There’s a lot going on outside this week of July 27-August 2 in Pittsburgh, with great music, movies and more drawing you into the summer sun — plus a lot of those events are free and just a ticket reservation away. Prefer an air-conditioned environment? Not to worry. There are indoor activities coming up as well, including a week with the master of horror.
Fill Your Week With Tickets to These Events Around Pittsburgh July 27-August 2
Stephen King Tribute
Monday, July 27, Also Daily from July 24-30, Row House Lawrenceville
Prolific horror author Stephen King is practically his own genre on the big screen, with dozens of film adaptations resulting from his work. More than just the frequency of King adaptations, though, many of the resulting works carry a signature style and related themes: Innocence loss, bad choices in moments of crisis and a sort of wistful Americana. At Row House in Lawrenceville, you can spend a week three of the best adaptations of King’s work — Carrie, Pet Semetary and Stand By Me — plus the locally shot Creepshow, which stars King in a rare acting role. On Monday, you can also catch an oddity: The over-the-top, enjoyably messy Maximum Overdrive, which King directed himself.
Tommy Lehman Jazz
Tuesday, July 28, Arts Landing
If you’ve only visited Arts Landing for major events including the NFL Draft and Three Rivers Arts Festival, you’re missing out; there’s great, free programming at the sprawling Downtown space every week. This week, that includes a set by the accomplished jazz trumpeter Tommy Lehman, who is both an in-demand ensemble member and a bandleader in his own right. MCG Jazz partnered with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to schedule jazz at the outdoor venue; get away from your desk and make tracks for Downtown — this is a happy-hour concert, kicking off at 5 p.m., so don’t delay.
Badlands
Wednesday, July 29, Schenley Plaza
Speaking of free, open-air activities: The Dollar Bank Cinema in the Park series presents movies under the stars all summer long, at a variety of al fresco venues around the city. Many of those lineups focus on family-friendly fare, but some more grown-up programming can also be found in the lineup. Head to Schenley Plaza for a sunset screening of Badlands, Terrence Malick’s 1973 tale of love and violence starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek.
Yinz Might Know with Edgar Snyder
Thursday, July 30, Bottlerocket
Podcaster Chad Medved has spent nearly a decade interviewing interesting and notable folks on his podcast, I’ll Call You Right Back, and spun that expertise off into the live interview show Yinz Might Know. In this installment — held live on stage at Bottlerocket Social Hall — he’ll speak with a guest every Pittsburgher knows from just about every commercial break broadcast in the past 40 years: attorney Edgar Snyder.
Jay Pharoah
Friday, July 31, Also August, Pittsburgh Improv
Jay Pharoah’s six-season run as part of the Saturday Night Live cast was defined by his uncanny impressions. The comedian has an arsenal of pitch-perfect impersonations; his takes on Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Barack Obama, Stephen A. Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and more are so convincing that you can close your eyes and believe that the celebrities are in the room. A gifted stand-up comedian, Pharoah will headline two shows Friday (and another two shows Saturday) at the longstanding Waterfront comedy club.
Once On This Island from Alumni Theater Co.
Saturday, August 1, Also July 31, August 2, Charity Randall Theater
Before musical-theater team Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty composed the Tony darling Ragtime, they penned a deeply emotional and musically exuberant show set in the Caribbean. Once on This Island, well-received but short-lived on its initial Broadway run, grew in reputation over the following decades; a Broadway revival in 2017 raked in awards. Alumni Theater Company presents its production of Once on This Island this weekend at Oakland’s Charity Randall Theater; Monteze Freeland directs.
Richard Marx
Sunday, August 2, Palace Theater
It’s hard to understate how successful singer-songwriter Richard Marx was when he burst onto the pop-music scene in the 1980s. Hits like Right Here Waiting, Hold On to the Nights and Satisfied became radio mainstays — and Marx has been just as successful writing for other artists, scoring additional hits with songs including N’SYNC’s This I Promise You and Luther Vandross’s Grammy-winning Dance With My Father. Marx plays Greensburg’s Palace Theater this Sunday; expect all the hits and maybe even a few standards.
Plus, check out our calendar for other events this week and beyond!
Story by Sean Collier
Photo From Jay Pharoah
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