Can’t Miss Events in December
Save the date: Here are our picks for the best concerts, art exhibits, dance performances & more this month.
PHOTO BY TOM LITTLE
Best Bet: “Assume the Risk” at the Mattress Factory
When you exit the elevator on the Mattress Factory’s fourth floor, you come face to face with a construction sign reading: “Work Area Ahead.” Indeed, you’re entering an artistic construction zone inside the museum. After donning a hard hat, you can integrate yourself into “Assume the Risk,” an exhibit by India-based artist Asim Waqif on display through September. Waqif, who wants his work to challenge the traditional notion of art in climate-controlled museums behind glass or ropes, invites viewers to tap or touch the exhibit as they please. He created the piece using wood salvaged from local sites: numerous ladders, two-by-fours, and even an antique clothes dryer. Lights and hidden sound objects add to the viewer’s investment. According to Mattress Factory Executive Director David Oresick, “Asim wanted to kind of push every limit he could.” — Lauren Davidson
Mattress Factory • Through Sept. 1 • North Side: 509 Jacksonia St. • mattress.org
Dec. 3 • The Oaks Theater
Breakfast and a movie, you say? Don’t mind if I do! The Polar Express Cinebrunch is the perfect family outing this winter. Watch the animated fantasy film “The Polar Express” as the family devours breakfast sandwiches and delicious pastries from Oakmont Bakery. Your meal is included in the ticket price.
Dec. 7-23 • O’Reilly Theater
You know the story by heart — primarily because at least one TV channel will play it on repeat all Christmas day. Ralphie Parker’s tale of frozen metal poles, disappointing Christmas gifts and that Red Ryder BB gun will play out live in the stage production of “A Christmas Story.” My only question: How will they recreate the neighborhood dogs destroying Christmas dinner?
Dec. 9 • Heinz Hall
There are many versions of the story of Scrooge and his visit with the ghosts of Christmas, but only one is narrated by Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra presents The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert as they accompany the film with its musical score.
Dec. 9 • New Hazlett Theater
Alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin fuses jazz, hip-hop and soul to form masterful melodies. Benjamin has shared the stage with musical greats such as Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and The Roots, but for this performance, the stage belongs all to her and her fiery sax.
PHOTO BY DEBORAH FEINGOLD
Dec. 9 • Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall
For more than two decades, comedian Gary Gulman has been entertaining audiences with his tales of his self-proclaimed awkward life. With the release of his new memoir, “Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the ’80s,” the comedy tour is also a book tour. And now he has source material to share.
Dec. 10 • City Winery
When you hear the songs “One of Us” or “St. Teresa,” it’s possible that you are sonically teleported right back to a specific place in 1995. That’s when Joan Osborne arrived on the scene with her debut studio album, “Relish.” Twenty-eight years and 10 studio albums later, Osborne still has music to share, hoping to re-energize fans during these chaotic times.
PHOTO BY DANA LYNN PLEASANT
Dec. 12 • Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall
Imagine Lizzo in the style of a 1920s jazz band. Or Billie Eilish in a 1960s musical, singing “Happier Than Ever.” This is Postmodern Jukebox, a band of rotating musicians led by Scott Bradlee, singing today’s songs imaginatively in yesterday’s stylings. Vintage is always chic.
