Thespis, god of theater, has ordained that Pittsburgh's three predominantly African American companies have shows at the same time. I hope the audience is as much up to the challenge as the talent pool of black performers.

August Wilson's thrillingly comi-tragic "Two Trains Running" at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater (through June 1) was reviewed yesterday.

The two shows reviewed today are linked by a focus on pop music. New Horizon Theater's "Get Ready" (only through Sunday) is a comedy drama about the reunion of a fictional pop group, The Doves, but includes plenty of music. Kuntu Rep's "Ain't Misbehavin'" (through May 31) is the well-known revue of wonderful Fats Waller songs.

It's a predictable enough story of the argumentative reunion of a pop group two decades after the height of its modest success, but "Get Ready," a 1990s comedy drama by Jaye Stewart and Joe Plummer, succeeds because of its heart and gritty authenticity of presentation.

The Doves, crooners who might make you recall Al Green or The Platters, have gone their separate ways, but in the early '80s age of Prince and Michael Jackson, they come together for a prospective reunion tour. They meet at the dance studio run by their friend, Knobby Coles, who has a young assistant, J.R., an aspiring dancer. It adds up to an intergenerational panorama of show biz veterans and wannabes.

Right in the middle is the group's former lead singer, Roscoe, who dreams of a solo career, enticed in that direction by songstress Eva Dee, who bears some grudge against The Doves. The Doves have their own fissures, specifically on whether they want to put up with Roscoe's combative ego. But there also are addictions and past conflicts over women -- and how did Frankie, who is seething to take over Roscoe's lead role, lose his eye?

We learn that and more, cutting back and forth over several weeks between Knobby's studio, Eva Dee's dressing room and the Topper Club where the group finally performs. As is often the case, the revelation of past drama is perhaps more interesting than the present-day squabbles, but eventually Roscoe sues for peace, Eva Dee backs off and the play ends in a delightful small concert, where J.R. dances and the reunited group sings.

At just two hours, "Get Ready" offers intermittent and sometimes repetitive drama but solid performances, especially by Kevin Brown, posturing self-importantly as Roscoe; Crystal Bates, lovely, smoky and worn as the liquor-soaked songstress; and Charles Timbers as Johnson, who is most articulate about past resentments.

Art Terry is his characteristic solid presence as Knobby, and although Ruel Davis overplays J.R.'s Stepin Fetchit eagerness, he gives us a real display of dance pyrotechnics. Ijasneem seethes with Frankie's anger, and the revelation of how he lost his eye has an August Wilson richness. Ben Blakey and Keith Brown round out the group.

Credit director Eileen J. Morris, visiting from Houston, for attention to believable detail and moving briskly from scene to scene. And credit composer Plummer for creating songs good enough to have the unwary searching their memories and persuading themselves they actually remember The Doves in their prime.

New Horizon Theatre at Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty; today 7:30 p.m.; Sat.-Sun. 2 and 7:30 p.m.; $15-$20; 412-431-0773.

There's nothing fictional about Fats Waller, musician extraordinaire, and "Ain't Misbehavin'" (1978) is only the most famous of several Broadway shows to feature his songbook. You just have to list some of his zestful songs to feel a surge of anticipation -- "Honeysuckle Rose," "The Joint Is Jumpin'," "The Ladies Who Sing with the Band," "Ain't Misbehavin'" -- and with his poignant "Black and Blue" we cross over into a higher realm of tragic melancholy.

Not all the 30-some songs in this rich revue are by Waller alone. He wrote or co-wrote the music to about 60 percent, but he recorded them all. "Your Feet's Too Big" and "Fat and Greasy" are by others, but the humor is pure Waller. And the final sequence of Waller hits, including "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter," "Two Sleepy People," "I Can't Give you Anything But Love" and "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie," remind us how much their creators (including Hoagy Carmichael, Jimmy McHugh and Billy Mayhew) owed to Waller's showmanship.

I've seen "Ain't Misbehavin'" several times before -- I hope you have, too -- but on this occasion I was struck afresh by the robust humor, especially of less-familiar (to me) songs such as "When the Nylons Bloom Again."

Guest director/choreographer Timothy Ware frames the show in an alleyway where five down-and-outs shed their present rags to step back into the Waller 1940s at the Savoy Ballroom (New York's, not the one on Pittsburgh's Hill). Ware then moves them briskly from number to number.

Leading the five are Anthony Dixon, a graceful dancer; Leslie Howard, a strong (if sometimes excessive) presence; and Tasha Michelle, with her expressive voice. Stevie Akers and the youthful, skittish Delana Flowers complete the quintet, which is supported by dancers Allysha Griffith and Krista Holt.

But they're just half of it. The other half is the orchestra, which is far more than just the accompaniment, led by James "Buster" Alston on alto sax and made up of Henry L. Biggs (piano), Nelson Harrison (trumpetto), Jevon Rushton (drums), Ryan McMasters (bass), Ed Skirtich (trumpet) and Rich Russell (trombone).

I can still feel the melodies bubbling in my veins.

Kuntu Repertory Theatre at Pitt's Alumni Hall (seventh floor), 4227 Fifth Ave., Oakland; through May 31; Thurs.-Sat. 8 p.m.; Sun. 4 p.m.; $20 (discounts available); www.kuntu.org; 412-624-7298.