Back in the day they titillated, and now they’ll amuse: this Friday and Saturday nights, Downtown, the “vintage pulp non-fiction” of classic gossip rags will provide the campy, slangy fare for a host of local performers.

The material comes from old-school tabloids including Whistler, Hush-Hush and Confidential — publications from the golden age of gossip and innuendo about sex, drugs and Hollywood.

You just can’t beat headlines like “My Father Sold Me,” “Temporary Lover” and “Marked for Scandal.”

The program, titled True Confessions, is presented by local playwright and performer Lissa Brennan to help relaunch her company, Dog & Pony Show. Brennan is a longtime afficionado of such noir-ish material.

Readers on both Friday and Saturday nights include Elena Bertolino-Alexandratos, Susan M. Morris, Alexi Morrissey, Bria Walker and Whiskey Daisy. Friday’s performers also include Karen Baum, Attack Theatre’s Michele de la Reza, Douglas Levine, Melissa Martin and Heather Mull (the latter also known as CP’s staff photographer). On Saturday, Gab Bonesso, Debra Gordon and Bricolage’s Tami Dixon join the line-up.

The shows are at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Co., 937 Liberty Ave.

Tickets on Friday are $10. Tickets on Saturday are $25 and include food from Union Pig & Chicken and Station Street Hot Dogs. Both nights include beer from Fat Head’s.

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