Entertainment briefs: Walkmen, ‘Inside Out: A Musical Revue’
Still music to our ears
Say it ain’t so, boys! Few things make music fans cringe more than reading that their favorite band has “grown up.” That appears to be the thrust of the Walkmen. The band, whose music chronicled their tempestuous and freewheeling life in New York City, now sing about the joys of domestic bliss on their latest release, “Heaven.” But don’t panic. They still dive deep into the existential reverb of the Velvet Underground and especially their New York compatriots Television, although the decibels have been dialed down a bit. Still, lead singer Hamilton Leithouser finds emotional adventure in the title track and “Heartbreaker.” Here’s hoping they include “Another One Goes By” in their set when they play an all-ages show at 8 p.m. Sunday at Mr. Small’s Theater at 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. Tickets are $20.
Details: 412-821-4447, www.mrsmalls.com.
— William Loeffler
More creative by the dozen
A dozen performers — 11 singers and one pianist, to be exact — will fill the Smithfield Street Theatre stage for two performances of “Inside Out: A Musical Revue” by Tom Protulipac.
The cabaret will feature an eclectic mix of songs from such classic Broadway musicals as “The Threepenny Opera,” “Company,” “A Little Night Music,” “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” “Chicago,” “Weird Romance” and “Mame.”
Performances: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday on the lower level of the Smithfield United Church of Christ, 620 Smithfield St., Downtown.
Admission is $18; $15 in advance. Seating is limited and reservations are required. Details: 412-251-7904 or www.newobt.com
— Alice T. Carter
Danke for harvest time
Old Economy Village this weekend will be celebrating a traditional German harvest festival withErntefest, which will show visitors how the 19th-century Harmonists and other residents of Western Pennsylvania prepared for winter. Visitors can learn about autumn activities like making sausage, butter, apple schnitz, cider and wine, and other fall foods of the period. Other activities include broom-making, winemaking, meat-smoking, coopering and beekeeping. Some activities are geared toward kids, who can play with the fire pumper, roll hoops, walk on stilts, and participate in sack races. Erntefest will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at Old Economy Village, a National Historic Landmark in Ambridge, Beaver County. Admission is $12; $6 for ages 3 to 17. Details: 724-266-4500 or www.oldeconomyvillage.org
— Kellie B. Gormly
Preserving power of music
Musicians of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra will present a benefit concert for the Allegheny Historic Preservation Society on Sunday afternoon on the North Side.
Music director Lawrence Loh will lead the chamber orchestra during part of the program in “Water Music” Suite by George Frideric Handel, two exquisite movements from “Pelleas et Melisande” Suite by Gabriel Faure, and the Farandole from “L’Arlesienne” by Georges Bizet.
In addition, smaller groups of musicians will play “Wachet auf” (Sleepers Awake) by Johann Sebastian Bach arranged for wind quintet and the first movement of the rarely heard Piano Quintet by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
The concert starts at 4 p.m. Sunday at Calvary United Methodist Church, 971 Beech Ave., North Side. Admission is $10; $8 for seniors and $5 for students.
Details: 412-392-4872 or www.pyso.us.
— Mark Kanny
E.T., returns 30 years later
Celebrate all the sweetness and adventure of “E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial” with a re-mastered version for the big screen.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the classic Steven Spielberg film about a boy named Elliott and an alien he calls E.T., TCM is making the film available to theaters throughout the country for one showing only at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Preceding the screening, there is a special introduction by TCM host Ben Mankiewicz about the making of the movie and Drew Barrymore, who plays “Gertie” in the movie, sharing what “E.T.” has meant to her.
Local theaters showing the movie are Cinemark Robinson Township at Settler’s Ridge, Rave Cinemas Pittsburgh North 11 in McCandless and Cinemark 18 at Pittsburgh Mills, Frazier.
Details: www.fathomevents.com
— Tribune-Review
Musical verse and testament
“Esther the Musical,” based on the Bible’s book of Esther in the Old Testament, plays this weekend at First Presbyterian Church in Downtown. The acclaimed musical, in its seventh season, features original music in many styles, and elements of drama and comedy in the story about the Jewish orphan who becomes Queen of Persia. “Esther the Musical” plays at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the church, 320 Sixth Ave. Tickets are $12; $10 for senior citizens and $7 for children. Details: 412-471-3436 or www.showclix.com
— Kellie B. Gormly
‘Museum Day Live!’ brings free tickets
Several Western Pennsylvania museums are offering free admission on Saturday for Smithsonian Magazine’s annual “Museum Day Live!” event. One Museum Day ticket is good for two people, with one ticket per household allowed. The following museums in the region are participating: Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, Oakland; Compass Inn Museum, Laughlintown; Photo Antiquities, North Side; Senator John Heinz History Center, Strip District; ToonSeum, Downtown; and Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg. Tickets can be downloaded online. Details: www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday
— Kellie B. Gormly