BAYSTAGES | 2012.07 - July

JULY 2012 I Your Guide to the Best Theatre, Music, Dance and More in the Bay Area!

[THE ARTISTS]

CHARO MICHAEL FEINSTEIN ANDREA MARCOVICCI JOSHUA RADIN [THE SHOWS] FOR THE GREATER GOOD, OR THE LAST ELECTION MARAT/SADE MY FAIR LADY SWEENEY TODD

+

BALLROOM WITH A TWIST

[THE COVER]

DREW CAREY

Working the “Midnight” Shift ALSO: DAILY EVENTS + MUSIC & COMEDY CLUB LISTINGS + VENUE DIRECTORIES + MORE

July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

THE TOMMY IGOE BIG BAND MONDAYS! THIs AIn’T youR dAddy’s BIG BAnd

July 10

TERRI WHITE

July 5 - 7 4 - TImE GRAmmy nomInEE

OLETA ADAMS

WITH sPECIAl GuEsT

“GET HERE” foR An EvEnInG of musICAl BRIllIAnCE

MAUREEN LANGAN

July 11-22

July 17 PoP/RoCK/soul ARTIsT

KIM NALLEY

“THE GREAT WHITE WAy” TERRI sInGs fRom BluEs To BRoAdWAy!

sPECIAl 2-WEEK EnGAGEmEnT!

July 18

July 24 - AuGusT 5

SUGAR PIE DE SANTO & KIM NALLEY

July 8

KAREL

CLAYTON BRYANT ouT of THE sHAdoW

ANDREA MARCOvICCI smIlE

July 27 - 29 dIRECT fRom ny’s CAfE CARlylE

EMILY BERGL ny I lovE you

TRIBuTE To ETTA JAmEs

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 POLITICAL | For the Greater Good, or The Last Election............ 7 MUSICAL | My Fair Lady................................................................. 9 DANCE | Ballroom With A Twist....................................................11 MUSIC | Joshua Radin...................................................................13 COMEDY | Drew Carey...................................................................17 PLAY | Marat/Sade..........................................................................19 MUSICAL | Sweeney Todd............................................................21 MUSIC | Michael Feinstein............................................................23 GUITAR | Charo...............................................................................25 CABARET | Andrea Marcovicci.....................................................27 BACK I Behind the Scenes with

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Information is subject to change without notice.

publisher RON WILLIS publisher@baystages.com design VIA MEDIA design@viamedia.net calendar editor KAREN MARQUISS daily@baystages.com contributing writers GRIER cooper CHRIS RENÉ WILL SCHMID ROBERT SOKOL LEE WALKER ELIZABETH WARNIMONT contributing photographer STEVEN UNDERHILL cover image DREW CAREY image: dan dion

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JULY 2012 |

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REVOLVING

King Britt at the New Parish (7/20)

Nate Currin at the Hotel Utah Saloon (7/28)

330 RITCH SOMA, SF 330ritch.com | 415.541.9574 AMNESIA Mission, SF amnesiathebar.com | 415.970.0012 ASHKENAZ Berkeley ashkenaz.com | 510.525.5054 BIMBO’S 365 CLUB North Beach, SF bimbos365club.com | 415.474.0365 BISCUITS & BLUES Union Square, SF biscuitsandblues.com | 415.292.2583 BLANK CLUB San Jose theblankclub.com | 408.292.5265 BLISS BAR Noe Valley, SF blissbarsf.com | 415.826.6200 Bottom of the Hill Potrero Hill, SF bottomofthehill.com | 415.621.4455 BRICK & Mortar MUSIC HALL Mission, SF brickandmortarmusic.com | 415.800.8782 Café du Nord Upper Market, SF cafedunord.com | 415.861.5016 Café ROYALE Tenderloin, SF caferoyale-sf.com | 415.441.4099 club fox Redwood City clubfoxrwc.com | 650.369.7770 DNA LOUNGE SOMA, SF dnalounge.com | 415.626.1409 ELBO ROOM Mission, SF elbo.com | 415.552.7788 EL RIO Mission, SF elriosf.com | 415.282.3325

FILLMORE Fillmore, SF thefillmore.com | 415.346.6000 FOX THEATRE Oakland thefoxoakland.com | 800.745.3000 Freight & Salvage Berkeley freightandsalvage.org | 510.644.2020 George’s NIGHTCLUB San Rafael georgesnightclub.com | 415.226.0262 Great American Music Hall Tenderloin, SF slimspresents.com | 415.255.0333 Hemlock Tavern Polk Gulch, SF hemlocktavern.com | No Calls HOTEL UTAH SALOON SOMA, SF hotelutah.com | 415.546.6300 Independent Alamo Square, SF theindependentsf.com | 415.771.1421 jazzschool Berkeley jazzschool.com | 510.845.5373 Johnny Foley’s Union Square, SF johnnyfoleys.com | 415.954.0777 MAKE-OUT ROOM Mission, SF makeoutroom.com | 415.647.2888 MEZZANINE SOMA, SF mezzaninesf.com | 415.625.8880 MILK BAR Haight, SF milksf.com | 415.387.6455 napa valley opera house Napa nvoh.com | 707.226.7372 NEW PARISH Oakland thenewparish.com | 510.444.7474

OAKLAND METRO OPERAHOUSE Oakland oaklandmetro.org | 510.763.1146 Rancho Nicasio Marin ranchonicasio.com | 415.662.2219 Regency Ballroom Civic Center, SF theregencyballroom.com | 800.745.3000 Rickshaw Stop Civic Center, SF rickshawstop.com | 415.861.2012 ROCKIT ROOM Richmond, SF rock-it-room.com | 415.387.6343 RRAZZ ROOM Union Square, SF therrazzroom.com | 415. 394.1189 SAVANNAH JAZZ Mission, SF savannajazz.com | 415.624.4549 SHATTUCK DOWN LOW Berkeley shattuckdownlow.com | 510.455.4735 SILO’S Napa silosnapa.com | 707.251.5833 Slim’s SOMA, SF slimspresents.com | 415.255.0333 STARRY PLOUGH Berkeley starryploughpub.com | 510.841.1424 THEE PARKSIDE Potrero Hill, SF theeparkside.com | 415.252.1330 UPTOWN THEATRE Napa uptowntheatrenapa.com | 707.259.0123 WARFIELD Downtown, SF thewarfieldtheatre.com | 800.745.3000 YOSHI’S Oakland + Fillmore, SF yoshis.com | 510-238-9200 + 415.655.5600

These venues feature a rapidly changing roster of artists. We advise calling or checking the websites for the latest performance information including minimums and age limits (if any). Please contact daily@baystages.com with additions or corrections.

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images: courtesy photos (john pizzarelli, king britt, nate currin)

John Pizzarelli at the Napa Valley Opera House (7/27)

view from the editor There’s nothing quite as exciting to me as creativity, and particularly creativity in live performance. When it works, the fusion of vision, craft and talent is intoxicating. I’ve been on stage a few times in my life - in plays, in musicals and while engaging in some “serious” saloon singing - so I know a little of what goes into the process. There’s so much very hard work involved in making it all look so simple when two dozen people move across a stage in a spotlight and land in unison on a beat.

We don’t publish reviews in BAYSTAGES because the majority of Bay Area performances are a just a memory by the time our next issue hits the streets.

However, if you hurry you might still catch Boxcar Theatre’s exciting production of John Cameron Mitchell’s musical about an “internationally ignored” East German, transexual, aspiring rock star. Artistic Director Nick Olivero put on his bleached-blonde thinking cap and took the Hedwig out of the box for an inspired production featuring a dozen talented performers sharing the lead role. It put an inventive jolt of energy into what might otherwise have just been a fun night in the theatre.

There’s lots more original thinking in store. SF Playhouse is noted for it’s edgy, thought-provoking choices, so I was startled and delighted to hear that Artistic Director Bill English was going to strip down the beloved classic musical My Fair Lady and consider that maybe all was not so loverly for Eliza.

Running along a similar track, playwright and director Michael Gene Sullivan explores an alt-view of “the 1%” with his new play For the Greater Good, or The Last Election for the San Francisco Mime Troupe that is guaranteed to make you think. I can’t wait for either and both will be running all summer long.

All three productions are giving you 110% of what they’ve got and represent less than 1% of the theatre, music, dance and more that we have gathered for you this month, so go ahead...exercise your options!

ROBERT SOKOL, editor

image: via media name

A baker’s dozen of Hedwigs inluding (bottom, l-r) Megan Pryor Lorentz, Nikki Arias, Ste Fishell, Valérie Fortin, Parker Sela, Michelle Ianiro, Jason Brock, (top) Brionne Davis, Dan Clegg, Nathan Marken, Lauren Spencer and Annemaria Rajala are rocking Boxcar Theatre with Hedwig and the Angry Inch through July 8!

JULY 2012

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CLOSING 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 sidebar columns with the date of the final scheduled performance noted before the title. ONGOING SHOWS offering regularly scheduled performance throughout the month are also listed separately in the sidebar columns. Closing and ongoing shows are not included in the listings that follow.

Kevin Chambers in Bill W. and Dr. Bob at San Jose Rep (7/15) 8 | American Idiot

Orpheum Theatre | SF $31-$200 | 888.746.1799 shnsf.com Green Day’s groundbreaking Broadway musical returns to the Bay Area.

8 | The Beauty Queen of Leenane

Olinder Theatre | SJ $20 | 408.288.7820 northsidetheatre.com An Irish black comedy by Martin McDonagh about two isolated and lonely women in Western Ireland.

8 | Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Boxcar Playhouse | SF $25 | 415.776.1747 boxcartheatre.org Cult musical shines with Nick Olivero’s re-visioning featuring 12 actors playing the title role.

15 | Spring Awakening

Altarena Playhouse | Alameda $22 | 510.523.1553 altarena.org Tony-award-winning, indie-rock retelling of Frank Wedekind’s controversial 1892 play.

15 | The Producers

15 | Mrs. Warren’s Profession

Pear Avenue Theatre | MV $25 | 650.254.1148 thepear.org George Bernard Shaw’s stunning and ageless indictment of hypocrisy.

15 | Bill W. and Dr. Bob

San Jose Repertory Theatre | SJ $23-$57 | 408.367.7255 sjrep.com Quick-witted and honest docu-drama follows the founders of Alcoholic Anonymous and their wives.

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1 | Dial M for Murder

3 | John Santos Sextet

1 | Dukes of September

3 | Nixon in China

1 | Vaudeville

4 | Fireworks Spectacular

2 | One Night Only

4 | For the Greater Good, OR THE LAST ELECTION

2 | Theo Katzman

4 | Spunk

Sunnyvale Community Theatre $10-$26 | 800.838.3006 ctcinc.org CTC’s Summer Rep presents the thriller that inspired Hitchcock’s film. (Ends 7/21) Paramount Theatre | Oakland $35-$125 | 800.745.3000 paramounttheatre.com Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs.

Campbell Theatre | Martinez $30 | 800.380.3095 willowstheatre.com A play with music by Laurence Carr about the last generation of vaudeville actors. (Ends 7/21) Marines’ Memorial Theatre | SF $25-$65 | 415.273.1620 richmondermet.org Cabaret AIDS benefit with Bruce Vilanch and the cast of American Idiot.

Café Du Nord | SF $10 | 415.861.5016 cafedunord.com With Joey Dosik.

3 | Acoustic Alchemy

Yoshi’s | Oakland $20-$25 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Triple Grammy-nominated contemporary jazz artists.

3 | Ann Hampton Callaway

Yoshi’s | SF $25 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Latin Jazz with special guests in a benefit for KPOO Radio.

War Memorial Opera House | SF $50-$175 | 415.864.3330 sfopera.com 40 years after the event, John Adams’ opera comes to SF. Shoreline Amphitheatre | MV $15-$80 | 800.745.3000 sfsymphony.org San Francisco Symphony’s annual concert and fireworks spectacular.

Dolores Park | SF FREE | 415.285.1717 sfmt.org SF Mime Troupe’s latest show. Other dates & venues around the Bay. (Ends 7/8) Bruns Amphitheater | Orinda $35-$71 | 510.548.9666 calshakes.org Vignettes of African-American life in the first half of the 20th century. (Ends 7/29) 5 | Big Jay Oakerson

Punch Line San Francisco | SF $15 | 415.397.7573 punchlinecomedyclub.com With Conor Kellicutt and Emily Heller.

(Ends 7/7)

Davies Symphony Hall | SF $15-$80 | 415.864.6000 sfsymphony.org Singer-songwriter celebrates Barbra Streisand and her music.

5 | Chanté Moore

3 | Driftless Pony

5 | Oleta Adams

Café Du Nord | SF $10 | 415.861.5016 cafedunord.com With Dangermaker & Daikon.

Yoshi’s | SF $20-$30 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Smooth R&B/soul songstress.

Rrazz Room | SF $49.50 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Four-time Grammy nominee returns to the intimate Rrazz Room. (Ends 7/7)

images: kevin berne (bill w. and dr. bob - ray chambers)

6th Street Playhouse | SR $15-$35 | 707.523.4185 6thstreetplayhouse.com Off the wall musical about the greatest show business scam ever.

KEY: LF-Lafayette, MV-Mountain View, PA-Palo Alto, RC-Redwood City, SF-San Francisco, SJ-San Jose, SR-Santa Rosa, SU-Sunnvale, WC-Walnut Creek.

AMERICAN CONSERVATORY THEAT ER THROU

p re s e nts

Y 22 GH JUL

DIRECT FROM BROADWAY! Experience the final musical by the acclaimed team behind the hits Chicago and Cabaret, staged by the legendary Susan Stroman (The Producers)

“STUNNING!

THE BEST NEW MUSICAL OF THE YEAR”

L to R: Shavey Brown, Jared Joseph, and Clifton Duncan. Photo by Henry DiRocco.

Entertainment Weekly

MUSIC AND LYRICS BY JOHN KANDER AND FRED EBB BOOK BY DAVID THOMPSON DIRECTION AND CHOREOGRAPHY BY SUSAN STROMAN ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER JEFF WHITING

ACT-SF.ORG 415.749.2228 Groups of 10+, call 415.439.2473.

SPONSORED BY

SEASON PARTNERS

CLOSING SHOWS

DAILY 5 | Rachel Feinstein

6 | Coco Linares

5 | Smokey Robinson

6 | Gary Owen

Madeline H.D. Brown in Salomania at Aurura Theatre! (7/29)

Davies Symphony Hall | SF $15-$115 | 415.864.6000 sfsymphony.org Signature hits and musical surprises from the Grammy-winning singer.

20 | Death of a Salesman

5 | Stand Up Revolution

6 | Gutenberg! the Musical!

5 | Terraplane Sun

6 | House Jacks

Rooster T. Feathers | Sunnyvale $13 | 408.736.0921 roostertfeathers.com Featured on Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central. (Ends 7/8)

Actors Theatre of San Francisco | SF $38 | 415.345.1287 actorstheatresf.org.

Arthur Miller’s classic has been called a “working class Oedipus Rex.” 21 | Alison Whittaker: Vital Signs

Marsh | SF $15-$50 | 415.282.3055 themarsh.org A frank, funny vivisection of life onthe-job in a modern hospital in wildly diverse San Francisco.

21 | Bells Are Ringing

Saratoga Civic Theater $18-$33 | 800.838.3006 wvlo.org “The Party’s Over” and “Just In Time” are two hits from this classic.

22 | The Scottsboro Boys

American Conservatory Theater | SF $20-$110 | 415.749.2228 act-sf.org Bay Area Premiere of Kander and Ebb’s daring final musical.

22 | FWD: Life Gone Viral

Marsh | SF $20-$50 | 415.282.3055 themarsh.org The perils of the Internet come to comic life in a new play by Jeri Lynn Cohen and Charlie Varon.

San Jose Stage Company | SJ $33-$45 | 408.283.7142 sjstage.com Musical theatre take on America’s first political maverick and 7th President.

29 | Salomania

Aurora Theatre | Berkeley $38 | 510.843.4822 auroratheatre.org World premiere of award-winning Bay Area auteur Mark Jackson’s newest play.

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Café Du Nord | SF $10 | 415.861.5016 cafedunord.com With Ry Cumin & Family Wagon.

5 | Venissa Santí

Tommy T’s | Pleasanton $20-$30 | 925.227.1800 tommyts.com Film and television comedian brings his stand-up to Pleasanton. (Ends 7/8) 6th Street Playhouse | Santa Rosa $20 | 707.523.4185 6thstreetplayhouse.com Two-man show with many characters about pitching a musical. (Ends 7/22) Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $24.50-$26.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org A rockband with no instruments in a no-holds barred a cappella style.

Yoshi’s | Oakland $20 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Afro-Cuban chanteuse co-presented with the SF Filipino American Jazz Festival.

6 | Kelley Stolz

6 | Naked Theatresports

6 | King John

Bayfront Theater | SF $17-$20 | 415.4746776 improv.org Iinteractive improv/comedy competition between two teams. (Ends 7/27) 6 | A Thousand Clowns

Café Du Nord | SF $12-$15 | 415.861.5016 cafedunord.com With Shana Falana, The Shes and more.

Forest Meadows Amphitheatre | SR $20-$35 | 415.499.4488 marinshakespeare.org Action-packed history play recounting King John’s battle for the English throne. (Ends 8/12)

Sunnyvale Community Theatre $10-$26 | 800.838.3006 ctcinc.org Heartwarming comedy about a man who raises his nephew. (Ends 7/12)

6 | Lyle Lovett

6 | Angel of the Poor

6 | Rachelle Ferrell

EXIT Studio | SF $24 | 800.838.3006 theexit.org A comedy by Austrian playwright Clemens Berger about an undertaker who runs a low-cost funeral home.

(Ends 7/15) 6 | Arturo Sandoval

Napa Valley Opera House | Napa $35-$40 | 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Cuban trumpet master.

6 | Cirque Musica

Davies Symphony Hall | SF $15-$72 | 415.864.6000 sfsymphony.org Blending great circus performers with stunning symphonic music.

Uptown Theatre | Napa $85-$95 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Country star with his acoustic band.

Yoshi’s | SF $25-$35 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com R&B/jazz vocalist-musician. (Ends 7/8) 6 | Roy Ayers

Yoshi’s | Oakland $20-$30 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Acclaimed jazz/R&B vibes player & vocalist. (Ends 7/8) 6 | The Dixie Swim Club

Napa Valley Playhouse | Napa $18-$30 | 707.255.5483 napavalleyplayhouse.org Five Southern women set aside a long weekend every August to recharge their friendship. (Ends 7/22)

image: david allen (salomania - madeline h.d. brown)

29 | Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $22.50 | 415.928.4320 cobbscomedyclub.com Comedians from Comedy Central’s show bring it to Cobb’s. (Ends 7/7)

La Peña Cultural Center | Berkeley $13-$15 | 510.849.2568 lapena.org Afro-Peruvian guitar master plus several guest artists.

working the one percent

image: davidallenstudio.com (the greater gppd. pr the last election - reggie d. white, velina brown)

by lee walker

political

FOR THE GREATER GOOD

July means many things in the Bay Area including the fact that it’s time for another musical political satire to premiere from the fertile minds at San Francisco Mime Troupe. In For the Greater Good, or The Last Election, writer-director Michael Gene Sullivan considers the plight of “the 1%.“

Mime Troupe shows are free - with the hat passed at every show for donations. The season kicks off on Independence Day in Dolores Park in San Francisco and then tours the Bay Area extensively, as well as Santa Cruz, Sacramento and Ukiah before returning to Dolores Park for a closing show on Labor Day.

“This is a country that actually, for the most part, demonizes the activist, demonizes the progressive,” says Sullivan. “Being called a socialist is still an insult.

We still lionize the billionaires. Sure, they almost broke the country. Sure, they spend money on stupid stuff. Sure, they have a car collection rather than a collection of college graduates that they helped. We still see them as stars. Pity the poor billionaire who’s just trying to do the best they can.”

“It’s a lot of sweating and scouring and a lot of meetings here with the Troupe and talking about these issues and what’s the hot topic for this year,” says Sullivan of the annual production process.

“Things have gotten so extreme in American politics that it’s really hard to satirize. When you’ve got Allen West waving his little lists like McCarthy saying there’s Communists, those aggressive caucuses... all Communists, or Donald Trump, or Rick Santorum.

People are saying such extreme things. How do you mock this?”

Sullivan calls it “Ayn Rand-ian hero worship” and created a piece where the investment banker is the hero and the Occupy activist is the villain. He based it on a melodrama called The Poor of New York by Dion Boucicault. “It was done after the crash of 1857 and was a huge hit for its time. It was The Poor of New York, then it was The Poor of London, and The Poor of Paris. They just kept playing it around these different financial capitals to say, there’s this problem of accumulation of wealth in a small group.”

FOR THE GREATER GOOD, OR THE LAST ELECTION July 4 to September 3 Various Venues FREE | sfmt.org

JULY 2012 |

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ONGOING SHOWS

DAILY 6 | The Lion in Winter

Spreckels Center | Rohnert Park $20-$25 | 707.588.3400 spreckelsonline.com Family dysfunction in the realm of Henry II of Britain. (Ends 7/22) 6 | Truffaldino Says No

Join the Party of Two at the Shelton Theatre every Friday ABSOLUTELY SAN FRANCISCO

Alcove Theatre I SF $32-$50 I 415.922.8168 absolutelysanfrancisco.com One-woman musical allegory about the SF take on the American Dream.

Beach BlanKet Babylon

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

Big City Improv

Shelton Theater | SF $20 | 866.468.3399 bigcityimprov.com Four years running. Every scene is based upon audience suggestions.

PETER MORRISON

Marrakech Magic Theater I SF $38 I 877.624.4264 sanfranciscomagictheater.com Morrison demonstrates sleight-of-hand magic and feats of mentalism.

PARTY OF TWO

Shelton Theatre I SF $27-$29 I 800.838.3006 partyof2themusical.com Follow two self-sufficient types from their meeting through their relationship.

Secret Improv Society

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

Shopping! The Musical

SUNDAY’S A DRAG

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

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Rancho Nicasio | Nicasio $12-$15 | 415.662.2219 ranchonicasio.com The coolest swing.

7 | The Contrast

Ashby Stage | Berkeley $18-$25 | 510.841.6500 shotgunplayers.org A man’s search for himself across two continents. (Ends 7/22)

Sunnyvale Community Theatre $10-$26 | 800.838.3006 ctcinc.org CTC’s Summer Rep presents the first comedy written by an American citizen to be produced. (Ends 7/22)

7 | Arturo Sandoval

8 | Arturo Sandoval

7 | Bay Area Heat

8 | Bill Frisell

Lesher Center | Walnut Creek $35 | 925.943.7469 lesherartscenter.org Jazz great presented by Jazz at the Lesher Center.

Johnny Foley’s Irish House | SF FREE | 415.954.0777 johnnyfoleys.com Headed by Bo Diddley’s former guitarist.

7 | Blackalicious

Independent | SF $25 | 415.771.1421 theindependentsf.com With Richie Cunning, Raw-G.

7 | Click, Clack, Moo

Children’s Fairyland | Oakland $10-$15 | 510.296.4433 bactheatre.org Farmer Brown’s cows discover how to use a typewriter. Musical. (Ends 8/5) 7 | Hot Buttered Rum

Osher Marin JCC | San Rafael $20 | 415.444.8000 marinjcc.org Bluegrass act performs for Osher Marin JCC’s Summer Nights program.

7 | Preservation Hall Jazz

Bankhead Theater | Livermore $40-$51 | 925.373.6800 mylvpac.com New Orleans band brings traditional jazz to Livermore.

7 | Proyecto Lando

La Peña Cultural Center | Berkeley $10 | 510.849.2568 lapena.org Afro-Peruvian dance party and CD release celebration.

7 | Spontaneous Broadway

Bayfront Theater | SF $17-$20 | 415.474.6776 improv.org The audience is an elite group of wealthy investors about to select Broadway’s next big musical. (Ends 7/28)

Filoli | Woodside $60 | 650.364.8300 filoli.org Cuban–born jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer.

Napa Valley Opera House | Napa $25-$30 | 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Composer and guitarist presents “All We Are Saying” in honor of John Lennon’s music.

8 | Gail Dobson Quintet

La Peña Cultural Center | Berkeley $10 | 510.849.2568 lapena.org Multi-generational artists celebrating music for the entire family.

8 | Karel

Rrazz Room | SF $25 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Live KGO Radio telecast from the Rrazz Room, with guest Maureen Langan.

8 | Lyle Lovett

Mountain Winery | Saratoga $45-$90 | 888.929.7849 concerts.mountainwinery.com Country star with his acoustic band.

8 | Scott Capurro

Café Du Nord | SF $16 | 415.861.5016 cafedunord.com With his show Islamahomophobia.

8 | Volbeat

Regency Ballroom | SF $32-$34 | 888.929.7849 theregencyballroom.com With HELLYEAH, Iced Earth, and Killinger.

9 | Comedy Returns to El Rio

El Rio | SF $7-$20 | 800.838.3006 elriosf.com With Joe Klocek, Josh Healey, Regina Stoops, Johan Miranda, Shanti Charan.

image: courtesy photo (party of two)

Shelton Theater I SF $27-$29 I 800.838.3006 sheltontheater.com An original musical revue about everyone’s favorite pastime.

7 | Stompy Jones

by will schmid Read from the context of a homeless person, the frequently sugary-sounding lyrics to “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?” from the musical My Fair Lady take on a more somber context: “All I want is a room somewhere, far away from the cold night air.” It’s a darker interpretation, and what’s to be deployed in the new stripped-down, grown-up production at SF Playhouse will be even more non-traditional, according to Artistic Director Bill English.

“I came into it with the idea to do a chamber version,” says English. “My Fair Lady really only has five leads - Pickering, Eliza, Dolittle, Higgins, and Freddy. Mrs. Pierce/Mrs. Higgins is being played by one person, who’s also part of the six-member ensemble. A lot of the amazing harmonies like the servants corps in Fair Lady are written for six voices, so that makes it kind of a perfect chamber version.”

English knows the show well. “I played Higgins in high school. I played Freddy in college. Then I went to a summer stock opera company in Chautauqua, New York where I played street buskers and royalty and whatever in a 7,000 seat amphitheatre with the Philadelphia Orchestra.”

It’s a far cry from Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn, but SF Playhouse has a track record for fascinating, edgy, revolutionary work that English thinks might have appealed to George Bernard Shaw, the author of Pygmalion, upon which My Fair Lady is based. ”I’ve always been a huge Shaw fan,” he says. “That’s because Shaw was a revolutionary.”

MY FAIR LADY July 10 to September 15 SF Playhouse 533 Sutter Street, SF $30 to $70 | 415.677.9596 sfplayhouse.org

image: lauren english (my fair lady - johnny moreno, monique hafen, justin gillman)

Those conventional productions never scratched their cheery surface to explore what English sees as the gritty reality under-pinning the story. “London

was a pretty edgy place in 1912. It was not a safe, happy place. The influenza had just decimated the population. I’m gonna try to bring that edgy, dangerous London to the stage.

Instead of making “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?” kind of happy go lucky, with carefree cockney guys, they’re gonna be predators. When they sing: “It’s rather dull in town, I think I’ll take me to Paree.” their desire is to get the money that Higgins has just thrown at her and/or to get her.

So they’re stalking her and she’s fighting them off rather than being all cute.”

MUSICAL

MY FAIR LADY

a different kind of loverly

JULY 2012 |

|9

STILL STANDING (UP)

DAILY 9 | Damir

Johnny Foley’s Irish House | SF FREE | 415.954.0777 johnnyfoleys.com Croatian guitarist.

9 | Gaucho

Mark Pitta is good for a laugh on Tuesdays at 142 Throckmorton COMEDY PALOOZA

50 Mason Social House | SF FREE | 415.433.5050 50masonsocialhouse.com Bringing the funny back and hosted by 411 comedy on Tuesdays at 6:30 pm.

COMEDY RETURNS TO EL RIO

El Rio | SF $7-$20 | 800.838.3006 elriosf.com Laughs in the Mission the second Monday of every month at 8:00 pm.

HARVEY’S FUNNY TUESDAYS

Harvey’s | SF FREE | 415.431.4278 harveyssf.com Ronn Vigh and a roster of LGBT-friendly comics on Tuesdays at 9:00 pm.

HELLA GAY COMEDY

Deco Lounge | SF $20 | 415.346.3025 decosf.com LGBT comedy variety show that changes its theme every month.

MARK PITTA & FRIENDS

142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $15-$20 | 415. 383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org National headliner from SF comedy scene hosts Tuesday at 8:00 pm.

MINORITIES STAND UP

StageWerx | SF $10-$15 | At The Door stagewerx.org Edwin Li & Samson Koletkar blast away at stereotypes every 3rd Wednesday.

SFCC UNDERGROUND

TUESDAYS ARE JILLARIOUS

Tommy T’s Showroom | SF $10 | 415.346.5597 tommyts.com/showroom Founder of How We First Met hosts a night of stand-up Tuesdays at 7:30 pm.

10 |

| JULY 2012

10 | Les Misérables

Orpheum Theatre | SF $30-$150 | 888.746.1799 https:shnsf.com 25th anniversary production of this legendary musical.

10 | Mika Stolzman

Yoshi’s | SF $18 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Acclaimed Japanese marimbist.

10 | Terri White

Rrazz Room | SF $35 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Terri sings from blues to Broadway!

10 | “Shortleg” Johnson

Marsh | SF $10-$15 | 415.282.3055 themarsh.org It’s 1969 and blues singer Tyrone “Shortleg” Johnson has found himself on a second rate dance show.

11 | Cavalia

101 Tech Campus Site | San Jose $44.50-$139.50 | 866.999.8111 cavalia.net A multi-media show, starring 47 horses and 38 performers, celebrates the human-horse relationship. (Ends 7/22) 11 | Creatures of Impulse

Firehouse Arts Center | Pleasanton $10 | 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org A live, improvised, episodic teen soap opera from Tri-Valley High. (Ends 8/1) 11 | Foreigner

Wente Vineyards | Livermore $89-$139 | 800.745.3000 wentevineyards.comconcerts British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976.

11 | Hot Club of SF

Yoshi’s | SF $15 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com CD Release party for their new CD, recorded live at Yoshi’s.

Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $15-$51 | 415.928.4320 cobbscomedy.com Actor, story teller and comedian from The Joe Rogan Experience.

11 | Kim Nalley

Rrazz Room | SF $32.50-$40 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Gifted jazz and blues vocalist brings her gifts back to the Rrazz Room. (Ends 7/20) 11 | Marat/Sade

Brava Theatre | SF $20-$38 | 877.435.9849 thrillpeddlers.com Thrillpeddlers brings a unique new take on this classic work. (Ends 7/29) 11 | Samantha Samuels’ Kabaret for Kids

Firehouse Arts Center | Pleasanton $12 | 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org Featuring a cast of talented young stars from the Contra Costa. (Ends 7/25) 11 | Upright Grand

Lucie Stern Theater | Palo Alto $24-$73 | 650.463.1960 theatreworks.org World premiere by Laura Schellhardt.

(Ends 8/10) 11 | Woody Guthrie’s American Song

Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $22.50-$24.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org The life of the rambling folk singer through his words and music. (Ends 7/22) 12 | A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Stage Werx 446 | SF $15 | 800.838.3006 stagewerx.org The Starving Artists Shakespeare Company production. (Ends 7/28) 12 | Ani DiFranco

Mountain Winery | Saratoga $32.50-$45 | 888.929.7849 concerts.mountainwinery.com With Animal Prufrock.

12 | Ballroom with a Twist

Marines’ Memorial Theatre | SF $49-$79 | 415.771.6900 marinesmemorialtheatre.com Popular reality dance stars. (Ends 7/29)

12 | Emily Bonn & Vivants

Café Du Nord | SF $10 | 415.861.5016 cafedunord.com With The Harkenbacks and more.

image: courtesy photo (mark pitta)

Purple Onion | SF $7 | 800.838.3006 sfcomedycollege.com SF Comedy College on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:00 pm.

Yoshi’s | Oakland $15 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Bay Area gypsy-jazz band.

11 | Joey “Coco” Diaz

they don’t just think they can dance

image: scott stander & associates (ballroom with a twist - anna trebunskaya, jonathan roberts)

by grier cooper

A star-studded cast of dancers from Dancing With The Stars, So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol meet on common ground in San Francisco for the production of Ballroom With A Twist, choreographed by Louis van Amstel, international world champion dancer and Emmy Award-nominated choreographer.

Unlike its nationally broadcast predecessors, Ballroom With A Twist aims simply to showcase the dynamism and versatility of classic ballroom dance…and no one gets eliminated. The roster includes Dancing With The Stars favorites Jonathan Roberts and Anna Trebunskaya, and Dmitry Chaplin and Peta Murgatroyd.

“I think the audiences are so excited to see the stars they watched and voted for from Dancing With The Stars, So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol,” says Murgatroyd (a season 14 winner of DWTS). “You watch us on TV, but the energy and magic in theatre is amazing!”

DANCE

BALLROOM WITH A TWIST

The show includes many of the elements one might expect, such as Broadway-style dance numbers and colorful, flashy, barely-there costumes for the women. “I have so many favorite parts,” says Murgatroyd. “We have the jive, waltz, contemporary, hip hop, and all the Latin dances.”

So what’s the twist? The choreography is infused with the latest in contemporary dance. Murgatroyd has two favorite parts of the show: “The producers have added some stars from Cirque du Soleil that will be joining us, and one moment that I can’t say as it’s sort of a surprise.”

BALLROOM WITH A TWIST July 12 to 29 Marines’ Memorial Theatre 609 Sutter Street, SF $49 to $79 | 415.771.6900 marinesmemorialtheatre.com JULY 2012 |

| 11

JUST RELEASED

DAILY 12 | ENRON 2012

12 | Ruthie Foster

12 | Flips and Beaners

12 | Samora & Elena

EXIT Theatre | SF $25 | enron2012.com “The Smartest Guys in the Room meets Avenue Q.” A dark and comedic view of infamous criminals. (Ends 8/17)

EVITA Broadway Revival Cast

Ricky Martin and Elena Roger star. (masterworksbroadway.com)

Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $15 | 415.928.4320 cobbscomedy.com A rotating group of Hispanic and Filipino comics, including some of Northern California’s top rising stars.

12 | Greater Tuna

The Barn Theatre | Ross $17 | 415.456.9555 rossvalleyplayers.com Ross Valley Players presents this comedy about mythical tiny town of Tuna, Texas. (Ends 8/12) 12 | Hamlet

RAMIN KARIMLOO Human Heart Iranian-born star of Love Never Dies. (sonymasterworks.com)

Concannon Vineyard | Livermore $25-$39 | 800.838.3006 livermoreshakes.org Revenge, love, madness, and murder directed by Lisa Tromovitch. (Ends 8/11) 12 | Jake Johannsen

Punch Line San Francisco | SF $18.50 | 415.397.7573 punchlinecomedyclub.com Renowned for his dry, witty style, Jake has made over 40 appearances on The Late Show w/Letterman. (Ends 7/14) 12 | Joshua Radin

Uptown Theatre | Napa $25 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com With Tristan Prettyman Plus My Name Is You.

SCOTT ALAN Live

Two-disc set of original songs sung

by Broadway divas. (scottalan.net)

12 | Classic Spanish Flair

Davies Symphony Hall | SF $33.50-$72 | 415.864.6000 sfsymphony.org Pablo Sainz Villegas plays Spanish favorites about gypsy sirens and sultry nights.

12 | Nick Griffin

Rooster T. Feathers | Sunnyvale $13 | 408.736.0921 roostertfeathers.com Featured on The Late Show with David Letterman seven times, Conan, Ferguson, Comedy Central. (Ends 7/15) 12 | Rockin’ Snow White

EVITA Madonna

Alan Parker’s 1996 film adaptation makes its Blu-ray format debut.

12 |

| JULY 2012

Firehouse Arts Center | Pleasanton $10 | 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org Summer Drama Camp invites you to attend their lively musical based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. (Ends 7/13)

Yoshi’s | Oakland $22 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Vocalist delivers a blend of soul, blues, rock, folk and gospel.

La Peña Cultural Center | Berkeley $12-$15 | 510.849.2568 lapena.org Combining the words and visions of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Tupac Shakur with jazz.

12 | Scott Capurro

142 Throckmorton Theatre | Mill Valley $18-$28 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org Bay Area native gay comic presents Islamhomophobia Comedy.

12 | Steel Panther

Regency Ballroom | SF $22.50-$25 | 888.929.7849 theregencyballroom.com With Electric Sister.

12 | Sweeney Todd

Eureka Theatre | SF $25-$36 | 800.838.3006 roltheatre.com Stephen Sondheim’s murderous musical of love, loss and revenge! (Ends 8/11) 12 | The Marvelous Wonderettes

Fox Theatre | Redwood City $33-$48 | 800.380.3095 broadwaybythebay.org Broadway By the Bay presents this charming must-take musical trip down memory lane. (Ends 7/29) 13 | Aida

Newark Memorial High School $20 | stage1theatre.org Stage 1 Theatre presents Elton John & Tim Rice’s rousing musical. (Ends 7/28) 13 | Al Green

Montalvo Arts Center | Saratoga $42.50-$152.50 | 408.961.5858 montalvoarts.org Performing in the beautiful outdoor theatre.

13 | Alma Desnuda

Great American Music Hall | SF $15 | 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com Dgiin, Keznamdi.

13 | Asian Rock Fest

La Peña Cultural Center | Berkeley TBD | 510.849.2568 lapena.org Asian American musicians from all over the USA.

inspired by silence

by elizabeth warnimont On his last album, The Rock and the Tide, songwriter Joshua Radin introduced some livelier, more upbeat tunes than his fans were accustomed to hearing. Underwater, the new album set to release at the end of the month, reflects an entirely different kind of change. “It’s more of a live performance,” Radin says. “I made this album all with machines from the ‘60s, no computers. It gives it a warmer sound.”

MUSIC

JOSHUA RADIN

The idea of a minimally-edited, retro-style recording also appealed to some of Radin’s favorite fellow musicians. Drummer Jim Keltner (The Pretenders) and keyboardist Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) appear on the album, which also features Jimmy Haskell string arrangements. “I brought in my heroes,” Radin glows.

The album’s inspiration came from an experience Radin had earlier this year. “I grew up with a hole in my eardrum and I was never allowed to go underwater,” he explained. “It was so incredibly painful if my ear got underwater.

I had to literally lay on my side for four days in pain. I had nightmares as a kid.

It was awful. This year, my ear sort of naturally started to heal.”

When the doctor told him it was finally safe to put his head underwater, he decided to celebrate by going snorkeling in Hawaii. “Underwater, I heard this silence like I had never heard before. That melody from the title track popped into my head and I was inspired to write a new album.”

image: matthew wignall

Radin and lead guitarist Brandon Walters will complete a two-week tour along the Riviera, carrying with them only a pair of acoustic guitars, before returning to the U.S. to kick off the Underwater Tour.

My Name Is You, the new band formed by Walters and partner Anne Williamson, will open the show and then join Radin for the second half.

JOSHUA RADIN July 12 | 8:00 pm Uptown Theatre 1350 Third Street, Napa $25 | 707.259.0123 uptowntheatrenapa.com

JULY 2012 |

| 13

DAILY Your destination for tickets to

Live & Cultural Events in the

San Francisco Bay Area

13 | Booker T. Jones

13 | Novalima

13 | Bye Bye Birdie

13 | Peaseblossom

Yoshi’s | SF $20-$30 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Legendary Hammond B3 organ master.

Montgomery Theatre | San Jose $15-$18 | 408.792.4111 cmtsj.org Children’s Musical Theatre San Jose’s production of this delightful Broadway musical. (Ends 7/22) 13 | Drew Carey

Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $35 | 415.928.4320 cobbscomedyclub.com Carey hosts The Best of the Midnight Show & performs stand-up. (Ends 7/14) 13 | Earth, Wind & Fire

Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $60-$100 | 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org Wildly popular ‘70s funk band still rocks today.

13 | Eddie Griffin

Tommy T’s | Pleasanton $30-$40 | 925.227.1800 tommyts.com Malcolm & Eddie star. (Ends 7/14) 13 | Fiddler On The Roof

Woodminster Amphitheater | Oakland $27-$56 | 510.339.0241 woodminster.com Cast of 40, live professional orchestra, hilltop outdoor setting. (Ends 7/22) 13 | Hairspray

Visit us at one of our three locations:

TIX Booth

@Union Square 350 Powell St San Francisco

City Sightseeing

@Fishermans Wharf 2800 Leavenworth St, San Francisco

California Welcome Center @Pier 39 Building B, Level 2 San Francisco 14 |

| JULY 2012

Castro Valley Center $17-$33 | 510.889.8961 pcrtproductions.org You can’t stop the beat on this Tonywinning musical remake of the John Waters movie. (Ends 7/29) 13 | James Hunter

Bimbo’s 365 Club | SF $25 | 415.474.0365 bimbos365club.com Brittish singer-songwriter-guitarist.

13 | Michael Feinstein

Napa Valley Opera House | Napa $85-$95 | 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Five-time Grammy-nominated master of the Great American Songbook.

13 | Russian Favorites

Davies Symphony Hall | SF $33.50-$72 | 415.864.6000 sfsymphony.org Michael Francis conducts Shostakovich, Borodin, and Tchaikovsky.

Independent | SF $15-$20 | 415.771.1421 theindependentsf.com And Afrolicious, with izzy*wise.

Ives Park | Sebastopol $20-$25 | 707.823.0177 mainstagewest.com A farce based on Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. (Ends 7/28) 13 | Randy Weston

Yoshi’s | Oakland $20-$25 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Master pianist with his African Rhythms Trio. (Ends 7/14) 13 | Ruthie Foster Quartet

142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $21-$31 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org A blast of soul and blues.

13 | Strangelove

Café Du Nord | SF $12 | 415.861.5016 cafedunord.com Depeche Mode tribute band.

13 | Sun Hop Fat

Slim’s | SF $13-$15 | 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com Harry & The Hitmen, On the Spot Trio.

13 | Tangerine Dream

Uptown Theatre | Napa $35-$40 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Classic synth band.

13 | Hoo Doo Rhythm Devils

George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $20-$25 | 415.226.0262 georgesnightclub.com Blues-funk band.

14 | Year With Frog & Toad

Mountain View Center | MV $18 | 650.903.6000 pytnet.org Tale of two best friends based upon the books of Arnold Lobel. (Ends 7/22) 14 | Dee Bell

142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $25-$35 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org Jazz vocalist Dee Bell returns to the stage with the Marcos Silva Band.

14 | Foreverland

George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $15 | 415.226.0262 georgesnightclub.com Michael Jackson tribute.

14 | Golden Bough

Mildred Owen Hall | Pacifica $20 | 650.355.1882 pacificaperformances.org Traditional Celtic music presented by Pacifica Performances.

14 | Joe Rut

14 | Tangerine Dream

Mountain Winery | Saratoga $35-$75 | 888.929.7849 concerts.mountainwinery.com An evening with the classic band.

14 | Canterville Ghost

15 | NY Gypsy All-Stars

Yoshi’s | Oakland $16 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Acclaimed band comprised of musicians from several countries.

Great American Music Hall | SF $14 | 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com The Low Rollers.

Sunnyvale Community Theatre $10-$26 | 800.838.3006 ctcinc.org A mansion in England, an American family who moves in & a ghost who won’t let go.

15 | Sandy Perez y Su Lade

14 | Lisa Lampanelli

14 | Willy Wonka Julia

15 | Wesla Whitfield & Mike Greensill

Uptown Theatre | Napa $55-$70 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Comedy’s “Lovable Queen of Mean.”

14 | My Beethoven

Morgan Center | Berkeley $17-$35 | 510.845.8542 berkeleyplayhouse.org Musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic tale. (Ends 8/19)

Davies Symphony Hall | SF $33.50-$72 | 415.864.6000 sfsymphony.org The stately and graceful “Egmont Overture” opens this program of Beethoven favorites.

14 | Zoo Station

14 | My Fair Lady

Rancho Nicasio | Nicasio $17-$20 | 415.662.2219 ranchonicasio.com Red Meat & The B-Stars. BBQ on the lawn.

SF Playhouse | SF $30-$70 | 415.677.9596 sfplayhouse.org Lerner and Loewe’s classic musical, based upon Shaw’s Pygmalion, in a gritty and spare new rendering (Ends 9/14) 14 | Quetzal

La Peña Cultural Center | Berkeley $15-$18 | 510.849.2568 lapena.org Expressive East LA band inspired by traditional son jarocho music of Veracruz.

14 | Renaissance Zoo

Seventh Avenue Presbyterian | SF $10 | 415.664.2543 sevenperforms.org San Francisco Renaissance Voices presents their first-ever family concert with chances to sing along.

14 | Rupa & the April Fishes

Osher Marin JCC | San Rafael $20 | 415.444.8000 marinjcc.org Cultural fusion band performs for Osher Marin JCC’s Summer Nights program.

14 | Sophie B. Hawkins

Yoshi’s | SF $18-$22 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter.

14 | Stomacher

Slim’s | SF $14 | 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com With Mister Loveless, Stripmall Architecture, Books on Tape.

Café Du Nord | SF $15 | 415.861.5016 cafedunord.com The complete U2 experience.

15 | Deke Dickerson

15 | Foreigner

Mountain Winery | Saratoga $45-$95 | 888.929.7849 concerts.mountainwinery.com With The Stone Foxes.

15 | Fuzjko Hemming

Palace of Fine Arts Theater | SF $40-$80 | 415.392.4400 palaceoffinearts.org Arigato charity concert.

15 | KT Tatara

Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $20 | 415.928.4320 cobbscomedy.com Hollywood Undergound present LA-based Takara along with Kabir “Kabeezy” Singh.

15 | Michael Feinstein

Davies Symphony Hall | SF $30-$80 | 415.864.6000 sfsymphony.org Feinstein’s tour of The Good Life is a celebration of the music of Sinatra.

15 | Modern English

Café Du Nord | SF $15 | 415.861.5016 cafedunord.com With Sid Luscious and the Pants.

15 | Moncef Genoud

Yoshi’s | SF $15-$20 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Acclaimed Tunisian-born Swiss pianist.

La Peña Cultural Center | Berkeley $13-$15 | 510.849.2568 lapena.org Afro-Cuban dance & music.

Oshman Family Center | Palo Alto $30-$35 | paloaltojcc.org From Shtetl to Broadway: The Russian Jewish influence on the Great American Songbook.

16 | Earth, Wind & Fire

Wente Vineyards | Livermore $90-$140 | 800.745.3000 wentevineyards.comconcerts Soul, disco, R&B, funk, jazz and rock.

16 | Frank Ocean

Regency Ballroom | SF $29-$32 | 888.929.7849 theregencyballroom.com Channel Orange Tour.

16 | Mara Hruby

Yoshi’s | Oakland $16 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Fast rising artist from Oakland makes her Yoshi’s debut.

16 | Pint Sized Plays III

Café Royale | SF FREE | 415.441.4099 sftheaterpub.wordpress.com 10 new plays by 10 local playwrights, all packed into a 1½-hour show with live music & beer! (Ends 7/31) 16 | Ziggy Marley

Mountain Winery | Saratoga $45-$85 | 888.929.7849 concerts.mountainwinery.com With Toots and the Maytals & Freddie McGregor.

17 | Andrea Gibson

La Peña Cultural Center | Berkeley $12 | 510.849.2568 lapena.org 1st winner of the Women’s World Poetry Slam presents “Flower Boy.” 17 | BAM Percussion

Napa Valley Opera House | Napa $20 | 707.226.7372 nvoh.org A family show for all ages celebrating the art of comedy-percussion.

JULY 2012 |

| 15

DAILY 17 | Demi Lovato

Event Center / San Jose State University $35-$79.50 | 800.745.3000 demilovato.com Promoting her Unbroken release, with guests Hot Chelle Rae. 17 | John Mayall

Yoshi’s | Oakland $40 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Pioneering English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.

17 | Ray Davies “You will laugh and cry.. A show this nuanced, this layered – and this much fun, Absolutely San Francisco is a show to see again and again.”

- Ed Attanasio, Northside San Francisco

Thu Fri and Sat at 8pm thru Aug 18

The Alcove Theater 414 Mason Street, 5th Floor San Francisco

For tickets go to www.absolutelysanfrancisco.com or telephone 1.415.992.8168 Ask about our “premium” seats!

Uptown Theatre | Napa $52 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com With The 88.

17 | Ringo Starr

Mountain Winery | Saratoga $55-$155 | 888.929.7849 concerts.mountainwinery.com And his All-Starr Band.

17 | Stan Erhart Band

Johnny Foley’s Irish House | SF FREE | 415.954.0777 JohnnyFoleys.com Stan’s roots go back to Kansas.

17 | Bouncing Souls

Slim’s | SF $19-$21 | 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com With The Menzingers.

18 | Chatham County Line

Café Du Nord | SF $15 | 415.861.5016 cafedunord.com With The Easy Leaves.

18 | Comics Gone Viral

Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $15 | 415.928.4320 cobbscomedyclub.com Created and produced by Justin Harrison and Kelly Landry. (Ends 7/19) 18 | Eddie Money

Yoshi’s | SF $30-$35 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Rock n’ Roll icon. (Ends 7/19) 18 | Michael Kaeshammer

Yoshi’s | Oakland $15 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Pianist, singer, songwriter and his band.

18 | Ray Davies

Mountain Winery | Saratoga $35-$65 | 888.929.7849 concerts.mountainwinery.com Lead singer-songwriter for The Kinks.

16 |

| JULY 2012

18 | The Frog Prince

New Conservatory Theatre Center | SF $15 | 415.861.8972 nctcsf.org NCTC Teen Summer Stock presents Max Bush’s adaptation of the classic Brothers Grimm tale. (Ends 7/21) 18 | Tribute To Etta James

Rrazz Room | SF $40 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Sugar Pie DeSanto and Kim Nalley Join forces with Lady Mem’Fis and Angela Strehli to celebrate James.

18 | Willie Nelson

Uptown Theatre | Napa $95-$110 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Pegi Young opens.

19 | Beachwood Sparks

Independent | SF $18 | 415.771.1421 theindependentsf.com With Allah-Las and Sweet Chariot.

19 | Chicago

City Lights Theater | San Jose $25-$35 | 408.295.4200 cltc.org Kander and Ebb’s brilliant satirical musical set in 1920s Chicago with Bob Fosse’s choreography. (Ends 8/26) 19 | Dan Cummins

Rooster T. Feathers | Sunnyvale $13 | 408.736.0921 roostertfeathers.com Featured on Crazy with a Capital F (Comedy Central), Tonight Show, Late Late Show, and more. (Ends 7/22) 19 | Deborah Winters

George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $12 | 415.226.0262 georgesnightclub.com Jazz at George’s.

19 | Fountains of Wayne

Great American Music Hall | SF $26 | 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com Mike Viola.

19 | Jeff Applebaum

Napa Valley Opera House | Napa $15 | 707.226.7372 nvoh.org NVOH’s Cafe Theatre Comedy, featuring opener David Studebaker.

19 | Scott Capurro

Punch Line San Francisco | SF $15 | 415.397.7573 punchlinecomedyclub.com Not for the meek of heart. Edgy, raw, dirty and fun. (Ends 7/21)

by robert sokol If there were a Dictionary of Comedy, Drew Carey claims he would not be in it. “I would be in The Thesaurus of Comedy,” he laughs. “I’d be with stand-up and improv. Not that I’m great at improv. I’m pretty good at it. Not as good as other people I work with, but I’ve been influential with Who’s Line in introducing improv to the world, so that’s why I would put myself under improv.”

So, of course it’s funnier that the thing that he’s doing when he gets to San Francisco this month is hosting the highlights from the sketch comedy stylings of The Midnight Show, plus a dash of his own stand-up.

COMEDY

DREW CAREY

working the midnight shift

Carey connected with the Los Angeles-based, ninemember troupe of Funny or Die and YouTube online video stars through writer and performer Heather Anne Campbell, with whom he’d worked on Improvaganza. “She had me work with them one time and it was a great experience.

They’re really funny guys and I was trying to plan a stand-up comedy come-back, so I thought it would be great to tour with them. I like to do different things and I just felt it was easier than doing improv. If I could just work on my stand-up, then doing the sketches would be easier for me.”

Though Carey’s career is built on the foundation of nine seasons of his eponymous Cleveland-based sitcom, he’s happier to be unfettered by pages. “It’s better if I don’t have a script. The sketches we’re doing, they’re scripted, but they’re really super funny. They’ve been time tested and we’ve done them in front of enough audiences. These guys do a new show every month and what we’re bringing really is the best of their show.”

image: dan dion

DREW CAREY PRESENTS THE BEST OF THE MIDNIGHT SHOW July 13 to 14 Cobb’s Comedy Club 915 Columbus Avenue, SF $35 | 415.928.4320 cobbscomedyclub.com

JULY 2012 |

| 17

SAN FRANCISCO VENUES

DAILY 19 | Merry Wives of Windsor

20 | Jo Koy

19 | Victor Wooten Band

20 | Natalia Contesse

19 | Werk It Out

20 | Noises Off!

19 | Will Franken

20 | Pride & Joy

20 | Midsummer Night’s Dream

20 | Sam Bush

20 | Charlie Musselwhite

20 | Sha Sha Higby

Concannon Vineyard | Livermore $25-$39 | 800.838.3006 livermoreshakes.org Ladies have the last laugh. (Ends 8/12)

Al Green wants to stay together at the Masonic Auditorium (7/14)

18 |

| JULY 2012

ODC Theater | SF $25 | 415.863.9834 odctheater.org New choreographersat the forefront of Bay Area dance. (Ends 7/22) 142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $18-$21 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org One man show called Bright Yellow Circle.

Forest Meadows Amphitheatre | SR $20-$35 | 415.499.4488 marinshakespeare.org Set in Hawaii. (Ends 9/30)

Napa Valley Opera House | Napa $20-$25 | 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Blues harmonica master.

20 | Charo

La Peña Cultural Center | Berkeley $12-$15 | 510.849.2568 lapena.org Chilean vocalist, with Rafael Manriquez.

Live Oak Theater | Berkeley $15 | 800.838.3006 aeofberkeley.org A play-within-a play about a hilariously horrible British farce. (Ends 8/18) George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $20 | 415.226.0262 georgesnightclub.com Popular party band.

Great American Music Hall | SF $26 | 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com American bluegrass mandolin player.

NOHspace | SF $18-$25 | 415.621.0507 theatreofyugen.org Higby uses sculpture as a costume integrated with theater. (Ends 7/28)

Yoshi’s | SF $30-$45 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Accomplished Flamenco guitarist and pop culture icon. (Ends 7/21)

20 | Sheryl Crow

20 | Fishnet Follies

20 | Sweeney Todd

20 | Grounded

20 | Tainted Love

20 | Hairspray

20 | The Mavericks

20 | How To Succeed...

20 | The Mikado

Rrazz Room | SF $20-$45 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Celebrating classic Hollywood glamour and Las Vegas sparkle.

Thick House | SF $15 | 800.380.3095 playwrightsfoundation.org Part of the Bay Area Playwrights Festival.

Diablo Valley College | Pleasant Hill $13-$18 | 925.943.7469 diablotheatre.org You can’t stop the beat. (Ends 7/29) Smithwick Theatre | Los Altos Hills $10-$28 | 650.949.7360 foothillmusicals.com Musical of ‘60s corporate life and one man’s shortcut to success. (Ends 8/12)

Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $79-$125 | 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org Grammy winning singer-songwriter.

Coastal Repertory | Half Moon Bay $35 | 650.569.3266 coastalrep.com Stephen Sondheim’s thrilling musical about “The Demon Barber.” (Ends 8/20) Bimbo’s 365 Club | SF $23 | 877.435.9849 bimbos365club.com With the Sean Tabor Band. (Ends 7/21) Uptown Theatre | Napa $30 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Pioneering country band.

Dance Palace | Point Reyes Station $24 | 415.663.1075 dancepalace.org Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic operas, with an all-Marin cast. (Ends 7/22)

image: courtesy photo (al green)

alcove theatre Union Square thealcovetheater.com I 415.383.9600 bill graham auditorium Civic Center apeconcerts.com I No Number Available castro theatre Castro castrotheatre.com I 415.621.6120 exit theatre Tenderloin theexit.org I 415.673.3847 FORT MASON CEnTER Marina fortmason.org I 415.345.7500 herbst theatre Civic Center sfwmpac.org I 415.392.4400 louise m. davies hall Civic Center sfsymphony.org I 415.864.6000 marines’ memorial Union Square marinesmemorialtheatre.org I 415.771.6900 masonic auditorium Nob Hill masonicauditorium.com I 800.745.3000 odc theatre Mission odctheater.org I 415.978.2787 palace of fine arts Marina palaceoffinearts.org I 415.567.6642 shelton theatre Union Square sheltontheater.org I 415.882.9100 stage werx Mission stagewerx.org I No Number Available victoria theatre Mission victoriatheatre.org I 415.863.7576 war memorial opera Civic Center sfwmpac.org I 415.392.4400 yerba buena center SoMa ybca.org I 415.978.2787

Yoshi’s | Oakland $28 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Five-time Grammy winner. (Ends 7/20)

Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $ | 415.928.4320 cobbscomedyclub.com Chelsea Lately guest. (Ends 7/22)

by lee walker Sporting one of the longest titles ever given a play, The Persecution and Assassination of JeanPaul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade, more economically known as Marat/Sade by Peter Weiss, is having a rare revival thanks to producer Marc Huestis. Staging the work has been a long held dream for Huestis, the force behind the popular celebrity-attended retrospective screenings at the Castro Theatre, and he’s found the perfect collaborator in Russell Blackwood, the director Thrillpeddlers, the Grand Guignol troupe that has been lovingly reviving the canon of The Cockettes the last few years.

“It’s a show that has always captured my interest,” says Blackwood, “and not because I’d ever seen a production of it or seen the movie. I just knew somehow from the title and the play’s reputation that probably somewhere along the line I had a date with destiny with Marat/Sade.”

Controversial when it won the 1965 Tony Award for Best Play for a production imported from the Royal Shakespeare Company, Marat/ Sade is a play within a play with music set after the French Revolution and depicting the historical events its title describes.

PLAY

MARAT/SADE

peddling different thrills

For Blackwood, a biography-reading history buff, there was a built-in appeal.

“I do historical research by way of finding inspiration and permission. So it’s not so much that I’m bound to the history of the French Revolution in directing this play, but certainly reading up on history and having an understanding of it and trying to impart that to the cast has fueled our work together, as has allowing ourselves to make parallels between the social and economic conditions of then and now.”

Will his Shocktoberfest loyalists be rewarded for making the trek from the intimate South of Market Hypnodrome to the large Brava! facility in the Mission? “I would say that certainly Thrillpeddler fans will be tickled the way that the insane asylum inmates have dealt with the blood and gore special effects,” he teases.

image: daniel nicoletta (marat/sade - aaron malberg)

MARAT/SADE July 13 to 29 Brava Theatre 2781 24th Street, SF $20 to $38 | 415.863.0611 thrillpeddlers.com

JULY 2012 |

| 19

BAY AREA VENUES

DAILY 20 | The Offshoots

21 | Sheryl Crow

20 | Todd Boston

21 | Sonny & The Sunsets

Rancho Nicasio | Nicasio FREE | 415.662.2219 ranchonicasio.com Americana/newgrass band.

142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $20-$30 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org Acclaimed guitarist with special guests.

21 | Brahman/i

Joel tributes piano man Billy Joel at the Firehouse Arts Center (7/22)

20 |

| JULY 2012

21 | Charlie Musselwhite

Yoshi’s | Oakland $25 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Harmonica master and blues musician.

21 | Gator Beat

George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $15 | 415.226.0262 georgesnightclub.com Cajun/Zydeco band.

21 | Ideation

Thick House | SF $15 | 800.380.3095 playwrightsfoundation.org Aaron Loeb’s entry in the Bay Area Playwrights Festival. (Ends 7/28) 21 | Matt Yee’s Sing Along

Rrazz Room | SF $25 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Over-the-top Hawaiian comedian.

21 | Oklahoma

Bankhead Theater | Livermore $27.50-$37.50 | 925.373.6800 trivalleyrep.com Classic Rodgers & Hammerstein. (Ends 8/5) 21 | Oliver Mtukudzi

Osher Marin JCC | San Rafael $20 | 415.444.8000 marinjcc.org Zimbabwean singer and songrwriter performs with his band the Black Spirits.

21 | Owl City

Slim’s | SF $21-$25 | 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com Jayme Dee 21 | Samsara

Thick House | SF $15 | 800.380.3095 playwrightsfoundation.org Lauren Yee’s entry in the Bay Area Playwrights Festival. (Ends 7/28)

Independent | SF $13-$15 | 415.771.1421 theindependentsf.com With Wet Illustrated, Pink Films and Cool Ghouls.

21 | Tiempo Libre

Davies Symphony Hall | SF $67-$72 | 415.864.6000 sfsymphony.org The three-time Grammy-nominated Cuban music group.

21 | Tim Hockenberry

142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $20-$30 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org Expressive and emotional vocalist with Tal Morris and Vince Littleton.

21 | Unauthorized Stones

Mildred Owen Hall | Pacifica $20 | 650.355.1882 pacificaperformances.org Tribute band presented by Pacifica Performances.

22 | Joel

Firehouse Arts Center | Pleasanton $25 | 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org Billy Joel tribute band.

22 | Just My TYPE

142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $15 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org A staged reading with songs about two pyschologists and the creation of their book on personality types.

22 | Leo Kottke

Yoshi’s | Oakland $35 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Innovative acoustic guitarist. (Ends 7/23) 22 | Lyrics Of Oscar Hammerstein

Oshman Family Center | Palo Alto FREE | paloaltojcc.org A lecture by Bonnie Weiss on Hammerstein’s influence on American musical theater.

22 | Next Generation Jazz Orchestra

Yoshi’s | SF $10 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Some of the best and brightest high school jazz musicians in the country.

image: courtesy photo (joel - kyle martin)

142 Throckmorton Mill Valley 142throckmortontheatre.org I 415.383.9600 CAL PERFORMANCES Berkeley calperfs.berkeley.edu I 510.642.9988 EL CAMPANIL THEATRE Antioch elcampaniltheatre.com I 408.864.8816 FIREHOUSE arts center Pleasanton firehousearts.org I 925.931.4848 flint CENTER Cupertino flintcenter.com I 408.864.8816 FOX THEATRE Redwood City foxrwc.com I 650-369-7770 LESHER CENTER Walnut Creek lesherartscenter.org I 925.943.7469 marin CENTER San Rafael marincenter.org I 415.473.6800 mountain view CENTER Mountain View mvcpa.com I 650.903.6000 PARAMOUNT THEATRE Oakland paramounttheatre.com I 800.745.3000 SAN JOSE CENTER San Jose sanjose.org I 408.792.4111 SPRECKELS ARTS CENTER Rohnert Park spreckelsonline.com I 707.588.3400 STANFORD LIVELY ARTS Palo Alto livelyarts.stanford.edu I 650.725.2787 wells fargo center Santa Rosa wellsfargocenterarts.org I 707.546.3600

Thick House | SF $15 | 800.380.3095 playwrightsfoundation.org Aditi Brennan Kapil ‘s entry in the Bay Area Playwrights Festival. (Ends 7/27)

Mountain Winery | Saratoga $56-$151 | 888.929.7849 concerts.mountainwinery.com With special guest honeyhoney.

blood will be spilt

by will schmid When it premiered in 1979, Hal Prince’s Broadway staging of the musical Sweeney Todd, the tale of a maniacal barber seeking revenge for the unjust destruction of his family, abetted by a pie-making accomplice who disposed of Todd’s victims by feeding them to the public, was near operatic in its score and emotional thrust.

When the show was revived in a much pared-down style in 1989, parody master Gerard Alessandrini wrote “The Ballad of Teeny Todd” for his popular Forbidden Broadway revue. The recent Broadway revival jettisoned the orchestra and had the cast accompany themselves, and Tim Burton’s film adaptation jettisoned chunks of the score - with Sondheim’s blessing - and featured Johnny Depp leading a cast of film actors not noted for their musical talents. There’s even a licensed “Junior” version of the show available to high schools.

It seems you just can’t keep a good serial killer down.

The Bay Area recently saw three college productions of the show and this month “the Demon Barber of Fleet

Street” returns for another round of mayhem courtesy of Ray of Light Theatre, producers of last summer’s award-winning take on Assassins, that other Sondheim murder musical.

Director Ben Randle considered the full spectrum of Sweeneys as he planned his show.

“The Eureka’s such a perfect size because it’s big enough to house this story and yet it’s intimate enough to bring the story right to the laps of the audience and to give it such a force.”

MUSICAL

SWEENEY TODD

“The story kind of operates on two different wheels of focus at the same time. There’s a huge context of the society that the characters live in and the struggle and abhorrent living conditions in 19th-century London. At the same time you have the humanity of these characters, the desires and fantasies that drive them. So you have these two things working in tandem the entire time that drive one another and back and forth... and yes, there will be blood!”

image: claire ann rice (sweeney todd - alan s. campbell, miss sheldra)

SWEENEY TODD July 13 to August 11 Eureka Theatre 215 Jackson Street, SF $25 to $36 | 800.838.3006 roltheatre.com

JULY 2012 |

| 21

COMEDY & IMPROV

DAILY 22 | SF Symphony

Dolores Park | SF FREE | 415.864.6000 sfsymphony.org Pack a picnic and bring your friends and family to the annual free concert.

22 | Tea Party

Dan Cummins appears in Sunnyvale at Rooster T. Feathers (7/19-22)

22 |

| JULY 2012

22 | The Hundred Flowers Project

Thick House | SF $15 | 800.380.3095 playwrightsfoundation.org Christopher Chen’s entry in the Bay Area Playwrights Festival. (Ends 7/29) 23 | Mixed Relief

Lorraine Hansberry Theatre | SF $5-$10 | womenarts.org Staged reading of WPA-era women writers to benefit the Actors Fund.

23 | Pasatempo Rebetika

Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org A passionate, old-style romp through the Greek blues.

23 | Schola Cantorum: Mozart

United Methodist Church | Los Altos Hills $15 | 650.254.1700 scholacantorum.org Summer Sings program featuring “Requiem” and “Coronation Mass.”

23 | Sheryl Crow

Wente Vineyards | Livermore $120-$170 | 800.745.3000 wentevineyards.comconcerts Grammy-winning singer-songwriter.

24 | Night of Laughter

Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $25 | 415.928.4320 cobbscomedy.com Rex Navarrete and Brian Copeland host this benefit for Hope Flight Foundation.

24 | Allstar Weekend

Slim’s | SF $16-$66 | 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com Honor Society.

24 | Andrea Marcovicci

Rrazz Room | SF $35-$45 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Cabaret artist presents her show Smile showcasing songs that just make us feel so good. (Ends 8/5)

Mountain Winery | Saratoga $56-$150.50 | 888.929.7849 concerts.mountainwinery.com Their Guiding Lights Tour. (Ends 7/25) 24 | Leni Stern Trio

Yoshi’s | Oakland $20 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Singer/guitarist with Malian musicians Mamadou Ba and Alioune Faye.

24 | One-Man Lord of Rings

San Jose Repertory Theatre | SJ $23-$57 | 408.367.7255 sjrep.com Charles Ross recreates the entire trilogy in just 60 minutes! (Ends 7/29)

24 | Wake Up Madagascar

Yoshi’s | SF $20 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com World tour to end illegal logging in the rainforests of Madagascar.

25 | Alberta Cross

Independent | SF $15 | 415.771.1421 theindependentsf.com With Everest and Aaron Lee Tasjan.

25 | Leo Kottke

Napa Valley Opera House | Napa $25-$30 | 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Accomplished guitarist, singer, composer.

25 | Maria de Barros

Yoshi’s | SF $20 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Cape Verdean musician blends tropical, European and African sounds.

25 | mewithoutYou

Slim’s | SF $16 | 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com Kevin Devine, Buried Beds.

25 | Stephane Wrembel

Yoshi’s | Oakland $20 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com French gypsy-jazz phenom & composer of Midnight in Paris score.

26 | Andrew Norelli

Rooster T. Feathers | Sunnyvale $13 | 408.736.0921 roostertfeathers.com Seen with Craig Ferguson and Comics Unleashed. (Ends 7/29)

image: courtesy photo (dan cummins)

BATS IMPROV Marina, SF improv.org | 415.474.6776 BIG CITY IMPROV Union Square, SF sheltontheater.com | 415.433.1227 BLUE BLANKET IMPROV Half Moon Bay blueblanketimprov.com | 650.726.0770 BUNJO’S COMEDY LOUNGE Dublin bunjoscomedy.com | 925.264.4413 COBB’S COMEDY CLUB North Beach, SF cobbscomedyclub.com | 415.928.4320 COMEDY OFF BROADWAY Oakland coboak.com | 510.214.2626 COMEDYSportz San Jose comedysportzsanjose.com DARK ROOM Mission, SF darkroomsf.com | 415.401.7987 ENDGAMES IMPROV Union Square, SF endgamesimprov.com ENSO Half Moon Bay ensohmb.com | 650.726.1409 IMPROV San Jose improv.com | 408.280.7475 MADE UP THEATRE Fremont madeuptheatre.com | 510.573.3633 PUNCHLINE Embarcadero, SF punchlinecomedyclub.com | 415.397.7573 ROOSTER T. FEATHERS Sunnyvale roostertfeathers.com | 408.736.0921 SAN FRANCISCO COMEDY CELLAR Union Square, SF sfcomedycellar.jigsy.com | 415.345.8222 SECRET IMPROV SOCIETY Union Square, SF improvsociety.com STONE SOUP IMPROV Berkeley stonesoupimprov.com | 510.380.6808

Thick House | SF $15 | 800.380.3095 playwrightsfoundation.org Gordon Dahlquist’s entry in the Bay Area Playwrights Festival. (Ends 7/28)

24 | Earth, Wind & Fire

appreciating the good life by robert sokol

Anyone who thinks themself an over-achiever will feel like a serious slacker after a glimpse at the to-do list Michael Feinstein carries around. The singer, pianist, archivist and advocate for the Great American Songbook has a hand in the cabaret that bears his name in New York. He produces a syndicated radio interview series for NPR. He’s producing a film with Steven Spielberg about the creation of George and Ira Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. He’s released two seasons of his American Songbook PBS series on DVD. He serves as Artistic Director of the Palladium Center, a $170 million, three-theatre venue in Carmel, Indiana.

He’s working on adapting the film The Thomas Crown Affair into a stage musical. He published the bookand-CD title The Gershwins and Me. He just judged the 2012 Great American Songbook Vocal Academy and Competition alongside...and he’s touring right now to promote his newest CD, The Sinatra Project, Volume II: The Good Life.

MICHAEL FeINSTEIN July 13 | 8:00 pm Napa Valley Opera House 1030 Main Street, SF $85 to $95 | 707.226.7372 nvoh.org July 15 | 7:30 pm Davies Symphony Hall 201 Van Ness Avenue, SF $30 to $75 | 415.864.6000 sfsymphony.org

image: aj mast

The soft-spoken Feinstein just smiles about it all. “I have a simple philosophy that when an opportunity comes, it’s to be grabbed, he says. “Life is ever changing, and I don’t want to have regrets later that I didn’t do something that I had the chance to try.” He admits to occasional overload but adds, “The hardest part for me is to really relax, because I get in that racehorse mode and to get out of it is difficult. I love what I do, so I have no complaints.

So if it ever sounds like I’m whining, slap me.”

A five-time Grammy nominee, Feinstein has been fortunate to have made connections to some music industry legends early in his career including Ira Gershwin, Rosemary Clooney and Frank Sinatra. “He was so sweet with me,” says Feinstein about Sinatra, “and I don’t think that’s a word that’s usually connected with him.

I think it was because of my enthusiasm for the music and the songs. It interested him that I was so passionate about it. He was amazingly knowledgeable about all kinds of music. I don’t think people know that. He loved music without prejudice.

MUSIC

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN

JULY 2012 |

| 23

JUST THE TICKET!

DAILY 26 | Arctic Hysteria

26 | The Wizard of Oz

26 | Coelho & Ridnell

27 | BAT BOY

Bindlestiff Studio | SF $10-$25 | 800.838.3006 bindlestiffstudio.org Berlin-based Kinderdeutsch Projekts’ movement-based play. (Ends 8/5) Café Du Nord | SF $12 | 415.861.5016 cafedunord.com With Antonio Guedes and Chillaquiles.

26 | Doug Paisley

Death of a Salesman at Actors Theatre of SF available at Ticketweb ONLINE/PHONE SALES

DISCOUNT SALES TixBayArea.COM Online full- and half-price tickets.

Walk-up ticket concierge services also available at: UNION SQUARE 350 Powell Street Tuesday to Saturday 11:00 am to 5:00 pm FISHERMAN’S WHARF 2800 Leavenworth Street Thursday to Saturday 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Goldstar.COM Free and discounted performance and event tickets. Registration required.

..............................................

The vendors listed are legitimate, licensed ticket sellers. Please exercise caution when purchasing tickets from second-hand vendors.

24 |

| JULY 2012

26 | John Pizzarelli

Yoshi’s | SF $20-$24 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com World-renowned jazz guitarist-singer.

26 | Nick Kroll

Punch Line San Francisco | SF $22.50 | 415.397.7573 punchlinecomedyclub.com One “10 Comics to Watch.” (Ends 7/28) 26 | Pablo Francisco

Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $35 | 415.928.4320 cobbscomedyclub.com Chilean-American comic. (Ends 7/29) 26 | Pacific Dub

Café Du Nord | SF $10 | 415.861.5016 cafedunord.com With Katastro.

26 | Project: Lohan

The Costume Shop | SF $25 | 800.838.3006 projectlohan.com D’Arcy Drollinger’s multi-media show about Lindsay Lohan. (Ends 8/19) 26 | Reel Big Fish

Regency Ballroom | SF $20-$22 | 888.929.7849 theregencyballroom.com With Big D and the Kids Table, Suburban Legends, and The Maxies.

142 Throckmorton | Mill Valley $18-$30 | 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org Musical comedy/horror show inspired by a story in a tabloid. (Ends 8/5) 27 | Emily Bregl

Rrazz Room | SF $35 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Desperate Housewives star’s new show NY I Love You. (Ends 7/29) 27 | Henry Butler Trio

Yoshi’s | Oakland $25 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com New Orleans jazz and blues pianist.

27 | John Pizzarelli

Napa Valley Opera House | Napa $30-$35 | 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Renowned jazz guitarist and singer brings it to Napa.

27 | Juno and Avos

Wells Fargo Center | Santa Rosa $45-$85 | 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org Russian rock opera, direct from Moscow, based upon a true story about a Russian explorer in San Francisco in 1806.

27 | North Bay Blues

Rancho Nicasio | Nicasio $10-$12 | 415.662.2219 ranchonicasio.com Dance to this Blues Revue.

27 | Pinky

6th Street Playhouse | Santa Rosa $20-$25 | 707.523.4185 6thstreetplayhouse.com David Templeton both wrote and stars in this heartwarming tale of teen love.

(Ends 8/11) 27 | Ray Obiedo

Independent | SF $15 | 415.771.1421 theindependentsf.com With The Ferocious Few & Mahgeetah.

George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $20 | 415.226.0262 georgesnightclub.com And Mambo Caribe performing the music of Bob Marley, Tito Puente and Sergio Mendez.

26 | The Little Mermaid

27 | The Jacksons

26 | Sioux City Kid

Julia Morgan Center | Berkeley $15-$20 | 510.845.8542 berkeleyplayhouse.org Jr. version of Disney show. (Ends 7/28)

Mountain Winery | Saratoga $49.50-$125 | 888.929.7849 concerts.mountainwinery.com Unity Tour 2012.

image: maxudov (death of a salesman - christian phillips, christian haines, carole robinson)

Brown Paper Tickets brownpapertickets.com I 800.838.3006 City Box Office cityboxoffice.com I 415.392.4400 EventBrite eventbrite.com I 888.541.9753 InTicketing inticketing.com I 866.558.4253 SJTix sjtix.com I 408.792.4111 StubHub stubhub.com I 415.222.8400 TicketFly ticketfly.com I 877.435.9849 TicketMaster ticketmaster.com I 800.745.3000 TicketWeb ticketweb.com I 866.468.3399

Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org Easy sounds against hard truths from Canadian singer-songwriter.

Davies Symphony Hall | SF $12.50-$75 | 415.864.6000 sfsymphony.org SFS plays the score and accompanies Judy Garland. (Ends 7/27)

by robert sokol Admit it. Someone mentions Charo and your mind’s eye conjures up bumping hips, pouting lips and “Cuchi! Cuchi!”

It’s okay. Charo knows. Charo understands. After forty years in the entertainment industry, the lady has long ago made peace with being a showbiz sight-gag.

GUITAR

CHARO

voulez vous cuchi-cuchi?

“I get them,” Charo says in a conspiratorial whisper. “People say ‘Yeah! Sure. Cuchi-cuchi!

Let’s see how she look now!’’ She pauses for dramatic effect. “’Oh, shit! She look good! I wonder what she get done?’ That’s going on the first 25 minutes I’m performing. I can see their minds. Then, when they relax and have fun with me and dance and enjoy, then I know that I have the last laugh. Then it’s ‘Goodbye, cuchi. Hello, Charo!’ That give me the security to have fun and be as crazy as I want in the first 45 minute, because in the last 45 minute, I’m gonna get them.”

Conversation with Charo is the ultimate active listening exercise. Her trademark mangled English is expansive, sometimes explosive and frequently expletive-laced. “I survive this business because I believe in who I am and what I can do. I try always to make new friends. This business is very hard. I can tell when someone is infected with what I call ‘the bullshit disease’ so don’t get contagious!” she says with a hearty laugh. “I went for the ‘cuchi-cuchi’ because it was successful and people had fun. Me also, since I was little. It was like money in the bank. After that, I reach the point where I said ‘I’ve got to make happen my dreams.’ Now I concentrate on what I am: a musician that enjoy tremendously to be left alone in one room – don’t disturb by people – and play my guitar for hours.”

image: courtesy photo

Which is exactly what she’ll do this month in San Francisco.

However, this time the lady twice named Best Flamenco Guitarist by Guitar Player Magazine readers with let you sit in the room with her as she demonstrates the skill she learned from Andrés Segovia at age nine and the talent she’s honed ever since.

CHARO July 20 to 21 Yoshi’s 1330 Fillmore Street, SF $30 to $45 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com

JULY 2012 |

| 25

WHO’S ON (THE) FIRST?

DAILY 27 | Malone Brothers

Great American Music Hall | SF $21-$25 | 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com Dave Malone of The Radiators and Tommy Malone of The Subdudes.

27 | The Mikado

Pierced Arrow at the Elbo Room with The Husbands and Trainwreck Riders.

Lesher Center | Walnut Creek $20-$54 | 925.943.7469 lamplighters.org Live orchestra, gorgeous sets/costumes, and the Lamplighters. (Ends 7/29)

HAAS & RIOUX

27 | Wil Campa

Freight & Salvage | Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 | 510.644.2020 thefreight.org Contemporary fiddlers weave intricate harmonies with progressive grooves.

The Mynabirds

Cafe du Nord | SF $10-$12 | 415.861,5016 cafedunord.com Folk, R&B/soul, rock group appearing with Deep Time.

Motivated

Center for the Arts | Atherton $20-$65 | 650.331.0202 musicatmenlo.org Celebrates the vital dimension of dance across more than two centuries.

JOHN FOGERTY

Wente Vineyards | Livermore $119-$309 | 925.456.2450 wentevineyards.com Founding member of Creedence Clearwater Revival has a new CD. Pierced Arrows

OTTMAR LIEBERT

Napa Vally Opera House | Napa $30-$35 | 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Liebert has taken flamenco guitar into new and unthinkable realms.

Southeast Engine

Hemlock Tavern | SF $8 | 415.923.0923 hemlocktavern.com Formed in 2000 by Adam “Rem” Remnant and Leo DeLuca.

JOHNNY WINTER

Mountain Winery | Saratoga $35-$75 | 415.421.8497 mountainwinery.com Winter epitomizes the fiery and flamboyant rock ‘n’ roll guitar hero.

26 |

| JULY 2012

27 | Xanadu

Montgomery Theatre | San Jose $23 | 408.792.4111 cmtsj.squarespace.com Breezy roller-skating musical based on the film. (Ends 8/5) 27 | Ziggy Marley

Uptown Theatre | Napa $40-$50 | 800.745.3000 uptowntheatrenapa.com Reggae icon’s Wild and Free Tour.

28 | Elvis Wiggle Party

Theatre on San Pedro Square | SJ $20-$25 | 800.838.3006 tabardtheatre.org Wall-to-wall Elvis dance party with singing, contests, karaoke & more.

28 | Hairspray

Mountain View Center | MV $22 | 650.903.6000 pytnet.org Hit Broadway musical based on the hit John Waters film. (Ends 8/5) 28 | Hamsa Lila

Great American Music Hall | SF $20-$25 | 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com Fanna-Fi-Allah Sufi Qawwali Party.

28 | Loquat

Slim’s | SF $14 | 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com Young Digerati, Foxtail Somersault, Chelsea TK & The Tzigane Society.

28 | Mads Tolling

Mildred Owen Hall | Pacifica $20 | 650.355.1882 pacificaperformances.org Internationally renowned violinist, violist, composer.

Yoshi’s | Oakland $25-$30 | 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Singer/songwriter. (Ends 7/29) 28 | Petty Theft

George’s Nightclub | San Rafael $15 | 415.226.0262 georgesnightclub.com Tom Petty tribute band.

28 | Pixar in Concert

Davies Symphony Hall | SF $12.50-$75 | 415.864.6000 sfsymphony.org Music accompanies clips from Toy Story, The Incredibles, UP and more. (Ends 7/29) 28 | Truth & Salvage Co.

Café Du Nord | SF $10-$12 | 415.861.5016 cafedunord.com With The Oak Creek Band.

29 | Knight & Cole

Mountain Winery | Saratoga $59.50-$145 | 888.929.7849 concerts.mountainwinery.com Gladys Knight & Natalie Cole double up.

29 | Watsky

Slim’s | SF $14-$16 | 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com Dumbfounded & Breezy Love Joy Band.

29 | Will Durst

Pacifica Spindrift Theatre $30 | 650.359.8002 pacificaspindriftplayers.com Political satirist yucks it up in Pacifica for one night only.

31 | Barenaked Ladies

Mountain Winery | Saratoga $55.50-$125.50 | 888.929.7849 concerts.mountainwinery.com With Blues Traveler, Big Head Todd & the Monsters, Cracker.

31 | Luísa Maita

Yoshi’s | SF $18 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Brazillian chanteuse.

31 | Soulfly

Slim’s | SF $26 | 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com Incite, Lody Kong.

31 | Sullivan & Son

Cobb’s Comedy Club | SF $20 | 415.928.4320 cobbscomedy.com Featuring Steve Byrne, Owen Benjamin, Ahmed Ahmed & Roy Wood Jr.

image: simone muller (pierced arrow - fred cole, toody cole, kelly halliburton)

Elbo Room | SF $10-$12 | 415.552.7788 elbo.com Oregon-based punk band features Fred Cole, Toody Cole and Kelly Halliburton.

Yoshi’s | SF $30-$35 | 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Cuban band leader and his Gran Union 13-piece orchestra. (Ends 7/28)

28 | Michael Franks

ready with a smile on her lips by chris rené

It’s been a bittersweet year for singer Andrea Marcovicci since she last played San Francisco.

The management of the Algonquin Hotel shuttered the famous Oak Room, her musical home in New York for the last 25 years and, earlier this year, she lost friend and colleague Donald Smith, founding president of the Mabel Mercer Foundation, who played a hand in the relaunch of the Oak Room as a cabaret in 1982.

“The closing of the Algonquin was like I was a bird and they shot me,” she says of the period. “I just felt absolutely wounded. I think that the thing that truly brought me out of my Algonquin doldrums was doing Smile, the show I’m doing. It really brought me back around.”

“I was opening Smile on a Thursday, and Donald died on Tuesday. To be able to sing on Thursday taught me so much about the human spirit, of how important it is to be able to have singing in your life, to be able to do what I do, to be able to continue to sing.”

ANDREA MARCOVICCI July 24 to August 5 The Rrazz Room 222 Mason Street, SF $35 to $45 | 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com

image: daniel reichert

It was Marcovicci’s intention to created a show to lift the spirits of her audiences “because I felt that everyone was so troubled with the economy and the election. I had noticed that audiences were harder

to entertain than usual.” She chose a menu of optimistic, uplifting music including “You Make Me Feel So Young,” “Life is Just Bowl of Cherries,” “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” and Charlie Chaplin’s famed tune as the title song.

CABARET

ANDREA MARCOVICCI

JULY 2012 |

| 27

BACK The cast of A Raisin in the Sun at African-American Shakespeare Company

Brendan Millburn, Valerie Vigoda and Gene Lewin of GrooveLily at TheatreWorks

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Wilma Bonet and Sabina Zuniga Varela of Bruja at the Magic Theatre

Laila Richardson (our newest reader!) at the Buriel Clay Theatre

Sharon McNight at the Rrazz Room

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Rachel Harker and Rick Lombardo at Marin Theatre Company

Craig Marker and Gabriel Marin of The Understudy at San Jose Rep

James Carpenter, Timothy Near and Michael Butler at Cal Shakes

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Jay Mohr at Cobb’s Comedy Club

Carey Perloff and cast members from The Scottsboro Boys at A.C.T.

Jon Secada at the Rrazz Room

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image: steven underhill

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THE RICHMOND/ERMET AIDS FOUNDATION PRESENTS

AUGUST 5

H E R B S T T H E AT E R San Francisco

Benefiting AIDS Housing Alliance AIDS Legal Referral Panel Positive Resource Center Maitri Directed by David Galligan

Featuring Broadway, TV, film and recording stars David Burnham • Kimberley Locke • Sam Harris Loretta Devine • Rex Smith • Maureen McGovern • Jason Brock Carole Cook • Paula West • Tuck & Patti • Lisa Vroman David Engel • Natalie Weiss • B.O.O.B.S! and the cast of Les Misérables & others to be announced Tickets & Info: 415-273-1620 or www.helpisontheway.org

Insurance Delta Dental of California • Charles Schwab Foundation • KGO Radio • ABC7-TV • Acme Scenery Randall Schiller Productions • 7x7 Magazine • Bay Area Reporter • Gloss Magazine • Steve Montes Special Events

Conceived & Choreographed by

DANCING WITH THE STARS’ LOUIS VAN AMSTEL

STARRING FROM

DANCING WITH THE STARS

JULY 12-15

ANNA TREBUNSKAYA

JULY 26-29

JONATHAN ROBERTS

PETA MURGATROYD

DMITRY CHAPLIN

ALSO STARRING FROM:

DANCING WITH THE STARS

Allen Genkin & Alla Kocherga Sasha Farber & Oksana Dmytrenko

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Randi Lynn Strong & Tadd Gadduang

AMERICAN IDOL

David Hernandez & Gina Glocksen

STARTS JULY 12TH • 12 PERFORMANCES ONLY www.MarinesMemorialTheatre.com • 415-771-6900 MARINES’ MEMORIAL THEATRE History. The Arts. Film. Events

609 Sutter St. (Corner of Mason & Sutter - 2 blocks off Union Sq.)

made by Guido Rus www.de-rus.nl