‘West Side Story’
(Through Sunday)
The Pittsburgh CLO season continues at the Benedum Center, Downtown, with this classic Tony Award-winning musical about a tragic love story set amid the gangs of New York City. The team of Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents brought it to life on Broadway in 1957 and it went to Hollywood in 1961. Puerto Rico native Sabina Collazo and Spencer LaRue will make their PCLO debuts as Maria and Tony.
Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $53; pittsburghclo.org.
Pittsburgh Juneteenth Celebration
(Friday-Sunday)
Having worked out its financial obstacles with the city and state, Pittsburgh’s Juneteenth celebration commences with three days of live hip-hop, R&B and gospel shows, a parade and a hip-hop summit. The Grand Jubilee Parade begins at 11 a.m. Saturday with Col. (Retired) James H. Harvey, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Air Pilots, as grand marshal.
The parade begins on Center Avenue and runs down Fifth Avenue to Liberty Avenue to Point State Park, where festival concerts will take place. At 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dame Dash and Master P will engage in Big Money Talk at the Byham Theater, Downtown, covering big business, entrepreneurship and rap culture. Tickets are $35; tinyurl.com/bigmoneytalk.
Point State Park music lineup
Friday
Hip-Hop Night
1-6 p.m.: DJ Set
6:30 p.m.: Beanie Sigel and Freeway
8 p.m.: Arrested Development
Saturday
Ladies Night
2-5:30 p.m.: DJ Set
6 p.m.: Elle Varner
7:30 p.m.: Brownstone
8 p.m.: Keke Wyatt
Sunday
Gospel/R&B Day
5 p.m.: Trini Massie
6 p.m.: Nikki Porter
7 p.m.: Kelly Price
8:15 p.m.: Stokley
‘The Animal Kingdom’
(Friday-Sunday)
Barebones productions is setting up in its Black Box Theater in Braddock for the Pittsburgh premiere of this Ruby Thomas drama about the nature of family dynamics through the lens of group therapy. Gay Times called it “a smart consideration of queerness and mental health.”
Barebones artistic director and ‘The Animal Kingdom’ director Patrick Jordan said in a statement, “This whole season really takes us as barebones out of our comfort zone. This show is a perfect example of that: ‘The Animal Kingdom’ is so precise that it has the audience literally in the room and on the stage with the actors.”
Performances this weekend begin at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The production runs through June 30. Tickets are $40; barebonesproductions.com.
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
(Friday-Sunday)
Manfred Honeck puts an exclamation point on the season at Heinz Hall conducting the PSO in the program “Fifteen & Firebird: The Season Finale.” It features Michael Daugherty’s “Fifteen: Symphonic Fantasy on the Art of Andy Warhol,” Yefim Bronfman performing Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto and Igor Stravinsky’s “Firebird,” memorably realized in Disney’s “Fantasia 2000.”
Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday; 7 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $25; pittsburghsymphony.org.
Summer Fridays at the Frick
(Friday)
The Frick Pittsburgh begins its outdoor summer series with Vocal Confluence presenting “How Far I’ll Go,” an evening of music ranging from jazz to pop to barbershop. The event begins at 5 p.m. with a performance by Kristel Davis of the American Recorder Society. A donation of $5 per adult is suggested. The show takes place at 7227 Reynolds St., Point Breeze; www.thefrickpittsburgh.org.
Free Concerts
(Friday-Sunday)
The Allegheny County Concert Series at South Park Amphitheater presents Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials, the veteran Chicago blues band led by Lil’ Ed Williams. They are newly inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame. It begins at 7:30 p.m.; alleghenycounty.us.
The Music on the Lawn series at the Southside Works begins at 7 p.m. Friday with Orange Music and Ras Prophet; southsideworks.com.events.
The Stars at Riverview Jazz Series at Riverview Park, Observatory Hill, features The Dark Matter Trio at 7 p.m. Saturday; pittsburghpa.gov/events/riverviewseries.
The county series at Hartwood Acres features Jeff Jimerson and Airborne, the Pittsburgh band led by the longtime singer of the national anthem at Pittsburgh Penguins games. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Sunday; alleghenycounty.us.
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
(Saturday)
While The Rolling Stones are in Cleveland, Pittsburgh gets the frontman of the heavy metal pioneers that rose from England just a few years later. The 75-year-old former Led Zeppelin frontman will make his first Pittsburgh appearance since playing Petersen Events Center in 2011 on this tour with the bluegrass legend supporting “Raise the Roof,” their followup to the 2007 Grammy winner “Raising Sand.” J.D. McPherson opens the show at The Pavilion at Star Lake.
The show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $26; livenation.com.
Kim Gordon
(Saturday)
The ever-adventurous member of Sonic Youth will challenge fans with the explorations into noisy, avant-garde electronica and trash-rap heard on “The Collective,” the followup to her solo debut “No Home Record.” The singer-bassist will be at Mr. Smalls Theatre with Bill Nace & Aaron Dilloway Duo at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35; mrsmalls.com.
Franklin Blues And Barbecue Festival
(Saturday-Sunday)
Detroit blues-rocker Eliza Neals headlines this free festival at Bandstand Park in Franklin at 7:15 p.m. Saturday, topping a bill with Greg Piccolo & Heavy Juice, the Wallace Coleman Band, the Max Schang Band, The Bail Jumpers and more. It begins at noon. The festival continues on Sunday at noon with a lineup featuring Bywater Call, Billy the Kid and the Regulators, Dan Bubien and The Delta Struts and Holey Jeans. Details are available at franklinbluesandbbq.org.
Lionel Richie/Earth Wind & Fire
(Sunday)
In his first Pittsburgh show since 1986, the singer from Alabama will mix the solo work that began in 1982 with songs from his former band The Commodores, making for a hit-filled setlist with songs like “Brick House,” “Easy,” “Hello,” “Three Times a Lady” and “Say You, Say Me.” EWF, one of the funkiest bands ever, will bring “September,” “Shining Star,” “Boogie Wonderland” and more to the party.
The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $77; ticketmaster.com.
Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium (Sunday)
The zoo in Highland Park celebrates Father’s Day by allowing dads in free with a paid child admission. The promotion runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; pittsburghzoo.org.
First Published: June 11, 2024, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: June 11, 2024, 5:22 p.m.
