BAYSTAGES | 2011.10 - October

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

[THE PERFORMERS]

MEGAN MULLALLY = The Rrazz Room

ERASURE = Fox Theater

PAM ANN = Castro Theatre

[THE SHOWS]

NYMPH ERRANT = 42nd Street Moon

PELLEAS & MELISANDE

= Cutting Ball Theatre

[THE LATEST]

AXIS DANCE CLAIRE LYNCH PAUL RODRIGUEZ VERISIMO OPERA

+

THE OLYMPIANS FESTIVAL [THE COVER]

Don Reed Checks In At

THE KIPLING HOTEL = THE MARSH

ALSO: KITE’S BOOK | ZERO HOUR | BELLWETHER | CLEMENTINE IN THE LOWER 9

OctOber 2

OctOber 4

ClAiRDEE

Will & Anthony nunziAtA

SPecial return engagement

OctOber 5 - 9

OctOber 10 - 12

“lucky girl” cD releaSe

SingS bOb Dylan

OctOber 13 - 16

OctOber 18 - 23

San FranciScO Debut PerFOrmanceS!

JACQui nAyloR

EDWin hAWKinS

& the new eDwin hawkinS SingerS “Oh haPPy Day”

OctOber 24 & 25

toDD MuRRAy

crOOn

OctOber 27

KAREl

cOmeDy FOr the new DePreSSiOn

OctOber 29

SCott AlAn

BARB JunGR

thE ShiREllES

with Original member & cO-FOunDer beverly lee

OctOber 26

uP clOSe anD PerSOnal with

WilSon CRuz & SCott nEVinS

OctOber 28 - 30

emmy-winning actreSS/Singer

MEGAn MullAlly

& SuPreme muSic PrOgram

OctOber 31 - nOvember 2

the FabulOuS...

OctOber 30 night beat at the rrazz rOOm with

JonAthAn PoREtz

MAuDE MAGGARt

everybODy’S DOin’ it

& FRiEnDS

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 SOLO | The Kipling Hotel.............................................................. 5 MUSIC | Erasure............................................................................ 7 MUSICAL | Nymph Errant............................................................ 9

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

MUSIC | Megan Mullally............................................................25

contributing writers grier cooper nicole dial nicole gluckstern chris renÉ will schmid james j. siegel ROBERT SOKOL lee walker elizabeth warnimont

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.

Writers may submit resumes and samples to editor@baystages.com for consideration.

PLAY | Clementine in the Lower 9..............................................11 GREEK | SF Olympians Festival.................................................13 DANCE | Axis Dance Company..................................................17 OPERA | Das Rheingold..............................................................19 COMEDY | You F’Coffee..............................................................21 PLAY | Pelleas & Melisande........................................................23

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.

contributing photographers ROBERT SOKOL STEVEN UNDERHILL cover image DON REED

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

RICHARD III October 19 to 29 Curran Theatre 445 Geary Street, SF $35 to $400 | 888.746.1799 shnsf.com

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: alastair muir (kevin spacey)

or mailed to:

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

OCTOBER 2011 |

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REVOLVING The venues listed book a wide and frequently changing roster of artists.

We recommend calling or checking the websites to get the latest performance details and information on ticket prices, minimum charges, and age limits (if any).

Bob Schneider at The Independent (10/3)

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

Great American Music Hall Tenderloin, SF gamh.com | 888.233.0449 Hemlock Tavern Polk Gulch, SF hemlocktavern.com | No Calls

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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

142 THROCKMORTON Mill Valley 142throckmortontheatre.org | 415.383.9600 BATS IMPROV Marina, SF improv.org | 415.474.6776 BIG CITY IMPROV Union Square, SF sheltontheater.com | 415.433.1227

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.

image: bill ellison (bob schneider)

George’s NIGHTCLUB San Rafael georgesnightclub.com | 415.226.0262

HOTEL UTAH SALOON SOMA, SF hotelutah.com | 415.546.6300

view from the editor Say “regional theatre” - or worse, say “community theatre” - and you can see some arts patrons start to fidget, if not cringe outwardly. It’s easy to buy the sense of comfortable elitism that comes with theatre trips to New York and London, or premium seats in expensive season subscriptions.

However, the reality is that high ticket prices do not guarantee a satisfying, quality experience.

Inversely, low or moderate ticket prices do not necessarily portend theatrical boredom or worse.

Last month I attended over 30 performances plays, musicals, stand up and sketch comedy, solo shows, concerts, cabaret and more. Most of the tickets were priced at $30 or below. Some tickets cost only $10, which is less than the average new movie admission...and that’s before popcorn!

Being neither an easy-to-please pushover or a hyper-critical pedant, I can honestly say that each performance gave me something to enjoy, learn or explore further. From scenes of the human condition I had not previously witnessed to facets of the familiar heretofore unknown to me, each block of time had something worthy to offer me and all those around me in the large darkened rooms or sunlit amphitheaters around the Bay Area.

There were some false notes to be sure.

Sometimes it was literal, as in the case of the trumpet solo integral to one of my favorite musical overtures that fell crushingly flat. There were also times when the creative reach clearly, obviously exceeded the reality of the grasp. Still, they reached, which is almost always better than not.

I love movies (and television) as much as the next person, if not more, and given our advances in technology, entertainment once recorded will generally always be available in some form.

Live performance will not. When the final note is sung and the final bow is taken, that performance is over and will never be repeated. So, for me, the opportunity to experience entertainment live always trumps its two dimensional cousins. Would you rather watch a spectacular sunset or just look at the picture?

So get out of the house and into a theatre or cabaret or comedy club. It doesn’t really cost that much and I bet you’ll be richer for the experience.

ROBERT SOKOL, editor

image: via media

Young Frank Demma, James Pfeiffer, Cary Ann Rosko, Sheila Willey, Roy Eikleberry, John Shillington, George Arana and Michael Fontaine from the Cinnabar Theater production of Bock, Harnick and Masteroff’s She Loves Me in Petaluma.

OCTOBER OCTOBER2011 2011| |

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ONGOING SHOWS

DAILY The following listings are compiled from submissions to the baystages.com 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 below as of their first public performance, with the final performance date noted in the description.

CLOSING SHOWS are listed separately in the side columns with the date of the final scheduled performance noted before the title. ONGOING SHOWS offering regular performances throughout the month are also listed separately in the side columns. Please call for showtimes. Closing and ongoing shows are not included in the listings that follow.

ABSOLUTELY SAN FRANCISCO Alcove Theatre | SF $32-$50 | 415.922.8168 absolutelysanfrancisco.com One-woman musical dramedy about life, love and the SF experience.

Beach Blanet Babylon Club Fugazi | SF $25-$130 | 415.421.4222 beachblanketbabylon.com Long-running revue skewering news and culture with songs and big hats.

01 | Afield EXIT Theatre | SF $20 | 800.838.3006 theexit.org

Linda Ayres-Frederick’s apocalypticish dramedy - a Best Of 2011 SF Fringe Festival.

01 | Jose Feliciano Lincoln Theater | Yountville $48-$58 | 707.944.9900 lincolntheater.com

Big City Improv Shelton Theater | SF $20 | 866.468.3399 sheltontheater.com Every scene is based on suggestions shouted out by the audience.

Legendary guitar player and vocalist brings his talents to Napa.

CONFESSIONS Alcove Theatre | SF $8-$15 | No Calls endgamesimprov.com Innovative comedy show inspired by real people’s real submitted confessions.

Polish vocalist still going strong since breaking onto the world stage in 1987.

Marga’s Funny Mondays Marsh | Berkeley $10 | 415.641.0235 themarsh.org Final month for the comedy and variety showcase hosted by Marga Gomez.

01 | Cypress String Quartet Herbst Theatre | SF $15 | 415.392.4400 performances.org

A family matinee by San Francisco Performances, where audience and artists listen & learn together.

01 | Fernando Otero Legion of Honor | SF $20-$35 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org

SFJazz presents Argentine pianist and his take on the New Tango.

With Nick Danielson on violin.

Shopping! The Musical Shelton Theater | SF $27-$29 | 800.838.3006 sheltontheater.com An original musical revue about everyone’s favorite pastime.

01 | Mitch Woods Rancho Nicasio | Nicasio $15 | 415.662.2219 ranchonicasio.com

SUNDAY’S A DRAG Starlight Room | SF $44.95 | 415.395.8595 harrydenton.com Drag entertainment abounds in Harry Denton’s newly refurbished boite.

01 | Steve Seabrook EXIT Theatre | SF $20 | 800.838.3006 theexit.org

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Woods and his Rocket 88s in a program of Boogie and Swing.

Veteran comedian Kurt Bodden assumes the role of master motivator Steve Seabrook.

Innovative jazz-poetry ensemble.

01 | Holst’s The Planets California Theatre | San Jose $39-$75 | 408.286.2600 symphonysiliconvalley.org

Symphony Silicon Valley, with soloist David Amram, the women of the Symphony’s Chorale and more. (Ends 10/2) 01 | The Adventures of Peter Cottontail New Conservatory Theatre Center | SF $15 | 415.861.8972 nctcsf.org

NCTC Family Matineee Series presents Peter Rabbit’s fanciful quest to discover a new name.

(Ends 10/16)

01 | The Taming of The Shrew Bruns Memorial Amphitheater | Orinda $43-$66 | 510.548.9666 calshakes.org

No suitor can win lovely Bianca ’til her sister, “Katherine the Curst,” is married off too. (Ends 10/16) 01 | Sister Cities Dragon Theatre | Palo Alto $16-$30 | 800.838.3006 dragonproductions.net

A dark comedy by Colette Freedman exploring the ties that bind siblings together. (Ends 10/23) 01 | Kite’s Book: Tales of an 18thCentury Hitman 6th Street Playhouse | Santa Rosa $15-$32 | 707.523.4185 6thstreetplayhouse.com

A sword-slinging, pistol-dueling, maiden-saving, jolly good time in 1750s London. (Ends 10/23)

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

Secret Improv Society Shelton Theater | SF $15 | 866.468.3399 sheltontheater.com Creating characters, stories, and songs on the spot from audience suggestions.

01 | Basia Bimbo’s 365 Club | SF $35 | 877.435.9849 bimbos365club.com

01 | UpSurge!

Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org

by james j. siegel Don Reed is a Hollywood success story. An HBO special spotlighting up-and-coming comedians helped him land several television gigs, including The Cosby Show and A Different Word. He’s written for the Golden Globes, the Academy Awards, and currently he’s the opening act for Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. But it’s his first solo show, East 14th: True Tales of a Reluctant Player, that he calls the “best experience of my entire life.”

SOLO

THE KIPLING HOTEL

don reed checks in on another life chapter

East 14th ran at The Marsh for two-and-half years and told the story of Reed’s life growing up in Oakland during the 1970s. His childhood was anything but normal, with a father who was a pimp and a stepfather who was a Jehovah’s Witness. “This is something that came out of my life that I shaped into a play,” says Reed. “There isn’t a price tag you can put on that.”

Now Reed is telling the next chapter of his life in his new solo show The Kipling Hotel: True Misadventures of the Electric Pink ‘80s. During the 1980s, Reed left Oakland for Los Angles where he attended UCLA and tried breaking into show business.

Reed took all kinds of jobs to survive, including becoming a stripper and a gigolo. He eventually took a job as a live-in waiter at the Kipling Hotel, which provided housing for drifters and the elderly. It was a true clash of generations. Reed remembers in one part of the building you could hear “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Purple Rain” in another.

Despite the clash, the residents became a new family for Reed.

Many of those characters worked their way into the show. In fact, Reed says the elderly residents at the hotel gave him the best career advice.

image: ric omphroy (don reed)

Now his career is seeing him return to San Francisco. “It’s really great because the show brought me back to the Bay Area,” says Reed. “It’s amazing to perform the show right in my backyard.”

THE KIPLING HOTEL October 1 to November 13 The Marsh 1062 Valencia Street, SF $15 to $50 | 415.282.3055 themarsh.org

OCTOBER 2011 |

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CLOSING SHOWS 02 | 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.

02 | Nunsense - with a Twist Lucie Stern Theater | Palo Alto $32 | 650.329.0891 paplayers.org Palo Alto Players’ production of Nunsense — but with a twist.

02 | Cherry Orchard Campbell Theatre | Martinez $15-$35 | 925.219.8545 hapgoodtheatre.org David Mamet’s adaptation of Anton Checkov’s The Cherry Orchard.

06 | Joy with Wings Alcove Theater | SF $32-$50 | 800.838.3006 chaucertheatre.org Heartwarming drama of a daughter’s journey with her mom.

08 | 42nd Street Saratoga Civic Theater | Saratoga $23-$30 | 800.380.3095 southbaymt.com Celebration of Broadway and the people who create the magic of theater.

09 | Maestro’s Enchantment Teatro ZinZanni | SF $117-$186 | 415.438.2668 love.zinzanni.org European cabaret and cirque acts served with a gourmet five-course meal.

09 | A Delicate Balance Aurora Theatre | Berkeley $10-$55 | 510.843.4822 auroratheatre.org Albee’s comedy of manners a longmarried couple living in the suburbs.

09 | Smokey Joe’s Cafe Lesher Center | Walnut Creek $40-$47 | 925.943.7469 centerrep.org Tribute to legendary rock-and-roll songwriters Leiber and Stoller. .

09 | Show Ho New Conservatory Theatre Center | SF $20-$32 | 415.861.8972 nctcsf.org A multi-character one woman show from comedienne Sara Moore.

09 | Night Over Erzinga Magic Theatre | SF $20-$36 | 415.345.7575 goldenthread.org A story of reconciliation and the American immigrant experience.

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DAILY 01 | Lucrezia Borgia War Memorial Opera House | SF $43-$389 | 415.864.3330 sfopera.com

02 | Tigran Hamasyan Mountain View Center | Mountain View $50 | 650.903.6000 ci.mtnview.ca.usmvcpa

01 | Turandot War Memorial Opera House | SF $35-$330 | 415.864.3330 sfopera.com

02 | An Evening with Will & Anthony Nunziata Rrazz Room | SF $35 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com

Renée Fleming returns to SF Opera in the title role of this melodical bel canto masterpiece. (Ends 10/24)

Puccini’s passionate tale of a princess whose cruelty masks her fear of love. (Ends 11/25)

02 | Blues Harmonica Blowout Firehouse Arts Center | Pleasanton $18-$28 | 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org

Harmonica player and vocalist Mark Hummel is joined by Rod Piazza, Lazy Lester and Little Charlie.

02 | Esperanza Spalding Uptown Theatre | Napa $65 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com

Bassist, vocalist and composer Spalding won a 2011 Grammy.

02 | Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson Mountain Winery | Saratoga $45-$95 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com

Country legends, in concert with Elliot Randall.

02 | Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org

A multi-racial, multi-cultural, interfaith community, OIGC is a premier choir in the gospel field.

02 | Rana Farhan Yoshi’s | SF $30-$35 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com

Rumi meets Jazz, Blues & beyond in Iranian artist Farhan’s release party for her CD “Moon and Stone” 02 | The Emperor’s New Clothes Lincoln Theater | Yountville $15 | 707.944.9900 lincolntheater.com

A timeless classic by Hans Christian Andersen performed by California Theatre Center.

With quintet Aratta Rebirth, bringing an exotic interpretation of jazz to Mountain View.

The Nunziatas’ charm and energetic stage presence combined with their tenor singing voices.

(Ends 10/3) 02 | Totally Tchaikovsky Marin Center | San Rafael $29-$70 | 800.745.3000 marinsymphony.org

Marin Symphony launches their season with four Tchaikovsky classics. Featuring Orlon Weiss on piano. (Ends 10/4) 03 | A Moving Sound Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $22.50-$24.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org

New musical expression fusing Taiwanese, Chinese, and neighboring Asian musical ideas.

04 | Clairdee Rrazz Room | SF $30 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com

Jazz, Blues Singer

04 | Kevin Mahogany Molly Johnson Yoshi’s | SF $18 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com

Mahogany and his Trio in a double bill evening with Canadian singer/ songwriter Johnson.

04 | Stripped Stories Punch Line San Francisco | SF $15 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com

Giulia Rozzi & Margot Leitman bring the audience into their stories of love, silliness and sex.

04 | ZZ Top Mountain Winery | Saratoga $59.50-$149.50 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com

Classic American Rock and Roll band.

by chris rené

Andy Bell is back in the saddle again. The Erasure saddle, to be more specific. When he last visited the Bay Area it was for San Francisco Pride and he was promoting “Non-Stop,” his solo album. Now there’s a new album called “Tomorrow’s World” by Bell and his longtime professional partner Vince Clarke that releases in the U.S. the week after their visit to Oakland.

image: courtesy photo (andy bell, vince clarke)

For Bell, working solo and working communally are distinctly different experiences. “When you are on your own it feels like you are really on your own, because there’s no one to bounce things off of. With Vince, we’re always discussing things in the dressing room.”

The absence of Erasure for a few years seems to have made the heart grow fonder among audiences Bell has encountered so far on this tour. “There seems to be much more enthusiasm from the fans because we were off for a while.”

Bell says that while he does love performing live, “touring has become so intense. We’re traveling around on a bus, which is nice because we get to spend time with the crew.”

After 25 years and 25 million in album sales for Erasure, Bell is concerned that the music industry has become more and more focused on the quick return. “It’s quite strange. Everyone’s

MUSIC

erasure

still indelible after 25 years

out there hawking everything. You have to sell your bed linens or clothes or make-up or perfume. The record industry’s gotten the same.

It’s less about the music and more about selling.

Radio’s become so generic, though I am glad for digital radio, but even that is now getting adverts. Now young people aspire to having their music on commercials, which would have been completely frowned upon ten years ago.

“The industry just seems to have become soulless, I think. A couple of years ago I thought about not doing music at all, but when it’s your passion you can’t help it. You have to do it. It’s in your blood.”

Bell is excited about Erasure collaborating with Frankmusic on both the album and the tour. “The album is a leap forward for us. His approach has made [Erasure] more accessible to modern ears and I think it’s our best work in years.”

ERASURE October 4 | 8:00 pm Fox Theatre 1807 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland $45 | 800.745.3000 thefoxoakland.com OCTOBER 2011 |

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CLOSING SHOWS 09 | Bandstand Beat Theatre on San Pedro Square | SJ $29-$35 | 800.838.3006 tabardtheatre.org It’s 1965 and the dance party show Bandstand Beat celebrates its 15th year.

09 | The Fifth of July Pear Avenue Theatre | Mountain View $20-$25 | 650.254.1148 thepear.org This compassionate, funny play is Lanford Wilson’s valedictory to the 1960s.

09 | Gypsy Fox Theatre | Redwood City $22-$48 | 800.380.3095 broadwaybythebay.org Musical classic based on the lives of Gypsy Rose Lee and her mother.

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 in London.

16 | Once in a Lifetime American Conservatory Theater | SF $35-$120 | 415.749.2228 act-sf.org As silents evolve into talkies, a vaudeville trio sets out to con Hollywood.

23 | Marga Gomez Marsh - SF | SF $15-$50 | 415.641.0235 themarsh.org Gomez’s new one woman show Not Getting Any Younger.

23 | Phaedra Ashby Stage | Berkeley $18-$27 | 510.841.6500 shotgunplayers.org Adam Bock’s adaptation of Racine’s classic tale of lust, betrayal and home.

23 | Cabaret San Jose Stage Company | SJ $25-$45 | 408.283.7142 sjstage.com Come hear the music play at The Kit Kat Club in Berlin in the late 1920s.

23 | Sister Cities Dragon Theatre | Palo Alto $16-$30 | 800.838.3006 dragonproductions.net A dark comedy exploring the ties that bind siblings together.

30 | Rocky Horror Show Altarena Playhouse | Alameda $22 | 510.523.1553 altarena.org Join Dr. Frank N. Furter in the ultimate audience-participation musical!

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DAILY 05 | David Binney Quartet Swedish American Hall | SF $25 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org

SFJazz presents alto saxophonist Binney, with piano, bass and drums.

05 | Ry Cooder Herbst Theatre | SF $17-$27 | 415.392.4400 cityarts.net

City Arts and Lectures presents acclaimed musician and composer in conversation with Lynell George.

05 | Stevie Nicks Mountain Winery | Saratoga $75-$250 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com

Legendary Grammy winner comes to the Mountain Winery.

05 | Tutorpedia FUNraiser Café Du Nord | SF $10 | 866.468.3399 tutorpediafoundation.org

Music Performance by Nadine & Local Bands Guella and Antioqua, plus a silent auction.

05 | Waking the Dead 142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $10-$20 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org

A staged reading of a new play

by Lynne Kaufman, part of 142’s Playwrights’ Lab. 05 | Baaba Maal Yoshi’s | Oakland $30 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com

Senegalese singer/songwriter/ performer brings his show Tale from the Sahel. (Ends 10/6) 05 | Amy Schumer Punch Line San Francisco | SF $15-$21 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com

Rising Comedy Central star is joined onstage by Steve Mazan and Mary Van Note. (Ends 10/8) 05 | Jacqui Naylor Rrazz Room | SF $35 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com

Jazz, Traditional Pop, Folk-Rock Singer (Ends 10/9)

06 | Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble 142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $18-$23 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org

Mariah Parker’s ensemble present music that mixes Latin Jazz with East Indian influences.

06 | Klezmasters Jewish Community Center | Palo Alto $25-$30 | 999.999.9999 paloaltojcc.org

Presenting Razzle Dazzle Yiddish.

06 | Lost Dog Found Café Du Nord | SF $12 | 866.468.3399 cafedunord.com

With Black Kat Kabaret.

06 | Renee Fleming Herbst Theatre | SF $17-$27 | 415.392.4400 cityarts.net

City Arts and Lectures presents acclaimed soprano Fleming in conversation with Steven Winn.

06 | Te Vaka South Pacific Fusion Lincoln Theater | Yountville $35-$55 | 707.944.9900 lincolntheater.com

Te Vaka celebrates indigenous Polynesian music and dance.

06 | Fourplay Yoshi’s | SF $20-$35 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com

Celebrating 20 years of making music together, and welcoming guitarist Chuck Loeb to the band.

(Ends 10/8) 06 | Ralphie May Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $20.50-$23.50 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com

Last Comic Standing’s May has filmed 3 separate 1-hour Comedy Central specials in the last 3 years.

(Ends 10/9) 06 | The Cherry Orchard Nick Rodriguez Center | Antioch $15.00-$35.00 | 925.219.8545 hapgoodtheatre.org

David Mamet’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard.

(Ends 10/9)

by nicole dial Often overlooked for some of Cole Porter’s more famous musicals, 42nd Street Moon is dusting off the neglected classic Nymph Errant and bringing it back into the spotlight.

Driven by her passionate nature, Evangeline Edwards strikes out on her own when she is told to “experiment” after graduating finishing school. In this comedic romp, she sets her sights on finding a lover, searching high and low. Her quixotic quest leads her into the arms of a variety of men, only to be disappointed by their apparent lack of interest.

MUSICAL

nymph errant

porter heroine woos globally, loves locally

“Her character strikes me as funny that she is so desperate, and you would think all these men would fall for her,” says Sharon Rietkerk, the titular Nymph. “She gets put in these ridiculous situations like floating from one city to another.”

From Parisian streets to Turkish harems, Evangeline struggles to find her perfect match, meeting a succession of potential lovers including a tortured Russian musician, a theatrical Italian count, slave traders and an American plumber. During her grand tour of Europe, she also stumbles across her school chums challenged by their own love affairs. In the end she finds romance in the one place she least expects it.

image: davidallenstudio.com (sharon rietkerk, steve rhyne)

Porter was known for clever lyrics and rich compositions in his musicals. Nymph Errant continues the Porter tradition of suggestive lyrics laced with humor.

“Cole Porter loved pushing the envelope. He liked getting a shock out of people with double entendres.” says Rietkerk. “It’s refreshing.

People now watch movies with partial nudity but in this musical it just hints at sexuality rather than being overtly displayed. It’s got that vintage charm.”

NYMPH ERRANT October 5 to 23 Eureka Theatre 215 Jackson Street, SF $20 to $50 | 415.255.8207 42ndstmoon.org

OCTOBER 2011 |

|9

SPOTLIGHT

DAILY 06 | TUTOR: Enter the Exclave EXIT Studio | SF $15-$25 | 800.838.3006 theexit.org

Martin Schwartz’ modern interpretation of an 18th Century German drama explores cultural isolation. (Ends 10/22) 06 | Arrivederci Roma Stage Werx | SF $24 | 999.999.9999 stagewerx.org

KITE’S BOOK October 1 to 23 6th Street Playhouse 52 W. 6th Street, Santa Rosa $15 to $32 | 707.523.4185 6thstreetplayhouse.com A sword-slinging, pistol-dueling, maiden-saving, jolly good time, with a poignant examination of the variations on, and the disparities within, the human ideal that “Justice must be served!” About to be executed, Will Carew speaks what we think are his last words, unfolding a tale of villainy, murder, corruption, and revenge – and that’s just in the first three pages!

06 | SF Olympians Festival EXIT Theatre | SF $10 | 999.999.9999 sfolympians.com

07 | Little Shop of Horrors Newark Memorial High | Newark $10-$15 | 800.838.3006 stage1theatre.org

Featuring 32 plays including 9 new full lengths, the collective work of 29 local writers. (Ends 10/29) 06 | Fool For Love Olinder Theatre | San Jose $20 | 408.288.7820 northsidetheatre.com

Sam Shepard’s classic American drama about Eddie and May, two passionate yet tormented lovers.

(Ends 10/30)

| OCTOBER 2011

Virtuoso guitarist brings his powerful solo style to the Conservatory.

07 | Pop Fiction George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $10-$15 | 800.380.3095 georgesnightclub.com

8-piece party band brings on decades of dance hits at George’s.

07 | Ravi Shankar Davies Symphony Hall | SF $35-$95 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org

SFJazz presents famed Indian sitar player.

No matter what they offer you, don’t feed the plants in this campy musical by Menken & Ashman.

(Ends 10/20) 07 | Thoroughly Modern Millie Firehouse Arts Center | Pleasanton $18-$33 | 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org

The story of young Millie Dillmount, who has moved to New York City in search of a new life. (Ends 10/23) 07 | Chess the Musical Willows Theatre | Concord $23-$34 | 925.798.1300 willowstheatre.com

Tim Rice joined the composermembers of ABBA to score this Cold War era story of love & competition. (Ends 10/30)

08 | George Cole Quintet Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org

Contemporary Gypsy jazz ensemble.

08 | Gilbert Gottfried Lincoln Theater | Yountville $35-$55 | 707.944.9900 lincolntheater.com

Don’t bring the kids to this one!

08 | The James Moseley Band George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $10 | 800.380.3095 georgesnightclub.com

Vocalist and guitarist Moseley leads a high-energy band in Motown, R&B, Jazz & Blues.

images: eric chazankin (kite’s book - rahman dalrymple), senor mcguire (claire lynch)

07 | Kazuhito Yamashita Conservatory of Music | SF $30-$40 | 415.392.4400 omniconcerts.com

10 |

07 | Big Love Burbank Auditorium | Santa Rosa $18 | 707.527.4343 santarosa.edutheatrearts

Contemporary adaption of Aeschylus’ The Danaids, an explosive comedy-drama battle of the sexes. (Ends 10/16)

With The English Beat.

Since her years with Alabama’s Front Porch String Band, Claire Lynch has been a stand-out force in bluegrass, with her sweet, pure vocals and top-notch songwriting couched in a blend of traditional bluegrass, country, folk, and swing. A two-time Grammy nominee Claire has recently gained IBMA nominations for her CD, “Watcha Gonna Do .“

Rose on clarinet and Woo on piano, featuring classical works from Germany and Austria.

The Godfather meets Trannyshack in this transgender mafia story.

(Ends 10/29)

07 | Blondie Mountain Winery | Saratoga $39.50-$89.50 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com

CLAIRE LYNCH October 19 | 8:00 pm Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley $20.50 to $22.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org

07 | Tom Rose & Betty Woo Old First Church | SF $17 | 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org

reclaiming the calm after the storm by nicole dial

image: mark kitaoka (laiona michelle, jack koenig)

Tuned to the bluesy rhythms of a post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, the world premiere of Clementine in the Lower 9, chronicles the story of one family and their efforts to rebuild in the wake of tragedy.

After the massive force of water washed away homes and lives, a family reconnects in the ruins of their waterlogged house for the first time in nine months. Jaffy, his wife Clementine and several others struggle to salvage their home amidst recriminations and revelations. “They are brought back together and there are a series of emotional roller coasters that we ride with them. As with any family, there are ups and downs,” says director Leah C. Gardiner.

Music plays a pivotal role in the lives of the characters and emphasizes the feel of New Orleans.

Justin Ellington, the composer for the show, uses a live band to interweave blues and jazz throughout the unfolding drama. Gardiner clarifies, however, that “it’s not a musical, it’s a ‘playsical’ - with blues music used as a thread.”

PLAY

CLEMENTINE IN THE LOWER 9

“I wanted to tell a story that would do justice to the size of what had happened and the havoc that it wreaked on people’s psyche,” says playwright Dan Dietz.. Taking a cue from jazz music, Dietz riffed on the Greek epic of Agamemnon and created his own version set against the tragedy that unfolded in New Orleans. “There haven’t been that many Katrina plays that have been produced,” says Dietz.

“The rest of the country has been eager for plays that cut to the heart and struggles bound up in what happened in the city of New Orleans.”

“Everywhere in the world, we deal with some kind of natural disaster,” says Gardiner. “The play is the human story. We all love, we all hate, we all have pain.”

Clementine in the Lower 9 October 5 to 30 Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts 500 Castro Street, Mountain View $19 to $69 | 650.463.1960 theatreworks.org

OCTOBER 2011 |

| 11

SPOTLIGHT

THE MAGIC SCHOOLBUS LIVE October 1 to 23 Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley $15 to $20 | 510.296.4433 bactheatre.org/

08 | Clementine in the Lower 9 Mountain View Center | MV $39-$69 | 650.463.1960 theatreworks.org

10 | Benny Green Herbst Theatre | SF $20-$40 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org

Rebuilding a house, a love, a family, and a soul in post-Katrina New Orleans. (Ends 10/30)

SFJazz presents pianist Green and his band with Monk’s Dream, celebrating Thelonious Monk’s music.

08 | The Kipling Hotel Marsh - San Francisco | SF $20-$50 | 415.641.0235 themarsh.org

10 | Chamberlin Café Du Nord | SF $10 | 866.468.3399 cafedunord.com

Don Reed’s follow-up to his award winning “East 14th.” See cover story. (Ends 11/13)

09 | American Philharmonic Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $20-$30 | wellsfargocenterarts.org

Presenting Dark Shadows At Twilight, celebrating the spookier side of human nature.

09 | Filipino-American Jazz Festival Yoshi’s | SF $35-$40 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com

4th Annual event featuring Annie Brazil, Winston Raval, Lena Sunday, Ann Marie Santos and more.

09 | Jose Neto Rancho Nicasio | Nicasio $22 | 415.662.2219 ranchonicasio.com

Internationally acclaimed guitarist performs a benefit at the Rancho.

09 | Noe Valley Chamber Music Holy Innocents Church | SF $20 | 415.648.5236 nvcm.org

bellwether October 6 to 30 Marin Theatre Company 397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley $35 to $55 | 415.388.5208 marintheatre.org Bellwether was a nice, safe place to live. People knew each other. They looked out for each other. Bad things didn’t happen there. That was until six-year-old Amy Draft went missing. As the police investigation progresses, speculation in the media and the neighborhood becomes critical and suspicious of Amy’s parents. But her disappearance is not what it seems.

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| OCTOBER 2011

Opening performance of the season, presenting Spanish chamber music and Argentinian Tango.

09 | The Atlantis Trio Jewish Community Center | Palo Alto $15-$18 | 999.999.9999 paloaltojcc.org

Classic and contemporary chamber music.

09 | Tiempo Libre YBCA - Novellus Theater | SF $25-$65 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org

Hailing from Cuba, 7-piece band brings its kinetic interpretation of Timba dance rhythms to SFJAZZ.

Joined onstage by Olin & the Moon.

10 | WestWave Dance ODC Theater | SF $22 | 866.558.4253 odctheater.org

An evening of dance trios and group works by Christian Burns, Brittany Brown Ceres, Nhan Ho, & more.

10 | Barb Jungr Rrazz Room | SF $30 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com

English Singer/Songwriter, Composer, Writer, Jazz, Blues, Pop, Rock, Cabaret (Ends 10/12) 11 | Stanley Jordan Trio Yoshi’s | SF $18 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com

Jordan began his career as a guitar virtuoso in 1985 and is still going strong. (Ends 10/12) 11 | Bellwether Marin Theatre Company | Mill Valley $34-$55 | 415.388.5208 marintheatre.org

Written by MTC’s 2010 Playwright in Residence Steve Yockey, a suspenseful fairy tale for adults.

(Ends 10/30) 12 | Billy Idol Mountain Winery | Saratoga $35-$95 | 800.745.3000 mountainwinery.com

Idol shares the stage with special guests the Ferocious Few. 12 | Dulcimer Flight II Meridian Gallery | SF $10 | 415.398.7229 meridiangallery.org

Dan Joseph, a free-lance composer, presents his work on the electroacoustic hammer dulcimer.

images: courtesy photo (the magic schoolbus live - jessica payne), ed smith (bellwether - gabriel marin, arwen anderson)

Based on the latest book in the popular Magic School Bus series

by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen, this energetic new musical, directed

by Tracy Ward and written by Doug Cooney and Scott Elmegreen, with music and lyrics by Scott Elmegreen, follows the adventures of everyone’s favorite Magic School Bus characters - endearingly awkward Arnold, petite powerhouse Wanda, spunky Keesha, and their classmates - as they travel with their exuberant teacher.

DAILY

it’s all greek to them

by nicole gluckstern While there are plenty of theatre festivals out there devoted to new works, and plenty more devoted to the theatre of Ancient Greece, the San Francisco Olympians Festival may be the only one to audaciously combine both. In its second year, the festival features new plays by local theatremakers each based on a selected figure from Greek mythology from the well-known (Icarus) to the obscure (Nyx). The scope of the Olympians festival rivals the sweeping mythology which inspired it.

Nine full-length and twenty-three short plays will represent the talents of twenty-nine playwrights, fifteen directors, and seventy-five actors.

During October, the Olympians will present a series of staged readings categorized under four general themes such as “Star-Spangled Heroes” and “Family Affairs.” Full-length highlights include the opening night play Heracles and the Things He’s Killed, written and conceptualized by the ever-comical Thunderbird Theatre crew, Megan Cohen’s Orioncentric Hunter and Hunted, Bennet Fisher’s Chronus, A Day in the Light of… by festival producer Stuart Bousel, and Pleiades by Marissa Skudlarek.

Originating not from Bousel’s forehead like Athena, but from an idea he’d had percolating about producing one play per month over the course of a year based on the twelve major Greek gods, The San Francisco Olympians festival is an entertaining way to get a crash course on both the deities of ancient Greece, and the current titans of San Francisco’s independent theatre scene.

“Most people don’t grow up learning Greek mythology any more,” Bousel points out, “so this is their chance to have their interest piqued in a fun way that also reinvents the myths for contemporary audiences rather than treating them as museum pieces.”

SF Olympians Festival October 6 to 29 EXIT Theatre 156 Eddy Street, SF $10 | 415.931.1094 sfolympians.com

image: claire rice (bryce duzan, christian simonsen, marissa skudlarek, neil higgins, maria leigh)

The vast constellation of shorts and one-acts includes works by indie-theatre stalwarts such as Daniel Heath, Sean Kelly, and Jeremy Cole, and

also sees plenty of playwright/directors pulling double duty, including Claire Rice, Neil Higgins, and Bousel.

GREEK

SF OLYMPIANS FESTIVAL

OCTOBER 2011 |

| 13

DAILY 12 | Steve Byrne Punch Line San Francisco | SF $17-$23 | cobbscomedy.com

42nd Street Moon Presents

col� PoRt�R’S

ny�PH ���ANT

Star of his own half-hour Comedy Central show, comedian Byrne is joined onstage by Brian Scolaro.

(Ends 10/15) 13 | An Evening with Mustache Harbor Café Du Nord | SF $12-$15 | 866.468.3399 cafedunord.com

Vintage soft rock cover band.

13 | Gonzalo Bergara Quartet 142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $18-$21 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org

The all-acoustic Gonzalo Bergara Quartet plays 1930s Django Reinhardt–inspired Gypsy jazz.

13 | Stephanie Blythe Herbst Theatre | SF $38-$68 | 415.392.4400 performances.org

A rare recital appearance by dramatic mezzo Blythe, with Warren Jones on piano. SF Performances.

13 | The David Bennett Cohen Band George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $15 | 800.380.3095 georgesnightclub.com

With guests The Cole Tate Band, bringing rock, blues and boogiewoogie to George’s.

“take an

example from eve... expe rim ent! ”

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

www.42ndstmoon.org

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| OCTOBER 2011

13 | Thomas Dolby Bimbo’s 365 Club | SF $25 | 877.435.9849 bimbos365club.com

Both lecture and performance, featuring 30 years of music-making plus his latest album.

13 | Once Upon a Time Lesher Center | Walnut Creek $14 | 925.943.7469 lesherartscenter.org

(Ends 10/15)

13 | Edwin Hawkins and The New Edwin Hawkins Singers Rrazz Room | SF $40-$45 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com

Legendary Gospel Singer (Ends 10/16)

13 | Norm MacDonald Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $23.50-$27.50 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com

SNL-alum and currently the host of Comedy Central’s “Sports Show” returns to Cobb’s. (Ends 10/16) 13 | red, black & GREEN: a blues (rbGb) YBCA - Forum Theatre | SF $5-$25 | 415.978.2787 ycba.org

A multimedia performance work

by Marc Bamuthi Joseph about environmental justice and social ecology. (Ends 10/22)

14 | Baba Ken Okulolo Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org

And The Nigerian Brothers, featuring gentle, rhythmic West African Folk music.

14 | Bonnie Hayes George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $10-$15 | 800.380.3095 georgesnightclub.com

Grammy-nominated singer/ songwriter/producer shares the stage at George’s with the Evan Wilder Band.

14 | Dan Hicks Rancho Nicasio | Nicasio $15-$18 | 415.662.2219 ranchonicasio.com

With his Bayside Jazz band.

Dancing to jazz standards.

14 | Daniela Mercury Paramount Theatre | Oakland $20-$65 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org

SFJazz presents Brazilian vocalist, celebrating the music of Salvador de Bahia, Brazil.

14 | Mary Jenson Jazzschool | Berkeley $15 | 510.845.5373 jazzschool.com

Jenson performs original music and masterfully reinvented jazz and contemporary covers.

14 | Mayer Hawthorne & The County Bimbo’s 365 Club | SF $18 | bimbos365club.com

Deep Motown sounds produced by an unlikely 29-year old from Ann Arbor. With Chico Mann.

14 | The Legend of Speepy Hollow Mountain View Center | MV $8-$12 | 650.903.6000 ci.mtnview.ca.usmvcpa

Peninsula Youth Theatre presents cowardly schoolteacher Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman.

(Ends 10/15) 14 | Arturo Sandoval Yoshi’s | SF $15-$30 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com

Award-winning master of the trumpet & flugel horn, and a composer. (Ends 10/16)

14 | Orquesta Aragon Yoshi’s | Oakland $20-$28 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com

Cuban Charanga band features an open dance floor. (Ends 10/16) 14 | Alonzo King LINES Ballet YBCA - Novellus Theater | SF $25-$65 | 415.978.2787 ycba.org

A world premiere set to music of the Sephardic tradition. Songs from Turkey, Morocco, Spain & Yemen.

(Ends 10/23)

15 | Cherish the Ladies Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $24.50-$26.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org

Timeless Irish traditional music.

15 | India.Arie & Idan Raichel Legion of Honor | SF $25-$75 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org

SFJazz presents Israel’s biggest star and the R&B superstar together at the beautiful Paramount.

15 | Lavay Smith George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $15-$20 | 800.380.3095 georgesnightclub.com

Jazz vocalist performs classics with her band the Red Hot Skillet Lickers.

15 | Pamela Rose Theatre on San Pedro Square | SJ $20-$25 | 800.838.3006 tabardtheatre.org

Rose is a San Francisco jazz vocalist, presented through Jazz Nights with Nineteen Jazz Ensemble.

14 | Samson et Dalila Lucie Stern Theater | Palo Alto $65-$70 | 800.380.3095 wbopera.org

15 | SF Composers Chamber Orchestra Old First Church | SF $17 | 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org

14 | Arsenic & Old Lace Spindrift Theatre | Pacifica $15-$30 | 800.380.3095 pacificaspindriftplayers.com

15 | The Spinners Lincoln Theater | Yountville $45-$65 | 707.944.9900 lincolntheater.com

West Bay Opera presents Camille Saint-Saëns’ best known opera Samson and Delilah. (Ends 10/23)

Comedy and mayhem abound with the Brewster sisters, who are famous in their neighborhood.

(Ends 11/6) 14 | Little Shop of Horrors Lesher Center | Walnut Creek $44-$49 | 925.943.7469 ccmt.org

A down-and-out skid row floral assistant becomes a sensation when he discovers an exotic plant.

CCMT (Ends 11/13) 14 | The Last Romance San Jose Repertory Theatre | SJ $29-$74 | 408.367.7255 sjrep.com

Numerous premieres, including a preview of Lisa Scola Prosek’s newest opera, Night at the Kremlin.

Since 1961, The Spinners have been innovators and icons of rhythm and blues.

15 | The Voice of Africa Lesher Center | Walnut Creek $38 | 925.943.7469 globalwomenintact.org

A benefit concert of traditional music from the Kissi tribes of NW Africa for Global Women Intact.

15 | Trolley Dances Free | odctheater.org

Outdoor, site-specific performances

by ODC/Dance, Epiphany Productions SDT, Sweet Can Circus & more. (Ends 10/16)

An ageless story by Joe DiPietro about taking a chance on love later in life. (Ends 11/25) OCTOBER 2011 |

| 15

SPOTLIGHT

DAILY 15 | Puppets, Princes and Paremski Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $28-$55 | 707.546.8742 santarosasymphony.com

Santa Rosa Symphony presents Prokofiev and Stravinsky. Featuring pianist Natasha Paremski. (Ends 10/17)

ZERO HOUR October 21 to 23 Jewish Community Center 3200 California Street , SF $42 to $52 | 415.292.1233 jccsf.org/arts In Zero Hour, Jim Brochu portrays the irrepressible actor and comedian Zero Mostel giving a fictional interview with a young unseen reporter from The New York Times shortly before his untimely death at age 62 in 1977. Brochu’s Mostel covers a lot of territory in this two-hour show, beginning with his early youth, his two marriages, his career triumphs, and the enormous impact of the Hollywood blacklist on himself and his friends.

15 | The Hula Show 2011 Palace of Fine Arts Theater | SF $10-$90 | 415.392.4400 palaceoffinearts.org

Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu returns with all-new performances that explore San Francisco to Hawai’i link. (Ends 10/23) 15 | Don Giovanni War Memorial Opera House | SF $30-$330 | 415.864.3330 sfopera.com

Mozart’s bold blend of comedy and drama about a predatory nobleman and the women he attracts. (Ends 11/24) 16 | 77 El Deora Rancho Nicasio | Nicasio Free | 415.662.2219 ranchonicasio.com

Alternative country band.

16 | Acoustic Alchemy Montalvo Arts Center | Saratoga $35-$40 | 408.961.5858 montalvoarts.org

PETER GALLAGHER October 22 | 8:00 pm Venetian Room 950 Mason Street, SF $40 to $45 | 415.392.4400 bayareacabaret.org Tony nominated actor- singer Peter Gallagher brings his critically acclaimed cabaret debut Songs And Stories to the Venetian Room to make his West Coast debut. Although known for his acting roles in films like American Beauty and sex, lies and videotapes, plus his role on Fox’s The O.C., Gallagher has always had a considerable background in music and theatre.

16 |

| OCTOBER 2011

16 | George and Keoki Kahumoku Lincoln Theater | Yountville $25-$35 | 707.944.9900 lincolntheater.com

Enjoy an evening of great Hawaiian music and hula. Lu’au prior for $60.

16 | Steven Wright Uptown Theatre | Napa $40 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com

Academy Award winning writer, director, actor and comedian.

17 | Acoustic Alchemy Yoshi’s | SF $18-$25 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com

For nearly 25 years, Acoustic Alchemy has pushed the limits of the acoustic guitar’s potential.

(Ends 10/18)

Smooth jazz acoustic guitarist brings his melodies to Yoshi’s.

(Ends 10/19) 18 | Kihnoua Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $22.50-$24.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org

With Larry Ochs, Dohee Lee, Scott Amendola, and Wilbert de Joode.

18 | Shazia Mirza Punch Line San Francisco | SF $15 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com

British-born comedian of Pakistani decent, Mirza holds nothing back in her biting act.

18 | The Magic School Bus Montalvo Arts Center | Saratoga $7 | 408.961.5858 montalvoarts.org

Celebrating its 25th anniversary with an all-new musical production about climate change.

18 | Vince Gill Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $45-$65 | 707.546.3600

Acclaimed country singer/ songwriter/guitarist brings his talents to Santa Rosa.

18 | The Shirelles Rrazz Room | SF $40-$47.50 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com

‘60s Girls Group, Classic Soul, R&B, Rock, Doo-Wop. With Original Member & Co-founder Beverly Lee. (Ends 10/23) 19 | Oregon 142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $16-$26 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org

This quartet has been enchanting audiences for 3 decades with their jazz-inspired improvisations. (Ends 10/20) 19 | Mitch Fatel Punch Line San Francisco | SF $18.50-$23.50 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com

With 15 years of stand-up under his belt Fatel is a sought-after comic.

With Gary Cannon. (Ends 10/22)

images: michael lamont (zero hour - jim brochu), james gallagher (peter gallagher)

Contemporary acoustic Jazz ensemble has been entertaining audiences for over two decades.

17 | Peter White Yoshi’s | Oakland $28 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com

able to push the boundaries by grier cooper

AXIS Dance Company is known for its powerful visual mixed metaphors: arms, legs, wheels, and laps are each as exploitable as the next to create physically integrated choreography that is an entirely new landscape for contemporary dance.

Some recent snapshots: a wheelchair on its side, wheels spinning, with a dancer lying across it, a dancer rising up on his back wheels, spinning furiously, rearing like a bronco, and a duet, one dancer in a chair, the other on her feet.

Four of the eight AXIS dancers are disabled, allowing a “potential for movement that is radically different from what another dance company would have,” says artistic director Judith Smith, who became disabled at age 17. Finding dance changed her life and gave her back a relationship with her body, selfesteem and self-confidence. “I love doing things that are unusual and pushing the boundaries of what most people think is possible,” she says. “Dance is a way to give something back, to challenge people to always question assumptions and to keep their minds open to the endless possibilities and potentials inherent in us all.”

Full of Words is a series of three duets between three couples of dancers in everyday situations, each beginning with a dialogue based on the game ‘you say a word, I say a word and together we make a sentence.’ While the opening lines are spoken, the remainder of the dialogues is expressed through movements - lines and extensions, intricate folding, placement and replacement, to create romantic conversations.

Says Brew, “This work can be thought of as a series of physical conversations, encounters and interventions that reflect what it is to be human.”

Light Shelter by David Dorfman and The Narrowing by AXIS dancer Sebastian Grubb complete the lineup.

AXIS Dance Company October 7 to 9 Malonga Casquelord Center For The Arts 1428 Alice Street, Oakland $10 to $ 20.50 | 510.625.0110 axisdance.org

image: kevin colton (sonsherée giles, rodney bell)

The company’s 2011 home season further ups the ante as they present Full of Words, by internationally acclaimed choreographer Mark Brew, marking the first time AXIS has worked with a European choreographer. Brew is both a soughtafter choreographer and disabled himself, the

sole survivor of a car accident caused by a drunk driver. He has worked as a dancer and choreographer in the UK and internationally for more than 17 years with companies such as Australian Ballet Company, South Africa’s PACT Ballet, and Scottish Dance Theater.

DANCE

axis dance COMPANY

OCTOBER 2011 |

| 17

SPOTLIGHT

DAILY 20 | Beck Uptown Theatre | Napa $50 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com

Beck comes to Napa.

20 | David Cook Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $35-$45 | 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org

A WEEKEND WITH PABLO PICASSO October 21 to November 19 Lesher Center for the Arts 1601 Civic Drive, WC $19 to $43 | 925.943.7469 centerrep.org Pablo Picasso was the most astonishingly prolific and influential artist of the 20th century. Now comes a new portrait of Picasso from famed writer, actor and painter Herbert Siguenza, of the nationally renowned comedy troupe Culture Clash. As the irrepressible Picasso, Siguenza takes us inside the mind - and paint brush - of the man who changed how we look at the world.

Season seven “American Idol” winner Cook shares the stage with Gavin DeGraw and Carolina Liar.

20 | Melissa Manchester Montalvo Arts Center | Saratoga $45-$50 | 408.961.5858 montalvoarts.org

Songwriter, singer, actress brings her vocal gifts to the stage at Montalvo’s Carriage House Theatre 20 | Sam’s Enchanted Evening Marsh | Berkeley $15-$50 | 415.641.0235 themarsh.org

The Residents present their first allacoustic show, a stage play about loss and aging. (Ends 11/26)

True story about his misadventures as a anti-war GI during the Vietnam War. (Ends 12/10) 21 | Berkeley Hawaiian Music Festival Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $34.50-$36.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org

Paul Rodriguez October 28 to 30 The Improv 62 S. Second Street , SJ $25 | 408.280.7475 improv.com Revered as one of the first Latin Kings of Comedy, Rodriguez has been making audiences laugh around the world (in Spanish and English) for nearly three decades with humor that is a perfect blend of his Latin heritage and the American dream. His multi-faceted career includes starring roles and featured appearances in over 40 films and countless television series and comedy specials.

18 |

| OCTOBER 2011

With Dennis Kamakahi, Kawika Kahiapo, Weldon Kekauoha, Waipuna, Patrick Landeza & more.

21 | Borealis Wind Quintet San Francisco State University | SF Free | 415.338.2467 morrison.sfsu.edu

The Quintet was nominated for a 2006 Grammy Award in the Chamber Music category.

21 | BYU Ballroom Dance Company Lincoln Theater | Yountville $25-$35 | 707.944.9900 lincolntheater.com

The current US National Formation Dance Champion, known worldwide

Marin County native Roudman presents works from her newest CD, Eclectic Cello.

21 | Ultra World X-tet Old First Church | SF $17 | 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org

Their sound draws from Western & Asian traditional & contemporary concert forms, modern jazz & more.

21 | Zahara! Live in San Francisco Swedish American Hall | SF $25 | 866.468.3399 cafedunord.com

The power and passion of Flamenco meets the rich traditions of Morocco.

21 | NIGHT FALLS ODC Theater | SF $20 | 415.863.9834 odctheater.org

An exploration of an anxious night as Peregrine contemplates turning sixty in a very public way. (Ends 10/30) 21 | Things You Shouldn’t Say Past Midnight Diablo Actors’ Ensemble Theatre | Walnut Creek $10-$30 | 866.811.4111 diabloactors.com

A racy bedroom comedy which questions the balance between intellectual and physical attraction.

(Ends 11/5)

21 | Crimes of the Heart Cinnabar Theater | Petaluma $25 | 707.763.8920 cinnabartheater.org

Five years after Hurricane Camille, the Magrath sisters face their issues with warmth and zaniness.

(Ends 11/6) 21 | A Weekend with Pablo Picasso Lesher Center | Walnut Creek $38-$43 | 925.943.7469 centerrep.org

Bay Area premiere of this new play by writer, actor, and painter Herbert Siguenza. (Ends 11/19)

images: hector salgado (a weekend with pablo picasso - herbert siguenza), courtesy photo (paul rodriguez)

20 | RAMBO: The Missing Years Marsh | Berkeley $15-$50 | 415.641.0235 themarsh.org

21 | Rebecca Roudman 142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $20-$23 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org

by elizabeth warnimont Vismaya Lhi had a passion for the classics at an early age. “I liked Shakespeare and Greek drama in high school,” she recalls. Lhi has also always enjoyed a variety of music styles and was directing a jazz choral group in college when she first discovered opera.

OPERA

DAS RHEINGOLD

vismaya lhi wagers on wagner

“I worked in the recording library at U.C. Santa Cruz.

There were boxes and boxes of recordings that hadn’t ever been catalogued,” she says. One that she remembers as being particularly inspirational is “The Willow Song” from Verdi’s Othello, sung by fellow spinto soprano Leontyne Price. She soon became fascinated with the genre, listening daily to selections from the broad spectrum of recordings at her disposal.

Lhi’s connection with Verismo Opera likewise happened quite by accident. “I was really just doing concerts, and I saw this audition,” she explains. “I thought well, it’s a small company, maybe they need some benefit concerts.” She didn’t expect to be cast in a full-scale opera production, even after her interview with Verismo director Frederick Winthrop. A week or so after their meeting, Lhi sent Winthrop a note restating her offer to perform a concert for the company. “He called back to say they’d had a dropout, and would I like to do [Verdi’s) Trovatore,” Lhi says. Intrigued, she accepted.

image: elizabeth glass (vismaya lhi)

Das Rheingold will be Lhi’s first Wagner opera. “I wasn’t really sure I had the voice for it,” she says. “They’re big orchestras, and I’m not a dramatic soprano.” That’s the kind of voice it takes to sing over a large orchestra, she explains. “Then I found out Michael Shahani is conducting,” she says. “He was our conductor for Carmen and I really enjoyed working with him.” She also discovered that the orchestra will consist of only 10 to 15 pieces, a manageable size.

When Lhi is asked to name a favorite part of the production, two things come immediately to mind. “I’m particularly fond of our Wotans (sung by Chris Wells, alternating with John Minagro),” she says, “and (Winthrop) has some major players singing the parts of the Rhinemaidens, which I think will be beautiful.”

DAS RHEINGOLD October 8 | Sanchez Concert Hall, 1220 Linda Mar Boulevard, Pacifica October 15 to 23 | Bay Terrace Theatre, 51 Daniels Avenue, Vallejo October 30 | Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar Street, Berkeley $15 | verismoopera.org/

OCTOBER 2011 |

| 19

JUST RELEASED

DAILY 21 | Pelleas & Melisande Cutting Ball at EXIT | SF $15-$50 | 800.838.3006 cuttingball.com

A new translation of Maeterlinck’s “Pelleas & Melisande.” (Ends 11/27)

KRISTIN CHENOWETH Some Lessons Learned Glinda goes country as Chenoweth touches all the logical bases - sad broken heart songs, revenge broken heart songs, talking to God and to Dolly Parton broken heart songs. It’s sweet and fun and she won’t be quitting her day job. (sonymasterworks.com)

22 | Eoin Harrington Yoshi’s | SF $25 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com

An Evening with The Eoin Harrington Band.

22 | Joshua Redman & Brad Mehldau Herbst Theatre | SF $30-$75 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org

SFJazz presents saxophonist Redman and pianist Mehldau as a duo on stage at the Herbst.

22 | Le Jazz Hot Rancho Nicasio | Nicasio $15 | 415.662.2219 ranchonicasio.com

The quartet of the Hot Club, San Francisco.

DEBORAH PEARL Souvenir of You

Singer-songwriter Pearl (who co-wrote the Folger’s Coffee commercial jingle) sets lyrics to the music of the late Grammy-winning jazz artist Benny Carter and sings them in her smooth, easy-going style. (lpb.com/eveningstar)

22 | Miri Ben-Ari Jewish Community Center | Palo Alto $50-$75 | 999.999.9999 paloaltojcc.org

She created a unique and revolutionary sound by merging classical style with jazz and hip hop.

22 | Petrushka & The Violin California Theatre | San Jose $39-$75 | symphonysiliconvalley.org

Symphony Silicon Valley, conducted

by Giampaolo Bisanti, performs Stravinsky plus Beethoven. (Ends 10/23) 22 | The Little Mermaid Sunnyvale Community Theatre $12-$17 | 800.838.3006 ctcinc.org

BARB JUNGR Man in the Long Black Coat Accomplished British singer Jungr revels in the all-American canon of Bob Dylan on a richly arranged album of classics and never-beforerecorded songs. (linnrecords.com) Catch Barb Jungr live at the Rrazz Room on October 10 to 12.

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| OCTOBER 2011

California Theatre Center presents this kid friendly production of Hans Christian Andersen’s story. (Ends 10/29) 23 | Liszt Gala Old First Church | SF $17 | 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org

William Wellborn brings together pianists to join forces to bring an afternoon of Liszt’s music.

23 | Louis Prima, Jr. Yoshi’s | SF $25 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com

Louis Prima Jr. carries on the legacy of his father, who was known as the original “King of Swing.”

23 | Pianist Temirzhan Yerzhanov Jewish Community Center | Palo Alto $25-$30 | 999.999.9999 paloaltojcc.org

Named “Best Performer of 2007”

by San Francisco Classical Voice.

23 | Master Class Hillbarn Theatre | Foster City $32 | 650.349.6411 hillbarntheatre.org

Terrence McNally’s play about the incomparable diva Maria Callas.

(Ends 11/6) 24 | Todd Murray Rrazz Room | SF $30 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com

Crooner/Songwriter, Jazz, Swing, Traditional Pop, Cabaret (Ends 10/25) 25 | Composers, Inc. Old First Church | SF $17 | 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org

Featuring Locals Only, a celebration of stylistic variety and excellence from Bay Area composers.

25 | Jeffrey Foucault Café Du Nord | SF $12 | 866.468.3399 cafedunord.com

Singer, songwriter Foucault brings his spare, intense style to Cafe du Nord.

25 | Lindsey Buckingham Uptown Theatre | Napa $40-$50 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com

Singer, songwriter, guitarist of Fleetwood Mac fame comes to Napa.

25 | Fags ‘n Hags Punch Line San Francisco | SF $20 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com

Nico Santos leads a line up of queer and queer-friendly comedians from all over the country. (Ends 10/26)

by will schmid Frequent travelers may no longer see them as the friendly skies, but for comedian Caroline Reid – aka Pam Ann – skewering the airline experience definitely makes them the funny skies.

The Australian native now makes New York City her home and is keen to spread her irreverent message across the country.

Pam Ann, the air hostess with the mostess was born out of a birthday party in 1996. “It was a James Bond theme,” says Reid, “and everyone flew Pan Am in the sixties. As the night wore on, people kept saying Pan Am, Pan Am, Pan Am - and then you add alcohol – and I thought everyone was calling me Pam Ann! So she was born out of a bottle of Absolut…from which she has not strayed very far.”

Reid had been wanting to do a solo show and this character seemed the perfect take-off point. She has since expanded her union of flight attendant characters to over a dozen airlines, and even added a couple of passengers to her mix.

So unlike the Wizard of Oz, Reid seems to be asking please do pay attention to the woman behind the curtain in addition to her beloved character. Helpful friends have been suggesting various gags and gimmicks for the new show, but Reid is adamant. “No! Nothing!” she says mock-dramatically. “It’s just me and a microphone! No ‘high production’ values.”

Still, she admits there are benefits to fame as a flamboyant character. She can go about her daily life fairly incognito. “Unless I’m on a British Airways plane. Then all the crew want to visit.” Reid, as Pam Ann, shot a BA commercial in 2007. “That’s fun,” she says. “It gives me perks!”

YOU F’COFFEE October 8 | 7:30 pm Castro Theatre 429 Castro Street, SF $35 to $50 | 415.621.6120 biggaycomedy.com

image: james & james (caroline reid)

The success of the act has given Reid a humorous dose of schizophrenia. “I don’t know who I am anymore,” she jokes, “so I’m doing a show as myself at Joe’s

Pub in late October. I’ve done it once before and I need to do a show as Caroline just to figure out who I am now.”

COMEDY

YOU F’COFFEE

pam ann is cleared for landing

OCTOBER 2011 |

| 21

JUST RELEASED

DAILY 25 | The World’s Funniest Bubble Show Marsh | Berkeley $11 | 415.641.0235 themarsh.org

Louis Pearl’s show features audience participation. Some kids will find themselves inside bubbles.

(Ends 11/20) A MINISTERS WIFE Original Off-Broadway Cast Based on George Bernard Shaw’s Candida, the show features music

by Joshua Schmidt, lyrics by Jan Levy Tranen and a book by Austin Pendleton. Kate Fry is the title character, asked to choose between her dry but stable cleric husband (Marc Kudisch) and Bobby Steggert as her idealistically romantic suitor. (psclassics.com)

26 | Wilson Cruz & Scott Nevins Rrazz Room | SF $30 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com

Cruz: Actor, Producer, MentorNevins: Award winning Host, TV/Radio Personality.

27 | Catherine Fraser & Duncan Smith Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org

Acclaimed Scots/Australian fiddle & piano duo.

27 | For The People Comedy Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $15 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com

LEND ME A TENOR Original London Cast

Ken Ludwig’s mistaken identity opera world farce is now a big, lush, old-fashioned musical with a score by Brad Carroll and book and lyrics by Peter Sham. Matthew Kelly and Joanna Riding lead the cast. (firstnightrecords.com)

SF-based comedian Frankie Quinones founded this collective of comic artists.

27 | Grouplove Bimbo’s 365 Club | SF $16 | 877.435.9849 bimbos365club.com

Exuberant young band of American and British musicians who met on Crete.

27 | Karel Rrazz Room | SF $25 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com

Comedy, Political Satire, Pop, LGBT 27 | Mose Allison YBCA - Forum Theatre | SF $30-$50 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org

GODSPELL Soundtrack + Original Cast

With a Broadway revival set to open next month, this reissue pairs the Off-Broadway cast recording with the film soundtrack. No previously unreleased material is included, but composer Stephen Schwartz penned a forward to the notes. (masterworksbroadway.com)

22 |

| OCTOBER 2011

Pianist, singer and composer, Allison has recorded over 30 albums across five decades.

SFJAZZ. 27 | Simon Keenlyside Herbst Theatre | SF $38-$68 | 415.392.4400 performances.org

Baritone and actor Keenlyside in a recital performance, accompanied

by Malcolm Martineau on piano.

27 | Steep Canyon Rangers Montalvo Arts Center | Saratoga $35-$40 | 408.961.5858 montalvoarts.org

Acoustic quintet brings their modern interpretation of bluegrass to Montalvo’s Carriage House.

27 | Vienna Boys Choir Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $30-$45 | 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org

The world’s preeminent boy choir, founded by Emperor Maximilian I in 1498.

27 | Brent Weinbach Punch Line San Francisco | SF $15-$21 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com

Weinbach uses character illustrations to get laughs. With Kevin Camia and Ray Molina. (Ends 10/29) 27 | The Storytelling Ability of a Boy Lesher Center | Walnut Creek $30 | 925.943.7469 centerrep.org

Center Rep presents the West Coast premiere of a funny but tough tale of two alienated teenagers. (Ends 11/13)

28 | Danny Click 142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $18-$25 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org

With his Americana Orchestra presenting his blues-inflected rock and roll style.

28 | Golden Dragon Acrobats Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $25-$35 | 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org

Champion acrobats, contortionists and jugglers share 2,000 years of Chinese tradition.

28 | Goran Bregovic Paramount Theatre | Oakland $25-$75 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org

SFJazz presents Sarajevo-native Bregovic and his trans-Balkan Wedding and Funeral Orchestra.

28 | Kreith-Yi Duo Old First Church | SF $17 | 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org

Benjamin Kreith on violin and Ann Yi on piano present both world premier and classical pieces.

a love story to span the century

image: annie paladino (joshua schell, caitlyn louchard, derek fischer)

by lee walker

Written in 1892 by French-speaking, Belgianborn, Nobel Prize-winning playwright and poet Maurice Maeterlinck, Pelléas et Mélisande tells of the tragic love affair of its title characters.

It is one of a handful of plays in the Symbolist style and inspired musical compositions by Gabriel Fauré for the first English translation of the play in 1898 as well as the popular 1902 opera by Claude Debussy.

If that is all sounding very last century, the play gets a breath of fresh air as Pelleas & Melisande, the season opener for Cutting Ball Theater. It is a new translation by director Rob Melrose, who is quick to clarify that it is a translation, but not an adaptation.

“When you translate,” he says, “you are trying to capture as much of the original spirit as possible. When you’re adapting you are writing a new play based on the old play. I’m really trying to be very true to the old play as the writer. As the director, the re-visioning comes in, which is why we incorporated video and new music and all kinds of things.”

play

PellEas & MElisande

“All the scholarship I read indicates that the play within the play that Constantine writes in Act I is possibly an homage to Maeterlinck.

That inspired me to read his work.”

He undertook the translation because the language of the 1898 translation felt“very stilted and stodgy. American English changes really fast. We like the idea of taking on foreign words and combining words to make new words.”

“In French, in order for a word to be accepted, the Academie Francaise has to agree that it is a new word, so French winds up staying very pure. In French, Maeterlinck’s play doesn’t sound stodgy at all. An English translation that’s 100 years old really sound 100 years old.”

Pelleas & Melisande October 21 to November 27 Cutting Ball at EXIT on Taylor 277 Taylor Street, SF $10 to $50 | 800.838.3006 cuttingball.com

The play came to his attention two decades ago while preparing to direct Chekov’s The Seagull.

OCTOBER 2011 |

| 23

Sia Amma presents

THE VOICE OF AFRICA BAND in a fundraiser for

GLOBAL WOMEN INTACT

DAILY 28 | Monophonics George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $10-$15 | 800.380.3095 georgesnightclub.com

Bay Area band with special guests.

28 | Leela James Yoshi’s | SF $30 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com

James brings her powerful, soulful stylings to Yoshi’s. (Ends 10/29) 28 | Megan Mullally & Supreme Music Program Rrazz Room | SF $45-$47.50 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com

October 15, 2011 • 8:00 pm Del Valle Theatre 1963 Tice Valley Boulevard, Walnut Creek 925.943.7469 |www.lesherartscenter.org Dedicated to eliminating female circumcision and genital mutilation customs in Africa through education.

Like postmodern cabaret-gonemad, drawing from the best elements of blues, pop, rootscountry, tradi (Ends 10/29)

28 | The Story of My Life Theatre on San Pedro Square | SJ $29-$35 | 800.838.3006 tabardtheatre.org

Meet Alvin and Thomas, buddies since kindergarten. Watch the bond between them grow and change.

(Ends 11/20) 29 | Doug Benson’s 4:20 Show Punch Line San Francisco | SF $20 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com

Benson has brought his smoky humor to Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel Live and more.

29 | Foreverland Bimbo’s 365 Club | SF $22 | 877.435.9849 bimbos365club.com

Michael Jackson cover band presents their 2nd Annual “Thriller” Halloween Ball.

29 | Johnny Vegas Rancho Nicasio | Nicasio $12-$15 | 415.662.2219 ranchonicasio.com

steven underhill | .com

415.370.7152 PHOTOGRAPHY 24 |

| OCTOBER 2011

With his High Rollers. Halloween costume ball.

29 | Kabuki Jazz Cabaret 142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $20-$30 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org

Brenda Wong Aoki’s Japanese Ghost Legends, a Kabuki-inspired evening of song, dance and drama.

29 | Pomplamoose YBCA - Forum Theatre | SF $20 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org

Sonoma-based duo performs their own compositions as well as reinterpretations of pop songs.

29 | Xuefei Yang Herbst Theatre | SF $30-$45 | 415.392.4400 omniconcerts.com

Acclaimed classical solo guitarist is presented by Omni Concerts and San Francisco Performances.

30 | Bassekou Kouyate YBCA - Forum Theatre | SF $20-$35 | 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org

Mali’s Bassekou Kouyate plays on the ngoni, a small four-string lute, with his band Ngoni Ba. SFJAZZ 30 | Esther Landau Old First Church | SF $17 | 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org

Playing flute and kaval as part of a quartet, presenting new and classical works.

30 | Nnenna Freelon Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $32-$75 | 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org

With her trio performing an “Ode to Ella and Gershwin” 30 | Outsourced Comedy Tour Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $20 | 800.745.3000 cobbscomedy.com

Raj Sharma, Kabir Singh, Sammy Obied & special guests.

30 | Suzanna Smith Trio Firehouse Arts Center | Pleasanton $15-$25 | 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org

Performing songs of the great ladies of jazz, from Ella to Peggy Lee. 31 | Jeff Beck Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $49-$89 | 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org

Grammy-winning guitarist Beck performs with guest Tyler Brant.

31 | Maude Maggart Rrazz Room | SF $35 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com

Cabaret, Pop Singer (Ends 11/2)

by robert sokol If you’re looking for an evening with sassy, sarcastic, sauced socialite Karen Walker, you’re going to have to break out your Will & Grace DVD collection. When Megan Mullally takes the stage at the Rrazz Room this month with her band Supreme Music Collection, it’s gonna be all about the music.

MUSIC

megan mullally

supreme music will grace her program

The Broadway and television star with seven consecutive Emmy nominations (and two wins) is serious about her music, but in a fun way of course.

Formed at the tail end of the last century, Supreme Music Program has toured the country and even made it to London. They have recorded three CDs, with a fourth on the way. “The CDs are not a money-making operation,” she says. “We just do them out of love.”

The “we” is comprised of musicians Joe Berardi, Piotr Jandula, Greg Kuehn, Doug Livingston, Stuart Mathis, Larry Williams and front-woman Mullally who, on their last CD, also listed “cardboard box, chains in a bowl, plastic egg, and moral high ground” among her talents.

image: andrew mcleod (megan mullally)

“We take songs that are very strong narratively and melodically and try to do them our way. Some people have said that each song is kind of like its own little world, that each song creates its own mood.

I hope that’s true because it’s what we’re aiming for.”

She describes the Supreme Music Program repertoire as “a super-eclectic mix of songs from every genre under the sun.

We do everything except what people probably expect. We don’t do any show tunes and we don’t really do any standards. That’s not for any specific reason other than the I just tend to gravitate toward other kinds of music.”

MEGAN MULLALLY & Supreme music Program October 28 to 30 The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko 222 Mason Street, SF $45 to $47.50 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com OCTOBER 2011 |

| 25

JOY WITH WINGS: A Daughter’s Tale Oct 5, 6 W/Th 8 pm “I regretted not bringing my husband, parents and friends.”

WHAT WOMEN MOST DESIRE: Shipman’s & Wife of Bath’s Tales

From Canterbury Tales in Modern English Oct 26 to Nov 17, W/Th 8 pm “This performance is the equal of anything I have seen at Berkeley Rep and Aurora Theatre.”

The Alcove Theater 414 Mason St (5th Fl), SF $32 to $50 800-838-3006 www.chaucertheatre.org

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

26 |

| OCTOBER 2011

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BACK Brooke Knight, Heather Orth, Samantha Bruce and Amanda Folena of Broadway By The Bay at the Fox Theatre

Marga Gomez and Scrumbly Koldewyn at The Marsh

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Rohina Malik at Brava!

Cassidy Brown, Mick Mize and Darren Bridgett at Marin Shakespeare

Lee Roy Reams and Pamela Myers at The Alcazar Theatre

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Lucy Littlewood and Michael Scott McLean at TheatreWorks

Lea Salonga at the Fairmont

D.L. Hughley at Cobb’s Comedy Club

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image: steven underhill

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Judy Collins at The Rrazz Room

Scott Thompson and Kevin McDonald at Cobb’s Comedy Club

Casey Dudley and Teddy (aka Toto) at Diablo Theatre Company

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