A & E

It was probably inevitable that up-and-coming singer-songwriter William Fitzsimmons would become a musician.

While growing up in Pittsburgh as the son of two blind parents, his household was packed full of sounds, to help replace what they couldn't see. A huge part of that was music, ranging from bedtime lullabyes to a giant pipe organ, which his father built into the house with his own two hands.

Now, the grown-up Fitzsimmons has a warm, whispery tenor, a knack for melancholy lyrics, and a budding career as a folk-rock troubadour. Fitzsimmons' new album "The Sparrow and the Crow" -- a hushed, subdued reckoning written for his ex-wife -- recently debuted number two on iTunes' folk charts.

He's coming back home for a show at Club Cafe tonight. The show begins at 10:15 p.m. with openers Caitlin Crosby and Slow Runner. Tickets are $15.

Details: 412-431-4950.

-- Michael Machosky

Tickets go on sale Thursday for "Smucker's Stars on Ice," an annual ice-skating show featuring Olympic champions, including Sasha Cohen and Jeffrey Buttle.

"On the Edge," next year's show, will be on March 21 at Mellon Arena. Tickets are $23.75 to $114.25, and a portion of the proceeds from all "Stars on Ice" shows will be donated to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Details: 412-323-1919 or www.ticketmaster.com.

-- Kellie B. Gormly

Everybody likes to think their own neighborhood is special -- that its particular intersection of personalities and place simply can't be duplicated.

But a new documentary about a street in Monongahela, "One Extraordinary Street," makes the case that tiny Park Avenue in this sleepy Western Pennsylvania river town really lives up to its extraordinary billing. There will be a special screening at Duquesne University's Power Center Ballroom, on Forbes Avenue, at 7 p.m. today.

From legendary quarterback Joe Montana, to Nerf football inventor Fred Cox, to U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Carl Vuono, this street has been home to some truly remarkable stories. The 90-minute documentary was created by Laura M. Magone, a Monongahela native, Duquesne University employee and Pittsburgh Filmmakers artist member. It was sparked by a series of conversations Magone had with Rose DeSantis Vuono, Gen. Vuono's mother, in 1994. After some research, Magone discovered that Park Avenue had more than its share of hometown heroes.

Several of the film's subjects will be at tonight's screening. Admission is free.

Details: 412-396-6233.

-- Michael Machosky

• CLO Cabaret presents "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Performances continue through Feb. 1 at the Cabaret at Theater Square, Downtown. $39.50. 412-456-6666.

• City Theatre presents "Long Story Short" at 5:30 and 9 p.m. Performances continue through Sunday at the South Side theater. $17-$70. 412-431-2489.

• Pittsburgh Public Theater presents "The Lady With All the Answers" at 8 p.m. at the O'Reilly Theater, Downtown. Performance continue through Dec. 14. $35-$50. 412-316-1600.

• Comedian Carlos Mencia performs at 7 p.m. at Heinz Hall, Downtown. $45. 412-392-4900.

• City Theatre presents "The Brothers Size" at 5:30 p.m. at the South Side theater. Performances continue through Dec. 21. $17-$60. 412-431-2489.

• Susan Tedeschi and James Hunter perform at 8 p.m. at the Byham Theater, Downtown. $34. 412-456-6666.

• Pittsburgh Opera presents "The Grapes of Wrath" at 8 p.m. at the Benedum Center, Downtown. Performances continue Tuesday, Friday and Nov. 23. $16.50-$140.50. 412-456-6666.

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