BAYSTAGES | 2011.08 - August by VIA MEDIA / BAYSTAGES

AUGUST 2011 | Celebrating Live Performing Arts in SF and Beyond!

[THE PERFORMERS]

MARIA BAMFORD = Punchline

JOVELYN RICHARDS = La Peña Cultural Center

[THE SHOWS]

SWEENEY TODD = Berkeley Playhouse

THE NATURE LINE = Phoenix Theatre

PEACHES EN REGALIA = StageWerx

[THE LATEST]

JOAN RIVERS BOOM! MARK WINKLER THE TRUMPET OF THE SWAN HELP IS ON THE WAY

AFROSOLO FUENTE DEL SOÑAR OUTSIDE LANDS FESTIVAL

[THE COVER]

Henson Alternative

STUFFED & UNSTRUNG = Curran Theatre

ALSO: EVIL DEAD | THE MOST HAPPY FELLA | THE FINAL SCENE

the

room At H o t e l N i k k o S f

SAN frANciSco’S Premier NigHtclub

August 1

RUSS LORENSON

CelebrAtes tony bennett’s 85th birthdAy!

August 8

MaRia VOLONtE

blue tAngo tour

August 22 & 23

KatYa SMiRNOFFSKYY

...bACk in the ussr, A VoyAge into the beAtles song book

August 28 - 30

PEtER aSHER

August 2 - 14

tHE KiNSEY SiCKS

greatestits

August 18 - 21

BOBBY CaLDWELL

the blue-eyed soul Crooner is bACk

August 24 - 28

JERRY

“tHE iCEMaN”

BUtLER

only the strong surViVe

August 31 - sep 17

FeAturing the MusiC oF peter & gordon

sepeMber 20 - oCtober 1 rrAzz rooM Very speCiAl ConCert eVent

JUDY COLLiNS

rAre sAn FrAnCisCo Club AppeArAnCe

222 mason Street, San francisco, cA 94102

Grand Piano courtesy of Baldwin

800-380-3095 • www.TheRrazzRoom.com

editor ROBERT SOKOL editor@baystages.com

THE STAGES MUSICAL | Evil Dead.................................................................... 2 PUPPET | Stuffed & Unstrung...................................................... 5 STAND-UP | Maria Bamford........................................................ 7 DANCE | Sharing The Season...................................................... 9 COMEDY | The Final Scene........................................................11 MUSICAL | The Most Happy Fella.............................................13 STORYTELLER | Mrs. Pat’s House.............................................15 FLAMENCO | Fuente Del Soñar.................................................17 FESTIVAL | AfroSolo Arts...........................................................19 PLAY | The Nature Line...............................................................21 MUSIC | Outside Lands Festival................................................23 PLAY | Peaches En Regalia.........................................................25 YOUTH | Sweeney Todd..............................................................27 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. BAYSTAGES is published monthly by VIA MEDIA, a division of Caselli Partners LLC. All content not attributed to an author is compiled by BAYSTAGES staff from press releases and other sources. No guarantee is given for the validity of this data. Information is subject to change without notice.

publisher RON WILLIS publisher@baystages.com design VIA MEDIA design@viamedia.net contributing writers KEN BULLOCK GRIER COOPER NICOLE GLUCKSTERN LILY JANIAK CHRIS RENÉ ROBERT SOKOL DAVID TEMPLETON ELIZABETH WARNIMONT LEE WALKER KEVIN YOUNG Writers may submit resumes and samples to editor@baystages.com for consideration.

contributing photographers DREW ALTIZER dana constance PAT JOHNSON ROBERT SOKOL STEVEN UNDERHILL cover image BRIAN HENSON

image: carol rosegg All other photos are provided by the artists or venues and credits are noted where provided.

Emily Jordan

advertising sales THOM WARD RON WILLIS 415.552.8040 advertise@baystages.com distribution JUAN RAMIREZ If you need additional copies or would like to become a distribution point for BAYSTAGES please call our office. PDF copies of individual articles are available upon request. Press releases and promotional materials may be sent to:

thisjustin@baystages.com

image: john western

or mailed to:

CYMBELINE August 6 to 7 | Amador Valley Community Park, Pleasanton August 13 to 28 | Memorial Park Amphitheater, Cupertino September 3 to 25 | Presidio Main Post, San Francisco FREE | sfshakes.org

BAYSTAGES 780 sutter street SF, ca 94109 p: 415.552.8040 f: 415.869.3700

AUGUST 2011 |

MUSICAL

EVIL DEAD

when the spit hits the fans in the splatter zone by elizabeth warnimont What do you offer to justify a revival of a camp musical just one year after you last produced it? “Blood cannons,” says Willows Theatre artistic director Eric Inman, referring to the special effects that will literally bring the action into the audience. For those brave enough to check it out, the theater provides ponchos to protect them from the trajectory of faux bodily fluids (a hazard limited to the designated “splatter zone”). “We wanted to re-engage the younger base, the 18-30 set, but also the 30-50 range. We were looking for something that would appeal to both.” Evil Dead: The Musical, based on the cult films by Sam Raimi, seemed to fit the bill and the show has amassed an impressive following. Theatergoers this season can expect to hear Rocky Horror style participation from returning patrons. “This one guy came up to us after the show and showed us his back,” recalls Willows costume designer Sarah Rozett. “He had the [third and final Evil Dead film] Army of Darkness logo tattooed across it,” she says. “People stand up and try to get hit with the blood!” she adds incredulously. Themed cocktails including the ever-popular Evil Tang will again be served and no one under 13 will be admitted without a parent.

Michael Scott Wells Meghan Ihle Clare McNulty

“We’re calling it a sort of third coming,” Inman says, divulging that there will be “fresh perspectives and re-worked moments” from the last run. “We’re exploring the camp a little bit more.”

| AUGUST 2011

images: judy potter

EVIL DEAD August 18 to September 10 Campbell Theatre 636 Ward Street, Martinez $30 to $35 | 925.798.1300 willowstheatre.com

view from the editor In their ode to the Big Apple, John Kander and Fred Ebb suggest that if you can “make it there” you can “make it anywhere.” There are those in the Bay Area who might disagree with that sentiment. In this issue, playwright Steve Lyons notes that it’s hard to get your play read if the envelope does not have a New York return address. So naturally he’s excited about what Laylah Muran and Morgan Ludlow are doing with Wily West Productions which is only producing plays by Bay Area writers like Lyons and his Peaches En Regalia. The production is the next step in the play’s evolution and such an opportunity for project development is golden to creative folks. Last month composer Christopher Winslow experienced the plateau of having his show OMFG! The Internet Dating Musical run for three weekends, the culmination of a three-year Artist in Residence program at ODC Theatre. He can now assess how the piece plays and what changes - if any - might be needed for future productions. North Bay playwright Gene Abrayava is as giddy as Lyons that the Santa Rosa production of his The Final Scene contradicts its title by opening this month at

Thick House in San Francisco, and if you hurry you can catch local actor Michelle Ianiro’s promising debut as a playwright with Abigail Dreary at Boxcar Theatre. These examples are all theatre-based, but the principle applies equally to dance, music, comedy and all other performance disciplines. New moves, new scenes, new jokes and new songs are crucial to our continued cultural growth, and the grass is not necessarily greener - or more potent - in a distant backyard. It’s fun to sample imported goods, but it’s essential to savor and nurture what’s growing right here around us. Our mission at BAYSTAGES is to help you, the visiting or resident performing arts patron, do just that. Our pages - both printed and digital - are designed to help you explore the wealth of creative energy down the street, over the hill or across one of our many bridges. Let us be your guide.

ROBERT SOKOL, editor

image: via media

From left to right: Calia Johnson, Juliet Heller, Reggie White and composer Christopher Winslow above Jackson Davis and Cindy Goldfield on opening night of OMFG! The Internet Dating Musical.

AUGUST AUGUST2011 2011 ||

CLOSING SHOWS 06 | Abigail Dreary

Boxcar Playhouse | SF $25 | 415.776.1747 boxcartheatre.org

Abbey is the kind of girl who gets what she wants and what she wants is Nicholas. Beware, Nicholas! 06 | Korczak’s Children

Hastings Studio A.C.T. | SF $10 | 415.749.2228 act-sf.org

A.C.T. Young Conservatory tells of a pediatrician heading a Jewish orphanage during WWII-era Warsaw. 07 | Don Reed – East 14th

Marsh | Berkeley $20-$35 | 800.838.3006 themarsh.org

“Tales of a Reluctant Player” about a God-fearing church boy who wanted to be like dear old dad. 07 | Aida

Montgomery Theatre | SJ $15-$18 | 408.792.4111 cmtsj.org

Elton John’s tale of the timeless bond between an enslaved Nubian princess and an Egyptian soldier. 13 | Not a Genuine Black Man

Marsh | Berkeley $25-$50 | 800.838.3006 themarsh.org

Brian Copeland’s ongoing monologue about race and more explores how surroundings make us who we are.

DAILY The following listings are compiled from a wide variety of sources including 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. 01 | Russ Lorenson Rrazz Room | SF $30 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com The best is yet to come as Russ Lorenson celebrates Tony Bennett’s 85th Birthday! 01 | Maria Bamford Punch Line | SF $22.50 | 800.745.3000 punchlinecomedyclub.com An off-kilter performer who bares her slightly-less-than-sane soul. Guests: Robert Mac & Nato Green. (Ends 8/3) 02 | Real Estate Independent | SF $15 | 415.771.1421 theindependentsf.com Real Estate, indie-pop band from NJ, with Dominant Legs & Melted Toys. 02 | The Kinsey Sicks Rrazz Room | SF $35-$40 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com America’s Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet, assault all the senses in their musical show, GreatesTits! (Ends 8/14) 03 | Kiss Me, Kate 6th Street Playhouse | Santa Rosa $15-$35 | 707.523.4185 6thstreetplayhouse.com Tuneful battle of the sexes mixing Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” and a Cole Porter score. (Ends 9/4)

13 | Fly By Night

Lucie Stern Theater | Palo Alto $22-$47 | 650.463.1960 theatreworks.org The promise of change begets anxiety, hope, devastation & delight in this musical by Kim Rosenstock.

| AUGUST 2011

04 | A Midsummer Night’s Dream Steve Silver Theatre | SF $10-$15 | No Calls bathwater.org Using imaginative acrobatics, the production will imbue Shakespeare’s famous woods with magic. (Ends 8/20)

04 | Harland Williams Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $18.50-$20.50 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com Williams is the rare comic artist who has managed to master both stand-up and sketch comedy. (Ends 8/7) 04 | Peaches en Regalia Stage Werx | SF $18-$24 | 415.302.9182 wilywestproductions.com A peach dish at Doug’s Diner changes the lives of four angst-ridden urbanites in this award-winner. (Ends 8/27) 04 | Tornado Rider Great American Music Hall | SF $14 | 415.885.0750 gamh.com Wild Animal rock with electric cello, bass and drums. Guests: The Phenomenauts, Judgement Day. 05 | A Servant of Two Masters Dance Palace Community Center | Point Reyes Station Free | 415.663.1075 dancepalace.org A cross between traditional Italian commedia and postmodern vaudeville from the teen theater group. (Ends 8/14) 05 | New Monsoon: A Celebration of Life and Song Great American Music Hall | SF $15 | 415.885.0750 gamh.com Representing the best of the SF Jam Scene. Late night set from New Monsoonageddon.

images: mark kitaoka (fly by night - kristin stokes)

03 | Laff Lounge Improv Comedy Club | San Jose $10 | 800.838.3006 sfcomedycollege.com Monthly showcase helps you forget your troubles for an hour and a half.

04 | Greg Proops Punch Line | SF $15 | 800.745.3000 punchlinecomedyclub.com Best known for his appearances on “Whose Line is it Anyway?” Guests: Robert Mac & Janine Brito. (Ends 8/6)

PUPPET

STUFFED & UNSTRUNG

sf sketchfest expands the laughter by robert sokol

After ten years of dousing holiday season postpartum with laughter, the SF Sketchfest folks are now offering mid-year mirth with Summer Nights. “Of course we’re still exhausted from January,” says Janet Varney, one of Sketchfest’s founding troika, “but that’s just a small downside to being a comedy addict.” Varney calls the August events “a combination of wanting to do a little summer something along with a pinch of kismet, because the dates of several separate pursuits happened to work perfectly together within the same block of time.” That includes appearances by Reggie Watts, Andy Pardo , Kasper Hauser and the folks from MST3K. A departure for the usual one or two night festival bookings is a two-week run of Stuffed & Unstrung, the adult-themed evening with 80 Henson puppets, host Patrick Bristow, and six comedian puppeteers playing to cameras which broadcast their antics to large on-stage screens. “It is a proper improv comedy show...,” says creator Brian Henson, adding, “just with puppets! Watching the puppeteers is actually almost as much fun as watching the puppets. People often say they want to see the show again because they feel there’s something they might have missed switching from one to the other.” Something Henson hasn’t missed is seeing how readily people respond to puppets. “You are accessing your audience at a deeper level. They are wide open. With actors on a stage, your audience is still making all of the assumptions they do in everyday life. They look at skin color, the way you’re dressed, your size...all sorts of assumptions. With puppets, the audience is open. It doesn’t matter how cynical they might be as adults, they’re open like a child. As a result, you can talk more directly to them.“

image: carol rosegg

There’s also the Henson Company trait of being “very irreverent about the puppets. We’ll pull its arm off or blow it up if that’s the punch line. So we’re making fun of our art form while we’re doing it. My Dad used to call what we do intelligent nonsense.“ STUFFED & UNSTRUNG August 18 to 27 Curran Theatre 445 Geary Street, SF $30 to $65 | 888.746.1799 sfsketchfest.com AUGUST 2011 |

CLOSING SHOWS 13 | Left-Handed Darling

DAILY

EXIT Stage Left | SF $20-$30 | 800.838.3006 theexit.org

06 | Cabaret Lunatique Teatro ZinZanni | SF $25-$35 | 415.438.2668 cabaretlunatique.org Share “peace and love” in “Celebrate Haight-Ashbury.”

13 | Country Club Catastrophe

06 | Dredg Great American Music Hall | SF $20 | 415.885.0750 gamh.com Dredg shows their progression as they approach the release of their 5th album.

Centers on the unusual upbringing of Calliope Darling, and her unique definition of beauty. (Ends 8/13)

EXIT Theatre | SF $20 | 800.838.3006 theexit.org

Set in a country club with only zany, wealthy patrons and the hired help who cater to their needs. 14 | Macbeth

Forest Meadows Amphitheatre $20-$35 | 415.499.4488 marinshakespeare.org

Murder, remorse and madness stalk this bloody story of ambition and fate directed by Lesley Currier. 14 | Seussical!

Julia Morgan Center | Berkeley $15-$33 | 510.845.8542 berkeleyplayhouse.org The musical brings to life all of your favorite Dr. Seuss characters including Horton the Elephant. 14 | Table Manners

Ross Valley Players | Ross $15-$25 | 800.838.3006 rossvalleyplayers.com

The first in Alan Ayckbourn’s trilogy “The Norman Conquests” 14 | Curtains

Foothill College | Los Altos Hills $13-$26 | 650.949.7360 foothill.edu Set in 1959, a detective with a secret affinity for musicals investigates a murder at a theatre.

20 | Act One, Scene Two

SF Playhouse (Stage 2) | SF $10-$20 | 800.380.3095 un-scripted.com Each show begins with a scripted scene; then the cast seamlessly finishes the play - un-scripted.

20 | Communicating Doors

Live Oak Theater | Berkeley $12-$15 | 800.838.3006 aeofberkeley.org What if a connecting door didn’t go to the next room but took you somewhere else in time instead?

| AUGUST 2011

06 | Wall Street: A High Energy Dance Party George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $13-$18 | 800.380.3095 georgesnightclub.com The eight-piece multi-ethnic band combines Motown, R&B, jazz, soul, and more! 06 | African Music Night Osher Marin JCC | San Rafael $20-$25 | 415.444.8000 marinjcc.org Featuring Zimbabwe-native and passionate band leader Thomas Mapfumo and The Blacks Unlimited. 06 | AfroSolo • A Concert for Peace Yerba Buena Gardens | SF afrosolo.org Jerome Clay & the Jerome Clay Ensemble with special guest vocalist Gaylyn Arnold and Ranzel Merritt. 06 | Alla Zingarese Menlo-Atherton PAC | Atherton $55-$65 | 650.331.0202 musicatmenlo.org Music@Menlo featuring works inspired by gypsy folk music by Brahms, Haydn and others. 06 | EELS Great American Music Hall | SF $28 | 415.885.0750 gamh.com Winding down their 2011 World Tour, with special guests The Submarines. 06 | Gerardo Ortiz Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $30-$100 | 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org Popular singer/songwriter from Mexico. 06 | Andy Warhol: Good for the Jews? Napa Valley Opera House | Napa $25-$136 | 707.226.7372 nvoh.org A brilliant monologist, Josh is like an cross between Spalding Gray, Woody Allen and Eric Bogosian.

06 | Mickey Hart Band Independent | SF $30 | 415.771.1421 theindependentsf.com Grammy winning drummer of the Grateful Dead, composer Mickey Hart delivers promising world music. 06 | Moenia Fillmore | SF $30 | 415.346.6000 thefillmore.com Latin pop/rock/electronica band comes to the Fillmore. 06 | Oak Hill Benefit Café Du Nord | SF $10 | 866.468.3399 cafedunord.com Cast of Thousands, Kindness & Lies, & Tremor Low perform to raise funds for school for the autistic. 06 | Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo Mountain Winery | Saratoga $39.50-$99.50 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com Joined onstage in Saratoga by Dennis DeYoung: the music of Styx. 06 | SF Jug Band Festival Cyprian’s | SF $15 | No Calls liveatcyprians.blogspot.com Bebo White & the California Jug Band Association in a benefit for St. Cyprian’s. 06 | Tempest Mitchell Park | Palo Alto Free | No Calls cityofpaloalto.org Palo Alto’s free 2011 Twilight Concert Series. 06 | The Folk Collection Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 866.468.3399 thefreight.org Singing the classic songs of the 60’s folk era, in three-part harmony. 06 | The Most Happy Fella Lesher Center | Walnut Creek $49-$100 | 925.943.7469 festivalopera.org Frank Loesser’s celebration of Napa Valley includes “Joey, Joey, Joey” and “Standin’ on the Corner.” (Ends 8/14) 06 | The Unauthorized Rolling Stones Club Fox | Redwood City $13-$15 | 650.369.7770 foxrwc.com Stones tribute band. Opening the show: Heavy Petty, Tom Petty tribute band.

comedy is all in the family

by kevin young & lee walker Maria Bamford started performing at the tender age of 11, when she starred in the Chester Park Elementary production of How the West Was REALLY Won! Things have picked up significantly for the former Duluthian since then. “I’m not sure sometimes why people enjoy my act, but I enjoy it,” says Bamford, who has been performing stand up for 20 years. Her observational comedy and surreal humor often involve vocal characterizations, which range from a child-like voice to impressions of the multiple dysfunctional people in her life including her mother and sister. “There seems to be more openness,” say Bamford about her subject matter. “I like talking about really personal topics. The darker more negative stuff, which I think is realistic. I myself have been hospitalized for depression, so I think it’s pretty funny, and also I think there’s some value in talking about that stuff. It helps me to hear people laugh about that stuff, so it’s sort of self-serving.”

The first female comic to have two half-hour Comedy Central Presents specials, Bamford’s credits also include numerous late-night television appearances, and recurring voiceover work on Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and the Disney Channel. She’s released a CD Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome - and has written for The Onion and LA Weekly. She is probably best known as the intense shopper featured in two years of Target’s black Friday commercial campaign which became popular on the internet.

stand-up

MARIA BAMFORD

MARIA BAMFORD August 1 to 3 | 8:00 pm Punch Line 444 Battery Street, SF $22.50 | 415.397.7573 punchlinecomedyclub.com

image: susan maljan

Bamford says her family is extremely funny, and eventually didn’t mind being made fun of on national television. She admits that wasn’t easy at first. “They were really supportive and very gracious because it’s hard to watch a clownish caricature of yourself.”

AUGUST 2011 |

CLOSING SHOWS 20 | Rent

Mel Mello Center | Half Moon Bay $15-$30 | 650.569.3266 coastalrep.com

Jonathan Larson’s Tony and Pulitzerprize winning Broadway musical based loosely on La Boheme. 21 | Billy Elliot

Orpheum Theatre | SF $55-$200 | 888.746.1799 shnsf.com

A young boy from a poor neighborhood dreams of becoming a dancer in this Elton John musical. 21 | A Streetcar Named Desire

Dragon Theatre | Palo Alto $15-$25 | 800.838.3006 dragonproductions.net

Dragon tells its own story of this winning classic about pretense and violence by Tennessee Williams. 25 | Joshua Walters: Madhouse Rhythm

Marsh | Berkeley $15-$50 | 415.641.0235 themarsh.org

Walters’ Madhouse Rhythm is a very personal account of turning mental illness into mental skillness. 27 | Strange Travel Suggestions

Marsh | Berkeley $20-$50 | 415.641.0235 themarsh.org

Oakland-based Jeff Greenwald brings the audience members into this improvisational adventure. 28 | Nine

City Lights Theater | San Jose $15-$40 | 408.295.4200 cltc.org

Musical of Fellini’s 8 1/2. An Italian director has a mid-life crisis amid the women in his life. 28 | Reduction In Force

Berkeley City Club | Berkeley $25 | 800.838.3006 centralworks.org A new “economic” comedy about back-stabbing and survival of the sneakiest. (Ends 8/28) 28 | Greater Tuna

Altarena Playhouse | Alameda $19-$22 | 510.523.1553 altarena.org Welcome to the “third smallest town in Texas”, where the Lions Club is too liberal. (Ends 8/28)

| AUGUST 2011

DAILY 06 | Town Hall Kids Comedy Town Hall Theatre | Lafayette $22.50 | 925.283.1557 thtc.org Crisis Hopkins hosts the Rising Stars of Town Hall Kids in this comedy benefit for Town Hall.

07 | Eliane Lust: Yankee Doodles Piedmont Piano Company | Oakland $15 | 510.547.8188 piedmontpiano.com Great American piano classics by Joplin, Gershwin and others, plus new tangos for piano by Pender.

06 | Wall of Blues Mildred Owen Concert Hall | Pacifica $20 | 650.355.188 pacificaperformances.org 6-piece band plays classic blues, rock, R&B, and soul.

07 | Marcia Ball Rancho Nicasio | Nicasio $25 | 415.662.2219 ranchonicasio.com Louisiana-raised pianist/singer brings her rollicking blues back to the Rancho for BBQ on the lawn.

07 | A Midsummer Night’s Dream Rengstorff House | Mountain View Free | No Calls womanswill.org Bring a picnic, bring wine, share laughs with your friends and family, and partake of Shakespeare. 07 | Aaron Neville Stern Grove | SF Free | No Calls sterngrove.org Quinn Deveaux and the Blue Beat Revue open the afternoon as part of the Stern Grove Festival. 07 | AfroSolo • Rich Fertile Soil Southside Theatre | SF Free | No Calls afrosolo.org Exploring an African American woman’s bond to family, farming, and the entrepreneurial spirit. 07 | AfroSolo • Simplexity Fort Mason Firehouse | SF Free | No Calls afrosolo.org A blend of soulful, sensual, and spiritual poetry with new-age spoken word poet Joel A. Brown. 07 | The Beach Boys Mountain Winery | Saratoga $35-$89.50 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com Legendary California Rock band comes to Saratoga’s outdoor amphitheater. 07 | Baraka Moon Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center | Berkeley $15 | 866.468.3399 ashkenaz.com Sukhawat Ali Khan on vocals & harmonium, Stephen Kent on didgeridoo & Geoffrey Gordon on percussion.

07 | Peter Frampton Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $45-$85 | 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org Grammy-winning artist begins his world tour with highlights from his albums including “Fingerprints”ˇ 07 | Stevie Coyle Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 866.468.3399 thefreight.org Imaginative, musically fearless singersongwriter. 07 | The Road to Hades John Hinkel Park | Berkeley $10 | 510.841.6500 shotgunplayers.org Shotgun Players present (Ends 9/11) 07 | Turtle Island String Quartet Yoshi’s - San Francisco | SF $28 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Innovative, Grammy-winning string quartet. 08 | Janine and Emily’s Girl Talk Punch Line | SF $19 | 800.745.3000 punchlinecomedyclub.com Return engagement for femme comics. 08 | Maria Volante: BLUE TANGO Tour Rrazz Room | SF $29.50-$ | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com An exploration of the deep bond that joins tango and the blues. Numerous award-winning CDs! 08 | David Shifrin Menlo-Atherton PAC | Atherton $55-$65 | 650.331.0202 musicatmenlo.org Music@Menlo concert featuring clarinet works by Brahms and Max Bruch.

by grier cooper Seasoned virtuosity meets pop-infused freshness as Labayen Dance/SF and The DanceWright Project share the stage this summer to premiere their new works. Labayen’s newest offering, entitled Flood Plain Series #3: “...hold me, neighbor, in this storm...” is part of a series inspired by Eastern European traditional and contemporary music that takes a hard look at the social and political issues of that part of the world. Jamie Wright’s Divine Journey is a narrative of an archangel who comes to earth to experience humanity, taking a cue from the 1980s German neo-expressionist film Inferno. The story is told in a multilingual dance vocabulary that draws from ballet, modern, hip-hop and pedestrian styles set to an electronica score. The world premiere of Danzon features live music by Chris Tozzi. The newest work from Victor Talledos, which explores the role Mexican women play in society, completes the program.

Past works have included En-Gulfed, a commentary on the BP oil spill, and Two Barres, A Man and the Plague: The Sad Truth, an examination of the way society tackles palliative care, death and dying. “My Terpsichorean muses, my racial make-up and my spiritual beliefs inspire and guide me in creating new dances,” says the Philippines-born choreographer. “I love to see the dancers discover and explore the movement to find truth, honesty, themselves and their ‘other self’ in the work. Therefore, my story is kinesthetically retold by the artists’ own point of view.” The DanceWright Project & Labayen Dance/SF August 5 to 7 Dance Mission Theater 3316 24th Street, SF $18 to 20 | 800.838.3006 enricolabayen.com dancewright.com

image: weidong yang

“Most of my works are a sort of choreographic, semi-autobiographical diary that reflects my state of mind and the state of the world that I live in,” says choreographer Enrico Labayen of Labayen Dance/SF. He has created over 120 pieces since 1991, many of which have been critically acclaimed as lush, exuberant, thoughtful, full of dramatic imagery and visual poetry.

“I create when I have something important to say that cannot be expressed in words - human, social environmental and political conditions, man’s inhumanity to man, inequality in all forms and the way humans relate to each other at large” are inspirations.

DANCE

SHARING THE SEASON

the dancewright project & labayen dance/sf

AUGUST 2011 |

ONGOING SHOWS

DAILY 08 | Frank Fairfield Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 866.468.3399 thefreight.org fiddle/banjo phenom and his ancient gramophone sound. 08 | The Fantasticks Willows Theatre | Concord $20-$32 | 800.380.3095 willowstheatre.com A young man and the girl next door, whose parents keep them apart. (Ends 9/4)

ABSOLUTELY SAN FRANCISCO

Alcove Theatre | SF $32-$50 | 415.922.8168 absolutelysanfrancisco.com

Anne Doherty’s one-woman musical dramedy about life, love and the San Francisco experience. Beach Blanet Babylon

Club Fugazi | SF $25-$130 | 415.421.4222 beachblanketbabylon.com

Big City Improv

09 | Imelda May Independent | SF $20 | 415.771.1421 theindependentsf.com Dublin-born, this rockabilly/surf guitar fusion bomb rocks the blues!

4 years running - every scene is based upon the suggestions shouted out by the audience.

09 | Kenny Neal Yoshi’s | Oakland $10-$20 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Gumbo of swamp-boogie, jazz, R&B, and straight-ahead blues. (Ends 8/10)

Long-running revue that skewers news an pop culture with songs, dances and outrageously big hats.

Shelton Theater | SF $20 | 866.468.3399 sheltontheater.com

Marga’s Funny Mondays

Comedy and variety showcase featuring a changing line-up of jokesters, hosted by Marga Gomez. Secret Improv Society

Shelton Theater | SF $15 | 866.468.3399 sheltontheater.com

Creating characters, stories, scenes, and songs on the spot based on audience suggestions. Shopping! The Musical

Shelton Theater | SF $27-$29 | 800.838.3006 sheltontheater.com

An original musical revue written and directed by Morris Bobrow about everyone’s favorite pastime.

10 |

| AUGUST 2011

09 | Peter Frampton Wente Vineyards | Livermore $79-$129 | 800.745.3000 wentevineyards.comconcerts Still rocking after decades. 09 | Timothy Bloom Café Du Nord | SF $12 | 866.468.3399 cafedunord.com Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Bloom showcases his solo work. 10 | Bryan Callen Punch Line | SF $15 | 800.745.3000 punchlinecomedyclub.com Callen made his TV debut as a series regular on “MADtv.” (Ends 8/13) 10 | Jesse Colin Young George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $29.50-$35.00 | 800.380.3095 georgesnightclub.com Solo artist from “The Youngbloods” and lead vocalist of “Get Together.”

10 | Candida Bruns Memorial Amphitheater | Orinda $ | 510.548.9666 calshakes.org Who will Candida choose? Her middleaged clergyman husband or a young poet hoping to whisk her away. (Ends 9/4) 10 | Gin Blossoms Yoshi’s - San Francisco | SF $28 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Celebrating 20 years since their debut and the recent launch of their new album, “No Chocolate Cake. 10 | Laurence Juber 142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $20-$23 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org Two-time Grammy-winner and former lead guitarist for Paul McCartney’s Wings fuses folk, jazz, pop +. 10 | Menahem Pressler Menlo-Atherton PAC | Atherton $55-$65 | 650.331.0202 musicatmenlo.org Music@Menlo featuring works by Faure, Dvorak, Schumann, Chpoin and Debussy. 10 | The Blah Boutique Rickshaw Stop | SF $10 | 415.861.2011 rickshawstop.com Joined by Love Axe, Genius & the Thieves. 10 | The Final Scene Thick House | SF $25 | 800.838.3006 the-final-scene.com The ratings for “The Promising Dawn,” a long running soap, are slipping and it’s time for a change! (Ends 9/4) 10 | Willie Barcena Rooster T. Feathers | Sunnyvale $12 | 408.736.0921 roostertfeathers.com Veteran comedian from Showtime’s “Legally Brown.” (Ends 8/14) 11 | Bedtime In Detroit Boxcar Studios | SF $15 | 415.776.1747 boxcartheatre.org In once thriving Motor City, citizen armies are roaming the streets, setting fire to everything. (Ends 8/21)

images: courtesy photo (absolutely san francisco - mary gibboney)

Marsh | Berkeley $10 | 415.641.0235 themarsh.org

10 | Bryan Callen Punch Line | SF $15 | 800.745.3000 punchlinecomedyclub.com Callen made his TV debut as a series regular on “MADtv,” which also served as his breakthrough. (Ends 8/13)

bursting the soap bubble by david templeton

“Opening The Final Scene in San Francisco,” says North Bay playwright and director Gene Abravaya, “is huge for the whole cast and the crew. It means a much bigger potential audience, of course, and personally, it’s just a thrill to see something that I’ve written be performed outside of Sonoma County. To offer this play in a market like San Francisco is a huge, huge thrill.

COMEDY

THE FINAL SCENE

“Let’s just hope,” he adds with a laugh “that San Francisco has a lot of soap opera fans!” Back in the 1970s and ‘80s, Abravaya worked as a stage manager for the beloved soap opera As the World Turns. It was not glamorous, but like all good writers, Abravaya recognized his day-to-day experiences as potential fodder for some soap-themed future project and he filed them away in his mental notebook of good ideas. Last Spring, those stories finally saw the light when Abravaya premiered The Final Scene at Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse. A wordof-mouth favorite, the show was so well received that Abravaya and his team decided to take the show to San Francisco, where the bittersweet comedy-drama - following a legendary soap star on her last day on the set of the show she created - plays a four week run at Thick House this month.

image: eric chazankin

“I’ve tinkered with it a lot since the debut,” allows Abravaya. “As a playwright, it’s very exciting to watch your work evolve and grow.” He values the Santa Rosa experience because “in a way I saw it for the first time, having previously only seen it in my mind or in the script. So I’ve changed a number of things. It’s a lot tighter now, and what worked best about the play the first time around now has a chance to shine because its not being slowed down by those parts that needed to be cut. I can’t wait to see what San Francisco thinks of what we’ve created.” THE FINAL SCENE August 10 to September 4 Thick House 1695 18th Street, SF $25 | 707.588.3429 the-final-scene.com

Jennifer Weil

AUGUST 2011 |

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DAILY 11 | Ed Johnson Club Fox | Redwood City $14-$16 | 650.369.7770 foxrwc.com An evening of Brazilian-inspired Jazz. With Masha Champagne, Novo Tempo & Caminhos Cruzados.

12 | 13: THE MUSICAL Ashby Stage | Berkeley $15-$20 | 510.845.8542 berkeleyplayhouse.org Jason Robert Brown’s youthful musical about a Jewish boy from New York turning 13 in Indiana. (Ends 8/14)

11 | Martin Taylor Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $22.50-$24.50 | 866.468.3399 thefreight.org Inimitable solo jazz guitar.

12 | A Midsummer Night’s Dream Hastings Studio Theatre A.C.T. | SF $10 | 415.749.2228 act-sf.org Young Conservatory presents Shakespeare’s comedy in a special adaptation for young actors. (Ends 8/19)

11 | Maxi Priest Yoshi’s - San Francisco | SF $24-$32 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Legendary reggae artist comes to Yoshi’s. 11 | Seven Guitars Marin Theatre Company | Mill Valley $34-$55 | 415.388.5208 marintheatre.org August Wilson’s lyrical 1940s entry into his Pittsburgh Cycle plays. (Ends 9/4) 11 | The Velveteen Rabbit Montgomery Theatre | San Jose $15-$18 | 408.792.4111 cmtsj.org Musical adaptation of the children’s novel written by Margery Williams. (Ends 8/14) 11 | Tommy Davidson Tommy T’s Comedy | Pleasanton $20-$30 | 925.227.1800 tommyts.compleasanton Comic actor, most known for his performances on Fox’s “In Living Color,” takes the mic at Tommy’s. (Ends 8/14) 12 | Dave Attell Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $35 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com Dave Attell was named one of the “25 Funniest People in America” by Entertainment Weekly Magazine. (Ends 8/13) 12 | The Sadies • Jesse Sykes and The Sweet Hereafter Great American Music Hall | SF $17 | 415.885.0750 gamh.com Sadies’ sounds derive from garage and folk-rock, while Jesse Sykes’ sound is a dark, timeless feel. 12 | Vinyl George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $15 | 510.659.6031 georgesnightclub.com Melting funk, Latin Jazz, and reggae, this band is rare, successfully tying these styles together.

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| AUGUST 2011

12 | Adam Tendler Old First Church | SF $17 | 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org A program of meditative music by American composers, including Ned Rorem and Tendler himself. 12 | Cinderella Spindrift Theatre | Pacifica $25-$35 | 650.359.8002 pacificaspindriftplayers.com Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 1957 musical, originally written for television. (Ends 9/11) 12 | Dave Attell Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $35 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com Dave Attell was named one of the “25 Funniest People in America.” (Ends 8/13) 12 | Katy Perry HP Pavilion | San Jose $35-$57.50 | 800.745.3000 katyperry.com Perry brings her “California Dreams 2011” world tour to the South Bay. 12 | Paula West Yoshi’s | SF $25-$35 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com West is showcased with the George Mesterhazy Trio. (Ends 8/13) 12 | Pellejo Seco Ashkenaz Music & Dance | Berkeley $13 | 866.468.3399 ashkenaz.com Original compositions mixing rock, Latin pop, Brazilian, flamenco, Afro-Cuban and jazz themes. 12 | Queers Got Talent Billy DeFrank LGBT Center | San Jose Free | 408.293.3040 defrankyouthspace.org Open mic talent showcase. For ages 13-25.

it ain’t over ‘til the winemaker sings

by ken bullock “All of my life as a baritone,” said Ted Weis, “I’ve been watching tenors have all the fun. They get all the great arias and they get the girl. Now, at my age, the baritones get it all!”

already been three movie versions - the most famous in 1940, directed by Garson Kanin and starring Charles Laughton and Carole Lombard as the May-December couple.

Weis, 75, is talking about singing the lead in Frank Loesser’s The Most Happy Fella for Festival Opera, the company he founded 20 years ago.

Weis, who also founded Arizona Opera in 1971, has sung on stages around the Bay Area since his operatic debut in 1975 at West Bay Opera in Palo Alto. This will be his fourth production singing Tony in Fella, which he calls “a genuinely funny show and a genuinely heart-warming, lovely show. I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t smiling when they came out of it.”

Set in the Napa Valley in the 1920s, The Most Happy Fella tells the tale of Italian immigrant winemaker Tony, who proposes by letter to a young waitress in San Francisco, enclosing the photograph of his young ranch hand, Joe. Soprano Shawnee Sulker sings the part of Rosabella the waitress. Brian Stafenbiel is director and Bryan Nies conducts the show for Festival Opera.

THE MOST HAPPY FELLA August 6 to 14 Lesher Center for the Arts 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek $39 to $100 | 925.943.7469 festivalopera.org

image: courtesy photo

Loesser, best-known for Guys & Dolls, took the story for his hit - almost two years on Broadway 1956-57 seasons - from Sidney Howard’s 1925 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, They Knew What They Wanted. By the time Loesser tackled it there had

MUSICAL

THE MOST HAPPY FELLA

AUGUST 2011 |

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DAILY 12 | Rahsaan Patterson Yoshi’s | Oakland $28 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Harlem-raised singer, songwriter, producer, and actor shares his song style. (Ends 8/13) 12 | Robert Cray Band Uptown Theatre | Napa $39-$49 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Five-time Grammy winner arrives at a vital juncture, marked by creative renewal and a key reunion. 12 | The Damned Things Fillmore | SF $20 | 415.346.6000 thefillmore.com Heavy metal group headlines the Inked Magazine Music Tour. 12 | The Sadies • Jesse Sykes & Sweet Hereafter Great American Music Hall | SF $17 | 415.885.0750 gamh.com Sadies’ sounds derive from garage and folk-rock, while Jesse Sykes’ sound is a dark, timeless feel.

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| AUGUST 2011

13 | Huey Lewis & the News Mountain Winery | Saratoga $45.00-$99.50 | 800.745.3000 Bringing their Soulsville tour to the South Bay. 13 | Lily Cai Dance YBCA - Novellus Theater | SF $25-$40 | 415.978.2787 lilycaidance.org Traditional Chinese dance combined with eloquent contemporary interpretations of Han fan dances. 13 | Linda Tillery & Cultural Heritage Choir Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 866.468.3399 thefreight.org Solidarity Forever- an evening of protest songs and Spiritual enlivenment. 13 | Los Boleros Mildred Owen Hall | Pacifica $20 | 650.355.188 pacificaperformances.org Traditional Cuban son, cumbia, merengue, waltz & danzon. Led by the vocals of Felix Samuel & Zareen.

12 | Vetiver Rickshaw Stop | SF $15 | 415.861.2011 rickshawstop.com Modern guitar pop band. Part of Outside Lands Fesitval.

13 | Lovefool Club Fox | Redwood City $10-$15 | 650.369.7770 foxrwc.com 1990’s cover band presents an eclectic mix of genres from the biggest groups of the decade.

12 | Vinyl George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $15 | 510.659.6031 georgesnightclub.com Melting funk, Latin Jazz, and reggae, this band ties these styles together.

13 | Michael Bublé HP Pavilion | San Jose $59.50-$95 | 800.745.3000 michaelbuble.com Continuing his “Crazy Love” tour with this stop in the South Bay.

13 | Hollywood Knights SF Conservatory of Music | SF $25-$45 | 800.838.3006 mandance.org Two world premiere, film-inspired dances plus a Judy Garland/Julie Andrews tribute finale. (Ends 8/14)

13 | Offensive Women 142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $22-$30 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org Aundre the Wonderwoman, Julie Goldman and Betsy Salkind perform uncensored, down-and-dirty comedy.

13 | Miles Schon Band • Cole Tate Band George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $10 | 800.380.3095 georgesnightclub.com Guests: Terry Haggerty, Will Champlin.

13 | STS9 • DJ Morale Independent | SF $35-$35.00 | 415.771.1421 theindependentsf.com Fresh off a 25 city tour, these established electronic virtuosos come to SF.

13 | H.M.S. Pinafore Mountain View CPA | Mountain View $18-$52 | 650.903.6000 lamplighters.org Gilbert & Sullivan’s topsy-turvey comic opera of love pining across the social classes. (Ends 8/14)

13 | Wallin & Barretta Firehouse Arts Center | Pleasanton $15-$25 | 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org Tribute to Italian-American singers from Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra to Perry Como and Tony Bennett.

by ken bullock Jovelyn Richards is a storyteller, and something of an original. Come Home, about African-American World War II veterans and their wives and families in Arkansas, was performed at The Marsh in 2008, on board the SS Red Oak Victory ship in Richmond and at La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley. In it she showed the Bay Area her particular style of performing: onstage with a band, telling the story and taking on its characters. It’s something she started doing about 11 years ago in Minneapolis with veteran blues and jazz player Cornbread Harris.

Mrs. Pat is an African-American madam from the South, making house in Cleveland during the Depression. The play tells of the men and women who come there “because they had nowhere to go. The men came to tell their stories and listen to storytelling by the women. Mrs. Pat took care of everybody in the community around her,” says Richards, who encourages audiences to come dressed in ‘30s fashions.

Now, just off presenting excerpts of her new tale, Mrs. Pat’s House, for the San Francisco Theater Festival, Jovelyn’s staging it whole and returning to La Peña. Directed by Stephanie Johnson, the show features a half dozen musicians and singers including John Zak, bass guitar; Zakk Jones, lead guitar; Robert Marion, harmonica and guitar; Nathan Sundara, piano and vocals; and singers Kim Turner and Roberta Murdock.

Mrs. Pat’s House August 19 to 21 La Peña Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley $12 to $16 | 510.849.2568 lapena.org

STORYTELLER

MRS. PAT’S HOUSE

richards spins tales of heart from home

image: courtesy photo

“I like to work out of my home,” she says, “cooking, talking, telling the musicians the story from the beginning of the process - what I call improvisational narrative.” She worked the same way during a recent residency in Budapest - her first trip outside America - where she performed at the Merlin Theatre. “The musicians brought Hungarian dishes to my flat to share. They’d been trained in blues and jazz, but wanted to find out the heart of it.”

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DAILY

design publications websites

415.552.8040 780 sutter street san francisco, ca 94109

www.viamedia.net a division of Caselli Partners LLC

13 | Farewell Menlo-Atherton PAC | Atherton $55-$65 | 650.331.0202 musicatmenlo.org Music@Menlo concert featuring Brahms’ String Quintet no. 2, selections from Klavierstücke, and more.

14 | The Secret Sisters Café Du Nord | SF $15-$17 | 866.468.3399 cafedunord.com Alabama-borne and raised, Laura and Lydia Rogers bring their solid Americana roots to pop music.

13 | Our Boys Steel Pan Orchestra Ashkenaz Music & Dance | Berkeley $12 | 866.468.3399 ashkenaz.com Caribbean rhythms backed up by guest horn players.

14 | Warren Haynes Band Independent | SF $30 | 415.771.1421 theindependentsf.com Genre-combining, singer/songwriter guitarist Warren Haynes comes to SF.

14 | Cosa Brava • Grex • Jack ‘O the Clock Great American Music Hall | SF $20 | 415.885.0750 gamh.com Three bands who love songs and bring unique perspectives to the art of writing and performing them. 14 | A Midsummer Night’s Dream Amador Theater | Pleasanton Free | No Calls womanswill.org Bring a picnic, bring wine, share laughs with your friends and family, and partake of Shakespeare. 14 | Buffy Sainte-Marie Yoshi’s | Oakland $40 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Academy Award winner has been entertaining audiences world-wide for over four decades. 14 | Cajun Fest Rancho Nicasio | Nicasio $20 | 415.662.2219 ranchonicasio.com Their first annual Cajun Fest, featuring Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet, Tom Rigney & Flambeau.

steven underhill | .com

415.370.7152 PHOTOGRAPHY 16 |

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14 | Kenn Adams’ Adventure Theater Marsh - Berkeley | Berkeley $8-$50 | 415.641.0235 themarsh.org “Episode I: Adventure in Space!” is a fast-paced, interactive play where the audience is the star. (Ends 9/25) 14 | Luisa Maita Stern Grove | SF Free | No Calls sterngrove.org Brazilian singer Luisa Maita performs modern samba sounds as part of the Stern Grove Festival.

15 | Summer Sings Fauré Requiem United Methodist Church | Los Altos $15 | 650.254.1700 scholacantorum.org Schola Cantorum invites choral singers to join them to sing Fauré’s Requiem &Schubert’s Mass in G. 16 | Edwin San Juan Punch Line | SF $15 | 800.745.3000 punchlinecomedyclub.com Filipino-American, Los Angeles-based actor and comedian known for sharing multicultural experiences. (Ends 8/17) 16 | Amos Lee Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $32.75 | 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org Singer/Songwriter from Philly, features pop, soul, and roots. 16 | Edwin San Juan Punch Line | SF $15 | 800.745.3000 punchlinecomedyclub.com Filipino-American, Los Angeles-based actor and comedian known for sharing multicultural experiences. (Ends 8/17) 16 | Sophie Milman Yoshi’s - San Francisco | SF $26 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Toronto-based classical jazz vocalist. (Ends 8/17) 16 | The Go-Go’s Fillmore | SF $39.50 | 415.346.6000 thefillmore.com Bringing their Ladies Gone Wild Tour. 17 | Fully Charged HP Pavilion | San Jose $15-$100 | 800.745.3000 ringling.com Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey invite families to disconnect from the digital world. (Ends 8/21)

keeping tradition alive by grier cooper

Rhythm, passion and color ignite the stage in Fuente del Soñar, presented by critically acclaimed choreographer Virginia Iglesias in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Virginia Iglesias Flamenco Academy of Dance. The cast of 38 dancers, worldclass musicians and special guest artists will perform an evening of new works set to original compositions by musical director Jorge Liceaga. “Every time I create a new piece I feel very much like a painter approaching a clean canvas,” says Ms. Iglesias, whose extensive career has spanned the globe. She began performing in Spain 27 years ago and she has performed since then with groups such as the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the Madridbased company Noche Flamenca. Her works have been commissioned by the SF Opera’s productions of Carmen and La Traviata, the Chinese Performing Artists of America and San Francisco’s Ethnic Dance Festival. She was featured on the popular television program, Latin Eyes and has danced for the mayor of San Francisco. “Music is my greatest source of inspiration,” she says. “It is great to work with artists you know and have worked with for years because it allows a ‘comfort zone’ for everyone to push their creative limits in the performance. Musicians add individual accent to the choreography and this is where the ‘magic’ happens.” She has collaborated with musical director/composer Jorge Liceaga for the past seven years. “There are ‘rules’ of flamenco structure and choreography...but as we add more details and our particular styles, it most definitely adds to the drama and effect,” she explains. Liceaga, a native of Mexico City, also plays with local favorites Orquesta La Moderna Tradición and Cascada de Flores. He has played at international venues including Lincoln Center and the Telluride Jazz Festival.

FLAMENCO

FUENTE DEL SOÑAR

Name Name

image: courtesy photo

Ms. Iglesias is known as a powerful and dynamic performer who is committed to preserving and teaching traditional flamenco art. “These are times when we are very used to traveling at great speeds during our daily lives...it is important to take time out to experience art, music and dance as much as possible. It is food for our souls and provides great inspiration to our lives.” FUENTE DEL SOÑar August 27 | 8:00 pm Brava Theater 2781 24th Street, SF $15 to $26 | 415.641.7657 flamenco-academy.com AUGUST 2011 |

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JUST RELEASED

DAILY 17 | Richard Buckner • David Kilgour Great American Music Hall | SF $17 | 415.885.0750 gamh.com Richard Bruckner presents new album “Our Blood.” Kilgour, a guitar stylist, joins The Heavy Eights.

LIZ & ANN CALLAWAY boom!

There hasn’t been this much vocal fun since the last time the Callaways stepped up to tandem microphones. Recorded live, the CD captures all of the astonishing harmonies, the sweetly groanworthy jokes and the fizzy energy of such devoted sisters remembering the music that made them sing and dance. (psclassics.com)

MARK WINKER Sweet Spot

Winkler gets in very tasty licks on a collection of smooth and repeatedly listenable tracks. “Somewhere in Brazil” is sheer delight, times two. (markwinklermusic.com)

17 | Amos Lee Fox Theater (Oakland) | Oakland $32.50 | 800.745.3000 apeconcerts.com With guest band Calexico. 17 | Reggie Watts Independent | SF $20 | 877.435.9849 sfsketchfest.com Watts improvises never-the-same musical sets on-the-spot using only his voice and a looping machine. 17 | Richard Buckner • David Kilgour Great American Music Hall | SF $17 | 415.885.0750 gamh.com Richard Bruckner presents new album “Our Blood.” Kilgour, a guitar stylist, joins The Heavy Eights. 17 | Tim Farrell • Michael Manring • Peter Janson Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 866.468.3399 thefreight.org Guitar and Bass virtuosos 18 | Bobby Caldwell Rrazz Room | SF $45-$47.50 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Rousing R&B, intimate smooth jazz stylings, and big band songs! (Ends 8/21) 18 | John Heffron Punch Line | SF $25 | 800.745.3000 punchlinecomedyclub.com Season two winner of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” (Ends 8/20)

JASON ROBERT BROWN The Trumpet of the Swan

Sub-titled “A Novel Symphony for Actors and Orchestra,” this completely charming CD has a grand Copland-esque score for the adults, and a sweet reading of the E.B. White story by John Lithgow, Kathy Bates and other top acting names for the kids. (psclassics.com)

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18 | Daniel Tosh San Jose Center | San Jose $57-$69 | 800.745.3000 danieltosh.com Stand-up comic and host of the Comedy Central TV show “Tosh.0” brings his mocking humor to San Jose. 18 | Evil Dead Campbell Theatre | Martinez $30-$35 | 800.380.3095 willowstheatre.com Revival of the camp musical blood-fest, complete with splatter zone. Break out your ponchos. (Ends 9/10) 18 | Flip Orley Tommy T’s Comedy | Pleasanton $20-$30 | 925.227.1800 tommyts.compleasanton Comedian-hypnotist Flip Orley brings audience volunteers on stage to share the show with him. (Ends 8/24) 18 | Four Saints in Three Acts YBCA - Novellus Theater | SF $35-$50 | 415.978.2787 ycba.org Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein’s 1927 opera, presented by SFMOMA and YBCA. (Ends 8/21) 18 | Francisca Valenzuela Yoshi’s | Oakland $16 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Born and raised in the Bay Area, but one of Chile’s top pop acts, Valenzuela’s West Coast debut. 18 | John Heffron Punch Line | SF $25 | 800.745.3000 punchlinecomedyclub.com Season two winner of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” Heffron now has a series development deal at ABC. (Ends 8/20) 18 | Ron Shock Rooster T. Feathers | Sunnyvale $12 | 408.736.0921 roostertfeathers.com Master storyteller with an extraordinary personal history brings his tale-spinning art to the mic. (Ends 8/21) 18 | Stuffed & Unstrung Curran Theatre | SF $30-$65 | sfsketchfest.com A mature-audience evening with six puppeteers, live musical accompaniment and host Patrick Bristow. (Ends 8/27)

by will schmid It started with a birthday wish in 1991. Thomas Robert Simpson was leaving his thirty-something years behind. “I was taking a workshop with Cultural Odyssey and so I thought I’d just throw myself a birthday party and invite people to come and perform.”

to theatre as perhaps to health. We started having these conferences that grew into health fairs.” Last year this now-annual segment of the festival provided access to health services to over 1,500 people in need.

The next year his friends wanted an encore. By the third time around he thought “this might make a real nice annual event” and AfroSolo launched in 1994.

Even with its vital social justice agenda, festival programming remains rich with live performances. This year’s highlights include a free concert at Yerba Buena Gardens by Jerome Clay and Gaylyn Arnold (8/6); free shows by Traci Bartlow and Joel A. Brown at Fort Mason (8/7); and Waiting For Giovanni, a new play by Jewelle Gomez, presented at New Conservatory Theatre Center (8/19-9/18). Non-performance events include an exhibition of the work of Nannette Harris (8/15-10/20) and the United in Health fair (8/13).

The debate of art for art’s sake or art for another purpose is important to Simpson, who looks to art as a springboard to social, political or economic dialogue. Thus, mixed in with the performing and visual arts are panel discussions on world peace and healthcare. “I want to use the arts as a way of educating and inspiring people,” says Simpson. “We started mostly with theatre, but some of my friends kept telling me there was more to Black arts than theatre, so we added music and dance and spoken word and it grew and grew.”

afrosolo arts • festival 18 Through October 20 Varies, Many Free | 415.771.2376 afrosolo.org

image: steve savage

The need to address social issues also grew. “It was the time of O.J. and HIV/AIDS so we started doing these forums that were not so much related

FESTIVAL

afrosolo arts

continuing to bring many happy returns

AUGUST 2011 |

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RECOMMENDED

DAILY 18 | The Barber of Seville San Francisco State University | SF $10 | 415.338.2467 creativearts.sfsu.edu Wily Figaro makes sure love conquers all. A modern spin on the 18th-century classic. 18 | The Paul Thorn Band Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $22.50-$24.50 | 866.468.3399 thefreight.org New Century Southern American Troubadour.

JOAN RIVERS August 26 | 8:00 pm Uptown Theatre 1350 Third Street, Napa $60 to $75 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com

There are many ladies in waiting, but there’s only one Queen of Comedy. Rivers is both tireless and fearless and there’s nothing the 78-year-old showbiz survivor won’t say. Not for the faint of heart.

18 | The Weepies Fillmore | SF $22.5 | 415.346.6000 thefillmore.com An acoustic evening with singersongwriters Deb Talan and Steve Tannen and their folk-pop stylings.

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| AUGUST 2011

19 | Great War Chronicle 6th Street Playhouse | Santa Rosa $20 | 707.523.4185 6thstreetplayhouse.com A rock opera musical by Glenn Siegel, this story of a special romance is set during World War I. (Ends 8/28)

19 | Lewis Black Mountain Winery | Saratoga $35.00-$65.00 | 800.745.3000 lewisblack.com Comedian-actor-author Lewis Black shares his unique view of American culture.

19 | The Sun Kings George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $17-$20 | 800.380.3095 georgesnightclub.com Re-creation of the Beatles! Great energy, they will leave you screaming for more! 19 | The Tempest Forest Meadows Amphitheatre | San Rafael $20-$35 | 415.499.4488 marinshakespeare.org Magical exploration of revenge, forgiveness and the nature of dreams. (Ends 9/25) 19 | 2011 Bay Area Rhythm Exchange Herbst Theatre | SF $17-$28 | 415.392.4400 stepology.com Annual celebration of tap with Melinda Sullivan, Channing Cook Holmes, John Kloss, & Mark Mendonca. (Ends 8/20)

19 | Never Not Funny Live Purple Onion | SF $20 | 866.468.3399 sfsketchfest.com Named one of the best podcasts of the year by the iTunes staff, with Jimmy Pardo and Pat Francis. 19 | Mrs. Pat’s House La Pena Cultural Center | Berkeley $12-$15 | 800.838.3006 lapena.org Jovelyn Richards’ touching musical story set in a African-American neighborhood in the mid 1930s. (Ends 8/21) 19 | RUN DMT Rickshaw Stop | SF $10 | 415.861.2011 rickshawstop.com Austin-based duo brings their beats to the Rickshaw Stop. 19 | Running Your Trap Purple Onion | SF $20 | 866.468.3399 sfsketchfest.com Jimmy Pardo’s conversational interview style turned into a game show with Janet Varney, Pat Francis.

images: courtesy photos (joan rivers, lea salonga)

This annual gala always promises something for everyone including the sense of satifaction that you are helping in the fight against AIDS. New names on the roster include Lea Salonga (pictured), Shirley Jones, Patrick Cassidy and Thea Gill. Returning favorites include Carole Cook, Mary Jo Catlett, Lisa Vroman, La Toya London, Paula West and Tim Hockenberry. San Francisco native son David Galligan directs and if you spring for the big ticket you can rub elbows with the stars after the show.

19 | Christopher Cross Montalvo Arts Center | Saratoga $49-$86 | 408.961.5858 montalvoarts.org Veteran adult contemporary artist is joined onstage by Jenn Grinels.

18 | Weird Science California Academy of Sciences | SF $10-$12 | No Calls sfsketchfest.com Eclectic comedy and interactive fun with Chris Hardwick, Veronica Belmont, Adam Savage and more.

19 | Nick 13 Great American Music Hall | SF $16 | 415.885.0750 gamh.com Nick13 of Tiger Army crafts storytelling songs of heartbreak. Guest: Audra Mae.

HELP IS ON THE WAY August 21 | 7:30 pm Herbst Theatre 401 Van Ness Avenue, SF $50 to 125 | 415.392.4400 helpisontheway.org

19 | African Showboyz Ashkenaz Music & Dance | Berkeley $13 | 866.468.3399 ashkenaz.com The 5 Sabbah brothers grew up in Ghana, where their drumming & dancing was culturally inspired.

by lily janiak The Nature Line has been a difficult play for the Sleepwalkers Theatre to describe. “When you tell people it’s post-apocalyptic,” says Tore Ingersoll-Thorp, the theater’s producing artistic director, “they think it’s going to be dark. So to paint a more accurate picture we try to tell them about the stud dance scene.”

PLAY

THE NATURE LINE

not your father’s post-apocalyse

Sleepwalkers has been talking a lot about the apocalypse this year, as the company has devoted its entire season to an end-ofthe-world trilogy by the young playwright J.C. Lee. Lee is “enamored of language,” Ingersoll-Thorp says. “I knew I wanted to do his work within ten minutes of starting to read it.” In The Nature Line, the last play in the series, the world ended a couple of generations ago, and its remaining inhabitants are so crippled by fear that they’ve prohibited touch. That means no handshakes, no sex. Babies come from labs (with the help of stud farm sperm dances), but as Aya (played by Charisse Loriaux) can attest, the process is far from certain; as the show opens, she has already lost multiple children. “One of the most compelling things about the play,” says director Mina Morita, “is the way it questions the idea that science can solve everything.” Lee’s characters, she says, “are all adults, but not adults.” Science makes their choices for them—until, naively but earnestly, they try to forge their own rules. “When characters discover a kiss,” says Amy Prosser, who plays what she describes as “a pissy, wisecracking old woman,” it’s “heartfelt and tender, but it’s also like… what is this?” “These people, says Loriaux, “don’t know what came before them.” If they discover an artifact from the past, like a cassette tape “it’s their first time touching it or seeing it. They think, ‘What do you do with it?’”

image: mercedes dorame

Charisse Loriaux

Sleepwalkers caters to audiences who might feel the same way about theater. “Theater isn’t necessarily a part of their lives,” says IngersollThorp. “They’re looking to claim their own theatergoing identity.” the nature line August 4 to 27 | 8:00 pm Phoenix Theater 414 Mason Street, SF $15 to $17 | 415.913.7272 sleepwalkerstheatre.com AUGUST 2011 |

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MUSIC CLUBS The following is a partial list of music clubs in the Bay Area with ever-changing bookings of bands and other entertainment. If you enjoy the independent music scene, we recommend you call or check the websites for these clubs to get the latest performance schedules and information about ticket prices, age limits and minimum charges (if any). BISCUITS & BLUES Union Square, SF biscuitsandblues.com | 415.292.2583 Bottom of the Hill Potrero Hill, SF bottomofthehill.com | 415.621.4455 Café du Nord Upper Market, SF cafedunord.com | 415.861.5016 Freight & Salvage Berkeley freightandsalvage.org | 510.644.2020 George’s San Rafael georgesnightclub.com | 415.226.0262 Great American Music Hall Tenderloin, SF gamh.com | 888.233.0449 Hemlock Tavern Polk Gulch, SF hemlocktavern.com | No Calls Independent Alamo Square, SF theindependentsf.com | 415.771.1421 Johnny Foley’s Union Square, SF johnnyfoleys.com | 415.954.0777 Rancho Nicasio Marin ranchonicasio.com | 415.662.2219 Regency Ballroom Civic Center, SF theregencyballroom.com | 800.745.3000 Rickshaw Stop Civic Center, SF rickshawstop.com | 415.861.2011 Slim’s SOMA, SF slims-sf.com | 888.233.0449

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DAILY 19 | The Coup Independent | SF $20 | 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com A funk, hip-hop group who are also “voices of change” touring the country. 19 | The Jungle Book Ashby Stage | Berkeley $15-$20 | 510.845.8542 berkeleyplayhouse.org Disney’s musical favorite performed by the students of the Berkeley Playhouse Summer Conservatory. (Ends 8/21) 19 | The Sun Kings George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $17-$20 | 800.380.3095 georgesnightclub.com Re-creation of the Beatles! Great energy, they will leave you screaming for more! 19 | The Tempest Forest Meadows Amphitheatre | San Rafael $20-$35 | 415.499.4488 marinshakespeare.org A magical, mysterious exploration of revenge, forgiveness and the transitory nature of dreams. (Ends 9/25) 19 | Toad the Wet Sprocket Uptown Theatre | Napa $37-$47 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Named for a Monty Python sketch, this group “banded” together in 1986. 19 | TOKE Ashby Stage | Berkeley $25 | 800.838.3006 toketheplay.com DeeDee Kirkwood’s comedy drama about about one woman’s journey with the Pot Fairy as her sidekick. (Ends 9/11) 19 | Waiting for Giovanni New Conservatory Theatre Center | SF Free | 415.861.8972 nctcsf.org A young black writer from the stoops of Harlem meets hostility from his editor and his community. (Ends 9/18)

20 | Tommy Castro Band George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $17-$20 | 800.380.3095 georgesnightclub.com Winner: 2008 Blues Music Award, Entertainer of the Year: R&B player and singer of blues, soul & rock 20 | Wesla Whitfield Dance Palace Community Center | Point Reyes Station $25-$30 | 415.663.1075 dancepalace.org Whitfield inhabits the zone where jazz and cabaret meet. 20 | Bill Maher Davies Symphony Hall | SF $45.50-$85 | 800.745.3000 apeconcerts.com Political satirist and comedian brings his raw wit and wry observations to Davies. 20 | Chicago Firehouse Arts Center | Pleasanton $18-$33 | 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org Pacific Coast Repertory Theatre presents Kander and Ebb’s jazzy and humorous musical. (Ends 9/4) 20 | House Special ODC Theater | SF $15-$18 | 415.863.9834 odctheater.org Shared residency for Julie Caffey, Christine Bonansea & Raissa Punkki. 20 | Labyrinth: 25th Anniversary SCREENING Castro Theatre | SF $15 | 866.468.3399 sfsketchfest.com Costume party and screening with special guests from The Henson Company. 20 | MOJazz Band Mildred Owen Hall | Pacifica $10-$12 | 650.355.188 pacificaperformances.org The house band playing swing music from the ‘30s and ‘40s.

20 | Dave Alvin and The Guilty Ones Great American Music Hall | SF $22 | 415.885.0750 gamh.com Alvin debuts electric blues & rock album “Eleven Eleven.” With Los Straightjackets.

20 | Night of the Shorts II: Electric Riffaloo Castro Theatre | SF $25 | 866.468.3399 sfsketchfest.com Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett from “MST3K” riff on more appalling shorts.

20 | The Be Good Tanyas Independent | SF $20 | 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com Traditional bluessung by three singer/ songwriters who embrace folk. (Ends 8/21)

20 | Non Stop Bhangra Rickshaw Stop | SF $10-$20 | 415.861.2011 rickshawstop.com Dholrhythms Dance Company presents dance, live music, visuals, painting and more.

bring on da noise...and the nosh by nicole gluckstern

Although images of mud-drenched revelers will forever linger in the collective perception of outdoor music festivals, San Francisco’s four yearold Outside Lands exemplifies a notable shift in festival-going and planning. Combining a wellrounded mix of musical acts with a gourmand’s paradise of curated eats and wines, plus greening initiatives such as refillable water bottle stations, a solar-powered festival stage, and 100% compostable food packaging, the tone set by this popular summer event is a far cry from the feral abandon of rock festivals of even the recent past. With the shared focus between the top-notch performance programming and the featured culinary artistes, Outside Lands caters adroitly to two of the Bay Area’s biggest current obsessions: music and food. Locavore delights include farmfresh fruits from Full Belly Farms, Filipino fusion from food truck pioneer Señor Sisig, San Francisco soul food by Farmerbrown’s Little Skillet, customblended, coffee-by-the-cup from Philz, and smoothly decadent organic ice cream from Three Twins. For the ultimate in localized eating, the Garden for the Environment offers free composting and victory gardening workshops on the festival grounds for urbanites with a penchant for permaculture. And the dedicated Wine Lands tent plays host to around

thirty California wineries from big name Bonny Doon to humble DIY-label Field Recordings.

MUSIC

OUTSIDE LANDS FESTIVAL

But at the end of the day, a music festival has to stand on the merits of its musicians, and Outside Lands’ delivers with a diverse lineup includes indie rock standouts Arcade Fire, mashup master Girl Talk, godfathers of funk The (original) Meters, gospel diva Mavis Staples, and local blues-rock combo The Stone Foxes. Re-expanded to three days from 2010’s two, the event features close to ninety acts on four stages and a DJ tent during the day, plus exclusive, ticket-holders-only, nighttime shows at the California Academy of Sciences, the Rickshaw Stop, and The Independent. Pairing the Arctic Monkeys set with a dry white or a plate of Petaluma chicken? It’s the new San Francisco treat. OUTSIDE LANDS FESTIVAL August 12 to 14 Golden Gate Park $85 to $185 | Single Day $199.50 to $450 | Three Day Pass sfoutsidelands.com

image: courtesy photo

The Stone Foxes: Aaron Mort, Shannon Koehler, Spence Koehler

AUGUST 2011 |

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COMEDY & IMPROV The following is a partial list of comedy clubs and improv groups in the Bay Area. Please call or check the websites to get the latest schedules, ticket information, age limits and minimum charges (if any). BATS Marina, SF improv.org | 415.474.6776 BIG CITY IMPROV Union Square, SF sheltontheater.com | 415.433.1227 COBB’S COMEDY CLUB North Beach, SF cobbscomedyclub.com | 415.928.4320 THE COMEDY SHOP Mission, SF comedyshop.wordpress.com COMEDYSportz San Jose comedysportzsanjose.com THE DARK ROOM Mission, SF darkroomsf.com | 415.401.7987 ENDGAMES IMPROV Union Square, SF endgamesimprov.com ENSO Half Moon Bay ensohmb.com | 650.726.1409 FUNNY TUESDAYS Castro, SF harveyssf.com | 415.431.4278 THE IMPROV San Jose improv.com | 408.280.7475 THE MARSH Berkeley themarsh.org | 415.641.0235 PUNCHLINE Enbarcadero, SF punchlinecomedyclub.com | 415.397.7573 ROOSTER T. FEATHERS Sunnyvale roostertfeathers.com | 408.736.0921 SECRET IMPROV SOCIETY Union Square, SF improvsociety.com STONE SOUP IMPROV Oakland stonesoupimprov.com | 510.380.6808

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DAILY 20 | Phil Marsh & Friends Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 866.468.3399 thefreight.org Celebrate the Freight’s 43rd Anniversary with Inaugural Performer.

22 | Katya Smirnoff-Skyy Rrazz Room | SF $30 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com A voyage into the Beatles Songbook! With The Tom Shaw Trio. (Ends 8/23)

20 | Reyli Fillmore | SF $30 | 415.346.6000 thefillmore.com Mexican singer-songwriter Reyli brings his smooth crooning to the Fillmore.

22 | Mister Heavenly Independent | SF $13-$15 | 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com Indie rock veterans. Post apocalyptic Valley Girl meets American Graffiti.

21 | Gamelan Sekar Jaya Ashkenaz Music & Dance | Berkeley $12 | 866.468.3399 ashkenaz.com 60-member troupe has four instrumental ensembles and one dance troupe.

23 | Recovering Commies Punch Line | SF $15 | 800.745.3000 punchlinecomedyclub.com Vladimir Khlynin, Yuri Kagan, Edwin Li, Anatoli Brant, and Christina Pazsitzky.

21 | Goo Goo Dolls Mountain Winery | Saratoga $35.00-$85.00 | 800.745.3000 googoodolls.com Buffalo natives share the stage with Michelle Branch and Parachute.

23 | 100 Monkeys Slim’s | SF $20 | 800.745.3000 slims-sf.com With Bleeding Horse Express, Finish Ticket and Sioux City Kid. (7/18: Moved from the Fillmore.)

21 | Help is on the Way Herbst Theatre | SF $75-$125 | 415.392.4400 richmondermet.org Annual HIV/AIDS benefit with Susan Anton, Carole Cook, Paula West and more. 21 | Herb Alpert & Lani Hall Montalvo Arts Center | Saratoga $59-$98 | 408.961.5858 montalvoarts.org Music legend and his trumpet share the stage with his vocalist wife and their band. 21 | Kelly’s Open Mic Savanna Jazz | SF $5 | 415.285.3369 savannajazz.com Singers are accompanied by a trio (if not more) and musicians welcome to sit in.

21 | Stern Grove OPERA Stern Grove | SF sterngrove.org Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick is part of the free Stern Grove Festival.

24 | Jerry Butler Rrazz Room | SF $40-$45 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Award winning performer, producer, and composer! (Ends 8/28)

21 | Yuri Liberzon Old First Church | SF $17 | 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org Joined by guitarists Josh Friedman and Patrick O’Connell, with Meerenai Shim.

24 | Nipsey Hussle Yoshi’s - San Francisco | SF $16-$24 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Slauson Boy Records founder brings his rap accompanied by a live band.

21 | Ziba Shirazi Yoshi’s - San Francisco | SF $30-$35 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Iranian born poet, singer and songwriter, fuses Persian music with American Jazz.

24 | Sense & Sensibility Mountain View CPA | Mountain View $29-$49 | 650.903.6000 theatreworks.org Fortune lost to fate, romance to folly, two sisters on the seas of courtship. (Ends 9/18)

life is uncertain, order dessert first by chris rené

There are many reasons to write a play. For Steve Lyons, the inspiration - at least in part - was Frank Zappa. “I’d always wanted to write a play where the actors danced around to ‘Peaches En Regalia,’ which is my favorite song.” True to his word, Lyons says the written stage directions for Peaches En Regalia open with: [“Peaches En Regalia” plays. The actors dance around.] With his opening set, all that was needed was the rest of the play. Set in Doug’s Diner, “four angst-ridden customers’ lives are impacted by this peach dish. The play just kinda flowed,” says Lyons. “It was a one-act and I wrote it in two or three days.” He expanded it because “the characters are rather rich and had more to say. Also, one-acts usually get done in festivals, so you’ll do two nights...maybe three. There’s also the ‘someday it will grow up and be a real play’ factor.” A long-time Bay Area resident, Lyons runs Play Cafe, a monthly playwriting group housed at Berkeley Rep. “A consistent thread I hear from local playwrights is how difficult it is to get local theatre companies to even read their work, let alone produce it, because the companies are under-staffed, under-funded and

overwhelmed. It becomes a case of who you know, or who your agent knows and a New York return address feeds a tacit assumption that this person must be good.” Lyons acknowledged that both Berkeley Rep and the Magic Theatre make a commitment to reading local playwrights, but “unless you have a national reputation...”

PLAY

PEACHES EN REGALIA

“I’m in charge of losing money for my family by writing plays,” Lyons half jokes. “To move to New York in order to lose more money writing plays is not in the cards right now.” He’s thrilled that Wily West Productions, with a stated mission of producing work by local playwrights, has arrived. “They’re a committed group of artists and I couldn’t be happier. Supporting them ensures they can continue to give voice to local playwrights.” peaches en regalia August 4 to 27 | 8:00 pm Stage Werx 533 Sutter Street, SF $24 | 415.302.9182 wilywestproductions.com

image: colin hussey

Philip Goleman Sarah Mosner

AUGUST 2011 |

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DAILY 25 | Fiddle Summit Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $26.50-$28.50 | 866.468.3399 thefreight.org Featuring: Lissa Schneckenburger, Brittany Haas, Hanneke Cassel, Deby Benton Grosjean, and more! 25 | Ben Harper Warfield | SF $40-$60 | 800.745.3000 thewarfieldtheatre.com Two-time Grammy winner Harper brings his soul-bearing compositions to the stage at the Warfield. 25 | Natalie Cole Yoshi’s - San Francisco | SF $75 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Nine-time Grammy award winner singer, songwriter and performer brings her talents to Yoshi’s. (Ends 8/26) 25 | Sade HP Pavilion | San Jose $50-$176 | 800.745.3000 sade.com Bringing her singular voice and style to the South Bay. With guest John Legend. 26 | DL Hughley Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $30.50 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com Hughley spent four years on his own sitcom “The Hughleys,” and hosted a late night talk show on CNN. (Ends 8/28) 26 | El Ten Eleven Rickshaw Stop | SF $12-$14 | 415.861.2011 rickshawstop.com LA-based experimental instrumental duo. Joined by The Globes and Sister Crayon. 26 | Jeff Bridges Mountain Winery | Saratoga $45.00-$85.00 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com Academy Award winner and his band perform songs from “Crazy Heart” and more. 26 | Joan Rivers Uptown Theatre | Napa $60-$75 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Joan Rivers is one of the hardest working celebrities in the world. 26 | Kathleen Madigan Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $30 | 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org One of the most popular headliners, Lewis Black calls her “The funniest woman in America.”

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26 | Mendelssohn’s Elijah Davies Symphony Hall | SF $27-$33 | 415.392.4400 sfchoral.org San Francisco Choral Society, featuring baritone Rod Gilfry. (Ends 8/27)

27 | Roy Ayers Yoshi’s - San Francisco | SF $16-$30 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Vibraphonist/vocalist shows off his neosoul stylings. (Ends 8/28)

27 | Air Supply Montalvo Arts Center | Saratoga $59-$98 | 408.961.5858 montalvoarts.org Early ‘80s soft rock band had a string of seven straight Top Five singles.

28 | Peter Asher Rrazz Room | SF $40 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Featuring the music of Peter & Gordon, mixing videos, photos and storytelling.

27 | Ariel Quartet Mildred Owen Hall | Pacifica $20 | 650.355.188 pacificaperformances.org A program of string quartets from a repertoire of great masterpieces.

28 | Howard & Dorman Old First Church | SF $17 | 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org Robert Howard/cello & Elizabeth Dorman/piano performing Takemitsu, Messiaen, Stravinsky, & Brahms.

27 | Devo Mountain Winery | Saratoga $39.50-$89.50 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com Back with the release of their first studio album in 20 years. 27 | Featherwitch Rickshaw Stop | SF $7 | 415.861.2011 rickshawstop.com Local female duo, joined onstage by The Butlers and The Aktion. 27 | Fuente del Soñar Dance Mission Theater | SF $26 | 800.380.3095 flamenco-academy.com Virginia Iglesias’ Flamenco Academy of Dance celebrates their 20th Anniversary. 27 | Michael Jackson’s Birthday Bash Uptown Theatre | Napa $25 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Foreverland, the 14-piece tribute band celebrates Michael’s birthday. 27 | Miranda Cosgrove Fox Theater | Oakland $29.50-$99 | 800.745.3000 apeconcerts.com 16 year old singer joined by Shane Harper. 27 | Natalie Cole Yoshi’s | Oakland $75 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Grammy winning singer. (Ends 8/28) 27 | Richard Cheese Bimbo’s 365 Club | SF $45-$65 | 877.435.9849 bimbos365club.com Vegasversions of rock, rap, & Top40 hits crooned as pop standards.

28 | Kenny G / Michael Bolton Mountain Winery | Saratoga $55.00-$125.00 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com Two legends of late 20th century pop rock share the stage in Saratoga. 29 | KO Comedy Punch Line | SF $15 | 800.745.3000 punchlinecomedyclub.com Kabir Singh and Sammy K. Obeid welcome you to their future of comedy. 30 | Cockyasians Punch Line | SF $15 | 800.745.3000 punchlinecomedyclub.com Bradely Lum and Mark Zhang share their views about Asian culture & society. 31 | Australia’s Thunder From Down Under Rrazz Room | SF $35-$55 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Voted Best Male Strip Show! Adults Only, No Frontal Nudity. Gentlemen Welcome! (Ends 9/17) 31 | Ian Bagg Punch Line | SF $25 | 800.745.3000 punchlinecomedyclub.com Born in B.C., Ian has had multiple spots on “Late Night Conan O’Brien.” (Ends 9/3) 31 | Cannons & Clouds Rickshaw Stop | SF $10 | 415.861.2011 rickshawstop.com SF-based indie rock band uses acoustics, harp, and vocal harmonies. Also: The Family Crest and more.

by lee walker Rape, murder, cannibalism. Unlikely subjects for any musical and, you would think, even less so for one geared to the youth education market, but Sweeney Todd: School Edition is just that. Music Theatre International, the licensing company that handles rights to this edition and the full version, rates it PG-13 and notes that they have worked with composer Stephen Sondheim “to retain the dark wit and grand scope of the original work, with a few lyric and key changes to facilitate high school productions.” Ask Jon Tracy, directing the show as the culmination of a five-week youth theatre camp at Berkeley Playhouse, what’s different between the two versions and he answers succinctly: “Not much.” He adds, ”There are places where they give you suggested alternate lyrics, but these kids are really mature and we’ve been sticking pretty close to the full production.” The cast, aged 13 to 17, had some familiarity with the material thanks to the 2007 film version with Johnny Depp. “We tried to steer clear of that,” says Tracy, “and spend the time with the script and the score, but most of them came in knowing Sweeney as well as they know Rent or Wicked.”

A big challenge has been communicating the very adult themes in the show. “We spent an hour just talking about what makes a serial killer. It’s been fascinating as an adult to be in the room and listen to the kids break down the behaviors of these - at least on the surface seemingly demented characters.”

YOUTH

SWEENEY TODD

young actors tackle big themes

The other major challenge is Sondheim’s complex score. “We try to look at it as a series of overlapping but simple things. The whole may seem complicated, but each one can look at their piece of it as something much simpler.” “I’ve been with doing this for three or four years now and working with a lot of the same kids. It’s always a challenge to find something that will let them grow in that incremental way that teenagers do,” says Tracy, “but also keep them from getting stuck in one mindset as to how theatre has to be.” SWEENEY TODD: SCHOOL EDITION August 5 to 7 Ashby Stage 1901 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley $15 to $20 | 510.845.8542 berkeleyplayhouse.org

image: courtesy photo

Name Name

AUGUST 2011 |

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BACK Nancy Dussault and Judy Kaye at the Hotel Nikko

Sandra Bernhard at the Marinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Memorial Theatre

image: via media

Nick Olivero at Boxcar Theatre

Barbara Eden at the Castro Theatre

Andrea Marcovicci at the Rrazz Room

image: via media

image: steven underhill

image: via media

Emily Bergl at the Rrazz Room

Playwright Michelle Ianiro (left) and the cast of Abigail Dreary

image: pat johnson

image: via media

Stephen Vaught and Jason Pienkowski from Thunderbird Theatre Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Salty Towers

Kirk Douglas at the Castro Theatre

image: dana constance

image: drew altizer

THEATRE DANCE DANCE MUSIC TOURS THEATRE DANCEMUSIC MUSIC TOU THEATRE TOURS

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SPECIAL PERFORMANCE “Phantom of the Opera” star, and donating artist Franc D’Ambrosio will open the event.

Friday, September 23, 2011 The Galleria at the San Francisco Design Center benefiting the UCSF AIDS Health Project

A juried art auction of modern and contemporary art donated by artists, galleries, and collectors