‘Burgh bulletin 11/4-11/10

Local Pittsburgh happenings in arts, performance, culture, etc.

Nov. 4-10

Photo from pittsburghsymphonyorchestra.org

“Chicago: The Musical” in Concert

Friday to Sunday, Heinz Hall

Kander and Ebb’s “Chicago” has a well-earned place as Broadway’s longest non-continuously running musical. There is no better way to serve the score than “in concert,” in which a musical theater production uses minimal scenic, movement, and visual elements to focus on the music. The Pittsburgh Symphony and the Pittsburgh CLO are joining forces for their second “in concert” production, running next weekend at Heinz Hall.

Sampsonia Way: Mattress Factory & City of Asylum

Wednesday to Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., free with CMU Arts Pass

Sampsonia Way is the epicenter of Pittsburgh artistry. It’s one-way and narrow enough to be considered an alley, but inhabited by the City of Asylum residences and the Mattress Factory. The residences give a home to writers and artists who have been exiled from their countries for their work. The buildings’ exteriors are covered in murals, turning Sampsonia Way into a public gallery. The program’s first resident, Huang Xiang, covered his house in Chinese Calligraphy to create “House Poem,” which now shares the street with “Comma House,” “Pittsburgh-Burma House,” “Winged House,” and the Mattress Factory. The Mattress Factory is Pittsburgh’s installation art museum; rotating throughout the year, its exhibits are immersive and experiential. Most recently, Eugene Macki’s “Reification” exhibit is set for a public opening on the evening of Nov. 15.

Gilded Not Golden

10:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m, The Frick Pittsburgh Museums & Gardens, $18 for students

The Frick Pittsburgh’s Clayton house is the last Gilded Age Mansion remaining in Pittsburgh. Its revamped tour for this fall focuses on contrasting the Frick family’s lavish outer life with an inner life of struggles, and contrasting Pittsburgh’s late 19th century wealthy class with its working class. Though the space itself remains the same, the story it tells is changing: the tour seeks to not shy away from the more challenging stories of the era, and tells stories beyond the space itself. Guided tours are Tuesday through Sunday, from 10:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.