As the days lengthen and winter loosens her grip, we all need some mental nourishment. Our new Arts and Culture Editor, Sean Collier, shares some key opportunities in March to get out there and replenish your mind and soul.
Arts and Cultural Events in Pittsburgh to Welcome March
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Southwestern Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgh Projects
820 Gallery, Through May 10
If Frank Lloyd Wright had his way, the Golden Triangle would look a lot different. The master architect envisioned a futuristic aquarium at the spot that would end up being Point State Park’s fountain; that would be the centerpiece of a sprawling collection of spiral-shaped buildings, wrapping around a massive complex containing a cinema, opera hall, and convention center.
This massive edifice would be seen quite clearly from a chic apartment tower he envisioned atop Mount Washington; even commuters were on his mind, as he sketched out a stately parking garage near what is now the Cultural District.
Regrettably, none of these projects were realized, deemed too expensive and difficult. Now — as more overhauls of Downtown are underway — an exhibit, created by the Cultural Trust with the Westmoreland Museum of American Art and Fallingwater, presents what could’ve been. Skyline Ink Animators + Illustrators offers striking visuals of the way the city might have looked.
Sports360
Kamin Science Center, Ongoing
The first major addition to the Kamin Science Center since its rebranding last year is also the biggest permanent exhibit at the North Shore museum. Sports360, now open on the Science Center’s first floor, is an extensive exploration of athletics, health, and sports, from training to fandom — with, of course, many interactive moments for kids and parents alike to test their mettle in skill simulators. Is it better to give your kids the glory of victory or teach them good sportsmanship by besting them at these moments of competition? We’ll leave that up to you.
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Benedum Center, March 2
You can hear influences from numerous musical traditions in the songs of Alabama-born songwriter Jason Isbell — and while country is certainly one point of origin, it’s the wrong descriptor for Isbell’s sound. His brand of soulful, contemplative music is as urban as it is rural, as rock as it is western; Americana is a good term for music this relatable. The six-time Grammy winner leads his band, the 400 Unit, into the Benedum.
Patti LuPone: Matters of the Heart
Benedum Center, March 3
Patti LuPone’s resume is miles long — and contains acclaimed turns in some of the most challenging and beloved shows in musical-theater history, including Company, Les Misérables, Annie Get Your Gun, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George and Anything Goes. In her Matters of the Heart concert performance (which itself played both the West End and Broadway), she weaves together love songs ranging from standards of the stage to Top 40 hits.
Lúnasa
City Winery Pittsburgh, March 3
Get your St. Patrick’s Day celebration in early — and in a culturally authentic fashion — by seeing Irish folk collective Lúnasa at City Winery. The traditionalists have brought Celtic sounds to the world throughout nearly 30 years of touring.
Kathleen Madigan
Byham Theater, March 6
Perhaps comic Kathleen Madigan is one of the most relatable headlining comics in the country because she’s never decamped from the real world, eschewing the sitcom-chasing path of many comedians for a focused dedication to stand-up. A St. Louis native who remains in the midwest despite three decades of success — including hit specials on Netflix and Amazon Prime — Madigan returns to Pittsburgh for a one-night-only appearance at the Byham Theater.
Eureka Day
City Theatre Mainstage, March 7-29
The comedy Eureka Day, about a California school board rent asunder due to a fight over vaccination policy, is more relevant today than it was at its 2018 Broadway debut. It also may be too hot for D.C., as a run at the Kennedy Center was scuttled; the deliberately vague “financial circumstances” were cited. It’s been a hit in New York and the West End; see it on the South Side.
Andy Warhol: Vanitas
The Warhol, Through March 9
There’s quite a bit of temporal distance between the 17th-century art movement dubbed vanitas and the pop art of Andy Warhol — yet the Pittsburgh-born artist employed many of the same symbols as the vanitas movement, including skulls and other memento mori. Ponder Warhol’s fixations on death and eternity at this exhibit; you can visit vanitasdeathkit.com to get in on the morbid fun in advance.
Chicago
Benedum Center, March 10-15
The delightful jazz musical Chicago is Broadway’s current longevity champion. Since the opening of the show’s 1996 revival, audiences have filed in to hear All That Jazz more than 11,000 times — a number only bested by all-time record holder The Phantom of the Opera. The stage version is even better than the Best Picture-winning film adaptation. It’s a perfect musical with intrigue, attitude, and genuinely catchy tunes.
A10 Men’s Basketball Championship
PPG Paints Arena, March 11-15
The storied Atlantic 10 Conference tournament has been conquered by regional favorites including Penn State, Pitt, Duquesne and West Virginia, among many others, throughout its 50-year history … even if only one of those teams, Duquesne, remains in the A10 today. See if the Dukes can rise to the top when the tournament is held at PPG Paints Arena; Duquesne last won it in 2024.
Shit-Faced Shakespeare: Hamlet
Greer Cabaret Theater, March 12-14
The immortal works of William Shakespeare are rife with romance, tragedy, gorgeous language … and characters getting absolutely soused. The touring troupe Shit-Faced Shakespeare takes that instruction literally; each night, one cast member is selected at random to perform their free-flowing, improvisational take on Hamlet while solidly under the influence. (Trust me: You shouldn’t try to keep up with them.) An abbreviated visit with Denmark’s mopey prince is set for three shows at Downtown’s Greer Cabaret Theater.
Stand by Me: The Film and Its Stars 40 Years Later
Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall, March 13
The wistful coming-of-age tale Stand by Me was formative for many viewers upon its 1986 release. One of the most atypical Stephen King adaptations — even if it does hinge on a quest to find a dead body — the drama was an Oscar nominee, but more vitally, a VHS staple. To celebrate its ruby anniversary, watch the film then see stars Jerry O’Connell, Corey Feldman, and Wil Wheaton in conversation.
Gary Numan
Roxian Theatre Presented by Citizens, March 17
The Roxian welcomes Gary Numan, the pioneering musician best known for the 1979 hit Cars, as he celebrates the 45th anniversary of his landmark album Telekon. Numan’s albums are musical journeys in shadow and neon; his live shows have kept fans coming for nearly half a century.
Malcolm Gladwell
Heinz Hall, March 18
So impactful was Malcolm Gladwell’s 2000 book The Tipping Point that a sequel was warranted; Revenge of the Tipping Point came out in 2024. This may well be the only example of a collection of epidemiology-inspired essays becoming a franchise. Gladwell, also a writer for The New Yorker for nearly three decades, appears as part of the Pittsburgh Speakers Series.
Bert Kreischer: Permission to Party World Tour
PPG Paints Arena, March 20
If you’re not familiar with comedian Bert Kreischer’s reputation as one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of partying, watch the slightly fictionalized 2023 film “The Machine” — an account of the time Kreischer tied one on with such aplomb that he inadvertently joined the Russian mafia. (No, really.) Epic though his exploits are, he’s a skilled stand-up first and foremost — with the energy to fill PPG Paints Arena.
Story by Sean Collier
Featured Photo Courtesy of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
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