)
There is more local music in the clubs on St. Paddy’s Day, but you can also celebrate in the comfort of your own home with this live event from MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston. The world’s biggest Celtic rock band began its holiday stream back in 2020 at Fenway Park and continues it on Veeps at 9 p.m. Access runs $24.99 at veeps.events/dropkick-murphys. Purchasers have access to unlimited repeat viewings during the seven-day replay period. Veeps All Access subscribers can access the show for free as part of their subscription and can rewatch as many times as they want for a full year.
First Published: March 12, 2024, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: March 12, 2024, 7:03 p.m.
