BAYSTAGES | 2011.02 - February

FEBRUARY 2011 | Celebrating Live Performing Arts in San Francisco and Beyond!

[THE PERFORMERS]

KEVIN POLLAK

= Cobb’s Comedy Club

MOS DEF = Yoshi’s

LESLEY ANN WARREN = Castro Theatre

[THE SHOWS]

THE DRESSER = San Jose Rep

COLLAPSE = Aurora Theatre

MARRY ME A LITTLE = Eureka Theatre

[THE LATEST]

JESS CURTIS SAM DAVIS NANCY LAMOTT ROBERT MOSES’ KIN MARY JENSON NOISE POP JOYCE DIDONATO

[THE COVER]

finding the funny

CHRISTOPHER

TITUS

+

HOW WE FIRST MET THE KITCHEN SERIES

= MARINES MEMORIAL THEATRE

ALSO: MARTHA WAINWRIGHT | EONNAGATA | CRAIG JESSUP | AVENUE Q

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For more information, please visit:

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Peter.Fisler@PacUnion.com DRE # 1397442

editor ROBERT SOKOL editor@baystages.com publisher RON WILLIS publisher@baystages.com design VIA MEDIA design@viamedia.net

BOEING BOEING February 1 to 26 Center Rep Lesher Center for the Arts Walnut Creek $36 to $41 | 925.943.7469 centerrep.org

Casi Maggio Brittany Ogle Summer Serafin

contributing writers ted abenheim grier cooper janos gereben ml heath colm larkin CHRIS RENé will schmid james j. siegel contributing photographers ROBERT SOKOL STEVEN UNDERHILL All other photos are provided by the artists or venues and credits are noted where available.

THE STAGES MUSICAL | The Drowsy Chaperone............................................ 4 MONOLOGUE | Christopher Titus............................................... 5 CABARET | Craig Jessup.............................................................. 6 SCREENING | Lesley Ann Warren............................................... 7 DAILY | Event & Performance Calendar...................................... 8 STAND-UP | Kevin Pollak............................................................. 9

cover image CHRISTOPHER TITUS image: courtesy photo

advertising sales RON WILLIS KEAKA RIETOW 415.552.8040 advertise@baystages.com distribution JUAN RAMIREZ

DRAMA | Seagull........................................................................11 FESTIVAL | Noise Pop................................................................13 DANCE | Fable & Faith................................................................15 MUSICAL | Marry Me A Little....................................................17 VALENTINE | How We First Met................................................19 MUSIC | Mos Def.........................................................................21 COMPOSER | Sam Davis...........................................................23 DANCE | Eonnagata....................................................................25 CABARET | Martha Wainwright.................................................27 READING | The Kitchen Series..................................................29 DANCE | Jess Curtis/Gravity.......................................................31

Press releases and promotional materials may be sent to:

thisjustin@baystages.com or mailed to:

BAY STAGES 780 sutter street san francisco, ca 94109 p: 415.552.8040 f: 415.869.3700 Writers may submit resumes and samples to editor@baystages.com for consideration.

VIDEO | Nancy LaMott................................................................33 COMEDY | Collapse.....................................................................35 image: kevinberne.com

DRAMA | The Dresser.................................................................37 BACK | Behind The Scenes........................................................44 Copyright © 2011 by Caselli Partners LLC. All rights reserved. Printed in California.

Reproduction in whole or in part in any form without written permission is prohibited.

BAY STAGES is published monthly by VIA MEDIA, a division of Caselli Partners LLC. All content not attributed to an author is compiled by BAY STAGES staff from press releases and other sources. No guarantee is given for the validity of this data.

Information is subject to change without notice.

FEBRUARY 2011 |

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from the editor Welcome to the February issue of BAY STAGES, your guide to live entertainment in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area!

As a long time resident of San Francisco - 30 years last month! - I have always found the volume and diversity of performing arts options available in our part of California to be simply staggering.

Theatre Bay Area, our region’s non-profit service organization for stage professionals, lists over 300 theatre and dance companies on its membership roster. That does not include the hundreds of comedy clubs, performance art spaces, nightclubs, cabarets, concert halls, public spaces and other venues available. Then there are book stores, lecture halls, bars, restaurants, libraries and other spaces that devote a portion of their schedule to live performance.

It’s pretty easy to find the arena concerts or tours of Broadway shows, but what if you also want to watch some flamenco, sing a few piano bar tunes or see a local comic? How do you find those options?

That’s what BAY STAGES is for - to present that information in one attractive, intelligent, easy to use resource. We hope you find it useful.

This publication is the crossroads of three different but overlapping journeys for me - as an entertainment writer, as a graphic designer and as a publishing professional serving non-profit organizations. Call it my personal intersection for the arts!

The team at BAY STAGES sees our mission as two-fold: to partner with the local community (and by local we include the North, East and South Bay) to help maintain a thriving arts scene; and to assist both the visiting and the resident arts patron in making informed decisions about where to invest their time and ticket-buying resources.

We don’t profess to have all the answers. That’s where you come in. Engage us. Give us feedback.

Tell us what you want to see on these pages and on the website we will be launching soon.

Until next month, see you at the show!

ROBERT SOKOL, editor

image: via media

After a performance of Celebrity Autobiography during SF Sketchfest visiting with Dayle Reyfel, a very huggy Joe Pantoliano, Linda Cardellini, Will Forte, Rachael Harris, Jonathan Silverman, Laura Kightlinger and Gene Pack

FEBRUARY 2011 |

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MUSICAL

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE a musical lover’s treat by ted abenheim If you love musicals, run, don’t walk... well, maybe cake walk…to see The Drowsy Chaperone at Diablo Theatre Company in the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek. There you will be welcomed by “The Man in the Chair,” a fan of musical theatre, as he drops the needle on his favorite original cast album and shares the story of his favorite show. Magically, his small city apartment transforms into the stage for the hilarious 1920s tale of a Broadway bride, a confused groom, a scheming producer, butlers, comic crooks, a matinee-idol lothario, an aviatrix and yes, a drowsy chaperone.

“This show is a valentine to musical theatre,” says Daren Carollo, director of the production and Artistic Director. “It harkens back to a time when musicals were just plain fun, where you could lose yourself in jokes, song and dance, just like “The Man in the Chair” as he listens to his record.”

In fact, the show was originally created as a wedding present for a theatre couple in Canada using all the much-loved elements of their favorite musicals. The show was so popular that it made it’s way to Broadway in 2006 where it won more Tony Awards than any musical that year including Best Book and Best Score.

“The show is full of silly hijinks and farce, and we are having the most fun doing it,” Carollo says of his cast. “Audiences are responding; it speaks to everyone. Plus we are lucky to have the set from the national tour in our intimate theatre. It’s terrific, clever and full of surprises. Some people may not be familiar with this show, but it may be the funniest musical you’ve never heard of and need to see.”

“The Man in the Chair” would agree.

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Sharon Reitkerk

image: ben krantz photography

The Drowsy Chaperone February 11 to March 5 Lesher Center for the Arts 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek Tickets $34 to $48 925.943.7469 diablotheatre.org

monologUE

christopher titus

finding the funny with neverlution by robert sokol

It’s a homecoming in more ways than one for Christopher Titus, who brings Neverlution, his newest one-man show to town this month. The Emmy-nominated actor was born in Castro Valley and cut his comedy teeth at The Punch Line in the ‘80s.

“I was just kind of your everyday comic,” he says of those days. “You know the type. “Hey! My shower has two settings: arctic and lava!’ I’d work everywhere and anywhere, so I became a headliner around the country.” He was successful but increasingly unsatisfied.

The 6’2” actor describes it as “growing a tumor on my soul. I’d be onstage in the middle of a bit and wonder why are these people laughing? I was so disgusted I was gonna quit comedy.” Instead, he chose to be truer to himself, spurred in part by a manger who basically told him to bring something real or split.

“I wrote a bit called ‘We Need Comedy to Get Rid Of Our Desire to Kill’ where I’d describe a cute, good day and then I’d go into this rant about the worst possible day ever, ending with my boss about to fire me while he’s on the phone ordering himself a new Mercedes SEL. At the end I pick up a letter opener and go to stab him in the chest and when he protests I say: ‘I just need a good laugh!’ I had no idea whether it would fly or not.”

The bit was a hit and Titus tossed his old act and started writing about what was real for him, including his almost clinically dysfunctional family history. “I lost some gigs at first. I used to come in as Mr. Happy and now I was someone else. People started walking out.”

Neverlution riffs on a country that, to Titus, has lost it’s spirit. “We used to be badass,” he says.

“Hell, we fought a war against ourselves! Now the biggest protest we can muster is don’t touch my junk?”

It is his fourth one-man show (with three seasons of an eponymous television series in between) and he continues to ride the edge. Previous shows have covered his alcoholic father, his mentally ill mother who committed suicide in 1994, and his messy infidelity-laced marriage and divorce that included allegations of child abuse. For Titus, the risk is worth it. “If I don’t offend at least a few people then I’m doing something wrong.”

“Nothing really rattles me,” he says with a smile.

“People who come from dysfunctional backgrounds can handle anything.”

image: via media

neverlution February 15 to 19 | 8:00 pm Marines’ Memorial Theater 609 Sutter Street, San Francisco $42 | 415.777.6900 marinesmemorialtheatre.com

FEBRUARY 2011 |

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cabaret

CRAIG JESSUP

veteran entertainer sings of love by james j. siegel Craig Jessup, a Bay Area native, has traveled around the world singing and performing.

However, it was 1970s San Francisco where he got his professional start. Jessup met Ruth Hastings and Barry Lloyd, and the three formed Ruth Hastings & Co. in 1977.

“It was a heyday for small clubs,” Jessup said about that time in San Francisco. “We would do a happy hour at Trinity in the Financial District, then do Fanny’s in the Castro at night.”

If the trio had time, they would fit in a gig between shows.

Thirty years later, Jessup is returning to his cabaret roots for his Valentine’s eve show. The show will highlight classics from the American songbook, including works from Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart, and even Stephen Sondheim.

For Jessup, the song selection will take a look at love in all its forms. “I wanted to show love from all different angles,” he said.

While the 300-seat Throckmorton Theatre is far from Jessup’s club days, he still intends to bring cabaret elements to the night.

“In cabaret, you have to strive to make it a more intimate experience,” he said. “You want to take an audience on a dramatic journey.”

CRAIG JESSUP February 13 | 7:00 pm 142 Throckmorton Theatre 142 Throckmorton Avenue, Mill Valley $25 to $35 | 415.383.3000 142throckmortontheatre.org

Many of the Rogers and Hart numbers, according to Jessup, look at the “youthful exuberance of love.” Those songs are contrasted with several Sondheim pieces that examine the not so joyous aspects of love. Jessup hopes the audience sees love from different vantage points, from being alone to finding love.

The night will be infused with a bit of jazz thanks to the help of Ken Muir at the piano. Jessup and Muir teamed up to create some jazz-flavored arrangements to some of the songs, which Jessup believes will give the love songs new texture.

image: harley jessup

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by robert sokol

Film, stage and television star Lesley Ann Warren wants to know if San Francisco will be her Valentine for an evening of fun and frolic at the Castro Theatre.

The evening, produced by Marc Heustis, will be hosted by Miss Coco Peru and will feature a screening, on-stage interview, autograph session plus a live performance by Matthew Martin.

image: courtesy photo

Based on a 1933 German film about an actress who fills in for a vacationing drag performer, Blake Edwards’ 1982 musical remake Victor/Victoria became a career milestone for nearly everyone involved from Julie Andrews (Mrs. Edwards) to Robert Preston and James Garner.

It provided an Oscar nomination and a new career direction for Warren, formerly a Disney and Broadway musical ingenue who had segued into action television before discovering a new calling as wisecracking, whiny floozie Norma Cassady.

“It remains one of the high points of my professional life,” says Warren. “He gave me the role after a fifteen-minute conversation. There was no audition, which was really incredible to me!”

screening

lesley ann warren

celebrating blake edwards and victor/victoria

Norma brought out a brazen and fearless side of Warren that no one had seen before. While it did not make AFI’s Top 100 Movie Quotes, her sitting astride James Garner and braying “Pookie, I’m horny!”is one of the more memorable moments in the film.

The character owes much to Warren’s contributions and the freedom Edwards allowed her to explore the possibilities. “One day Blake asked me if I sang, which I did, and if I danced, which I did, so he brought Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse over to write this number for me, which was just amazing.”

The desire to sing still percolates for Warren. “I start to work on a bunch of songs and think about an act,” she says, “and then a television job or movie comes along and it goes on the back burner again.”

A victor/victoria valentine February 14 | 8:00 pm Castro Theatre 429 Castro Street, San Francisco $25 | 415.863.0611 castrotheatre.com FEBRUARY 2011 |

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CLOSING SHOWS 5 | Ouroboros renegadetheatre.com 408.493.0783 Hoover Theatre, San Jose. Renegade Theater Experiment presents Tom Jacobson’s amazing palindrome play about two couples visiting Italy. ($28.50)

DAILY The following listings are compiled from a wide variety of sources inluding press releases and venue websites, which are subject to change without notice. Please be sure to verify performance times and dates when making your ticket purchases.

Shows with multiple performances are listed in DAILY STAGES as of their opening night. Some shows offer preview performances prior to opening. Please consult their websites.

CLOSING SHOWS are listed in the featured columns to the left with the date of the final scheduled performance noted next to the title. ONGOING SHOWS are listed in the features columns to the left and offer regularly scheduled performance throughout the month. Closing and ongoing shows are not included in the daily listings that follow.

6 | Shadowlands paplayers.org 650.329.0891 Lucie Stern Theater, Palo Alto. The Palo Alto Players’ production of C.S. Lewis’ autobiographical story of an unexpected and deeply intimate relationship. ($21-$32) 6 | The Voice of the Prairie santarosa.edu 707.527.4343 Newman Auditorium, Santa Rosa JC. This theatrical folktale takes us back to the early days of radio. ($15)

1 | Karel Stands Up! therrazzroom.com 800.380.3095 Biting wit, splitting comedy, painful truths and hysterical life stories (and even a few parody songs thrown in) makes this one of the most unique and relevant shows of its kind. ($25) 1 | Music of Poignancy & Passion marinsymphony.org 415.479.8100 Marin Center, San Rafael. Passionate works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Joseph Haydn, featuring Robin Sutherland, principal pianist with the SF Symphony. ($29-$70)

12 | The Lion in Winter danvilletheatre.com 925.314.3400 Village Theatre, Danville. With dungeons and daggers, political machinations and sibling rivalry, this royal family puts the fun in dysfunction. ($15-$25) 13 | Audition theexit.org 800.838.3006 Exit Theatre. Audition, a play by Roland David Valayre, tries to occupy that space between real life and theater.

13 | Bone to Pick & Diadem cuttingball.com 415.419.3584 EXIT on Taylor. Diadem and Bone to Pick are two different one-woman shows about the classical myth of Ariadne, written by Eugenie Chan. ($15-$50)

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2 | The Dresser sjrep.com 408.367.7255 San Jose Repertory Company.

Ronald Harwood’s award winning drama about the complicated relationship between an aging actor and his devoted dresser. See feature on page 37. ($17.50-$79) 2 | Tony Williams Lifetime Tribute Band yoshis.com 510.238.9200 Yoshi’s Oakland. Featuring Jack Bruce, Vernon Reid, John Medeski, and Cindy Blackman. ($35) 2 | Tribute to Murphy Brown sfsketchfest.com 415.621.6120 Castro Theatre. Creator, writer and producer Diane English and Murphy Brown herself, acclaimed actress Candice Bergen, on-stage with Connie Chung. ($25)

2 | Inside Joke: SNL: The Originals sfsketchfest.com 415.771.6900 Marines’ Memorial Theatre. Original Not Ready For Prime Time Players Dan Aykroyd, Laraine Newman, and writers Tom Davis and Don Novello (who also appeared as Father Guido Sarducci). ($35-$45) 2 | Motorhead thewarfieldtheatre.com 800.745.3000 The Warfield Theatre. Motorhead are a British heavy metal band

2 | What We’re Up Against magictheatre.org 415.441.8822 Magic Theatre at Fort Mason. What happens when a group of architects are under the gun to design a new mall–but they can’t figure out where to place the air ducts? ($20-$50) 2 | Words First: A solo performance showcase counterpulse.org 415.626.2060 CounterPULSE. Funny Little Stories About Big Disappointmens: featuring Paolo Sambrano, Thao P. Nguyen, Bruce Pachtman and Joya Cory. ($12-$15)

images: joyce goldschmid (shadowlands), all others - courtesy photos (aykroyd)

12 | Giselle sfballet.org 415.865.2000 War Memorial Opera House. Featuring lavish scenery and costumes, soulful music, and beautiful choreography epitomizing the pure classicism of the Romantic ballets. ($48-$265)

formed in London in 1975 by bassist, singer and songwriter Lemmy. With Clutch and Valient Thorr. ($35.)

by chris rené

If variety is the spice of life then Kevin Pollak is one spicy fellow. The Bay Area native has appeared in over 50 feature films, dozens of television programs, is currently writing, directing and starring in the web series Vamped Out and is also developing a film biography of boxer Sugar Ray Leonard. Before, during and likely after any of those pursuits is comedy.

image: courtesy photo

Having moved to San Jose as a kid, Pollak recalls, “There were no comedy clubs, no comedy nights at bars, no comedy anything. So I had to create a demand that did not exist.” He started appearing between the sets of live music acts in bars, which had its challenges.

“The music is playing. It’s loud. It’s a moving, dancing party. Then the music stops and everyone relaxes.

The guys buy drinks for the girls and try to pick up on them. Everybody’s doing their thing and the last thing anyone wants is some guy talking at them through amplification. And that’s how I started.”

STAND-UP

kevin pollak

a stand-up guy on the wires

He persevered, starting playing clubs in San Francisco, winning competitions and an HBO cable special and, by his early 20s, had a solid career prior to making his film debut in Willow for George Lucas and Ron Howard in 1988.

In addition to continuing to stand-up, Pollak aired the special The Littlest Suspect on HBO last year and has been hosting his own internet talk show streaming live every Sunday (kevinpollakschatshow. com) since 2009. He’s bringing a version of the latter to Cobb’s for six shows over three nights.

KEVIN POLLAK February 3 to 5 | 8:00 & 10:15 pm Cobb’s Comedy Club 915 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco $20.50 & $22.50 | 415.928.4320 cobbscomedyclub.com FEBRUARY 2011 |

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CLOSING SHOWS 13 | Clybourne Park act-sf.org 415.749.2ACT American Conservatory Theater. A new comedy that cleverly spins the events of A Raisin in the Sun to tell an unforgettable new story about race and real estate in America. ($10-$82) 13 | Holes hillbarntheatre.org 650.349.6411 Hillbarn Theatre, Foster City. Louis Sachar’s Holes is a modern grownup fairy tale with a charming ending that comes full circle after a variety of perambulations. ($22-$36) 13 | Little House on the Prairie bactheatre.org 510.296.4433 Freight & Salvage, Berkeley. Bay Area Children’s Theatre’s production of Pamela Sterling’s adaptation of the classic of the same name by Laura Ingalls Wilder ($18-$20) 13 | Private Eyes dragonproductions.net 800.838.3006 Dragon Theatre, Palo Alto. Steven Dietz’ dramatic-comedy explores a tangled web of love and lust with more than a few twists and turns. ($16-$30)

DAILY 3 | Collapse auroratheatre.org 510.843.4822 Aurora Theatre Company. Allison Moore’s new comedy considers the futility of resisting change. See feature on page 35. ($10-$55)

3 | Dance for Non/Fictional Bodies ybca.org 415.978.ARTS Yerba Buena Center For the Arts.

Bay Area choreographer Jess Curtis’ insightful new piece. See feature on page 31. ($25)

13 | Ring of Fire 6thstreetplayhouse.com 707.523.4185 6th Street Playhouse, Santa Rosa. Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash is an uplifting story about the triumph of human talent and spirit. ($28-$39)

13 | The Companion Piece zspace.org 415.626.0453 Artaud Theatre. A funny, moving, theatrically provocative new work from some of the Bay Area’s most adventurous and respected experimental theater makers. ($40) 19 | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum southbaymt.com 408.266.4734 Saratoga Civic Theater. South Bay Musical Theatre Presents Sondheim’s great farce that is fast-paced, witty, irreverent and one of the funniest musicals ever written. ($23-$30)

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3 | Doubt rossvalleyplayers.com 415.456.9555 Marin Art & Garden Center, Ross.

2004’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner for Best Play. Set in a Catholic school in 1964, the play is rivetting and thought-provoking. ($15-$25) 3 | Jim Jefferies punchlinecomedyclub.com 415.397.7573 Punch Line Comedy Club. With Andy Haynes and Sal Calanni ($20-$22.50) 3 | Kevin Pollak cobbscomedy.com 415.928.4320 Cobb’s Comedy Club. Pollak has captured the attention of audiences worldwide. See feature on page 9. ($20.50-$22.50)

3 | Shawn Colvin yoshis.com 415.655.5600 Yoshi’s San Francisco. As a storyteller, singer/songwriter Colvin is both keen and warm-hearted, leavening even the toughest tales with tenderness, empathy, and humor. ($34) 3 | Spaulding Gray custommade.org 510.207.5774 Gough Street Playhouse. Shockingly neurotic, brutally funny, and in love with the crazy world around him. Five actors take on parts of Spalding’s psyche.($10-$25) 3 | DANCE OF LISTENING odctheater.org 415.863.9834 Directly addresses and challenges the loss of social grace and celebrates the life-affirming tradition of intimate human exchange. ($25) 3 | The Dog & Pony Show themarsh.org 800.838.3006 The Marsh SF. Holly Hughes’ poetic/ comic meditation on the midlife crisis in the key of canine by the woman who drove Jesse Helms nuts. ($15-$50)

images: hagolani.com (jess curtis), all others - courtesy photos (doubt, ozzy osbourne)

13 | The 39 Steps theatreworks.org 650.463.1960 Mountain View Center for the Arts.

TheatreWorks presents this hilarious, high-speed spoof of Alfred Hitchcock’s silver-screen classic. ($27-$42)

3 | Ozzy Osbourne hppsj.com 408.287.9200 HP Pavilion, San Jose. The former Black Sabbath frontman, though highly criticized over his career, has had an immeasurable effect on heavy metal. ($35.50-$79.50)

by janos gereben

DRAMA

seagull

chekov adapted with feeling

Christine Albright Craig Marker Tess Malis Kincaid

“People don’t come to the theater to feel good,” says Libby Appel. “They come to feel.” As with all of Anton Chekhov’s plays, The Seagull has an awful lot of feelings: hope, ambition, failure, pain, persistence. It’s not a melodrama, but a masterpiece of subtle, indirect communications.

Language is paramount, and that’s where Appel’s contribution, a new English version, is important to the professional world premiere of her Seagull, directed by Jasson Minadakis.

image: davidallenstudio.com

Appel is a major figure in the world of theater. In addition to a lifetime of directing and producing plays around the country, she was artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival from 1995 through 2007, and is now emeritus director.

Under her leadership, the Ashland festival both introduced and commissioned new plays, brought cross-gender and “color-conscious” casting to the festival, while maintaining commercial success during several economic downturns. (“Color-blind” is frowned upon by Ashland as it “infers that race and ethnicity don’t matter or are somehow invisible.”)

In Seagull, Appel is following the example of her other new English versions - Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard - all based on Allison Horsley’s literal translations from the Russian. Appel

applies what she calls “interpretive license,” but if you compare her translation with the original, few liberties are taken.

Using newly discovered material from Chekhov’s original manuscripts, Appel is keeping the language authentic to the characters and serving the play’s intimate nature. This slice-of-life drama in the Russian countryside at the end of the 19th century is populated by people dissatisfied with their lives and reaching out in vain, mostly to the wrong person.

Appel’s goal is to honor what she once said about the quality shared by Chekhov and Shakespeare: “An ability to look beyond just what is happening or being said, and to illuminate the darkness beneath.”

Appel’s devotion to Chekhov stems partly from her Russian Jewish family for whom culture in general, and theater in specific, was the essential heritage they carried to the new world. seagull February 1 to 20 Marin Theatre Company 397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley $20 to $48 | 415.388.5208 marintheatre.org FEBRUARY 2011 |

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CLOSING SHOWS

DAILY 4 | Everything Goes!

The Music of Cole Porter CityBoxOffice.com 415.392.4400 Eureka Theatre. SFArtsED Players present their all-singing, all-dancing revue of Porter’s most beloved tunes.

The Players represent 32 different Bay Area schools. ($20)

19 | Clue boxcartheatre.org 415.776.174 Boxcar Theatre’s hilarious and ingenius take on dark comedy favorite Clue: a play based on a movie based on a board game. ($30-$35)

19 | I Do, I Do broadwaywest.org 510.683.9218 Clarke’s Hall, Fremont. Broadway West presents the charming musical with book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music

by Harvey Schmidt. ($15-$22) 19 | Strange Travel Suggestions themarsh.org 800.838.3006 The Marsh Berkeley. An improvised monologue inspired by the joys of wanderlust. ($15-$50) 19 | Sylvia busbarn.org 650.941.0551 Bus Barn Theater, Los Altos. An endearing romantic comedy about a marriage and a winsome canine. ($24-$30)

4 | Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas nvoh.org 707.226.7372 Napa Valley Opera House. Master Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser is joined on the stage by vibrant young cellist Natalie Haas. ($25-$30) 4 | Cat Power 415.346.6000 The Fillmore. Cat Power is the stage name of American singer/songwriter Chan Marshall. She is known for her minimalist style, sparse guitar and piano playing, and breathy vocals. ($35)

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4 | Not a Genuine Black Man themarsh.org 800.838.3006 The Marsh Berkeley. Brian Copeland’s powerful autobiographical tale of growing up in San Leandro, one of America’s most racist suburbs. ($25-$50)

4 | Claudette King biscuitsandblues.com 415.292.2583 Biscuits and Blues. The youngest daughter of Blues legend BB King, she brings her unique, soulful and sassy take on the blues to the stage. ($20)

20 | Compleat Female Stage Beauty cltc.org 408.295.4200 City Lights Theater, San Jose. The tale of a famous portrayer of female roles in 17th-century London and the law that leads to his ruin. ($15-$28) 20 | Glengarry Glen Ross pacificaspindriftplayers.org 650.359.8002 Pacifica Spindrift Players Theatre. Mamet at his very best, the story of small-time, cutthroat real estate salesmen trying to grind out a living by pushing plots of land. ($20)

4 | Les Miserables 707.588.3400 Spreckels Performing Arts Center, Rohnert Park. A concert edition performed by over 50 talented North Bay young people. Full costumes, a full orchestra and rear-screen projections compliment this musically sumptuous version of one of the longest running Broadway musicals in history. ($20)

4 | Ethan Bortnick theregencyballroom.com 415.673.5716 The Regency Ballroom. Celebrated 10 year old pianist brings his Musical Time Machine to the keys. ($29.50$39.50)

4 | Michael Carbonaro therrazzroom.com 800.380.3095 The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko. A rousing evening of dark magic, insane acts, and projected laughter. ($25)

images: peter liu (clue), tom ignatius (two gentlemen of verona), susan shacter (michael carbonaro), all others - courtesy photos (ethan bortnick)

19 | Heartbreak House aeofberkeley.org 510.649.5999 Actors Ensemble of Berkeley presents George Bernard Shaw’s tragicomic, eternal classic.

3 | Two Gentlemen of Verona creativearts.sfsu.edu 415.338.2467 SF State’s Player’s Club presents William Shakespeare’s timeless tale of best friends fighting over the same girl. ($8-$12)

4 | Loveland themarsh.org 800.838.3006 The Marsh SF. Special guest Laraine Newman on 2/4 & 2/5. Irreverent, hilarious and deeply human onewoman show. ($20-$100)

by ml heath

festival

NOISE POP

the alternative music celebration

Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie

In 1993, with Metallica, Primus and Faith No More dominating the Bay Area rock scene, a group of local music fans staged an evening’s showcase of bands whose imaginative pop sensibilities challenged the hard-rock status quo. Thus began the annual San Francisco Noise Pop Festival.

image: courtesy photo

Nineteen years later, Noise Pop has evolved into a formidable rival to music industry events like Texas’ South By Southwest and New York’s CMJ. In doing so, it has maintained its original intent to showcase and celebrate independent music and culture.

with NYC’s Yo La Tengo performing opening night at Oakland’s Fox Theater, while a few nights later the Regency Ballroom hosts the fuzz-infused pop of SoCal buzz band Best Coast.

Music fans will surely be spoiled for choice as local luminaries like Battlehooch, Nobunny and Grass Widow compete for attention with national acts No Age, Alexi Murdoch - whose folky ballads were featured in the film Away We Go - and Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, with his closing night solo show at the Great American.

Past festivals have featured countless emerging artists, many of whom eventually ascended to indierock stardom, such as Bright Eyes, Flaming Lips and The White Stripes. Noise Pop has also made a point to honor forebears of contemporary rock by featuring the likes of Bob Mould, LA punk pioneers X and legendary NYC group Television.

Besides live music there will be film screenings, including premieres of a documentary on Canadian songstress Feist, and a history of the festival itself, This Is Noise Pop. Also scheduled are panel discussions and workshops, art and photo exhibits, and various one-off events.

The organizers had their work cut out to follow such 2010 highlights as rare live appearances from The Magnetic Fields and Yoko Ono. Still, 2011’s lineup - presented over five days in a dozen venues - is as solid as those in previous years. One might even perceive an East Coast vs. West Coast vibe this year,

sf noise pop festival February 22 to 27 Various Venues San Francisco / Oakland 2011.noisepop.com FEBRUARY 2011 |

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CLOSING SHOWS

DAILY 4 | Of Mice and MEn altarena.org 510.523.1553 Altarena Playhouse, Alameda. John Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award and the Nobel Prize for this classic work. ($19-$22)

5 | Kodo - One Earth Tour ticketmaster.com 415.499.6800 Marin Center, San Rafael. The samurai percussionists of Kodo have explored the limitless possibilities of the traditional Japanese drum, the taiko, for over 30 years. ($20-$65)

20 | See How They Run tabardtheatre.org 800.838.3006 Theatre on San Pedro Square, San Jose.

Tabard Theatre Company presents playwright Philip King’s rib-tickling London hit that leaves audiences giddy from mirth. ($24) 20 | The Grapes of Wrath theatrefirst.com 510.436.5085 Marion E. Greene Black Box Theater.

Theatre First presents a theatrical version of Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prizewinning novel. ($25-$30) 21 | The Full Monty pinoleplayers.org 510.724.9844 Community Playhouse. David Yazbek and Terrence McNally’s delightful musical. ($20) 26 | Boeing Boeing centerrep.org 925.943.SHOW Lesher Center for the Arts. Center Rep presents this high-flying Tony-winning comedy about a man living in Paris with three flight attendant fiancees. ($36-$41)

4 | The Yeoman of the Guard lamplighters.org 925.943.7469 Novellus Theater at Yerba Buena Center For the Arts. Love triangles abound - with resolutions romantic, comic and tragic - in this tale of intrigue and betrayal set in the foreboding Tower of London. ($14-$47) 5 | Devil’s Brigade theeparkside.com 415.252.1330 Thee Parkside. American rock band formed as a side project by Rancid bassist, Matt Freeman. With Roger Miret and The Disasters. ($12)

5 | Parker Nolen 415.241.0205 Martuni’s. Nolen presents his show The Odds are Good but The Goods are Odd, featuring Tom Shaw and Roberta Drake of the Tom Shaw Trio. ($7)

27 | Mike Daisey berkeleyrep.org 510.647.2949 Berkeley Rep. Master storyteller and monologist presents two shows: The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs and The Last Cargo Cult. ($29-$73) 27 | Treefall nctcsf.org 415.861.8972 New Conservatory Theatre Center.

Erotic attraction and the dynamics of competition among siblings and parents, and even the foundations of civilization itself play themselves out in this post-apocalyptic drama set in the Pacific Northwest ($24-$40)

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5 | Idol Worship: An Evening with Cloris Leachman sfsketchfest.com 415.621.6120 Castro Theatre. SF Sketchfest presents Cloris Leachman live, in person, hosted by Peaches Christ, followed by a rare screening of High Anxiety. ($25)

5 | The Edge georgesnightclub.com 877.568.2726 George’s Nightclub, San Rafael.

San Francisco rock-reggae group featuring original members Lorin Rowan, Jimmy Dillon, Ozzie Ahlers, Jeff Myer and Eric McCann. ($10)

5 | The Paper Princess and the Piñata youthinarts.org 415-499-6800 Showcase Theater, San Rafael.

Celebrate creativity and adventure with the brave little Paper Princess as she travels to Mexico with the migrating Mariposas! Youth in Arts’ world premiere musical theater production. ($20)

images: craig schwatz (next to normal), kersti malvre fine art photography (yeoman of the guard), gor megaera (cloris leachman), all others - courtesy photos (the edge)

5 | Meklit Hadero marinjcc.org 415.444.8000 Osher Marin JCC. Ethiopia-born Meklit Hadero has been compared to such legends as Joni Mitchell and Nina Simone. She writes and performs jazz, soul and folk. ($26)

20 | Next to Normal shnsf.com 888.SHN.1799 Curran Theatre. Alice Ripley stars in this emotional powerhouse of a musical with a thrilling contemporary score about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other. ($30-$99)

robert moses’ kin at ybca by grier cooper

Fable & Faith by Bay Area choreographer Robert Moses, explores the world of folktales and myths and their relevance to the workings of modern society. The multi-media production was created in collaboration with award-winning playwright Anne Galjour, featuring a live performance by the San Francisco Boy’s Chorus, directed by Ian Robertson. The program includes The Cinderella Principle, a study of non-traditional family structures.

DANCE

fable & faith

Known for his edgy and eloquent choreographic style, Moses sees dance as an intelligent art form that has something to say. Since the company’s inception in 1995, Robert Moses’ Kin has toured nationally, showcasing more than 80 original works and earning a host of awards, including four Bay Area Isadora Duncan Awards.

The idea that we carry concepts and lessons from childhood stories, either consciously or unconsciously, provided the inspiration for Fable & Faith.

“Fairy tales prepare us for the world, yet there is a difference between fairy tales and the way the real world works,” states Moses, father of two.

“These stories demonstrate adversity, challenges and inspiring examples of characters with integrity and a strong sense of right and wrong.” Fable & Faith travels the full pendulum swing of human emotion, illustrating human spirit and the ability to rise above challenges. Says Moses, “I can’t help being the optimist living in the real world.”

Norma Fong Brendan Barthel

image: rj muna

FAble & faith February 18 to 20 | 8:00 pm Yerba Buena Center for the Arts 701 Mission Street, San Francisco $25 to $35 | 415.978.2787 robertmoseskin.org

FEBRUARY 2011 |

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ONGOING SHOWS Beach Blanket Babylon beachblanketbabylon.com Club Fugazi. Steve Silver’s everevolving creation is packed with hilarious spoofs of pop culture & politics. ($25-$80)

6 | Wooden Fish Ensemble oldfirstconcerts.org 415.474.1608 Old First Church. Celebrating the music of Young-ja Lee in honor of the composer’s 80th birthday. ($17)

5 | True Stories: 25th Anniversary sfsketchfest.com 415.621.6120 Castro Theatre. SF Sketchfest presents David Bryne live, in person, to honor the Talking Heads film True Stories. ($25) 6 | Anti-Superbowl Comedy Party 142throckmortontheatre.org 415.383.9600 142 Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley. Not a sports fan? Comics from Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles wil entertain you. ($20-$23) 6 | Kahil El’Zabar yoshis.com 510.238.9200 Yoshi’s Oakland. El’Zabar and his Heritage Ensemble bring a musical style and content that flows from ancient Africa to the modern world. ($20)

More Life!: Angels In America at Twenty mpdsf.org | 415.255.4800 Museum of Performance & Design immerses visitors in the magical world of Kushner’s brilliant play. (Free)

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7 | Erich Bergen therrazzroom.com 800.380.3095 The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko. An evening of music, inappropriate laughs, and awkward pauses. ($20-$40) 7 | Guitar Shorty biscuitsandblues.com 415.292.2583 Biscuits and Blues. Blistering, rockedout guitar work and fierce, soulful vocals, combined with perceptive and meaningful lyrics. ($20)

Harper Regan sfplayhouse.org | 415.677.9596 SF Playhouse. On a startlingly bright autumn night Harper Regan walked away from her home, her husband and her daughter. She kept walking.

Magic at The Rex magicattherex.com | 415.273.9790 In this intimate cocktail lounge setting you will be up close and personal with every flick of the wrist and wave of a hand. ($25)

7 | Atomic Tom cafedunord.com 415.861.5016 Café du Nord. This NY band demonstrates remarkable musical ability and diversity, married with an innate sense of how to connect with an audience. ($12)

7 | Fire Work auroratheatre.org | 510.843.4822 Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley. Part of Aurora’s Global Age Project, Fire Work is a love story about a strong woman, strong chemistry, a harsh landscape, and the even harsher choices one has to make not just to survive, but to thrive. (free) 6 | Sarah McLachlan paramounttheatre.com 510.465.6400 Paramount Theatre, Oakland. Known for her powerful emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, McLachlan has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. ($39.50-$85)

7 | Marga Gomez themarsh.org 415.641.0235 The Marsh, Berkeley. Comediene Gomez hosts a hells-a-poppin comedy/variety showcase every Monday in the Cabaret at The Marsh Berkeley. See page 20. ($10)

images: pat johnson photography (paula west), jessica palopoli (harper regan), danny clinch (david byrne), taylor hooper (erich bergen), all others - courtesy photos (sarah mclachlan)

Paula West therrazzroom.com | 800.380.3095 Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko. San Francisco’s own divinely soulful Paula West continues her incredible eight-week run at the gorgeous Rrazz Room. ($35-$45)

DAILY

by chris rené As gay and lesbian couples and their allies continue to work toward marriage equality, the folks at Theatre Rhinoceros - the Nation’s oldest continuously producing LGBT theatre company - are making a cultural contribution to the cause.

Created by Norman René and Craig Lucas in 1980, Marry Me A Little is a sung-through revue of trunk songs by Stephen Sondheim. The material was either cut from shows like Follies, Company and A Little Night Music or written for (at the time) still unproduced works.

“It took a long time,” he says. “I asked the publisher and I’m not sure who made the final decision but they said yes.” While not specifically chosen as a polemic, Fisher acknowledges a certain timeliness. “The title says marry me at a time when most gay people still can’t.” marry me a little February 11 to 20 Eureka Theatre 215 Jackson Street, San Francisco $15 to $35 | 800.838.3006 therhino.org

image: kent taylor

Originally staged Off-Broadway on the set of an already existing show, the cast of two featured a man and woman living in neighboring apartments yet never interacting and spending their Saturday nights - not to mention their lives - alone. A cast recording was made and the show continues to be produced on a regular basis.

Though not the first time it has been staged with two male leads, director John Fisher knew he still needed to request specific approval for the casting variance.

musical

marry me a little

sondheim revue takes a timely twist

Caleb Draper Bill Fahrner FEBRUARY 2011 |

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ONGOING SHOWS TEATRO ZINZANNI License to Kiss II: A Sweet Conspiracy love.zinzanni.org | 415.438.2668 The beautiful spiegeltent turns into a den for intrigue, espionage & the ultimate candy-coated collusion. ($117-$145)

DAILY 9 | Cradle of Filth theregencyballroom.com 415.673.5716 The Regency Ballroom. Extreme metal band brings on their Creatures From The Black Abyss Tour. ($25-$27)

Party of 2 partyof2themusical.com | 800.838.3006 Comic and touching songs about independent types who meet, mate, move in and grapple with issues of love and proximity. ($27-$29)

Pearls Over Shanghai thrillpeddlers.com | 800.838.3006 Comic mock-operetta about white slavery & miscegenation set in the colorful world of 1937 Shanghai. ($30-$35) Shopping! The Musical shoppingthemusical.com | 415.713.6486 A hilarious, fast-paced revue of original songs and sketches about shopping. ($27-$29) Sunday’s A Drag harrydenton.com | 415.395.8595 A revival of the spirit of the drag show, picking up where the legendary Finocchio’s left off. ($44.95)

8 | Teresa Trull thefreight.org 510.644.2020 The Freight and Salvage, Berkeley.

Bon voyage concert as this gutsy blues/rock vocal dynamo prepares to move to New Zealand. With Barbara Higbie and others. ($22.50-$24.50) 9 | Archangels Don’t Play Pinball act-sf.org 415.749.2ACT Hastings Studio Theater. ACT’s MFA Class of 2012 present this contemporary farce which features cutting humor, a revolutionary spirit, and a surprisingly big heart. ($10)

Christian Cagigal’s Obscura theexit.org | 800.838.3006 Exit Studio. Cagigal weaves magic, fairy tales and dark fables into an intimate, engaging evening fraught with wonder, mystery & imagination. ($15-$25) Mark Pitta & Friends 142throckmortontheatre.org 415.383.9600 142 Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley.

Stand-up comedy every Tuesday - a premier comedy showcase for up and coming comedians and established headliners. ($15-$25) Tony and Tina’s Wedding tonyandtinasanfrancisco.com You are invited to the world’s #1 dinner comedy show. ($88.50-$115.50)

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9 | Eonnagata calperfs.berkeley.edu 510.642.9988 Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley. Ex Machina’s exploration of the life of Charles de Beaumont, a.k.a.

Chevalier d’Éon. See feature on page 25. ($36-$86) 9 | Winter Blackout 2011 slims-sf.com | 415.255.0333 Slim’s. Blending reggae, punk rock, and ‘80s style dueling guitar solos.

With The Holdup, The B Foundation and Mordor. ($20-$24)

9 | Wynton Marsalis wellsfargocenterarts.org 707.546.3600 Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa. Marsalis leads the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the world’s most accomplished repertory big band in jazz. ($49-$89) 9 | Ton Koopman: Bach and Schubert sfsymphony.org 415.864.6000 Davies Symphony Hall. This program explores music by Haydn and C.P.E. Bach before arriving at the “Fifth Symphony” of Franz Schubert. ($15-$140)

10 | California Guitar Trio thefreight.org 510.644.2020 The Freight & Salvage, Berkeley. The gifted trio are Paul Richards of Utah, Bert Lams of Belgium, and Hideyo Moriya of Japan. ($24.50-$26.50)

images: dan nicoletta (pearls over shanghai), erick labbe (eonnagata), all others - courtesy photos (maría volonté, ton koopman, wynton marsalis)

8 | María Volonté therrazzroom.com 800.380.3095 The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko.

Argentine singer and songwriter celebrates feminine creativity in her new show Blue Tango. ($28.50)

by james j. siegel Some couples celebrate Valentine’s Day with roses and boxes of chocolates. Others celebrate with improv comedy.

When Jill Bourque developed her sketch show How We First Met, she never thought it would run each year in San Francisco with a loyal fan base.

VALENTINE

how we first met

remembering those magic moments

“I wanted to do a show for Valentine’s Day that was about real stories,” said Bourque. That first show played to a sold out crowd in February 2001. Fast forward ten years later, and shows are still selling out. And many in the audience are repeat visitors.

The concept is simple. Bourque interviews three couples live on stage. Once a couple divulges an interesting story about their life, the interview stops and actors play out the scene on the spot.

In the beginning, Bourque said it was difficult to get couples to volunteer.

“I had to beg people,” she said.

“Then once people saw the show, more and more people wanted to get in on it.”

In fact, last year, over 70 couples requested to take part. With so many wanting to see their lives re-enacted on stage, audience members now vote online for the couples who will get to go on stage.

image: shannon casey photography

“Couples get to see their lives unfolding,” said Bourque. “They laugh and remember and fall in love all over again.”

HOW WE FIRST MET February 12 | 8:00 pm Herbst Theatre 401 Van Ness Avenue, SF $25 to $59 | 415.392.4400 howwefirstmet.com

FEBRUARY 2011 |

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RECOMMENDED

MARGA GOMEZ February 7, 14 & 28 | 8:00 pm The Marsh 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley $10 | 415.641.0235 themarsh.org

She’s currently teamed up with The Marsh in their Berkeley digs for a set of Marga’s Funny Mondays, setting up Gomez as a lesbian Latin Ed Sullivan playing host to a variety of comics and other rising stars.

Rated PD for “Pretty Diverse,” the three gigs this month include routines like The 50 Buck Finale where comedians compete for prize money; A Stupid Cupid Valentines Show starring “five comics head over heels in love...with themselves” including Gomez as the Narcissism Foundation Poster Child; and a preview of Not Getting Any Younger, a new one-woman effort Gomez is workshopping.

Once described by Robin Williams as “a lesbian Lenny Bruce,” Gomez is also a social media maven with a YouTube channel (gomezmarga), a wicked tweet (margagomez), and digital distractions on her website (margagomez.com).

- Will Schmid

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10 | George Duke Quartet yoshis.com 510.238.9200 Yoshi’s Oakland. Bay Area native Duke brings his legendary keyboard and vocal stylings to Yoshi’s Oakland. ($26-$30) 10 | Martha Wainwright Sings Piaf gamh.com 888.233.0449 Great American Music Hall. Martha Wainwright channels France’s “Little Sparrow.” See feature on page 27. ($25-$50) 10 | Taboos standford.edu 650.725.2787 Cubberly Auditorium, Stanford. When Harriet met Sally, it was love at first sight – but then the complications began. What makes a parent? Love, genetics, giving birth? ($20) 10 | The Eos Ensemble emanuelsf.org 800.838.3006 Temple Emanu-El. Highlighting Kevin Rivard, Principal Horn at the SF Opera and Ballet, performing two classical chamber music works for the French Horn. ($25) 10 | The Unauthorized Rolling Stones biscuitsandblues.com 415.292.2583 Biscuits and Blues. Five musicians from the UK, NYC, Denver, and SF are The World’s Greatest Tribute to the World’s Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band. ($15)

11 | Acrobats of China flintcenter.com 650.259.2100 Flint Center for the Arts, Cupertino.

A first class acrobatic show by the acclaimed Guangzhou Acrobatic Troupe of China filled with gravity defying feats and mind blowing stunts. ($28-$128) 11 | Andy Warhol: Good for the Jews? www.shotgunplayers.org 510.841.6500 The Ashby Stage, Berkeley. Shotgun Players present Josh Kornbluth in his latest show that centers on pop art icon Andy Warhol, and ten Jewish luminaries he painted. ($17-$26)

11 | Billy Gardell cobbscomedy.com 415.928.4320 Cobb’s Comedy Club. Gardell’s stand up show is a powerhouse.

His grounded, down-to-earth point of view hits a strong chord with American audiences. ($25.50) 11 | Big River ccct.org | 510.524.9132 Contra Costa Civic Theatre, El Cerrito. The adventures of Huckleberry Finn with a jubilant score featuring a variety of genres, including Cajun, country, gospel and blues. ($24) 11 | Farragut North opentabproductions.com 415.786.3451 Theater of Yugen/NOH Space. This play takes place behind-the-scenes during the tense run up to the presidential primaries and follows a few days in the life of Stephen Bellamy, who has built a career that men twice his age would envy. ($25)

images: david wilson (marga gomez), bobby holland (george duke), all others - courtesy photos (acrobats of china, billy gardell)

If there’s a place to tell a joke in the Bay Area, chances are Marga Gomez has already found it.

The tireless but never tiresome entertainer has hosted several annual New Year’s Eve Spectaculars and played every place from the tony Rrazz Room the your Aunt Sally’s AIDS fundraiser. She’s also written eight solo plays, appeared OffBroadway, on television and across the country.

DAILY

by colm larkin If it hadn’t been for the 2009 release of his fourth album “The Ecstatic,” you might excuse people for not remembering Mos Def as one of hip-hop’s most compelling voices.

Since his seminal 1999 solo debut “Black on Both Sides,” the Brooklyn-born rapper’s output had mainly consisted of two well received, but low-key records, while audiences came to know him more as a film and television actor.

Mos the movie star has been featured in Be Kind Rewind and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and has received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Yet music remains his true calling.

Two years later, Mos Def is set to return to the Bay Area with his band for ten shows split between the Yoshi’s San Francisco and Oakland venues.

Whether you a fan of the rapper or the actor, it’s sure to be a performance worth catching.

MOS DEF February 14 to 17 Yoshi’s - San Francisco 1330 Fillmore Street | 415.655.5600 February 18 to 19 Yoshi’s - Oakland 510 Embarcadero West | 510.238.9200 $45 to $50 | yoshis.com

image: courtesy photo

Prior to his triumphant return to rap with “The Ecstatic,” multi-talented Mos played a series of shows at Yoshi’s. With a live band in support, Mos treated the intimate venue to a unique live

performance that mixed hip-hop with jazz, rock’n’roll, and even Radiohead.

music

mos def

hip-hopping both sides of the bay

FEBRUARY 2011 |

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Follies Concert Version

Classic Sondheim !

March 4–27 4–27

Performances at

29. N. San Pedro St.

Downtown San Jose

(800) 838-3006

www.tabardtheatre.org

y call/text

415.370.7152 visit

www.stevenunderhill.com 22 |

| FEBRUARY 2011

11 | Cabaret d’Amour 142throckmortontheatre.org 415.383.9600 142 Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley. Moana Diamond, Danny Slomoff and the Chez Kiki Orchestra present an evening of song, dance a la Moulin Rouge and a taste of la vie Français. ($20-$28)

11 | Intimate Apparel 6thstreetplayhouse.com 707.523.4185 6th Street Playhouse, Santa Rosa.

A moving story in the early 1900s, where a talented African-American designer creates intimate apparel for New York Society ladies and prostitutes alike. ($20-$25)

11 | Dailey & Vincent nvoh.org 707.226.7372 Napa Valley Opera House. 2008 International Bluegrass Music Awards Show’s Entertainer of the Year and Album of the Year winners. ($35-$45)

11 | Israeli Chamber Project creativearts.sfsu.edu 415.338.2467 McKenna Theatre, SF State. SF State’s Morrison Artists Series presents a new ensemble that brings together some of the finest young Israeli musicians to perform classic and contemporary chamber music. (Free)

11 | Dana Gould punchlinecomedyclub.com 415.397.7573 Punch Line Comedy Club. With Nikki Glaser and Brendan Lynch ($20-$22.50) 11 | Esn: A Shabbat Concert with Cooking tickets.jccsf.org 415.292.1200 Jewish Community Center SF. Adrienne Cooper, Frank London & Lorin Sklamberg in a special Shabbat concert full of comedy, warm memory and tradition – all about Jewish food. ($32-$41)

11 | Maria Muldaur: a Valentine Show georgesnightclub.com 877.568.2726 George’s Night Club, San Rafael.

An acclaimed interpreter of just about every stripe of American roots music: blues, early jazz, gospel, folk, country, R&B, and more. ($20)

11 | Hummel’s Concerto for Keyed Trumpet philharmonia.org 415.252.1288 Herbst Theatre. Featuring a program that highlights a rarely heard period instrument – the keyed trumpet played by Gabriele Cassone. Also in Berkeley & Atherton. ($30-$90) 11 | Devil Fish cirquenoveau.com | 415.647.2822 Brava Theater Center. A story of love featuring world-class, contemporary, aerial and acrobatic performance illuminated by cinematic visual effects. ($26)

11 | Marry Me a Little therhino.org 800.838.3006 Eureka Theatre. A revue of Sondheim trunk songs with a gender twist. See feature on page 17. ($15-$35)

images: kent taylor (marry me a little), all others - courtesy photos (gabriele cassone, maria muldaur)

y IMAGINE A GREAT PICTURE OF YOU!

DAILY

by will schmid

image: courtesy photo

According to composer Sam Davis, if there’s a really apt metaphor for searching for a lyricist it would be dating.

“That’s exactly what it’s like, except you generally don’t have to be monogamous,” he laughs. “I’ll add that I’m on good terms with just about everyone I’ve ever dated, but my most explosive breakups have been with lyricists.”

The young musician who also conducts for Broadway shows and international tours adds, “If I had the ability to write lyrics it would make life a lot easier for me.

Ideally you want the music and the lyrics to come together and form the song as a whole so that it’s not just the melody or the lyric that people notice.”

Fortunately, as evidenced by his new CD, Love on a Summer Afternoon, Davis seems to be going nicely

composer

sam davis

making his music sing

steady with writers Mark Waldorp and Sean Hartley. (The disc also features contributions from Georgia Stitt and Randy Buck.)

Several songs are from shows Davis is developing. None have moved into production, so making the recording - which features a bevy of Broadway’s leading men including Jason Danieley, David Hyde Pierce, Malcolm Gets, Bobby Steggert and Gavin Creel - a rare opportunity for Davis to be heard.

“We don’t do a lot of albums devoted to the work of a single rising theatre composer,” says PS Classics founder Tommy Krasker. “There are some splendid new writers out there, but for some reason their songs don’t necessarily lend themselves to ‘fulllength’ treatment. Sam’s did.” (psclassics.com) FEBRUARY 2011 |

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RECOMMENDED

Once again it’s time for a little bit of racism, schadenfreude, and full puppet nudity when the national tour of Avenue Q arrives.

A surprise 2004 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, Best Book by Jeff Whitty and Best Score by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, the “Muppets for adults” show started Off-Broadway, ran for six years at the Golden Theatre and then took the unusual step of returning to OffBroadway in 2009 where it is still running at New World Stages.

11 | Sleeping Beauty ticketmaster.com 415.499.6800 Marin Center, San Rafael. The Russian National Ballet Theatre proudly performs Sleeping Beauty, often considered the finest achievement of the classical ballet. ($20-$65)

12 | Company C companycballet.org 925.708.0752 Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Company C Contemporary Ballet opens its 20102011 season with two world premieres and two company premieres in a program full of athleticism and theatrical intensity. ($18-$40)

11 | Tainted Love bimbos365club.com 877.435.9849 Bimbo’s 365 Club. A highly stylized, nonstop ‘80s show offering a refreshing change from the usual party bands. ($23)

12 | Bill Cosby ticketmaster.com 415.499.6800 Marin Center, San Rafael. A profound ability to share his interpretations of everyday life with humor and laughter has made Bill one of America’s most prolific humorists. ($37.50-$75)

11 | The Drowsy Chaperone diablotheatre.org 925.943.7469 Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek. The Drowsy Chaperone pays homage to American musicals. See feature on page 4. ($17-$48) 11 | Linda Imperial Band ranchonicasio.com 415.662.2219 Rancho Nicasio, Marin. Singer, songwriter and bandleader Linda Imperial brings her powerful vocals and talented band to the Rancho. ($12)

The show has been translated and staged in Sweden, Finland, Israel, Mexico, Hungary, Turkey and Brazil.

Mixing human characters with puppet characters operated by interchangeable human puppeteers fully visible on stage, the clever score sings about internet porn, the futility of earning an English degree, accepting those who are different, and the search for direction in life.

Lopez and Marx wrote the show about their friends struggling to survive big city life with menial jobs and long commutes, setting it in a fictional outer borough of Manhattan.

Originally planned for cable, the creators reset their sights on the stage when they realized they had no contacts in the television industry!

- Will Schmid

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11 | Tommy Emmanuel omniconcerts.com 415.392.4400 Palace of Fine Arts. A native of Australia, guitarist Tommy Emmanuel has garnered hundreds of thousands of loyal fans worldwide. ($41) 12 | Love Sick hoochidoo.com | 707.332.0621 The Play Box at Sonoma Charter School.

A musical comedy revue. Dr. Gray sure has some colorful patients. Paul and Amy are two singles trying to make their way through the urban jungle of romance while dealing with neurotic dates, their parents, and worst of all...themselves. ($12-$20)

12 | Dholrhythms of Non Stop Bhangra marinjcc.org 415.444.8000 Osher Marin JCC. Ancestral and ethnic dance of India combined with a comtemporary style create this fresh, unique and colorful dance. ($18) 12 | Googoosh flintcenter.com 408.864.8816 Flint Center for the Arts, Cupertino.

Googoosh is a Iranian pop singer and former actress. At one time she was considered the most celebrated recording artist in Iran and much of Central Asia. ($49-$200)

12 | How We First Met www.howwefirstmet.com 415.392.4400 Herbst Theatre. Jill Bourque’s 10th annual ode to Valentine’s Day. See feature on page 19. ($25-$59 )

images: john daughtry (gacqueline grabois of avenue q), lisa keating (jill bourque), all others - courtesy photos (tommy emmanuel, dholrhythms)

AVENUE Q February 15 to 27 Orpheum Theatre 1192 Market Street, SF $30 to $99 | 888.746.1799 shnsf.com

DAILY

bending gender lines by grier cooper

dance

eonnagata

An exploration of the life of Charles de Beaumont, (a.k.a.

Chevalier d’Éon), who was likely the first spy to use cross-dressing during the call of his duties to Louis XVI, Eonnagata hovers midway between theater and dance. Incorporating onnagata, a kabuki theater technique where male actors portray female characters in a highly stylized fashion, questions of gender and sexual identities are bent, mixed and reassembled through the telling of this unusual story of a dynamic historical figure. D’Eon was a central figure at court and dressed as a woman until his death revealed that he was anatomically male.

The work is a collaboration of ground-breaking talents, including Sylvie Guillem, once a top-ranking principal dancer with the Paris Opera Ballet, turned rebel through her conversion to modern dance. Robert Lepage pushes the limits of theater, mixing genres and developing new boundaries and techniques. British choreographer Russell Maliphant blends martial arts and classical dance. Costumes designed by Alexander McQueen, known for his cutting and structure, reveal their underlying structures while clothing the spy (and the other aspects of his personality) in transparent kimonos and crinoline confections as they progress from dance hall to kabuki to sword-fighting.

image: erick labbe

eonnagata February 9 to 10 | 8:00 pm Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley $36 to $86 | 510.642.9988 calperfs.berkeley.edu

Russell Maliphant FEBRUARY 2011 |

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DAILY 12 | Little Shop of Horrors berkeleyplayhouse.org 510.845.8542 Julia Morgan Center, Berkeley.

The Berkeley Playhouse Teen Company presents this charming and hysterical show about a skid row floral assistant and the plant that brings him fame. ($20)

AMERICAN IDOL: THE UNTOLD STORY Richard Rushfield Love it or hate it, there is no denying that American Idol has made an indellible mark on pop culture history. From his vantage point as a writer for the Los Angeles Times, Richard Rushfield saw beyond the carefully crafted images broadcast to the national flatscreen. In his breathless new book, American Idol: The Untold Story, Rushfield offer a side-dish of scoop for those not sated by the current weekly serving of J.Lo, Ryan, Randy and Steven Tyler, or the continuing adventures of Simon and Paula.

“I first started covering the show in Season Six,” say Rushfield.

“The next year I got to know the contestants and their families a bit and saw what goes on in the world swirling around Idol.” The impact of what is generally unseen by the fans is what planted the seed for the book.

For aspirants, Rushfield recommends knowing your goals really well. “If you can’t see crystal clearly the kind of artist you are and what your first album will look and sound like going in, then take another year before you audition,” he says. “The people who struggle to define that on the air never do well.” (hyperionbooks.com) - Will Schmid

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12 | Music For Families With The SF Symphony sfsymphony.org 415.864.6000 Davies Symphony Hall. Kid-sized classical concerts designed for families. Great music, fascinating musical discoveries, and priceless memories. ($15-$57) 12 | Santa Rosa Symphony wellsfargocenterarts.org 707.546.3600 Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa. Featuring soprano Christine Brandes and the work of Mozart, Berg and Mahler. ($28-$55) 12 | The Umbilical Brothers: Thwak stanford.edu 650.725.2787 Pigott Theater at Stanford. David Collins & Shane Dundas are partners in mime, side-splitting comedy and general madness in this high-octane take on physical theater. ($38) 12 | Tumbledown theeparkside.com 415.252.1330 Thee Parkside.

Rock-n-roll Americana band shares the stage with Tater Famine, Northern Son and Ari Shine. ($8)

13 | Craig Jessup 142throckmortontheatre.org 415.383.3000 142 Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley. Bay Area native Jessup brings his three decades of cabaret experience to this Valentine’s Eve survey of love songs. See feature on page 6. ($25-$35) 13 | Driving Miss Daisy diabloactors.com 866.811.4111 Diablo Actors Ensemble Theatre. A Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Alfred Uhry about fearless relationships. ($15-$30)

13 | Borodin Quartet chambermusicsf.org 415.759.1756 Herbst Theatre. This quartet has preserved a unique performance tradition, focusing on the masterpieces at the very heart of the quartet repertoire. ($34-$44) 13 | Brentano String Quartet stanford.edu 650.725.2787 Dinkelspiel Auditorium at Stanford.

Program features Beethoven’s final complete composition: “Quartet in F-Major, Op. 135.” ($44-$50)

13 | High On Fire slims-sf.com 415.255.0333 Slim’s. Less a band than a supersonic exercise in conquest by volume and sheer heaviness, the band has burned the metal rulebook. ($18)

images: harley jessup (craig jessup), travis shinn (high on fire)

Rushfield attributes a post-9/11 yearning to buff up the American Dream as a factor in Idol’s success, along with the historical popularity of Ted Mack-like singing contests.

He also points to the interactive nature - the judging isn’t rigged, the viewers really do pick the winner regardless of that the producers think will make good television.

13 | Chopin Birthday Concert oldfirstconcerts.org 415.474.1608 Old First Church. Chopin Foundation’s celebration of Chopin’s birthday with a concert by distinguished pianist Josh Wright. ($17)

invoking piaf’s little sparrow by colm larkin

In 2009, Canadian folk-rock singer Martha Wainwright was asked by her producer Hal Willner to record some Edith Piaf songs. Unsure of whether she could do justice to the legendary French chanteuse, Wainwright began performing some of Piaf’s lesser-known pieces in her live shows.

cabaret

martha wainwright

The concept of musical tribute appears to run in the family. In 2006, Martha’s brother Rufus Wainwright recorded a live album of Judy Garland songs at New York’s Carneige Hall.

Where her brother chose to cover an artist forever associated with Hollywood glitz, Martha’s own tribute is to a singer raised on the tough backstreets of early 20th century Paris.

Wainwright’s own music often deals with her personal demons and this ability to understand the pain and romanticism of Piaf’s music, not to mention the authenticity of her Montreal French, ensured the success of her interpretations. Wainwright has since performed entire shows of Piaf songs at selected venues around the world, recording a live album, “San Fusils, Ni Souliers,” over three nights at New York City’s intimate Dixon Place Theater.

Now Wainwright brings the soul of Paris and Piaf to San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall, for one special live performance.

image: paradigm agency

MARTHA WAINWRIGHT February 10 | 8:00 pm Great American Music Hall 859 O’Farrell Street San Francisco $25 | 888.233.0449 gamh.com

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DAILY 13 | Manny Moka biscuitsandblues.com 415.292.2583 Biscuits and Blues. Merging the traditions of Afro-Cuban-Caribbean rhythms with jazz harmonies in a swinging blend of energy and virtuosity. ($20)

LUCKY LADY 1975 - Stanley Donen

There are a couple of factors to recommend the film Lucky Lady available for the first time on home video - to musical fans. First and foremost, it was helmed by Stanley Donen, the man behind such screen classics as Singin’ in the Rain and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Then there’s Liza being Liza and singing two Kander & Ebb originals - the title track and ”(Get) While the Getting is Good.”

Beyond those angles you still have Gene Hackman and Burt Reynolds in their prime. It’s too bad then that this video transfer is a murky affair with no restoration evident. Better you should wait for a Turner Classics broadcast. (shoutfactory.com)

13 | Maria Muldaur therrazzroom.com 800.380.3095 The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko.

Jazz and blues Valentines concert.

An acclaimed interpreter of just about every stripe of American roots music: blues, early jazz, gospel, folk, country, R&B, and more. ($35)

13 | Voice Of The Wetlands All Stars gamh.com 888.233.0449 Great American Music Hall.

Celebrate the bayou while helping to save it! Acclaimed blues guitarist Tab Benoit is joined by Louisiana AllStars. ($27-$52)

NIFFER CLARKE Beyond the Ingenue

Channeling sopranos Barbara Cook, Shirley Jones and Julie Andrews, Broadway actress Niffer Clarke celebrates the archetype of the ingenue. Instead of simpering ninnies, Clarke’s song choices render her ladies as thoughtful young women considering their options in a world often less than hospitable.

There’s an arc to the disc from the eager, hopeful “Will He Like Me?” to the more rueful “Crazy World.”

Clarke’s voice is bright, clear and strong, losing the listener only on the final and unnecessary bonus track from The Phantom of the Opera. (nifferclarke.com)

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13 | Scott Capurro cafedunord.com 415.861.5016 Café du Nord. Capurro presents his razor-sharp show: Queer Jew Boy Socialist Seeks A Better World. ($16)

13 | Wesla Whitfield firehousearts.org 925.931.4848 Firehouse Arts Center, Pleasanton.

Gifted vocalist Whitfield presents her show Isn’t It Romantic: Songs from the Great American Songbook, accompanied by husband/pianist/ arranger Mike Greensill. ($15-$25)

images: courtesy photos (pete escovedo, scott capurro, tab benoit, wesla whitfield)

13 | Pete Escovedo yoshis.com 415.655.5600 Yoshi’s San Francisco. A major force in Latin music since the late 1960’s, Escovedo brings his Latin Jazz Orchestra to Yoshi’s stage with special guest (and daughter) Sheila E. ($20-$28)

13 | Stephanie Mills & The Whispers paramounttheatre.com 510.465.6400 Paramount Theatre, Oakland.

Grammy Award-winning soul artist and Broadway star Mills teams up with one of R&B music’s most consistently popular vocal groups. ($45.75-$85.75)

cooking up a new play experience by james j. siegel

At some dinner parties, the guests sit in the dining room waiting for the main course. But Precarious Theatre invites its guests into the “kitchen.”

Audience members get to sit on stage and watch the cast perform a read through of a play. To keep with the kitchen theme, it’s a way for theater-goers to see the preparation that goes into making a good “meal.”

And speaking of meals, each Kitchen Series reading has its share of food and wine.

“We’ll meet and open some wine, cook a little, eat some great food and then read a play together,” said Andrew Calabrese, a founding member of Precarious. “We found that this created a great sense of community around whatever piece we were working on and the discussions surrounding the play were always more delicious, so to speak.”

With that in mind, the cast and audience mingle in the lobby for food and drinks, then head into the theater for the read-through. During some productions, audience members are chosen to read a small role.

Calabrese said the atmosphere of the event creates a very communal feel. Once the read through is finished, the actors and the audience discuss the production.

“The conversations all flow very naturally,” he said. “It’s a much different feel than the regular talk back situation.”

reading

the kitchen series

Future readings include Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth (April 18) and The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (June 13).

Precarious theatre February 21 | 7:30 pm Brava Theater Center 2781 24th Street, San Francisco $20 to $25 | 415.647.2822 brava.org

image: lital

This month’s Precarious play is the Frederico Garcia Lorca classic The Love of Don Perlimplin and Belisa in the Garden, a comedic and tragic play about an arranged marriage.

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ANNE STEELE Strings Attached

JIM CARUSO The Swing Set

Cabaret chap and host of the longrunning Cast Party evenings at Birdland, Jim Caruso does exactly what the title of this CD promises.

He swings! Furthermore it’s clear he’s having the best damn time doing it.

The vocals are playful, with a retro radio show dash on numbers like “I Love A Violin.” Musical director and arranger Aaron Weinstein knows how to coax out the sweetest, most caressing parts of Caruso’s voice on tunes like “If I Only Had A Brain” and then set him free to jazz it up on “Pick Yourself Up.” Like his Monday night gigs, Caruso has great guests including Michael Feinstein, Billy Stritch, Hilary Kole and Stephanie Block. For a brighter outlook, spin this disc and start tapping your toes. (jimcaruso.com)

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13 | A FunNY Night for Comedy natashamuse.com | 415.345.1287 Actors Theatre of San Francisco. Join host Natasha Muse and her side-kick Ryan Cronin as they welcome a variety of standup comedians to the stage, and then ask them a variety of strange questions. It’s like a late-night talk show, except it’s in the early-evening. and it’s not on television.

And it’s funny. ($10) 13 | Spencer Day montalvoarts.org | 408.296.3730 Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga. Vocalistsongwriter-pianist Spencer Day has wandered amid the expansive and diverse landscape of American music, developing an artistic sensibility that borrows from numerous sources: jazz, musical theater, cabaret, soul, folk, traditional pop and contemporary pop are just the tip of the iceberg. ($30-$35)

14 | A Victor/Victoria Valentine ticketfly.com 415.863.0611 Castro Theatre. Lesley Ann Warren live, in-person, for this dazzling Marc Huestis gala event. See feature on page 7. ($25-$60)

14 | Cake 415.346.6000 The Fillmore. Producing a bevy of pop-rock tunes that are as catchy and danceable as they are witty, wellcrafted and self-effacing is, needless to say, not a piece of cake. That is, unless you are CAKE, the quartet from Sacramento. ($36.50)

14 | In The Mood artbeatshows.org 415.392.4400 Palace of Fine Arts. Ashland’s Artbeat presents this 1940’s big band musical revue, a celebration of America’s greatest generation through the music of the era. See website for other NorCal venues and dates. ($49-$59) 14 | Mos Def yoshis.com 415.655.5600 Yoshi’s San Francisco. One of hip-hop’s most introspective and insightful artists, Mos Def will also take the stage at Yoshi’s Oakland starting Feb 18. See feature on page 21. ($45-$50) 14 | Valentine Super Love Jam hppsj.com 408.287.9200 HP Pavilion, San Jose. Featuring Heatwave, Rose Royce, The Moments, GQ, Blue Magic, The Originals, Evelyn Champagne King, Barbara Mason and Eddie Holman. ($22.50-$33.50) 14 | Silent Disco auroratheatre.org 510.843.4822 Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley. Part of Aurora’s Global Age Project, Silent Disco introduces us to Tamara and Jasyn, who could be in love. Without knowing anyone who is in a meaningful relationship, it’s kind of hard to know what to do. (free)

15 | Avenue Q www.shnsf.com 888.746.1799 Orpheum Theatre. Tony Awardwinning show returns to San Francisco as a special addition to SHN’s 2010-2011 Best of Broadway series. See page 24. ($30-$99)

images: john daughtry (kerri brackin and jason heymann of avenue q), all others - courtesy photos (lesley ann warren, cake)

If there’s a musical version of comfort food then Anne Steele knows how to cook dishes that are light, tasty and extremely satisfying.

The album’s titular hook is the that all accompaniment from piano to cello has a string attached including a lighter-hearted and more optimistic arrangement of Sondheim’s “Move On” by Sean Harkness that perfectly matches Steele’s gentle, sisterly vocal. The rest of the CD mixes tracks by Freddie Mercury, Cat Stevens, Charlie Chaplin, and a delightful medley of Elvin Bishop and Victor Young. It’s an album to listen to with the headphones on to get every juicy morsel. (psclassics.com)

DAILY

dances for non/fictional bodies by grier cooper

Bay Area choreographer Jess Curtis has gathered an all-star collaborative team from six countries, including dramaturg/provocateur Guillermo Gomez-Peña and performers Maria Francesca Scaroni, Claire Cunningham, and Jörg Müller, to explore the concept of who decides which bodies are relevant, beautiful, and desirable.

The production combines an original score by Matthias Hermann and a variety of techniques, including contemporary dance, physical theater, performance art and circus arts, showcasing the unique beauty and movement vocabulary of each of the dancers, some of whom are disabled.

image: kristine slipson

Dancer Claire Cunningham, known for the dynamic, imaginative use of her crutches, says

“The greatest assets of this work are the performers themselves, and the diversity of their experience and physicalities. This work provides the space for each to put forward their own concepts in relation to the theme.” Says Curtis, “Our differences force us to question the ways we imagine ourselves and each other and to negotiate new ways of dancing and playing together, not just in spite of, but actually in celebration of those differences.” In essence, the dancers play with one another and their own bodies to pinpoint what is real and what is imaginary in relation to identity, that which we see in ourselves and in others.”

dance

jess curtis/gravity

GRAVITY February 3 to 6 | 8:00 pm Yerba Buena Center for the Arts 701 Mission Street, San Francisco $25 | 415.978.2787 jesscurtisgravity.org

Maria Francesca Scaroni Jörg Müller FEBRUARY 2011 |

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DAILY 15 | Christopher Titus marinesmemorialtheatre.com 415.771.6900 Marines’ Memorial Theatre. Edgy and fearless, Titus brings on his new one-man show, Neverlution. See feature on page 5. ($42)

ABIGAIL WASHBURN City of Refuge

If your assessment of the banjo stopped somewhere around Glen Campbell or Deliverance then it’s time for another look. Better yet just pick up this new release from Abigail Washburn. Blessed with her softly plaintive Joplin-esque vocals and rhythmic picking, Refuge also offers lushly orchestrated arrangements of Washburn’s crosscultural influences like choral voices, throat singers and instruments like the guzheng and plucked dulcimer. All but one track are from Washburn’s pen and that consistency of voice lends a very personal, almost spiritual quality to the listening. (abigailwashburn.com)

16 | Joe DeRosa punchlinecomedyclub.com 415.397.7573 Punch Line Comedy Club. With Joe Mande and Sammy Obeid ($15-$19) 17 | 7th Black Choreographers Festival odctheater.org 415.863.9834 ODC Theater. Here & Now celebrates African and African-American dance and culture. ($15-$20) 17 | Bernard Labadie conducts Mozart sfsymphony.org 415.864.6000 Davies Symphony Hall. Four early masterpieces by music’s supreme wunderkind beginning with the thrilling “Little G Minor Symphony. “($15-$140)

17 | Now or Never sfchamberorchestra.org 415.392.4400 Various Venues. SF Chamber Orchestra presents the unusual instrumentation of Stravinsky’s “Octet” with Harold Lloyd’s 1921 Now or Never on screen. (Free)

17 | Rubber Souldiers georgesnightclub.com 877.568.2726 George’s Nightclub, San Rafael.

Ultimate Beattles tribute band. ($10) 18 | 40 Pounds in 12 Weeks: A Love Story themarsh.org 800.838.3006 The Marsh SF. Pidge Meade’s riveting tale that refuses pat answers to the hard questions about how and why we eat our hearts out. ($15-$35) 18 | Chris Smither thefreight.org 510.644.2020 The Freight and Salvage, Berkeley.

New Orleans native known for crossing the depth and substance of contemporary songwriting with the guitar stylings of country blues ($26.50-$28.50)

MARY JENSON beyond

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17 | Kevin Nealon cobbscomedy.com 415.928.4320 Cobb’s Comedy Club. SNL alum and Weeds co-star, Nealon brings his unique sense of humor, dry wit, and likeable demeanor to Cobb’s. ($25.50-$30.50) 17 | Hobo Grunt Cycle theexit.org 800.838.3006 EXIT on Taylor. A war and peace epic colliding connections between wounded soldiers, illegal dog fighting, and the hierarchies of circus performers and military personnel. ($15-$25)

18 | Heads of State paramounttheatre.com 510.465.6400 Paramount Theatre, Oakland. Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant have teamed up with Mint Condition. ($45.75-$79.75) 18 | Lady Bunny therrazzroom.com 800.380.3095 The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko.

Multi-talented drag artiste brings her show That Ain’t No Lady. ($25)

images: courtesy photos (kevin nealon, rubber souldiers)

Mary Jenson describes her new CD as having a range “from pop to jazz and a world flavor.” She might have focused on just one. Jenson is a highly listenable jazz vocalist. She delivers a kicky, urgent read on Lennon and McCartney’s “Come Together” and is sassy on Joni Mitchell’s “Moon at the Window.” Jenson is also the songwriter (with Frank Martin) on four tracks. As instrumentals they are workable, though some lean too heavily on new age aural riffs.

This is particularly true of the title track, which succeeds thanks to the excellent violin of Mads Tolling and José Pires de Almeida Neto’s fiery sitar. As vocals, Jenson’s songs are too self-consciously mystical or trying to hard to be cool. (maryjenson.com)

18 | Fable & Faith ybca.org 415.978.2787 Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Robert Moses’ Kin dance company’s multi-media work explores imagination and identity through children’s fables. See feature on page 15. ($25-$35)

by will schmid It’s the stuff from which Lifetime Channel movies are made. Talented and beautiful singer from the Midwest struggles with Crohn’s disease and moves to San Francisco to start her career. A benefactor sees her promise and helps her move to New York to further her dream. Enter the composer/ conductor who helps her record her first CD, which leads to another and another. Through it all, the singer struggles with her illness and the staggering medical expenses that accompany it. A course of radical surgery finally brings a period of physical relief and the ability to move her career to the next level. Touring, television appearances and two invitations to sing at the White House all seem to be pointing to even greater success in the future.

As if on cue, a cancer diagnosis throws a wrench into the works. It comes, with sad irony, almost simultaneous with the singer meeting the first great love of her life and having the chance to record what could be her best CD yet, with a full orchestra conducted by an industry legend.

video

nancy lamott

the don’t tell mama shows now on dvd

Hormone therapy fails and the singer postpones surgery for a chance to sing at the legendary Algonquin. Surgery reveals the cancer has spread and chemotherapy is required. The singer alternates treatment with performing dates, finally requiring hospitalization where she is married to her love less than an hour before she dies.

If you’ve read the preceding with increasing disbelief, know that is the story of Nancy LaMott who died in 1995. David Friedman is the composer and conductor who produced all of LaMott’s recordings including the song “Help is on the Way” which became the anthem for San Francisco’s annual AIDS fundraising concert.

image: david friedman

Friedman continues to keep her legacy alive and has now released a two-disc DVD set of four LaMott performances from the late ‘80s recorded at Manhattan’s popular and still-running cabaret Don’t Tell Mama (middermusic.com)

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michael feinstein Fly Me To The Moon

Prolific recorder Michael Feinstein, who in recent years committed to disc a collection of Sinatra tunes and a mano-a-mano ballads set with Cheyenne Jackson, now caresses the curves of the guitar, specifically the guitar of maestro Joe Negri.

The eclectic group of languid tracks are pure songbook, brushed with jazz and lingering over Negri solos.

Porter, Cahn/Styne, Harry Warren, Harold Arlen - they’re all here and more. The pulse never rises above the gentle bossa nova of “This Time The Dream’s On Me” but it’s that kind of album. If you need to lower your blood-pressure, sit back, sip a brandy and let Feinstein take you to a quieter place. Maybe the moon. (michaelfeinstein.com)

JOYCE DIDONATO Diva Divo

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18 | Lloyd’s Garage cafedunord.com 415.861.5016 Café du Nord. Lloyd’s Garage is a local SF indie rock duo showcasing a retro-classic, blues-inspired sound.

With Blackstone Heist. ($10)

19 | Petty Theft georgesnightclub.com 877.568.2726 George’s Nightclub, San Rafael.

Tribute band shares their love of the work of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. ($15-$20)

18 | Rick Estrin & The Nightcats biscuitsandblues.com 415.292.2583 Biscuits and Blues. Delivering a powerful performance of hot west coast jump blues infused with hip jazz, rolling retro-rock riffs and sizzling guitar solos. ($20)

19 | Trapped in a Rumor 925.314.3400 The Village Theatre, Danville. Comedy Improv show. The audience will enjoy this eight-person ensemble of talented and eclectic personalities; these eight individuals have the natural ability to take a blank “canvas” and create a brilliant improv show. ($10) 19 | Rock-n-Roll Reunion sfcmt.com 800.838.3006 Palace of Fine Arts. Over 125 youth jubilantly explore SF Children’s Musical Theatre’s rollicking ‘50s and ‘60s musical review. ($15)

18 | Streep Tease gamh.com 888.233.0449 Great American Music Hall. An evening of Meryl Streep with an allmale cast, featuring Bruce Vilanch, Shawn Ryan, Tom Orr, Russ Lorenson and many more. ($25)

19 | Ronnie Laws Quartet yoshis.com 415.655.5600 Yoshi’s San Francisco. Legendary jazz/blues/funk saxophonist, Laws is a proven natural at combining the exploratory heart of jazz with the broader reaching strains of soul and pop music. ($25)

18 | Turandot wbopera.org 650.843.3900 Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto. West Bay Opera’s Peninsula premiere of Puccini’s grand last opera Turandot.

An unknown prince defies death to conquer the love of the imperial princess. ($35-$60)

19 | The Glass Menagerie thtc.org 925.283 1557 Town Hall Theatre, Lafayette.

Against the backdrop of a 1930s St. Louis tenement house a family struggles with questions of loyalty and expectation, loss and hope in this Tennessee Williams classic. ($22.50-$29.50)

18 | Working foothillmusicals.com 650.949.7360 Lohman Theatre at Foothill College.

Based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author Studs Terkel’s best-selling book of interviews with American workers and a stellar list of composers. ($13-$26)

19 | Violinist Daniel Hope & Pianist Jeffrey Kahane sfperformances.org 415.398.6449 Herbst Theatre. An energetic program that showcases Hope and Kahane’s unique interpretations of new and classic works. ($35-$60)

19 | Alexander String Quartet & Robert Greenberg sfperformances.org 415.398.6449 Herbst Theatre. Bartók and Kodály string quartet pieces. ($25-$46)

20 | Rafal Blechacz chambermusicsf.org 415.759.1756 Herbst Theatre. The gold medalist at the Warsaw Chopin Competition returns to San Francisco. ($34-$44)

image: steven underhill (bruce vilanch)

Trouser roles - women playing male characters - are a staple of Shakespeare and opera. Mezzo soprano Joyce DiDonato mines the gender bending of the latter to great success on her newest CD. Recent winner of two 2010 Gramophone Awards, DiDonato keeps it light and playful seeing the humor in the strength of the mezzo voice being called on for double duty.

The 16-track set features Kazushi Ono conducting the Orchestre et Chœur de l’Opéra National de Lyon. Selected composers include Massenet, Mozart, Gluck, Rossini, Gounod, Berlioz, Bellini and Strauss. (joycedidonato.com)

DAILY

by will schmid The tragic 2007 failure of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis serves as a backdrop and catalyst for Allison Moore’s new comedy Collapse. “There’s a very dramatic event at the core of it,” allows the playwright, “but it’s also very funny. My catchphrase is that it’s a comedy about post-traumatic stress. It’s also about denial, or the kicking and screaming loss of denial!”

In the play, Hannah is desperately trying to hold the façade of her perfect life together. Her husband mysteriously calls in sick to work day after day, they struggle with infertility, and Hannah herself is on the verge of being laid off.

“It’s about people trying to control the uncontrollable,” says Moore. “It’s like Charlie Chaplin trying to control those machines. It’s hilarious. It’s very human.”

“I’ve known of Allison for a long time and have always enjoyed her writing and her style,” says Heidt. “I love this particular play because it is very funny, which everyone thinks is absurd given the context. It’s just that the characters are so likeable and so human. You can identify with each of them and see the extreme circumstances into which they’s been pushed, which somehow makes for great comedy!”

COLLAPSE February 3 to March 6 Aurora Theatre Company 2081 Addison Street, Berkeley $10 to $55 | 510.843.4822 auroratheatre.org

image: david allen

The play was submitted to Aurora’s Global Age Project (GAP) last year. “I immediately fell in love with Collapse and was lucky to be chosen to direct that reading,” says Jessica Heidt, Artistic Director of Climate Theatre

and director of this production, which is part of a rolling world premiere being produced by National New Play Network and will include subsequent productions in Denver and Dallas.

play

COLLAPSE

bridging tragedy and humor

Carrie Paff Gabriel Marin FEBRUARY 2011 |

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DAILY 20 | Richard Cheese & Lounge Against The Machine bimbos365club.com 877.435.9849 Bimbo’s 365 Club. With his snappy jazz trio, his tiger-striped tuxedo, and his enormous microphone, Cheese presents the perfect mix of music, martini, and madcap. ($39-$60)

A BIOGRAPHICAL GUIDE TO THE GREAT JAZZ AND POP SINGERS Will Friedwald

20 | Robin Sutherland & Steven Dibner nvcm.org 415.648.5236 Holy Innocents Episcopal Church.

Noe Valley Chamber Music presents an afternoon featuring SF Symphony performers Sutherland on piano and Dibner on bassoon. ($18)

Any project purporting to summarize the greatest - or even the merely great - of anything is bound to draw commentary citing egregious omissions of this or that contender.

Will Friedwald, author of several well-respected tomes on music and co-writer of Tony Bennett’s memoir, has no doubt already received suggestions for a second edition.

Inspecting the volume at hand, Friedwald has done an amazing job of synthesizing and summarizing over 300 singers in his substantial 800page book. From Ernestine Anderson to Nancy Wilson, he assesses both the environmental factors and curricula vitae of the included artists, creating highly readable mini-biographies that are rich with scholarship, humor and affection for his subjects. (The section on Barbra Streisand begins with a quote from South Park’s Cartman!)

Friedwald is to be congratulated for creating the rarest of reference books: an extremely useful tool that also provides a most engaging and entertaining reading experience. (pantheonbooks.com) - Will Schmid

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| FEBRUARY 2011

22 | Justin Townes Earle gamh.com 888.233.0449 Great American Music Hall. 2009 Americana Music Awards’ Best New and Emerging Artist. With Dawn Landes. ($17-$42) 22 | Linkin Park hppsj.com 408.287.9200 HP Pavilion, San Jose. A Thousand Suns: World Tour 2011 ($69.50) 23 | Disney on Ice: Let’s Celebrate hppsj.com 408.287.9200 HP Pavilion, San Jose. One colossal party on ice, with all your favorite Disney friends! ($16-$75)

20 | Trace Bundy cafedunord.com 415.861.5016 Café du Nord. Bundy’s poetic music uses harmonics, looping, multiple capos, and his unique banter and stage presence deliver an unforgettable experience.

21 | Bird in Hand auroratheatre.org | 510.843.4822 Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley. Part of Aurora’s Global Age Project, Bird in Hand casts a local’s eye on what makes Miami “Cuban” and what makes a Cuban “American.” Desperate for connection, Vanessa, Susan, Gabriel and Felix all look for meaning in a city too new to be familiar to anyone. (free) 21 | The Love of Don Perlimplín and Belisa in the Garden brava.org 415.647.2822 Brava Theater Center. Federico Garcia Lorca’s lusty romp about love involving an old bachelor, a fresh virgin, and a phantom lover. See feature on page 29. ($20-$25)

23 | MTT conducts Mozart’s Requiem sfsymphony.org 415.864.6000 Davies Symphony Hall. Two sprawling works of awesome profundity Morton Feldman’s exquisite “Rothko Chapel” and Mozart’s stirring “Requiem.” ($35-$140) 23 | Adventure in Space! kennadamsadventuretheater.com 925.408.8540 Eureka Theatre. This hysterically funny, outrageously unpredictable theatrical experience uses the magic of live theater and the power of the imagination to create a brand new action-packed adventure, each and every show. ($10-$15)

images: courtesy photos (trace bundy, michael tilson thomas)

The range of artists is both diverse and impressive, covering the late and the still actively great. Woven between the obvious Sinatras and Clooneys are lesser-known but no less deserving names like Buddy Clark and Jack Teagarden. There are also entries for singers clustered by style, from crooners and torch singers to songwriters who rolled their own, so to speak.

22 | Gregory Porter yoshis.com 510.238.9200 Yoshi’s Oakland. A rising young star, Porter’s profoundly mellow, soulful style will enchant you. Celebrating the Grammy nomination for his new album ‘Water.’ ($12)

living in the shadows by robert sokol

Somewhere between the clichés of “the power behind the throne” and “a legend in his own mind” sits Norman, the title character in The Dresser.

Ronald Harwood wrote the play partly from his experience as dresser to Sir Donald Wolfit. A hit in London and on Broadway, it was filmed in 1983 with stage star Tom Courtenay reprising his Norman opposite Albert Finney’s Sir. For San Jose Repertory Theatre James Carpenter, recently seen as Scrooge at ACT, is Norman and Ken Ruta is Sir. “I saw the film many years ago and thought about watching it again,” says Carpenter, “but that’s always a double-edged sword to me. Seeing another production - particularly one that’s well done - can intimidate you or cut you off from making certain different choices with a character.”

image: san jose repertory company

Though Carpenter has never been a dresser, his wife is a costumer. “I’m probably more intimately acquainted than most actors with the joys and the pitfalls of the costume trade. I know how fantastically hard dressers work. They don’t get the gravy like we do and actors can get very selfish sometimes. It’s easy to fall into the ‘all about us’ trap and forget about the others who help make things happen. I’ve fallen prey to it myself and been thoroughly bitched out by my wife for my behavior,” he laughs.

Though they are longtime friends, it is only the third time Ruta and Carpenter have acted together.

“Ken upholds an older tradition of theatre,” says Carpenter, “and there’s something of passing the on torch in this for me. He’s one of a kind.”

drama

The Dresser

For his own role, Carpenter visualizes Norman as a Gordian Knot. “There are so many things about him and his past that drive who he is now. I think he is gay and in a community where that is accepted but never talked about, except for references to nancy boys and buggerers.

It’s that casual kind of homophobia that is extremely painful.”

Carpenter continues, “He’s damaged goods, but he functions in this theatre world. That’s why it’s so important to him and why he is so committed to keeping Sir going. If Sir should stop what would become of Norman?”

THE DRESSER February 2 to 20 San Jose Repertory Theatre 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose $17.50 to $79 | 408.367.7255 sjrep.com

James Carpenter Ken Ruta FEBRUARY 2011 |

| 37

DAILY 23 | Pendulum 415.346.6000 The Fillmore. Alternative, electrorock band hails from Western Australia. ($25) 23 | Smuin Ballet smuinballet.org 650.903.6000 Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. A world premiere by the outstanding Trey McIntyre, followed by Bluegrass/Slyde by Michael Smuin, and then Brahms/ Haydn variations. ($49-$62) 23 | The Coronas slims-sf.com 415.255.0333 Slim’s. Dublin rock band brings their high energy live show to the US for the first time as headliners. With Jamestown Revival. ($13) 23 | TJ Miller with Nick Vaterott and Mary Van Note punchlinecomedyclub.com 415.397.7573 Punch Line. With Nick Vaterott and Mary Van Note ($15-$19)

25 | Aletheia Duo oldfirstconcerts.org 415.474.1608 Old First Church. Dances Under the Silver Moon: Works Inspired by Nature for Flute and Harp, featuring Jonathan Keeble, flute and Ann Yeung, harp. ($17) 25 | Apparatus odctheater.org 415.863.9834 ODC. A witty, wild, and interactive new dance theater piece that uses the language of cinema to explore performing one’s self. ($15-$18) 25 | Death of a Salesman thepear.org 650.254.1148 Pear Avenue Theatre, Mountain View. Arthur Miller’s iconic and moving work is the heartbreaking story of an ordinary man with extraordinary, and ultimately selfdestructive, expectations. ($20-$30)

24 | Leftover Crack theeparkside.com 415.252.1330 Thee Parkside. A melange of ska, punk, crust and metal. ($12) 24 | Whitney Cummings cobbscomedy.com 415.928.4320 Cobb’s Comedy Club. LA-based comedian, actress, and writer, she appears regularly on Chelsea Lately. ($18.50-$20.50)

25 | 101 Years of Broadway ticketmaster.com 415.499.6800 Marin Center, San Rafael. Direct from the Big Apple, Neil Berg’s 101 Years of Broadway returns with a dazzling cast of five Broadway stars, accompanied by an all-star New York band. ($20-$60)

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25 | Harmony & Melody: A Celebration of Black History afrosolo.org 415.771.2376 African American Arts & Culture Complex. AfroSolo Concert Program presents baritone Lawrence Beamen (America’s Got Talent) with the Gold Coast Chamber Players. ($30) 25 | Janiva Magness biscuitsandblues.com 415.292.2583 Biscuits and Blues. Magness brings the strength, power and passion of her deeply soulful, emotionally moving music, which she sings with truth and talent. ($20)

images: courtesy photos (lawrence beamen)

24 | Writers with Attitude 142throckmortontheatre.org 415.383.9600 142 Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley. The Playwrights’ Lab presents Anything Goes, featuring eight short staged readings of the Lab’s newest works. ($15-$20)

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DAILY 25 | Private Lives dmtonline.org 510.881.6777 Douglas Morrisson Theatre, Hayward.

Noel Coward’s masterpiece of marital mayhem. ($15-$24)

26 | Hillsong United thewarfieldtheatre.com 800.745.3000 The Warfield Theatre. The youth worship team of Australia’s legendary Hillsong Church. ($35-$45)

25 | Regrets Only nctcsf.org 415.861.8972 New Conservatory Theatre Center.

Paul Rudnick’s latest comedy about Manhattan manners explores the latest topics in marriage, friendships, and squandered riches. ($24-$29)

26 | JGB & Melvin Seals gamh.com 888.233.0449 Great American Music Hall. Melvin and JGB bring an intuitive, expressive style, soul, spontaneity and remarkable chops to the table. ($25-$50)

25 | Solas thefreight.org 510.644.2020 The Freight and Salvage, Berkeley.

A traditional and contemporary Irish music ensemble. ($26.50-$28.50)

26 | Jonathan Poretz therrazzroom.com 800.380.3095 The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko.

Backed by a jazz and swing-infused trio, Poretz delivers an intimate, afterhours atmosphere. See sidebar. ($25)

25 | Swan Lake balletsj.org 408-288-2800 San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. Ballet San Jose presents what many consider to be the crown jewel of classical ballet. It’s big. It’s beautiful. It’s legendary. ($30-$100)

A singer since his teens, Jonathan Poretz has cultivated a smooth jazz style that is reminiscent of a Mel Tormé, Tony Bennett or Bobby Darin. He;s a regular at major venues around the country and has appeared as Frank Sinatra in Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey & Dean (The Rat Pack) in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Boston and Memphis.

Poretz serves up the best of his lounge vibe with a series of swinging late-night, last-Saturdayof-the-month sessions from now through June. Accompanied by his jazz and swing trio, Poretz promises the hour and the ambience will offer downtown revelers with a cool, retro way to wind down an evening. San Francisco being what it is, you never know who might show up for a guest spot. (jonathanporetz.com) -Chris René

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| FEBRUARY 2011

25 | Wesla Whitfield busbarn.org 650.941.0551 Bus Barn Theater, Los Altos. Trained in classical music and opera, Whitfield breathes life into the Great American songbook. Includes a postshow reception. ($35) 26 | A Night in Havana marinjcc.org 415.444.8000 Ricardo Lemvo and Making Loca bring great Afro-Cuban beats to headline this exciting benefit for the Osher Marin JCC. ($45-$125) 26 | Broadway Salutes Bernstein & Sondheim wellsfargocenterarts.org 707.546.3600 Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa. Featuring two Broadway stars and the Santa Rosa Symphony led by Michael Berkowitz. ($32-$75) 26 | Ellis Wood: MOM fortmason.org 917.499.2899 Southside Theater, Fort Mason. In MOM, Wood juxtaposes music, video, and dance, embodying a deeply felt experience that relates in some way to every woman and man. ($20)

26 | Junius Courtney Big Band thefreight.org 510.644.2020 The Freight and Salvage, Berkeley.

CD release and dance party with vocalist Denise Perrier in honor of Black History Month. ($18.50-$20.50) 26 | Orphée cityboxoffice.com 415.392.4400 Herbst Theatre. SF Conservatory of Music’s Ensemble Parallèle presents a Philip Glass musical based upon Jean Cocteau’s screenplay. ($25-$85) 26 | Paris Guitar Duo omniconcerts.com 415.392.4400 Green Room at the War Memorial.

Judicaël Perroy and Jérémy Jouvemet met in Paris, where they decided to form a duet. Their repertoire goes from Baroque to contemporary music. ($34)

images: peter maiden (jonathan poretz), all others - courtesy photos (perrier/courtney)

JONATHAN PORETZ February 26 | 10:20 pm Rrazz Room 222 Mason Street, SF $25 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com

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DAILY 26 | The 85’s ranchonicasio.com 415.662.2219 Rancho Nicasio, Marin. What you get with the 85’s is the most straight up rockin’ cool tunes that came out of the 80’s! ($10-$12) 27 | Chamber Music at the Legion of Honor sfsymphony.org 415.864.6000 Davies Symphony Hall. SFS’s program begins with Mozart’s devilish “G Minor Piano Quartet” and concludes with the sunny “C Major Piano Trio” of Johannes Brahms. ($49) 27 | Glassjaw theregencyballroom.com 415.673.5716 The Regency Ballroom. Long Island, progressive hardcore band. ($22.50)

Former Bay Area busker, recording artist and general all-round chanteuse with the Dutch corporate name, singer Sony Holland pulled a geographic to Southern California last year. However, like so many singers, she left part of her heart here and returns to visit often.

Holland is a smoked honey-voiced jazz baby with and underlay of ache and break in her smoothly passionate vocals. On stage and on CD, as evidenced by her recent “Sanssouci” disc, she likes to mix up the standards with new tunes, some by her husband Jerry Holland, with whom she often performs.

Grab this chance to reconnect with Holland. She promises an all-new show that will be “awesome as heck!” (sonyholland.com) -Chris René

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| FEBRUARY 2011

27 | John Reischman & The Jaybirds ranchonicasio.com 415.662.2219 Rancho Nicasio, Marin. Debuting at the Rancho with special guests Roland White and Keith Little. ($18-$20) 27 | Rags willowstheatre.com 925.798.1300 Campbell Theatre, Martinez.

Willows Theatre Company presents this epic musical which tells the story of a naive Russian immigrant with lyrics by Tony award winner Stephen Schwartz. ($17-$32) 27 | Sh*t My Dad Says jccsf.org/arts 415.292.1233 Jewish Community Center SF. Comedy writer Justin Halpern in conversation with JCCSF’s The Hub’s Dan Wolf. Followed by Conspiracy of Beards, a 30-man choir offering gritty, original arrangements of the songs of Leonard Cohen. ($20-$25)

27 | Sony Holland therrazzroom.com 800.380.3095 The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko.

Performing with guitarist/husband Jerry Holland, See sidebar. ($25) 27 | Thomas Pandolfi oldfirstconcerts.org 415.474.1608 Old First Church. This brilliant, young American pianist will perform a unique and exciting all Gershwin program. ($17)

27 | Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic sfsymphony.org 415.864.6000 Davies Symphony Hall. Presenting “The Miracle Symphony of Joseph Haydn” and the profound “Fifth Symphony” of Gustav Mahler. ($15-$200) 28 | Our Practical Heaven auroratheatre.org 510.843.4822 Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley.

Part of Aurora’s Global Age Project, Our Practical Heaven features three generations who gather over three holidays in a home none of them expects to long survive the rising sea. (free) 28 | B.O.O.B.S Defying Gravity therrazzroom.com 800.380.3095 The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko.

Leanne Borghesi, Jessica Coker and Soila Hughes bring on an evening of harmonies, shimmy shakin’ talent and a variety of music to tantalize. ($20)

images: terry dudle (sony holland), all others - courtesy photos (jaybirds, zubin mehta)

SONY HOLLAND February 27 | 3:00 pm Rrazz Room 222 Mason Street, SF $25 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com

27 | Shana Morrison therrazzroom.com 800.380.3095 The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko.

29-year-old singer/songwriter and daughter of Van Morrison, Shana celebrates the the release of her new album “Joyride.” ($20-$25)

BACK Kevin Kent, Kari Podgorski, Tobias Larsson and Kristin Clayton from the cast of License to Kiss II at Teatro ZinZanni

Zach Braff at the Castro Theatre

image: via media

image: steven underhill

Paige Rogers and Rob Melrose at the Cutting Ball Theatre

Paula West, Wesla Whitfield and Amanda King at the Rrazz Room

image: via media

image: via media

Freddie Pool, Valerie Holiday and Helen Scott of The Three Degrees

Mads Tolling at the Hotel Nikko

image: via media

image: via media

Martha Reeves at the Rrazz Room

Sarah Savage, Nick Olivero and Michelle Ianiro from the cast of CLUE at the Boxcar Theatre

image: via media

image: via media

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