BAYSTAGES | 2011.09 - September by VIA MEDIA / BAYSTAGES

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

[THE PERFORMERS]

SCOTT THOMPSON = Cobb’s Comedy Club

JUDY COLLINS = The Rrazz Room

RITA MORENO = Berkeley Rep

[THE SHOWS]

CONFESSIONS = Alcove Theatre

GYPSY

= Broadway By The Bay

SPRING AWAKENING = San Jose Rep

[THE LATEST] FACT/SF JANIS SIEGEL MARK MORRIS LORRAINE OLSEN

CHINATOWN MUSIC FESTIVAL SF FRINGE FESTIVAL [THE COVER]

The Tony-Winner Returns

LEA SALONGA = THE VENETIAN ROOM

ALSO: NOT GETTING ANY YOUNGER | A DELICATE BALANCE | NIGHT OVER ERZINGA

auguSt 31 - Sepember 17 Direct from LaS VegaS

September 11

THE TIM HOCKENBERRY BAND

September 18

recommeNDeD for aDuLt auDieNceS. No fuLL froNtaL NuDity. geNtLemeN are WeLcome.

September 19

D’AGOSTINO & LACY LuSh Life

JONATHAN PORETZ

Night beat at the rrazz room

September 25 the fabuLouS

BUD E LUV

With the trio aND the WhoLe eNchiLaDa big baND

September 20 - october 1 rrazz room Very SpeciaL coNcert eVeNt

JUDY COLLINS

rare SaN fraNciSco cLub appearaNce

September 25

JANIS SIEGEL

9 time grammy WiNNer of the maNhattaN traNSfer 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

october 2 & 3

WILL & ANTHONY NUNZIATA

SaN fraNciSco Debut performaNceS!

Grand Piano courtesy of Baldwin

800-380-3095 • www.TheRrazzRoom.com

editor ROBERT SOKOL editor@baystages.com

THE STAGES MUSICAL | Spring Awakening................................................... 5 SOLO | Life Without Makeup........................................................ 7 FESTIVAL | SF Fringe Festival...................................................... 9 COMEDY | Not Getting Any Younger........................................11 DANCE | FACT/SF........................................................................13 COMEDY | Two Kids, One Hall...................................................15 COMPOSER | What A Swell Party!...........................................17 DANCE | Dido and Aeneas..........................................................19 CABARET | Lea Salonga.............................................................21 MUSIC | Judy Collins..................................................................23 MUSICAL | Gypsy.......................................................................25 IMPROV | Confessions...............................................................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. 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. SEPTEMBER 2011 |

CITY OF ANGELS September 1 to 25 Hillbarn Theatre 1285 East Hillsdale Boulevard Foster City $27 to $32 | 650.349.6411 hillbarntheatre.org

publisher RON WILLIS publisher@baystages.com design VIA MEDIA design@viamedia.net contributing writers grier cooper nicole gluckstern CHRIS RENÉ WILL SCHMID JAMES J. SIEGEL ROBERT SOKOL LEE WALKER Writers may submit resumes and samples to editor@baystages.com for consideration.

contributing photographers ROBERT SOKOL STEVEN UNDERHILL cover image LEA SALONGA

image: courtesy image All other photos are provided by the| artists 1 or venues and credits are noted where provided.

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: nancy fitzgerald-metzler

or mailed to:

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

REVOLVING These venues book a rapidly changing roster of artists. We recommend calling or checking the websites to get the latest performance details including ticket prices, minimum charges, and age limits (if any).

Branford Marsalis at Yoshis (9/21-25)

MUSIC CLUBS

BIMBO’S 365 CLUB North Beach, SF bimbos365club.com | 415.474.0365 BISCUITS & BLUES Union Square, SF biscuitsandblues.com | 415.292.2583 THE BLANK CLUB San Jose theblankclub.com | 408.292.5265 Bottom of the Hill Potrero Hill, SF bottomofthehill.com | 415.621.4455 Café du Nord Upper Market, SF cafedunord.com | 415.861.5016 ELBO ROOM Mission, SF elbo.com | 415.552.7788 EL RIO Mission, SF elriosf.com | 415.282.3325 THE FILLMORE Fillmore, SF thefillmore.com | 415.346.6000 Freight & Salvage Berkeley freightandsalvage.org | 510.644.2020

BLUE BLANKET IMPROV Half Moon Bay blueblanketimprov.com | 650.726.0770

Independent Alamo Square, SF theindependentsf.com | 415.771.1421

BUNJO’S COMEDY LOUNGE Dublin bunjoscomedy.com | 925.264.4413

Johnny Foley’s Union Square, SF johnnyfoleys.com | 415.954.0777

COBB’S COMEDY CLUB North Beach, SF cobbscomedyclub.com | 415.928.4320

MAMA BUZZ CAFE Oakland mamabuzzcafe.com | No Calls

COMEDY OFF BROADWAY Oakland coboak.com | 510.214.2626

MEZZANINE SOMA, SF mezzaninesf.com | 415.625.8880

THE COMEDY SHOP Mission, SF comedyshop.wordpress.com

Rancho Nicasio Marin ranchonicasio.com | 415.662.2219

COMEDYSportz San Jose comedysportzsanjose.com

Regency Ballroom Civic Center, SF theregencyballroom.com | 800.745.3000

THE DARK ROOM Mission, SF darkroomsf.com | 415.401.7987

Rickshaw Stop Civic Center, SF rickshawstop.com | 415.861.2011

ENDGAMES IMPROV Union Square, SF endgamesimprov.com

THE ROCKIT ROOM Richmond, SF rock-it-room.com | 415.387.6343

ENSO Half Moon Bay ensohmb.com | 650.726.1409

SHATTUCK DOWN LOW Berkeley shattuckdownlow.com | 510.455.4735

HARVEY’S FUNNY TUESDAYS Castro, SF harveyssf.com | 415.431.4278

Slim’s SOMA, SF slims-sf.com | No Calls

THE IMPROV San Jose improv.com | 408.280.7475

STARRY PLOUGH Berkeley starryploughpub.com | 510.841.1424

MADE UP THEATRE Fremont madeuptheatre.com | 510.573.3633

THEE PARKSIDE Potrero Hill, SF theeparkside.com | 415.252.1330

THE MARSH Berkeley themarsh.org | 415.641.0235

THE WARFIELD Downtown, SF thewarfieldtheatre.com | 800.745.3000

PUNCHLINE Enbarcadero, SF punchlinecomedyclub.com | 415.397.7573

YOSHI’S Oakland + Fillmore, SF yoshis.com | 510-238-9200 + 415.655.5600

ROOSTER T. FEATHERS Sunnyvale roostertfeathers.com | 408.736.0921

COMEDY & IMPROV

SECRET IMPROV SOCIETY Union Square, SF improvsociety.com

George’s NIGHTCLUB San Rafael georgesnightclub.com | 415.226.0262

142 THROCKMORTON Mill Valley 142throckmortontheatre.org | 415.383.9600

Great American Music Hall Tenderloin, SF gamh.com | 888.233.0449

BATS IMPROV Marina, SF improv.org | 415.474.6776

Hemlock Tavern Polk Gulch, SF hemlocktavern.com | No Calls

BIG CITY IMPROV Union Square, SF sheltontheater.com | 415.433.1227

SEPTEMBER 2011

STONE SOUP IMPROV Oakland stonesoupimprov.com | 510.380.6808 .............................................................. If you think there’s a vernue we should add to (or drop from) the list, send an email to daily@baystages.com to let us know.

images: courtesy photos (marsalis)

HOTEL UTAH SALOON SOMA, SF hotelutah.com | 415.546.6300

view from the editor I’d like to say that we planned this issue to be all about strong women, but it just sort of snuck up on us. After all, we’re just guys a bunch of guys over here. But from the cover, featuring the powerfully direct gaze of Lea Salonga, through the rest of the issue we suddenly realized that powerful women were everywhere on our pages, just like they are everywhere in life. They don’t come much stronger than the diminutive but fierce Rita Moreno, who has been a Bay Area treasure for the last decade, This month she shares her reminiscences of an astonishing seven-decade career from the stage of her adopted theatrical home at Berkeley Rep. Rita is being guided by former native son, now Los Angeles based director, David Galligan, who has come “home” year after year to shape the annual Help is on the Way AIDS fundraiser, The cast from this year’s extravaganza is picture below, but Galligan is nowhere to be seen because - as usual - he’s directing. A good friend of mine used to say: “Sleep is for sissies!” She even had the saying emblazoned onto a button, one of which I still wear - particularly during the monthly BAYSTAGES production cycle. Like Moreno, folk diva and activist Judy Collins is proving that retirement is for sissies too. Ol’ Blue Eyes seems to have tapped into a never-ending

fountain of creative energy and she is willing to share that, plus her most personal experiences in the hope of improving the lives of others. And we have more strong women! Marga Gomez is another Bay Area Latina treasure and she to is marking time’s passage with Not Getting Any Younger, but strictly for laughs. Lorraine Olsen literally lays bare her observations on life from the model’s perspective in Figuratively Speaking, part of the mind-boggling San Francisco Fringe Festival. We even have a couple of fictional strong women in the characters of Rose Hovick and Gypsy Rose Lee from the Styne-Sondheim musical Gypsy. We look forward to sharing many more stories of strong women - and maybe a few good men - with you as the season continues!

ROBERT SOKOL, editor

image: via media

Performing to support the fight against AIDS in the 17th annual Help is on the Way gala are members of Barbary Coast Cloggers, Post:Ballet, White Tree Fine Art, and a stage full of other volunteers including - sprinkled from left to right - Ray Garcia, Salvatore Vassallo, Patrick Cassidy, Shirley Jones, Leanne Borghesi, Sean McDermott, Thea Gill, Soila Hughes, Lea Salonga, David Burnham, Carole Cook, Jason Brock, Lisa Vroman, Gloria Loring, Jessica Colker, Meg Mackay, James Darren, and Mary Jo Catlett. The evening was directed by David Galligan, with musical direction by Richard Berent and Bill Keck.

SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER2011 2011 ||

ONGOING SHOWS 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.

DAILY The following listings are compiled from submissions to the baystages.com website database and 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 first public performance, with the final performance date noted in the description. CLOSING SHOWS are listed separately in the sidebar columns with the date of the final scheduled performance noted next to the title. ONGOING SHOWS are also listed separately in the sidebar columns and offer regularly scheduled performance throughout the month. Closing and ongoing shows are not included in the daily listings that follow.

01 | Why We Have A Body Magic Theatre | SF $30-$60 | 800.380.3095 magictheatre.org Lili is a lesbian P.I. who stalks men cheating on their wives in this comedy by Claire Chafee. (Ends 10/2)

Beach Blanet Babylon

Club Fugazi | SF $25-$130 | 415.421.4222 beachblanketbabylon.com Long-running revue that skewers news an pop culture with songs, dances and outrageously big hats. Big City Improv

Shelton Theater | SF $20 | 866.468.3399 sheltontheater.com

4 years running - every scene is based upon the suggestions shouted out by the audience. Marga’s Funny Mondays

Marsh | Berkeley $10 | 415.641.0235 themarsh.org

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.

SEPTEMBER 2011

01 | Dan Navarro Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org With Claudia Russell & the Folk Unlimited Orchestra. 01 | Taylor Swift HP Pavilion | San Jose $34.25-$95 | 800.745.3000 taylorswift.com With 16 million albums sold worldwide in just a few years, Swift brings on her Speak Now Tour. (Ends 9/2) 01 | Ivan Lins Quartet Yoshi’s | SF $26 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Grammy-winning Brazilian Singer/ Composer. (Ends 9/3) 01 | Cash Levy Rooster T. Feathers | Sunnyvale $12 | 408.736.0921 roostertfeathers.com 15 year veteran of stand-up, Levy has appeared on The Late Late Show, Bob and Tom and more. (Ends 9/4) 01 | Wyatt Cenac Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $20.50-$22.50 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com Comedy writer and stand-up comic from The Daily Show brings his humor to Cobb’s. (Ends 9/4) 01 | Fully Charged Cow Palace | Daly City $15-$100 | 800.745.3000 ringling.com Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey invite families to disconnect from the digital world. (Ends 9/5)

01 | All Atheists Are Muslim Stage Werx | SF $20-$30 | 800.838.3006 stagewerx.org Discover unexpected common ground among ethnicities, religions and traditions w/Zahra Noorbakhsh. (Ends 10/1) 02 | Az/Dz and Metal Shop George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $12-$15 | 800.380.3095 georgesnightclub.com AC/DC tribute band shares the stage at George’s with 80s hair rock cover band. 02 | Peace Train 142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $18-$25 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org Celebrating Cat Stevens’ music. 02 | Warp Speed: An Improvised Trek Bayfront Theater | SF $17-$20 | 800.380.3095 improv.org Instead of Kirk and Spock you’ll meet a crew of all new characters inspired by audience suggestions! 02 | Andrew Dice Clay Tommy T’s Comedy | Pleasanton $40-$50 | 925.227.1800 tommyts.com Hardcore comic loves to shock his audiences. 17+. (Ends 9/3) 02 | Norman Brown Yoshi’s | Oakland $35 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Accomplished guitarist and vocalist from Shreveport, Louisiana. (Ends 9/4) 02 | Finian’s Rainbow Joaquin Miller Park | Oakland $26-$42 | 510.531.9597 woodminster.com Politics, bigotry and leprechauns mixed with musical hits like “”Old Devil Moon”” and “”Glocca Morra.”” (Ends 9/11)

repression, discovery & rock ‘n’ roll by lee walker

Based on an 1892 German play by Frank Wedekind (Frühlings Erwachen), the Duncan Sheik-Steven Sater musical Spring Awakening was the hit of the 2006 Broadway season. The production starred a pre-Glee Lea Michele, took home eight Tony Awards and spurred a youthful interest in musical theatre to rival the impact of Rent a decade before. The show, which presents the social, intellectual and sexual awaking of a group of teenagers in a repressive, religion dominated culture has toured the U.S. and been produced around the world. It is now in the hands of San Jose Rep and director Rick Lombardo’s vision stretches far beyond merely replicating the successful look and feel of the original. “MTI, the licensing company, called me when they were getting ready to release the production rights. Over they years they kind of learned my directing niche, which is for edgy musicals that are contemporary and have a bit of a dark edge. That’s my go-to,” he laughs. “I love telling resonant stories using contemporary tools.”

“We also decided to take the mics out of their hands,” he says, referring to the modern musical presentation style used in an otherwise period show. “We wanted a more organic production that could move and breathe without being limited to a stand or hand-held mic.” Another unique aspect is the use of multimedia. “We’re very interested in using technology to help tell the story,” says Lombardo. “There’s a marked difference in this show between the worlds of the 1892 scenes and the songs, which are completely modern.”

The show’s plot includes such dark elements as rape, incest, abuse and suicide - there is brief nudity and language not for sensitive ears - but Lombardo also sees beauty in “the joy of being on that tipping point between being a child and being an adult, which is elevated by Duncan Sheik’s music.” SPRING AWAKENING September 1 to 25 San Jose Repertory Theatre 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose $20 to $79 | 408.367.7255 sjrep.com Jason Hite Eryn Murman

image: courtesy photo

Lombardo saw the Broadway run early on and says “we’re mostly approaching the show in an entirely new way. As an artist I think it’s stealing to try and recreate someone else’s production. Michael Mayer’s production was very powerful. Very unique.”His first step toward a new Spring was to engage choreographer Sonia Tayeh of So You Think You Can Dance fame. “She’s got a style known as

combat jazz that is enormously physical. Very strong. Very aggressive.”

MUSICAL

SPRING AWAKENING

SEPTEMBER 2011 |

DAILY 02 | A Delicate Balance Aurora Theatre | Berkeley $10-$55 | 510.843.4822 auroratheatre.org Edward Albee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy of manners & a long-married couple living in the suburbs. (Ends 10/9) 02 | Smokey Joe’s Cafe Lesher Center | Walnut Creek $40-$47 | 925.943.7469 centerrep.org Tony Award winning tribute to legendary rock-and-roll songwriters Leiber and Stoller. Center Rep. (Ends 10/9) 03 | Adriana de los Santos/Andrea Pensado Meridian Gallery | SF $10 | 415.398.7229 meridiangallery.org Argentine musicians de los Santos and Pensado, with M.E. Miller and Ava Mendoza. 03 | Girlyman Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $26.50-$28.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org With Lucy Wainwright Roche. 03 | Michael Bolton Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $45-$85 | 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org Multiple Grammy-winner has sold over 53 million records worldwide. 03 | Ronnie Montrose Fox Theatre | Redwood City $20-$35 | 650.369.7770 foxrwc.com Montrose is back with their signature hard-pounding rock style. 03 | You Am I Café Du Nord | SF $15 | 866.468.3399 cafedunord.com With The Bye Bye Blackbirds and The Campbell Apartment. 03 | City of Angels Hillbarn Theatre | Foster City $32 | 650.349.6411 hillbarntheatre.org The first Broadway musical to have a fullblown jazz score, Cy Coleman & David Zippel’s hit. (Ends 9/25) 04 | Kenny Loggins Uptown Theatre | Napa $65-$80 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Singer/songwriter with a dozen platinum records brings his smooth style to Napa.

SEPTEMBER 2011

04 | Mike Greensill and Friends Old First Church | SF $17 | 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org An eclectic concert of American songbook faves and more, with guests including wife Wesla Whitfield. 04 | Twin Sister Rickshaw Stop | SF $10-$12 | 877.435.9849 rickshawstop.com With Devon Williams and Library Voices. 06 | Viva Brother Independent | SF $12-$14 | 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com With Family of the Year. 07 | Get Up and Go Peninsula JCC | Foster City $4 | 650.212.7522 pjcc.org Baritone Richard Fey & pianist Richard Helmer present songs from operas. 07 | Givers Rickshaw Stop | SF $10-$12 | 800.745.3000 rickshawstop.com With the Kopecky Family Band. 07 | SF Symphony’s Opening Night Gala Davies Symphony Hall | SF $165-$295 | 415.864.6000 sfsymphony.org Fanfare for a New Century with Itzhak Perlman & Lang Lang . 07 | Jane Austen Unscripted 142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $25-$30 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org LA’s Improv Theatre brings their comedy back to the 142 for the 3rd year. (Ends 9/8) 07 | Dr. John & The Lower 911 Yoshi’s | Oakland $26-$34 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Accomplished organist and pianist brings the sounds of New Orleans. (Ends 9/9) 07 | Figuratively Speaking Five Points Art House | SF $10 | 800.838.3006 sffringe.or The naked truth from the artist model’s stand. Lorraine Olsen. (Ends 9/17)

08 | Hardly Strictly Klezmer Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org With Red Hot Chachkas and Vocolot. 08 | Tears for Fears Wente Vineyards | Livermore $79-$275 | 800.745.3000 wentevineyards.comconcerts Iconic ‘80s band has reunited and is going strong. 08 | The B-52s / The Human League / Men Without Hats Mountain Winery | Saratoga $35-$85 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com Legendary bands of the early ‘80s bring on the nostalgia at the Mountain Winery. 08 | Boney James Yoshi’s | SF $45-$55 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Jazz and R&B vocalist has four Gold albums to his credit. (Ends 9/9) 08 | Fully Charged Oracle Arena | Oakland $15-$100 | 800.745.3000 ringling.com Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey invite families to disconnect from the digital world. (Ends 9/11) 08 | Show Ho New Conservatory Theatre Center | SF $20-$32 | 415.861.8972 nctcsf.org A multi-character one woman show from comedienne and performance artist Sara Moore. (Ends 10/9) 08 | NOT GETTING ANY YOUNGER Marsh | SF $15-$50 | 415.641.0235 themarsh.org Award-winning Gomez’s new one woman show, Not Getting Any Younger. (Ends 10/23) 09 | Amr Diab / Arash Bill Graham Civic Auditorium | SF $59-$300 | 800.745.3000 amrdiab.net Egyptian singer takes the stage in SF. 09 | Band Of Horses Uptown Theatre | Napa $37 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Rock band presents numbers from their latest album, Infinite Arms.

rita moreno strips back the layers by will schmid

Rita Moreno can be a tough customer. She’s had to be in order to not only work, but succeed for 70 years in a frequently inhospitable industry. In the 1940s she dubbed films into Spanish and made her Broadway debut opposite Eli Wallach. In the 1950s she appeared in some iconic film musicals including Singin’ in the Rain and The King and I. She began the 1960s with a bang, winning the Academy Award for playing Anita in West Side Story. “Then I didn’t do a movie for seven years,” she says bluntly. She’s now collaborating with writer Tony Taccone and director David Galligan on Life Without Makeup, something of a staged memoir, that has Moreno reviewing her very interesting life. The work is “hard as it can be, but great fun. I’m also dancing more than I planned,” she teases before managing expectations with, “but I call it sorta-kinda dancing. I have a new knee and I’m gonna be 80 in December.” The knee replacement pushed the opening of the show back from its original dates earlier this year.

The show doesn’t cover every part of her varied career. “It’s a lot of life,” she says with a shrug, “but I made a pact with Tony. We agreed that we didn’t want to ‘work’ the audience - if you know what I mean - and we agreed that we didn’t want it to be dishy and gossipy. That’s not what my life is about.” The words she does use are poignant, funny and exciting. It’s also musical. The sorta-kinda dancing will have her backed by two dancers choreographed by Lee Martino. “The numbers we’ve chosen to do are just terrific and there’ll be some surprises. I’m very pleased and very tired!” LIFE WITHOUT MAKEUP September 2 to October 30 Roda Theatre 2025 Addison Street, Berkeley $17 to $69 | 510.647.2949 berkeleyrep.org

image: michael lamonica

“It’s gone so far beyond my expectations,” she says of the show’s development process. “It’s not just entertainment, it’s really about a person’s life. It’s about a child who comes from another

country, doesn’t speak the language, and finds out pretty quickly that being from another country is not a good thing. She then spends the rest of her life trying to become someone else, someone with fair skin,” she adds, putting herself in the third person.

SOLO

LIFE WITHOUT MAKEUP

SEPTEMBER 2011 |

DAILY 09 | Bud E. Luv George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $15-$20 | 800.380.3095 georgesnightclub.com Over-the-top lounge singer known for his swingin’ renditions of rock & pop hits.

09 | The Tubes Firehouse Arts Center | Pleasanton $35-$45 | 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org Presenting their concert San Francisco Sound of the 70s and Beyond. (Ends 9/10)

10 | Soundwave Mildred Owen Concert Hall | Pacifica $20 | 650.355.188 pacificaperformances.org SF Sound Wave Chorus presents fourpart harmony in the barbershop style.

09 | Daniel Glover & Jerome Lenk Old First Church | SF $17 | 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org Pianist Glover & organist Lenk perform works composed for piano/organ duo.

09 | Unveiled Brava Theatre | SF $25 | 800.380.3095 brava.org 5 Muslim women in a post-9/11 world living in western cultures uncover what lies beneath the veil. (Ends 9/17)

10 | Tears for Fears Uptown Theatre | Napa $65-$75 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Iconic ‘80s band is back and going strong.

09 | Ray LaMontagne and The Pariah Dogs Greek Theatre | Berkeley $39.50-$69.50 | 800.745.3000 raylamontagne.com With Brandi Carlile and Vusi Mahlasela.

09 | The Cole Porter Songbook 6th Street Playhouse | Santa Rosa $20-$30 | 707.523.4185 6thstreetplayhouse.com An elegant cabaret event featuring classic Porter tunes. (Ends 9/18)

09 | SF Opera Opening Night Gala War Memorial Opera House | SF $26-$263 | 415.864.3330 sfopera.com Featuring a performance of Puccini’s masterful Turandot. 09 | Super Diamond Fox Theatre | Redwood City $18-$30 | 650.369.7770 superdiamond.com Neil Diamond tribute band. Also on stage The Chicago Tribute Authority. 09 | Suzanne Ciani 142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $30-$40 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org An evening of solo piano with Marinbased Ciani and Argentinian pianist/ composer Julio Mazziotti. 09 | Tears for Fears Mountain Winery | Saratoga $45-$95 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com Iconic ‘80s band shares the stage with Michael Wainwright. 09 | The California Honeydrops Rickshaw Stop | SF $12-$14 | 877.435.9849 rickshawstop.com With The Expanders. The Honeydrops will be recording both sets on video. 09 | The Kills Fox Theater | Oakland $29.50 | 800.745.3000 thekills.tv With Eleanor Friedberger and Mini Mansions.

SEPTEMBER 2011

09 | She Loves Me Cinnabar Theater | Petaluma $25-$35 | 707.763.8920 cinnabartheater.org A musical about two feuding shop clerks who find solace in their romantic pen pals. (Ends 9/25) 09 | The Wizard of Oz Lesher Center | Walnut Creek $17-$48 | 925.943.7469 diablotheatre.org Go visit the Wizard with the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion & Dorothy and her little dog too! (Ends 10/1) 09 | Turandot War Memorial Opera House | SF $35-$330 | 415.864.3330 sfopera.com Puccini’s final masterpiece, a passionate tale of a princess whose cruelty masks her fear of love. (Ends 11/25) 10 | Fleet Foxes Greek Theatre | Berkeley $39.50 | 800.745.3000 fleetfoxes.com Wtih The Walkmen. 10 | George Komsky Napa Valley Opera House | Napa $20-$25 | 707.226.7372 nvoh.org An intimate selection of Opera, PopOpera, Neapolitan songs, and other musical surprises.” 10 | Herencia Musical Sunnyvale Community Theatre $22-$28 | 408.730.7350 Latin music, romantic ballads, lively polkas, rancheras and Veracruz-style music.”

10 | The V Concert Queen’s Lane | Petaluma $15-$20 | 707.763.8920 cinnabartheater.org A benefit concert featuring soprano Carrie Hennessey performing. 10 | Ardenwood Shakespeare Festival Ardenwood Historic Farm | Fremont $17 | 888.327.2757 ardenwoodfaire.com 900 costumed entertainers + 100 shopkeepers & artisans welcome you to this Renaissance Faire. (Ends 9/11) 10 | Idomeneo California Theatre | San Jose $51-$101 | 408.437.4450 operasj.org Mozart’s first, and personal favorite, opera, a mythological music drama. (Ends 9/25) 10 | Heart of a Soldier War Memorial Opera House | SF $30-$330 | 415.864.3330 sfopera.com The extraordinary life of Rick Rescorla, who saved countless lives on 9/11, set to music. (Ends 9/30) 11 | Eugene Brancoveanu Firehouse Arts Center | Pleasanton $12-$24 | 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org Opera baritone is accompanied by Peter Grunberg, presenting works by Schubert, Sviridov & more. 11 | Maria Muldaur 142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $25-$35 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org Muldaur celebrates American Roots Music with her Red Hot Bluesiana Band. 11 | Schola Cantorum 9/11 Tribute Stanford Memorial Church FREE | scholacantorum.org Schola Cantorum will join with choirs across the Bay Area to present a moving musical tribute.

by nicole gluckstern

FESTIVAL

SF FRINGE FESTIVAL

44 shows, 7 venues and 12 days of theatre

Name Name

It simply would not be September in San Francisco without the San Francisco Fringe Festival. Produced for the past 20 years by that stalwart linchpin of local indie fare, the EXIT theatre, the SF Fringe has served as a launching pad for many now-established companies including Cutting Ball, Boxcar Theatre, Thrillpeddlers, Banana Bag and Bodice, Mugwumpin’, and Art Street Theatre. Non-juried, uncensored, and irrepressible, the only typical in Fringe shows is the atypical.

image: chandra renee walker

This year’s promising variety includes: seasoned comedic sketch trio in The Meehan Brothers Show, a bloody smackdown in Denmark with Hamlet vs. Zombies, a songcycle about mortality performed by Carrie Baum Love (You Can’t Play Guitar When You’re Dead), a site-specific piece performed in a dumpster on Eddy Street (Elite Waste), an “absurdist (meta)physical piece of theater featuring confetti, mustaches, and an abacus” (Quatre-Vingt-Quatre), and a history piece that hails all the way from tiny Mauritius (The Madogs of Diego). Solo shows are a staple of Fringe like Lorraine Olsen’s Figuratively Speaking, a true “exposé” of life as an artist’s model. The twist is that she’ll have a different artist appear with

her each night to sketch her as she dishes from her model’s post on her life and own artistic trajectory. “It really all started…when a third grade classmate asked me to sing “It’s A Small World” in English and German for the school talent show,” she says. “I think applause was my first drug of choice!” No Fringe tyro, her Theatre Valentine production of The Person I Once Was won a “Best of” award at the 1995 Fringe. She’s especially eager to present her latest work for the “adventurous audiences” that frequent the Fringe, a category in which Olsen includes herself as she looks forward to “seeing as many [shows] as I possibly can!” SF FRINGE FESTIVAL September 7 to 18 | Show Times Vary EXIT Complex, 156 Eddy Street, SF EXIT on Taylor, 277 Taylor Street, SF 50 Mason Social House, 50 Mason Street, SF Five Points Art House, 72 Tehama Street, SF Tickets Vary | 800.838.3006 sffringe.org

Lorraine Olsen

SEPTEMBER 2011 |

SPOTLIGHTS

DAILY 11 | Susan Ciani & Julio Mazziotti Dance Palace | Point Reyes Station $18-$23 | 415.663.1075 dancepalace.org Ciani and Mazziotti, both composers/ pianists in the romantic/new age tradition, met in Mallorca.

CHINATOWN MUSIC FESTIVAL September 25 | 1:00 pm Portsmouth Square Kearny Street, SF FREE | c-c-c.org

- Jason Victor Serinus

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11 | The Tim Hockenberry Band Rrazz Room | SF $25 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Blues, Jazz, Singer/Songwriter, Multiinstrumentalist. 11 | Tommy Castro Rancho Nicasio | Nicasio $20 | 415.662.2219 ranchonicasio.com The Rancho’s BBQ on the Lawn series. Gates open at 3PM. 11 | Willie Nelson Mountain Winery | Saratoga $45-$125 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com Country legend, joined by his family. 12 | Marianne Aya Omac 142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $28-$40 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org Author, composer and guitarist Omac is joined onstage by guest Joan Baez. 12 | Slaid Cleaves Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org Folk, country and rock singer/songwriter.” 12 | WestWave Dance ODC Theater | SF $22 | 866.558.4253 odctheater.org An evening of dance duets featuring works from nine choreographers. 20th Anniversary season. 12 | Cecilio & Kapono Yoshi’s | SF $30 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Still going strong after three decades this Hawaiian due have shared the stage with rock legends. (Ends 9/13)

13 | Barbara Higbie & Peppino D’Agostino Yoshi’s | Oakland $14-$20 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Piano guitar duo. 13 | Bruce Hornsby Independent | SF $37.50-$40 | 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com With his band The Noisemakers. 13 | Danko Jones Bottom of the Hill | SF $12 | bottomofthehill.com With Electric Sister and Dirty Power. 13 | Don Friesen Napa Valley Opera House | Napa $18 | 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Friesen’s comedy is high energy satire of his life as a suburban husband and father of two. 13 | Kenny Loggins Wente Vineyards | Livermore $79-$275 | 800.745.3000 wentevineyards.comconcerts Legendary singer-songwriter and guitarist brings his smooth style to Livermore. 13 | The Moondoggies Café Du Nord | SF $10-$12 | 866.468.3399 cafedunord.com With The Romany Rye. 13 | Willie Nelson Uptown Theatre | Napa $95-$110 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Country legend and activist brings his latest to Napa. 13 | Andy Kindler Punch Line | SF $15 | 800.745.3000 punchlinecomedyclub.com Originally from New York, now complaining from California, Kindler annoys people all over the world. (Ends 9/14) 14 | Bruce Hornsby Uptown Theatre | Napa $40-$50 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Bringing his band, the Noisemakers, to the Uptown.”

images: courtesy photos (wong)

The 2nd Annual Chinatown Music Festival gets underway on the afternoon of September 25 in the heart of San Francisco’s Chinatown. The six-hour free event, whose offerings underscore the diversity of residents in and visitors to this ever-changing melting pot, includes music from Chinese, Japanese, and Latin ensembles of all ages. Festival producer Francis Wong, who also plays saxophone in Jon Jang’s Unbound Chinatown and serves as Creative Director of Asian Improv Arts, stresses that all the festival’s acts reflect strong cultural traditions. “We want to affirm the different arts of Chinese tradition, as well as the new population of Chinatown that mixes older people from the south with ethnic Chinese from the north and others who have emigrated from regions as diverse as Vietnam and Latin America,” he says. “Our goal is to underscore San Francisco’s cultural generosity, and broaden people’s perception of Chinatown. We have great art being practiced and performed here. People think of Chinatown as someplace cheap, but there are a lot of things here of great value.” One distinct highlight is Jon Jang and Unbound Chinatown’s world premiere of Portrait of Sun Yat-sen (2:20 p.m. with English narration, 4:55 p.m. in Chinese). Composed by pianist Jon Jang, the work celebrates the October 10 Centennial of the Xinhai Revolution (Chinese Revolution) and the end of feudalism. In addition to Jon Jang’s seven-member jazz ensemble, pipa, vocal soloist Min Xiao Fen, and text by San Francisco Supervisor David Chiu will illumine Dr. Sun’s life, ideas and accomplishments, some of which were inspired by Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

11 | The 9/11/11 Project - Mozart’s Requiem Cathedral of Christ the Light | Oakland FREE | oaklandsymphonychorus.org Oakland Symphony Chorus presents A National Requiem of Remembrance Looking Back, Moving Forward.

12 | Iggy and The Stooges Warfield | SF $45 | 800.745.3000 thewarfieldtheatre.com With Le Butcherettes. (Ends 9/13)

marga gomez spills the beans...again! by james j. siegel

Marga Gomez is a ground breaker. She has been an out lesbian comedian since the 1980s when doing so would have been career suicide. But whatever you do, don’t call her a pioneer. “I hate it,” said Gomez. “It sounds like I travel to my gigs in a covered wagon.” Gomez admits that her stand-up and stage shows have always been about honesty, but the one thing she has had the most trouble being honest about is her age. In her ninth solo show, Not Getting Any Younger, Gomez finally tackles her fear of getting older and her propensity to lie about her age. The show was originally workshopped at The Marsh in San Francisco and returns this month for a run through October. Gomez also took the show to an off-off Broadway venue, which she said was great because she grew up in New York, and that is where she got her penchant for lying. Younger focuses quite a bit on Gomez’s life as a young Catholic school girl growing up in the New York borough of Washington Heights. All around her, Gomez said that she and other children were “so beaten down by adults and nuns” and didn’t get a lot of respect.

with youth culture,” she said. “You lose some cache as you get older, and it’s not right.” The solo performance is Gomez’s way of dealing with the difficulties at every age. She said that each night, the show changes a bit. In past performances, she said she’s come close to blurting out her real age.

COMEDY

NOT GETTING ANY YOUNGER

When the show opens again, Gomez said she might just tell her age by going up to someone in the audience and whispering it in their ear. However, she also says should we have to “kill them in the process.” not getting any younger September 8 to October 23 The Marsh 1062 Valencia St., SF $15 to 50 415-282-3055 themarsh.org

image: kent taylor

As an adult, Gomez thought that would change. However, these days, “we are obsessed

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SPOTLIGHTS

DAILY 14 | Diana Ross Wente Vineyards | Livermore $99-$295 | 800.745.3000 wentevineyards.comconcerts Yes, The Diana Ross, live in the vineyards at Wente.”

JANIS SIEGEL September 25 | 7:00 pm Rrazz Room 222 Mason Street, SF $35 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Over the past three and a half decades, the voice of Janis Siegel, a nine-time Grammy winner and a seventeen-time Grammy nominee, has been an undeniable force in The Manhattan Transfer’s diverse musical catalog. Siegel has also sustained a solo career that has spawned more than a half dozen finely-crafted solo albums and numerous collaborative projects, amassed a large international fan base and garnered consistently high critical praise.

14 | Willie Nelson Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $45-$85 | 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org Iconic country legend brings his soulful and singular voice to the North Bay.

ALL ATHEISTS ARE MUSLIM September 1 to October 1 StageWerx 533 Sutter Street, SF $20 | 800.838.3006 zahracomedy.com

Muslim, Iranian-American comedian and performer Zahra Noorbakhsh (pronounced Zah-ra Nor-bash) brings her successful one woman show for a limited engagement. This romantic comedy is an insightful and funny story about crosscultural relationships discovering unexpected common ground among ethnicities, religions and traditions.

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14 | MTT and Yo-Yo Ma Davies Symphony Hall | SF $15-$140 | 415.864.6000 sfsymphony.org Classical cellist and superstar Yo-Yo Ma and SFS perform Hindemith’s Cello Concerto and more. (Ends 9/17) 14 | Joy with Wings: A Daughter’s Tale Alcove Theater | SF $32-$50 | 800.838.3006 chaucertheatre.org Never underestimate a mother’s love. Heartwarming drama of a daughter’s journey with her mom. (Ends 10/6)

15 | Chicago Uptown Theatre | Napa $79-$125 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Presenting powerful live concerts since 1967 and still going strong. 15 | Extinction Burst: a dance of lost movement California Academy of Sciences | SF $12 | 415.379.8000 calacademy.org Choreographer Chris Black’s dance installation about long lost species. Commissioned by ODC. 21+. 15 | Kenny Loggins Mountain Winery | Saratoga $39.50-$89.50 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com Legendary singer-songwriter and guitarist comes to the Mountain Winery. 15 | Little Joe & La Familia Yoshi’s | SF $25-$30 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Celebrating Mexican independence. 15 | Patrick Wolf Bimbo’s 365 Club | SF $20 | 877.435.9849 bimbos365club.com This is a seated general admission show. 15 | Ron White Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $60 | 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org Best known as the cigar smoking, scotch drinking funnyman from the “Blue Collar Comedy” phenomenon.” 15 | Sarah Wilson Quintet 142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $18-$21 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org Composer/trumpeter/vocalist’s quintet includes violin, electric guitar, acoustic guitar & drums. 15 | Train Sleep Train Pavilion | Concord $74-$134 | 800.745.3000 trainline.com With Maroon 5 and Matt Nathanson.

images: andria lo (all atheists are muslin - zahra noorbakhsh), all others - courtesy photos (siegel)

14 | White HIlls Rickshaw Stop | SF $10-$12 | 877.435.9849 rickshawstop.com With Carlton Melton and Dirty Ghosts.

15 | Carmen Souza Jewish Community Center | SF $25-$40 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org Souza presents a melange of West African, Brazilian and Jazz styles. SFJAZZ Fest World series.

fact/sf explores the formative experience by grier cooper

Ask anyone the simple question, “Who are you?” and you are guaranteed a concise response that is boiled down to a few key points, ignoring the layers of formative experience that led to the construction of identity. This bothers Charles Slender, artistic director of FACT/SF, enough so that his newest work, Pretonically Oriented v.3 seeks to dissect the formation of identity and render it in live, multidisciplinary performance, where the creation of a dance work stands as a metaphor for identity formation and video documentation of the rehearsal process is viewed along with the live presentation. “This project provides real insight into the creative process of dance-making and creates a dialogue about how things become what they are.” (The “pre” of the word pretonic, and “tonic” meaning the syllable of a word that is stressed or emphasized.)

The company’s 2011 residency with CounterPULSE provided space to experiment and investigate. “Often I feel pressure to work quickly towards a final product, and I think this limits how rich and deep a work can be. I think audiences will be surprised at how original this work is. Perhaps knowing more about how it was created will unlock a new, helpful piece of knowledge for the audience.” Pretonically Oriented v. 3 September 8 to 11 CounterPULSE 1310 Mission Street, SF $10 to $20 | 415.626.6020 counterpulse.org

image: tawnee kendall

Slender is known for work that is both intellectual and witty, and ranges from highly minimal to highly physical. “Perfect pirouettes and elegant extensions are paired with something deep, slightly dark and always thought-provoking,” says SF Bay Guardian’s Ariel Soto. One never knows what they might do next and the audience is often involved. But FACT/ SF isn’t just about thought-provoking performance; it’s looking to increase the viability of the performing arts by stretching its boundaries and ensuring its future survival. To accomplish this the company has performed locally 53 times and completed a statewide live performance crusade in every one of the 173 Wal-Mart locations in California.

“Pretonically Oriented v. 3 is the most risky work I have made,” states Slender. “I have been really fortunate to study with choreographers from different cultural backgrounds, so I think I bring all of that diverse experience to the rehearsal.”

DANCE

Pretonically Oriented v. 3

SEPTEMBER 2011 |

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DAILY 15 | What a Swell Party!: The Cole Porter Salon Alcazar Theatre | SF $75 | 415.255.8207 42ndstmoon.org A tribute to Broadway’s dapper party boy and one of its most beloved and enduring songwriters. 15 | The Fellowship Band Yoshi’s | Oakland $16-$24 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Featuring master drummer Brian Blade. (Ends 9/16) 15 | Glenn Wool Rooster T. Feathers | Sunnyvale $12 | 408.736.0921 roostertfeathers.com Vancouver-native started his comedy career in 1995. With Gayla Johnson and Colleen Watson. 21+. (Ends 9/18) 15 | Scott Thompson & Kevin McDonald Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $20.50-$23.50 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com Members of the famed sketch-comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, they present ”Two Kids, One Hall.” (Ends 9/18) 15 | The Mad 7 Marsh | Berkeley $15-$50 | 415.641.0235 themarsh.org Yehuda Hyman’s one man show, subtitled A Mystical Comedy with Ecstatic Dance. (Ends 9/18) 15 | Night Over Erzinga Magic Theatre | SF $20-$36 | 415.345.7575 goldenthread.org A story of reconciliation and the American immigrant experience by Adriana Sevahn Nichols. (Ends 10/9) 16 | Chanticleer Conservatory of Music | SF $20-$44 | 415.392.4400 chanticleer.org Presenting “Love Story,” a collection of love-related songs spanning 6 centuries. More venues at their website. 16 | Chicago Mountain Winery | Saratoga $45-$125 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com Classic rock band still going strong after decades of hits.

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SEPTEMBER 2011

16 | Commander Cody Band George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $25-$30 | 800.380.3095 georgesnightclub.com American roots music: old time rock and roll to redneck country, boogie-woogie, Cajun, and swing. 16 | Joan Osborne & Dar Williams Napa Valley Opera House | Napa $30-$50 | 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Two popular female folk artists take the stage for a memorable evening of music. 16 | Peppino D’Agostino Firehouse Arts Center | Pleasanton $12-$25 | 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org Guitarist D’Agostino is joined by harpist and violinist Carlos Reyes. 16 | Quinteto Latino Old First Church | SF $17 | 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org Wind quintet performs works by Grainger, Taffanel, Hurtado, Piazzolla, Ginastera and Villa-Lobos. 16 | Staff Benda Bilili Herbst Theatre | SF $20-$40 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org Congolese band founded by paraplegic street musicians has sold out European gigs. SFJAZZ Fest. 16 | Zion I Fillmore | SF $25 | 800.745.3000 thefillmore.com With Los Rakas. 16 | Stanton Moore Trio Independent | SF $20-$22 | 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com With Soul Rebels Brass Band. (Ends 9/17) 16 | The People: San Francisco Z Space | SF $10 | 415.978.2787 ybca.org Big Art Group’s site specific, outdoor performance piece combines live theater with real-time video. (Ends 9/17) 16 | Eliane Elias Yoshi’s | SF $25 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Sao Paulo native pianist, singer and songwriter. (Ends 9/18)

by robert sokol It’s an interesting experience to interview someone having just seen them naked. “Ah, you saw the video,” says Scott Thompson instantly. The video is an internet clip of the former Kid in the Hall waking up in the buff on a San Diego waterfront. He finds a few limited articles of clothing - socks, shoes, boxers (which he sniffs before donning) before heading over to the ComicCon convention. It’s Thompson’s first return to San Francisco since 2008, when he fell off the stage of the War Memorial Opera House during a skit and injured his back. “It cost me $5,000 for the ambulance ride. I didn’t even want to go with them. In Canada you don’t think about those things, but in the U.S. you have to,” he says. He plans to make careful note of the edge of the stage at Cobb’s, where’s he’s sharing the bill with KITH pal Kevin McDonald. “Actually,” he riffs, “I’ll be doing the show from the green room. It will be more of a radio broadcast.” Fast, funny and just a bit absurd has always been a hallmark of Thompson’s humor. During his six-year stint with KITH, he portrayed characters like Buddy

Cole and Queen Elizabeth. He’s made several films and had a recurring role on The Larry Sanders Show. Two years ago he was diagnosed with nonHodgkins lymphoma, but today he is cancerfree. “Beating cancer changed everything for me. It also helped me let go of a lot of old anger and resentments about my career and other things in my life.”

COMEDY

TWO KIDS, ONE HALL

this time scott thompson’s keeping it on the stage

“I’ve been dabbling with stand up for quite a while but I’ve never really concentrated on getting it right before. Now I am. I don’t feel the need to go into characters or put on a wig or a coat or hide behind anything. I feel very secure now. They say you need 10,000 hours to be really good at something. I think my odometer just clicked over.” TWO KIDS, ONE HALL September 15 to 18 Cobb’s Comedy Club 915 Columbus Avenue, SF $20.50 to $23.50 | 800.431.3462 cobbscomedyclub.com

Scott Thompson Kevin McDonald Name

image: courtesy photo

Name

SEPTEMBER 2011 |

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DAILY

42nd Street Moon Presents

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16 | Time Cocoon ODC Theater | SF $25 | 415.863.9834 odctheater.org Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble presents original compositions with Japanese taiko, shamisen, and more. (Ends 9/18)

17 | Booker T. JONES Herbst Theatre | SF $25-$65 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org Organist Booker T. Jones is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee & 3-time Grammy Award winner. SFJAZZ Fest.

16 | A Few Good Men Diablo Actors’ Ensemble | Walnut Creek $25 | 866.811.4111 diabloactors.com Aaron Sorkin’s drama about a court martial, full of questions about fidelity and honor. (Ends 10/1)

17 | Caminos Flamencos Mildred Owen Hall | Pacifica $20 | 650.355.188 pacificaperformances.org With Yaelisa, founder & Artistic Director of The New World Flamenco Festival.

16 | Hunter’s Point St. Boniface Church Theatre | SF $15-$25 | 415.422.6733 strangeangelstheater.org A musical with bicycles by Elizabeth Gjelten about the love of sisters and the meaning of home. (Ends 10/1) 16 | Nunsense with a Twist Lucie Stern Theater | Palo Alto $32 | 650.329.0891 paplayers.org Palo Alto Players’ production of Nunsense, but this time with a twist. (Ends 10/2) 16 | Bandstand Beat Theatre on San Pedro Square | SJ $29-$35 | 800.838.3006 tabardtheatre.org World Premiere. It’s 1965 and the popular dance party show Bandstand Beat celebrates its 15th year. (Ends 10/9) 16 | The Fifth of July Pear Avenue Theatre | Mountain View $20-$25 | 650.254.1148 thepear.org Compassionate and funny, Lanford Wilson’s valedictory to the 1960s. (Ends 10/9)

“take an

example from eve... expe rim ent! ”

Oct 5 – 23 FOr tickets: (415) 255-8207

www.42ndstmoon.org

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SEPTEMBER 2011

16 | Don’t Dress for Dinner Ross Valley Players | Ross $25 | 415.456.9555 rossvalleyplayers.com Marc Camoletti’s classical farce that ran for seven years on London’s West End. (Ends 10/16) 17 | 1911 Chinese Centennial Concert Flint Center | Cupertino $25-$100 | 800.745.3000 flintcenter.com 120-member chorus + 65-member orchestra. 17 | Bassnectar Bill Graham Civic Auditorium | SF $40 | 800.745.3000 bassnectar.net With Wolfgang Gartner, & Dan Deacon.

17 | Country Joe McDonald Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $22.50-$24.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org Presenting his tribute to Woody Guthrie. 17 | Diana Ross Marin Center | San Rafael $75-$150 | 415.499.6800 rbpconcerts.com Ross performs her hits with breathtaking costumes and stage designs, plus a string and horn section. 17 | Joan Osborne Fillmore | SF $27.50 | 800.745.3000 thefillmore.com With Dar Williams. 17 | Kevin Meaney & Sue Murphy Osher Marin JCC | San Rafael $25-$40 | 415.444.8000 marinjcc.org Two former SF comics do stand-up, plus they host The Dating Game. 17 | Laura Marling Bimbo’s 365 Club | SF $20-$30 | 877.435.9849 bimbos365club.com With Alessi’s Ark. 17 | Lee Ritenour Napa Valley Opera House | Napa $38-$48 | 707.226.7372 nvoh.org The Opera House welcomes this Grammy-award winning guitarist. With James Robinson. 17 | Peter Hook & The Light Mezzanine | SF $22 | 866.468.3399 mezzaninesf.com An intimate performance of “Closer” with the driving force behind Joy Division and New Order.

by chris rené

Broadway star Lee Roy Reams can blame the fact he is appearing in a Cole Porter salon for 42nd Street Moon on the movies! ‘When I was about ten years old I went to the Madison Theatre in Covington, Kentucky. There was a movie called But Not For Me with Clark Gable, Lilli Palmer and Carroll Baker. In the film Ella Fitzgerald sang the Gershwin title song and it just deeply affected me.”

image: courtesy photo

He sought out the recording. “I played it so much I had to buy another copy. I should have been listening to Elvis, but it was the music that was in my ear.” Fitzgerald made a series of now classic American songbook composer recordings and Reams devoured them all, including the two volumes dedicated to Cole Porter. Fast forward and college sophomore Reams is earning his Equity card in a production of Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate with the show’s original Broadway star Patricia Morison.

COMPOSER

WHAT A sWELL PARTY!

for lee roy reams, porter is just one of those things

Fast forward again and “I came back to open up the Showboat Majestic for University of Cincinnati with Porter’s Anything Goes and the gal who was graduating that year was playing Reno Sweeney.” That gal was future Tony-nominee Pamela Myers She and Reams have been friends ever since and she returns to San Francisco, having just finished the run of Tales of the City, to join Reams at the Alcazar. Reams has built a 40-year-to-date Broadway career including Applause with Lauren Bacall and a Tony-nominated turn in 42nd Street. He’s also well associated with Jerry Herman as an actor, choreographer and/or director of various productions of La Cage aux Folles and Hello, Dolly! He’s a natural storyteller and given his experiences it’s reasonable to assume there’s a book lurking in there somewhere. “I got up to ‘84, but then I was no longer on tour with The Producers so I stopped having all the plane time to write!” what a swell party! September 15 | 7:00 pm Alcazar Theatre 650 Geary Street, SF $70 | 415.255.8207 42ndstmoon.org SEPTEMBER 2011 |

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DAILY 17 | St. Lawrence String Quartet Dinkelspiel Auditorium | Palo Alto $10-$55 | 650.725.2787 stanfordtickets.org With guest pianist Jon Nakamatsu, performing a program of works by Haydn, Korngold, and Schumann. 17 | Mads Tolling Peninsula JCC | Foster City $20-$25 | 650.212.7522 pjcc.org Classical and jazz violinist integrates violin into his unconventional jazz combo. 17 | 42nd Street Saratoga Civic Theater | Saratoga $23-$30 | 800.380.3095 southbaymt.com A musical celebration of Broadway and those who create theater. (Ends 10/8)

design publications websites

18 | 31st Annual Comedy Day Golden Gate Park | SF $0 | 415.820.1570 comedyday.com One stage, five hours, 30 comedians and a million laughs in Sharon Meadow! 18 | Bruce Hornsby Mountain Winery | Saratoga $35-$89.50 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com With Shawn Colvin. 18 | China National Acrobatic Troupe Lincoln Theater | Yountville $35-$55 | 707.944.9900 lincolntheater.com The 1st National performing arts troupe established by the People’s Republic of China.

415.552.8040 780 sutter street san francisco, ca 94109 www.viamedia.net a division of Caselli Partners LLC

18 | Herbie Hancock Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $45-$199 | 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org Academy Award winner with 14 Grammy Awards brings his 40+ years of musical experience to the stage. 18 | John Pizzarelli Filoli | Woodside $50-$60 | 650.364.8300 ext: 508 filoli.org Part of Jazz at Filoli, Pizzarelli is a guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and bandleader. 18 | Lisa Vroman Firehouse Arts Center | Pleasanton $12-$27 | 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org Vroman, Christine Daae in SF’s Phantom of the Opera, opens the Firehouse’s Cabaret Series season.

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SEPTEMBER 2011

18 | Lucy Kaplansky Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $24.50-$26.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org With special guest Nina Gerber. 18 | Robben Ford 142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $25-$35 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org 5-time Grammy nominee and soughtafter electric guitarist shares the stage with his Ford Blues Band. 18 | The Fancy Dan Band Café Du Nord | SF $10 | 866.468.3399 cafedunord.com With Erin Brazill and The Brazillionaires and Annie Bacon and her Oshen. 18 | Thomas Schultz Old First Church | SF $17 | 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org Accomplished pianist performing Beethoven, Busoni, Hyo-shin Na, & Schumann. 18 | Jonathan Poretz & Friends Rrazz Room | SF $29.50 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Crooner, Jazz, Traditional Pop, Swing (Ends 3/18) 19 | Barenaked Ladies Mountain Winery | Saratoga $39.50-$75 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com Still rocking after 20 years together. 19 | Larry Dunlap Quartet Yoshi’s | SF $15-$20 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com With Gabriela Mendes and Quartet San Francisco. 19 | Nashville Unplugged Kodiak Jack’s | Petaluma $10-$40 | 866.468.3399 kodiakjacks.com Keith Anderson, Brian McComas and Aaron Benward of Blue County. Dinner service available. 20 | Ziggy Marley Mountain Winery | Saratoga $35-$69.50 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com 5-time Grammy-winning musician, actor, artist, activist & humanitarian shares the stage with Natty.

by grier cooper

image: costas

The Washington Post called Mark Morris’s Dido and Aeneas (1989) “a remarkable rarity; a work of modern art that looks as though it has come down to us through the ages.” This dance adaptation of Henry Purcell’s 1689 opera of the same title, (considered the first great English opera), follows Virgil’s tale of the affair between the Trojan hero Aeneas and Dido, the Queen of Carthage. The appearance of the Sorceress interrupts the affair, leaving the mournful Dido behind to kill herself. Morris makes his Bay Area conducting debut with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale (known for its historically informed performance of early music on original instruments), featuring the celebrated mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe singing the double role of Queen Dido and the Sorceress. MMDG dancer Amber Star Merkens assumes the same double identity. “It is an extra thrill and a challenge to switch with such speed between Dido and the Sorceress,” she says. Preparing for her roles involved “reading as much as I could about both the mythological and historical figure of Dido, looking at paintings, listening to the music countless times and learning the libretto.” Learning the choreography proved to have its own set of challenges: “The movement vocabulary is quite different from other

DANCE

DIDO and AENEAS

mark morris dance group’s modern tragedy

work we perform... Much of it is angular, archaic, two-dimensional, like fitting your body between two sheets of glass...the hands are used in a super precise and detailed manner, which takes a lot of practice.” Morris originally danced these roles himself; his last performances were presented by Cal Performances in 2000. Morris’s biographer Joan Acocella wrote, “He wanted to expand the expressiveness of male dancers; he wanted to give them what women had.” “I always come back to the music first,” Ms. Merken states. “It’s a fantastically moving and gorgeous opera... Mark’s choreography has such a seamless connection to the score and provides such clear language for the story. It’s a straightforward and unbelievably powerful dance. With Mark conducting and Stephanie singing, I’d say, see it twice!” DIDO AND AENEAS September 16 to 18 Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus Bancroft Way at Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley $30 to $110 | 510.642.9988 calperformances.org SEPTEMBER 2011 |

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DAILY 20 | Judy Collins Rrazz Room | SF $50-$55 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Singer/Songwriter/Multi-Instrumentalist, Broadway, Musical Theatre, Rock & Roll, Pop, Folk (Ends 10/1)

22 | Boz Scaggs & Michael McDonald Mountain Winery | Saratoga $49.50-$125 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com Two rock legends sharing the stage at the Mountain Winery.

21 | Audrey Auld Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $18.50-$20.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org Wry & poignant Nashville-based tunesmith.

22 | Jill Knight Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org With Pam Delgado & Jeri Jones.

21 | Burkina Electric Yoshi’s | Oakland $12-$18 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com West African music meets electronica. Burkina Faso’s first electronic music group.

22 | Return to Forever IV Warfield | SF $65-$102.50 | 800.745.3000 thewarfieldtheatre.com With Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, Jean-Luc Ponty, Frank Gambale and Zappa Plays Zappa.

21 | Mismatch.com Martuni’s | SF $7.00 | 999.999.9999 dragatmartunis.com Parker Nolen debuts his new solo cabaret show, “Mismatch.com - A Chronicle of Internet Dating.” 21 | Too Pretty for Radio Comedy Jam Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $15 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com Hosted by David Spisak, Chuey Gomez, & Greg Sherrell, benefitting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. 21 | MTT conducts Mahler’s Third Davies Symphony Hall | SF $35-$145 | 415.864.6000 sfsymphony.org With 7 Grammy¨ awards for its Mahler cycle, SFS has earned world-wide acclaim for its Mahler work. (Ends 9/25) 21 | Once in a Lifetime American Conservatory Theater | SF $35-$120 | 415.749.2228 act-sf.org As silent films evolve into ”talkies” in the 1920s, a vaudeville trio sets out to con Hollywood. (Ends 10/16) 21 | Phaedra Ashby Stage | Berkeley $18-$27 | 510.841.6500 shotgunplayers.org Shotgun Players presents Adam Bock’s adaptation of Racine’s classic tale of lust, betrayal and home. (Ends 10/23) 22 | Bon Iver Greek Theatre | Berkeley $39.50 | 800.745.3000 boniver.org

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22 | Tomasz Stanko Jewish Community Center | SF $25-$40 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org Polish trumpet legend with Craig Taborn, piano, Thomas Morgan, bass & Jim Black drums. SFJAZZ Fest. 22 | The Cherry Orchard Campbell Theatre | Martinez $15-$35 | 925.219.8545 hapgoodtheatre.org David Mamet’s adaptation of Anton Checkov’s The Cherry Orchard. (Ends 10/2) 23 | Art For AIDS Auction Galleria / SF Design Ceºnter | SF $80-$200 | artforaids.org 15th annual fund-raiser auction features a performance by artist and singer-actor Franc D’Ambrosio. 23 | Man/Miracle Bottom of the Hill | SF $10 | bottomofthehill.com With The Vacant Lots and Hiking. 23 | Pat Metheny Uptown Theatre | Napa $40-$50 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Acclaimed Jazz guitarist shares the stage with Larry Grenadier. 23 | Shirley MacLaine Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $49-$69 | 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org An evening with one of America’s entertainment icons - a montage of film moments with commentary.

decisions and directions by robert sokol

If you just look at the publicity photos of Lea Salonga, you see an exceptional beauty, perfectly groomed, cool and elegant. As a singer, the voice is in keeping with the look. The New York Times recently described it as “metallically edged.” The image is in sharp contrast to the smiling woman sitting on the couch, barefoot legs tucked under, chewing on a turkey burger and almost fan-gushing about having just appeared on stage with Shirley Jones and meeting Brian Boitano. “I think I’ve gotten goofier the older I’ve gotten,” she says. “I was much more serious when I was younger. I’m very goofy with my daughter. She’s a joker, with a really healthy sense of humor for a five-year-old, which makes me happy. I’m guess I’m pretty much goofy all the time, except when I’m on stage, which is how it should be.”

the auditions for Miss Saigon came along. All of my friends said unanimously: ‘You have to do this!’ They said that school would always be there and I could always, always come back, but the show was a once in a lifetime shot. When you have a bunch of really well-adjusted 18, 19 and 20-year-old friends telling you to go for it, you do.”

CABARET

LEA SALONGA

Lea Salonga September 16 | 8:00 pm Venetian Room, Fairmont Hotel 950 Mason Street, SF $50 to $60 | 415.392.4400 bayareacabaret.org

Salonga has been on stages since her childhood in the Philippines. She rose to global prominence in 1989 when she earned the role of Kim in Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Miss Saigon, the megamusical adaptation of the Madama Butterfly story, winning her both London’s Olivier Award and Broadway’s Tony Award among many other tributes. She next stepped into Boublil and Schönberg’s Les Misérables first as Eponine and years later as Fantine. She starred in the Broadway revival of Flower Drum Song and was the singing voice of Disney princesses Mulan and Jasmine in Aladdin. She’s also maintained an active career in her homeland, returning regularly to perform.

image: courtesy photo

All of the acclaim could have gone elsewhere had she dreamed her original dream. “I was a pre-med student,” she says. “Can you believe that? I’d been singing since I was real young but my parents encouraged me to think of things other than show business.” Salonga was inspired to explore her love of biology by a teacher she really admired. “I applied to two universities and was accepted to both of them. It was in the midst of all of that premed training when SEPTEMBER 2011 |

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SPOTLIGHTS

DAILY 23 | Smokey Robinson Mountain Winery | Saratoga $49.50-$99.50 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com R&B superstar and Motown executive comes to Saratoga.

a delicate balance September 2 to October 9 Aurora Theatre Company 2081 Addison Street, Berkeley $10 to $55 | 510.843.4822 auroratheatre.org

Night Over Erzinga September 15 to October 9 South Side Theatre Fort Mason, SF $20 to $36 | 415.345.757 goldenthread.org Ardavazt and Alice build a new life in the U.S. in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide but the past comes to haunt them in very different ways. Inspired by the playwright’s family history, this tender epic spans generations and countries in a fluid and magical narrative that will be scored with original music by Bulgarian composer, Penka Kouneva, and directed by international artist, Hafiz Karmali

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24 | B.B. King Mountain Winery | Saratoga $49.50-$125 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com Sharing the stage with Buddy Guy.

23 | The Script Fox Theater | Oakland $32.50 | 800.745.3000 thescriptmusic.com With Hot Chelle Rae.

24 | Dream Theater Warfield | SF $47.50-$62.50 | 800.745.3000 thewarfieldtheatre.com With Trivium.

23 | Two Door Cinema Club Warfield | SF $22.50 | 800.745.3000 thewarfieldtheatre.com With Grouplove and The Lonely Forest.

24 | Jim Lauderdale Cyprian’s | SF $18-$20 | 999.999.9999 noevalleymusicseries.com Multi Grammy winner shares the stage with Maurice Tani & Jenn Courtney.

23 | Darrell Hammond Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $30.50 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com “”Saturday Night Live”” alum Hammond brings his humor to the stage at Cobb’s. (Ends 9/24)

24 | Michael Kaeshammer Firehouse Arts Center | Pleasanton $12-$25 | 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org Pianist, songwriter and singer, Kaeshammer brings his lively stylings to the Firehouse.”

23 | Pablo Cruise George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $29.50-$39.50 | 800.380.3095 georgesnightclub.com After a break of 20 years this classic rock band is back, bringing their sound to historic George’s. (Ends 9/24)

24 | Pat Metheny Marines’ Memorial Theatre | SF $45-$85 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org Renewed Jazz guitarist Matheny shares the stage with bassist Larry Grenadier. SFJAZZ Fest.

23 | Two Gallants Independent | SF $20 | 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com With The Mumlers. (Ends 9/24)

24 | Salsa Festival Courthouse Square | Redwood City FREE | 999.999.9999 redwoodcity.org Get a taste of La Fuerza Gigante, Pacific Mambo Orchestra, En Vivo, Ray Obiedo and more.”

23 | Gypsy Fox Theatre | Redwood City $22-$48 | 800.380.3095 broadwaybythebay.org The Sondheim-Styne classic musical based on the lives of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee and her mother. (Ends 10/9) 23 | Lucrezia Borgia War Memorial Opera House | SF $43-$389 | 415.864.3330 sfopera.com Ren_e Fleming returns to SF Opera in the title role of this melodically rich bel canto masterpiece. (Ends 10/24)

24 | The Taming of The Shrew Bruns Memorial Amphitheater | Orinda $43-$66 | 510.548.9666 calshakes.org No suitor can win lovely Bianca ‘til her older sister, ÒKatherine the Curst,Ó is married off too. (Ends 10/16)

images: david allen (a delicate balance - anne darragh, charles dean), all others - courtesy photos (night over erzinga - reube alvear, juliet tanner)

Tobias and Agnes are a longmarried, suburban couple whose home, with several bedrooms and a well-stocked liquor cabinet, provides a refuge and a measure of comfort to their friends and family. Over the course of two evenings, however, the “delicate balance” of their uneasy existence begins to topple.

23 | The Delphi Trio Old First Church | SF $17 | 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org Join pianist Jeff LaDeur, violinist Liana Berube, & cellist Michelle Kwon presenting Mozart & Ravel.”

23 | The Rocky Horror Show Altarena Playhouse | Alameda $22 | 510.523.1553 altarena.org Join Dr. Frank N. Furter and Dammit Janet in the ultimate audienceparticipation musical! (Ends 10/30)

looking at life

by will schmid

At an age when it would be acceptable to slow down a little, Judy Collins just keeps stepping up her game. She’s releasing a new CD called Bohemian, has finished another book, “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life in Music,” and is averaging three or more concerts a week through the end of the year. In fact, in the middle of her two-week engagement at the Rrazz Room she’s slipping up to Grass Valley for a one-night event. It’s her 50th year as a recording artist. Unlike some of her peers who have more studio-centered careers, Collins has never not toured. “Performing gives me energy,” she says “I feel very fortunate in that regard. I see it as an endless career. I’ll have to fall over before I stop. Creativity is that way.”

image: james vesey

The Maid of Constant Sorrows and major concert halls has embraced the intimate nightclub circuit. “The Carlyle in New York is one of the highlights of my career,” she says, “and I’d like to think the Rrazz will be the same.” Collins started her career singing folk and protest song and continues to feel passionately about a wide range of social causes from healthcare to education, but “things shift in a lifetime. I’ve had the experience of losing my son to suicide, which

MUSIC

JUDY COLLINS

has made me an activist to help overcome the taboo around suicide. I speak to a lot of mental health and suicide prevention groups. I talk about my experience, strength and hope, and talk about what I think constitutes mental health.” She speaks from her experience with years of therapy, plus her own alcoholism, bulimia and depression. “Your activism becomes more personal.“ Recently returned from Dublin, Collins eagerly anticipates time in San Francisco to indulge in what she calls her artists dates. “It’s important to go for a walk on your own or see something you’ve never seen before. It’s very stimulating for your art, whatever that might be. Wandering through San Francisco is great.” Judy Collins September 20 to October 1 Rrazz Room 222 Mason Street, SF $50 to $55 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com

SEPTEMBER 2011 |

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DAILY 25 | AfroSolo • Jacqueline Hairston African American Art & Culture | SF $50-$100 | 415.771.2376 afrosolo.org Award-winning ASCAP composerarranger Jacqueline Hairston previews her 2012 Carnegie Hall concert. 25 | Butch Whacks and the Glass Packs Rancho Nicasio | Nicasio $25 | 415.662.2219 ranchonicasio.com The Rancho’s BBQ on the Lawn series. Gates open at 3PM. 25 | Carmen Revisited Osher Marin JCC | San Rafael $29-$49 | 415.392.4400 ncco.org New Century Chamber Orchestra features Shchedrin’s take on Bizet, plus Bartok. Also other venues.”

HEADSHOTS | PORTRAITS | EVENTS

25 | Double the Pianos, Double The Fun Lincoln Theater | Yountville $30-$80 | 707.944.9900 lincolntheater.com Josep Caball_-Domenech conducts - the Naughton sisters on grand pianos - Napa Valley Symphony.” 25 | Janis Siegel & Her Trio Rrazz Room | SF $35 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Singer and founding member of the second incarnation of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer 25 | Lee “Scratch” Perry Independent | SF $25 | 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com 25 | Once Upon A Time... HP Pavilion | SJ $65-$95 | 800.745.3000 vivafest.org A Mariachi Musical celebrating Mexican folktales and music. Wtih Vikki Carr, Cesar Rosas, & more.”

steven underhill | .com

415.370.7152 PHOTOGRAPHY 24 |

SEPTEMBER 2011

by chris rené Often called the King Lear of musical theatre, the role of Rose in Gypsy is something of a litmus test for singing actresses. It was composed by Jule Styne, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Arthur Laurents, to specifically fit the talents of Ethel Merman for the 1959 Broadway season. It has been revived there with amazing frequency, starring such extraordinary artists as Angela Lansbury (1974), Tyne Daly and Linda Lavin (1989), Bernadette Peters (2003) and Patti LuPone (2008). It was filmed in 1962 with Rosalind Russell acting and lip-synching to Lisa Kirk’s vocals, and remade for television in 1993 with Bette Midler. Currently, Barbra Streisand is attached to a new film version that was on, then off, and on now on again pending finding a writer to finetune the screenplay.

MUSICAL

GYPSY

let her entertain you

Like stops on the once-illustrious Orpheum theatre circuit Rose pursues in the show, Gypsy regularly makes the rounds of regional theatres. A new production from Broadway By The Bay is the second Bay Area rendering in as many months. It stars Heather Orth as Rose and Amanda Bruce as Louise/Gypsy, with direction by Amanda Folena. On the surface, Rose would seem to be the stage mother from hell, but like so many others, Folena has been seduced by what bubbles underneath. “The tenacity, the charm, the wit of the character is so appealing, and the story itself - particularly if you read the memoirs - is fascinating. The show is also a love letter to the theatre.” Folena says Gypsy is a different type of show for her group. “It’s a ‘big’ show, but it doesn’t rely on big chorus-filled production numbers. Most of the important songs are solos or duets. You could really call it an act-sical if you wanted.” The dynamic of family and generations is key to Folena’s take on the project. She’s cast much younger than is usually done for the part of Rose. “Through my research I figured she’s in her mid-30s,” she says, adding that she told Orth her character “got knocked up when she was 15 and never had a chance.” “Heather’s charisma and drive make the character less about a mid-life crisis and more about a mother who is much closer to the ages of her children, and always wants what’s best for them, but also always has in the back of her mind that the big moment could be that close for her too.”

image: mark kitaoka

Samantha Bruce

Gypsy September 22 to October 9 Fox Theatre 2215 Broadway Street, Redwood City $24 to $50 | 650.579.5565 broadwaybythebay.org SEPTEMBER 2011 |

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DAILY 27 | TV on the Radio Fox Theater | Oakland $35 | 800.745.3000 tvontheradio.com 28 | Emmylou Harris Uptown Theatre | Napa $75-$85 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Singer/songwriter Harris brings her four decades of experience to the Napa stage. 28 | John Prine Mountain Winery | Saratoga $37.50-$65 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com With special guest Jessica Lee Mayfield. 28 | The Bacon Brothers Napa Valley Opera House | Napa $25-$45 | 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Kevin and Michael find time for music between acting and composing gigs. 28 | Cabaret San Jose Stage Company | SJ $25-$45 | 408.283.7142 sjstage.com Come hear the music play as The Stage recreates The Kit Kat Club in Berlin in the late 1920s. (Ends 10/23) 29 | Emmylou Harris Mountain Winery | Saratoga $40.50-$80.50 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com With special guest Court Yard Hounds. 29 | Robert Glasper YBCA - Forum Theatre | SF $20-$35 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org Jazz & Hip-Hop pianist Glasper is joined by Derrick Hodge, bass & Mark Colenburg, drums. SFJAZZ Fest” 29 | Faustin Linyekula YBCA - Novellus Theater | SF $20-$25 | 415.978.2787 ycba.org Congolese choreographer in collaboration with Kinshasa-based star Flamme Kapaya. (Ends 10/1) 29 | MTT conducts Mozart & Stravinsky Davies Symphony Hall | SF $35-$140 | 415.864.6000 sfsymphony.org Presenting Polaris, a music & video collaboration, with Mozart’s Haffner & Stravinky’s Petrushka. (Ends 10/1)

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29 | LOL! Latina On the Loose! Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater | SJ $12-$35 | 408.294.6621 latinaontheloose.com A young Latina learns how to pursue her dreams in America without losing her pride. Teatro Visi—n. (Ends 10/2) 30 | Asha Bhosle Paramount Theatre | Oakland $20-$65 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org 13,000 songs in 1,000 films in 15 languages, and at 78 Ms. Bhosle is still performing. SFJAZZ Fest.” 30 | Great Integration: A Chamber Hip Hop Orchestra Old First Church | SF $14-$17 | 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org Classical ensemble with hip-hop front man. Allegory to end of times in Mayan calender. 30 | Merle Haggard Uptown Theatre | Napa $80-$90 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Country legend Haggard shares his talent on stage at the Uptown. 30 | Brad Garrett Tommy T’s Comedy | Pleasanton $40-$50 | 925.227.1800 tommyts.com 3-time Emmy winner, Garrett starred as Ray Romano’s brother on the series Everybody Loves Raymond. (Ends 10/1)

by james j. siegel Have something to confess? Free yourself and tell your secrets to EndGames Improv. Whether it’s a minor infraction or a juicy scandal, the improv troupe will bring your transgressions to the stage in Confessions. “Everyone has a confession to make,” said Peter Kim, founder of EndGames Improv. The troupe is collecting those confessions anonymously on its website and on Twitter. At each performance the EndGames director will assign a confession to each of the six actors, who will then take turns performing an on-the-spot monologue addressing their specific sin. During the intermission, the audience will have the opportunity to write down their own confessions. For the second-half of the production, each of the six actors will pull a confession from a bucket and work together to create a 30-minute show where each character has their own moral misgiving.

image: courtesy photo

If Kim has anything to confess, it’s that improv comedy is an addiction. After taking his first improv class, the stand-up comedian was immediately hooked. “I got addicted and crazy and almost quit my job,” said Kim.

Instead, he threw himself into creating an improv community in San Francisco. Kim reached out to theaters around the Bay Area and created EndGames Improv. The response from actors was astounding to Kim. “People started coming out of the woodwork,” he said.

IMRPOV

CONFESSIONS

bringing your sins into the spotlight

Three years later, EndGames has not only developed improv classes, but a successful free improv show that takes place every Friday at the Alcove Theater. Kim has seen the audience for the weekly show continue to grow, with many regular audience members showing up each week. “It’s been ridiculous,” Kim said about the response. “We’ve been humbled by how many people show up.” With Confessions Kim and the rest of the EndGames troupe are hoping to be humbled once again. Confessions September 23 to December 16 Fridays | 8:00 pm Alcove Theater 415 Mason Street, SF $10 to $15 endgamesimprov.com

Peter Kim (seated) with an improv guest, watched by Mac McCal, Chris Blair and Katie McCarty

SEPTEMBER 2011 |

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BACK Cooper Carlson, Sarah Moser, Philip Goleman & Nicole Hammersla on the set of Peaches En Regalia at StageWerx

Brian Henson at the Curran Theatre

image: via media

Wesla Whitfield at the Marines’ Memorial Theatre

Shawn Ryan & John Ainsworth at the Marines’ Memorial Theatre

John Lloyd Young at the Marines’ Memorial Theatre

image: via media

Faith Prince at One Night Only: Billy Elliot

Daniel Russell, Kylend Hetherington, Ethan Fuller, Lex Ishimoto & J.P. Viernes at One Night Only: Billy Elliot

image: steven underhill

Thea Gill at the Green Room

Brian Boitano at the Herbst Theatre

Carole Cook and Tom Troup at the Green Room

image: via media

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