BAYSTAGES | 2012.08 - August

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

[THE ARTISTS]

THE KINSEY SICKS OTTMAR LIEBERT [THE SHOWS]

110 IN THE SHADE CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION MEASURE FOR MEASURE

+

HELP IS ON THE WAY COUNTERPULSE

THE

[THE COVER]

MANHATTAN TRANSFER

Bentyne is Back in the Boop-Bop

ALSO: DAILY EVENTS + MUSIC & COMEDY CLUB LISTINGS + VENUE DIRECTORIES + MORE

JULY 24 - AUGUST 5

ANDREA MARCOvICCI SMiLE

AUGUST 3 & 4

AUGUST 5

AUGUST 7-12, 14-19

SOUL TRAIN NIGHTS

REMEMBERING

ELECTILE DYSFUNCTION:

CLASSiC 70’S r&B AnD SoUL GirL GroUP SinGinG ALL ThEir hiTS, LiKE “Want ads” AnD “stick Up”

STArrinG JoAnnA PiTT MUSiCAL DirECTor : ToDD SChroEDEr DirECTor: KirSTEn SAnDErSon

froM ThE CrEATorS of “oY vEY in A MAnGEr”

EDNA WRIGHT & THE CARPENTERS THE kINSEY SICkS To ThE MUSiC FOR PRESIDENT THE HONEY CONE A LivEofTriBUTE ThE CArPEnTErS A WorLD PrEMiErE CoMMiSSion

JULY 30 AUGUST 13, 20, 27

TOMMY IGOE BIG BAND

ThiS Ain’T YoUr DADDY’S BiG BAnD

AUGUST 24 & 25

AUGUST 21 - 26

BARBARA COOk

vERONICA kLAUS SinGS ThE PEGGY LEE SonGBooK WiTh ThE TAMMY hALL Trio

LET’S FALL IN LOvE

AUGUST 29 & 30

NICOLE HENRY

AUGUST 31 – SEPTEMBEr 2 ThrEE TiME GrAMMY noMinATED voCALiST

kARRIN ALLYSON

222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

AUGUST 31 & SEPTEMBEr 1

MARk NADLER CrAZY 1961 ThE SonGS AnD EvEnTS of 1961

Grand Piano courtesy of Baldwin

800-380-3095 • www.TheRrazzRoom.com

editor ROBERT SOKOL editor@baystages.com

THE STAGES MUSIC I Ottmar Liebert.................................................................... 5 PLAY I Circle Mirror Transformation............................................... 7 BENEFIT I Help is on the Way: That’s Entertainment.................... 9 PLAY I Pride and Prejudice.............................................................11 SATIRE I The Kinsey Sicks: Electyle Dysfunction........................13 DANCE I Counterpulse...................................................................15 MUSICAL I 110 in the Shade.........................................................19 MUSICAL I A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.....21 DANCE I AXIOM..............................................................................21 MUSIC I The Manhattan Transfer..................................................23 RECORDING I New CD Releases..................................................23 BACK I Behind the Scenes with

........................27-28

Copyright © 2010-2012 by Caselli Partners LLC. All rights reserved. Printed in California.

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

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

Information is subject to change without notice.

publisher RON WILLIS publisher@baystages.com design VIA MEDIA design@viamedia.net associate editor KAREN MARQUISS daily@baystages.com contributing writers GRIER cooper Nicole Gluckstern CHRIS RENÉ WILL SCHMID ROBERT SOKOL LEE WALKER ELIZABETH WARNIMONT contributing photographer STEVEN UNDERHILL cover image THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER Janis Siegel Alan Paul Tim Hauser Cheryl Bentyne image: courtesy photo

image: kevin berne (blithe spirit - anthony fusco, jessica kitchens, rené augesen)

All other photos are provided by the artists or venues. Photography credits are noted when provided.

advertising sales MALIA ANDERSON RON WILLIS 415.552.8040 advertise@baystages.com Writers and photographers may submit work samples to editor@baystages.com.

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BAYSTAGES 780 sutter street, sf, ca 94109 p: 415.552.8040 I f: 415.869.3700 PDF reprints of individual articles are available upon request.

BLITHE SPIRIT August 8 to September 2 Bruns Amphitheatre 100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda $35 to $71 I 510.548.9666 calshakes.org

Please call our office if you need additional copies of the current or back issues or would like to become a distribution point for BAYSTAGES.

AUGUST 2012 I

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REVOLVING

The Coverlettes at Ranch Nicasio. (8/31)

Sweet Baby J’ai at Biscuits & Blues. (8/18)

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

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

OAKLAND METRO OPERAHOUSE Oakland oaklandmetro.org I 510.763.1146 Rancho Nicasio Marin ranchonicasio.com I 415.662.2219 Regency Ballroom Civic Center, SF theregencyballroom.com I 800.745.3000 Rickshaw Stop Civic Center, SF rickshawstop.com I 415.861.2012 ROCKIT ROOM Richmond District, SF rock-it-room.com I 415.387.6343 RRAZZ ROOM Union Square, SF therrazzroom.com I 415. 394.1189 SAVANNAH JAZZ Mission, SF savannajazz.com I 415.624.4549 SHATTUCK DOWN LOW Berkeley shattuckdownlow.com I 510.455.4735 SILO’S Napa silosnapa.com I 707.251.5833 Slim’s SOMA, SF slimspresents.com I 415.255.0333 STARRY PLOUGH Berkeley starryploughpub.com I 510.841.1424 THEE PARKSIDE Potrero Hill, SF theeparkside.com I 415.252.1330 UPTOWN THEATRE Napa uptowntheatrenapa.com I 707.259.0123 WARFIELD Downtown, SF thewarfieldtheatre.com I 800.745.3000 YOSHI’S Oakland + Fillmore, SF yoshis.com I 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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I AUGUST 2012

images: m chavez (alejandro escovdeo), heather sullivan (sweet baby jai), courtesy photo (the coverlettes)

Alejandro Escovedo at Bimbo’s 365 Club. (8/16)

view from the editor As we ride the crest of summer, it’s interesting to contemplate it resting between spring and fall, and how thinking very literally allows the words to take on deeper, more symbolic meanings.

Having “a spring in your step” implies a more youthful vigor and, perhaps a fresh outlook. That’s certainly true of Marissa Keltie and Kelly Britt, two young artists performing on our stages this month in very different shows. Both are excited to be a part of the Bay Area performing arts community - to receive opportunity and to contribute value.

The give and take of community is particularly important, critical even, when we “fall” and we hope our community will catch us. Singer Cheryl Bentyne learned that firsthand, emerging from a potentially devastating health challenge with a renewed appreciation for her many communities of family, friends, fans and her colleagues in The Manhattan Transfer. She’s just resumed touring with them after an extended absence and told me: “I’m having a whole new experience here. I went to the

show and saw them perform with Margaret Dorn, who has been singing my part of the last seven months, and I was sitting in the audience going, ‘This is so cool.’ It made me look at the group in a whole new way.”

Since launching BAYSTAGES I have certainly come to look at our performing arts scene in a whole new way and to sense the community, really communities. It’s been a privilege to begin this journey and I continually look for new ways to connect, to be of service, to support community. If you have an idea, please share it so that together we can celebrate and support theatre, music, dance and more in the Bay Area!

ROBERT SOKOL, editor

image: via media

Ken Brill, Kevin Singer, Terrence McLaughlin, Jessica Smith, Adam Scott Campbell, Michelle Jasso, Shelley Crowley, Matthew Provencal, J. Conrad Frank, Ron Dritz and (in front) Mia F. Gimenez, Charles Woodson Parker, Velvet Piini and Dina DiRado from Ray of Light Theatre’s production of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Sweeney Todd at the Eureka Theatre through August 11, 2012.

AUGUST 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.

Dan Hiatt in Upright Grand. (8/10) 5 I Waiting...

Larkspur Hotel I SF $39-$75 I 800.838.3006 WaitingSF.com Eat, drink and laugh your ass off! Tonya Foster stars as Mia in the new comedy.

5 I Oklahoma

Bankhead Theater I Livermore $27.50-$37.50 I 925.373.6800 trivalleyrep.com Includes “I Cain’t Say No” and “People Will Say We’re In Love.”

5 I Arctic Hysteria

Bindlestiff Studio I SF $10-$25 I 800.838.3006 bindlestiffstudio.org Premiere of Kinderdeutsch Projekts’ movement-based play.

5 I BAT BOY: The Musical

142 Throckmorton I Mill Valley $18-$30 I 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org Musical comedy/horror show inspired by a story in a tabloid.

5 I Xanadu

Montgomery Theatre I SJ $23 I 408.792.4111 cmtsj.squarespace.com Children’s Musical Theater San Jose presents the roller-skating musical.

10 I Upright Grand

11 I Hamlet

Concannon Vineyard I Livermore $25-$39 I 800.838.3006 livermoreshakes.org Revenge, love, madness, and murder directed by Lisa A. Tromovitch.

11 I Sweeney Todd

Eureka Theatre I SF $25-$36 I 800.838.3006 roltheatre.com Stephen Sondheim’s murderous musical of love, loss and revenge!

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I AUGUST 2012

1 I A Lot in Communism

2 I CandleSpit Collective

1 I Eldar Djangirov

2 I Circle Mirror Transformation

Punch Line San Francisco I SF $15 I 415.397.7573 punchlinecomedyclub.com Three comedians, all born in the former Soviet Union.

Yoshi’s I SF $20 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Jazz pianist.

1 I John Fogerty

Wente Vineyards I Livermore $119-$309 I 800.745.3000 wentevineyards.com Legendary rocker.

1 I Ottmar Liebert

Napa Valley Opera House I Napa $30-$35 I 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Flamenco guitarist with Luna Negra.

1 I Rock ‘n’ Blues Fest

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $35-$75 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com Johnny Winter Band, Edgar Winter Band, Rick Derringer and more.

1 I Sisters of Soul II

Yoshi’s I Oakland $20 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Featuring Jennifer Johns, Ryan Nicole, Jimmie Reign, Chloe Dechelle & Punk Funk Mob. 2 I Believers

Stage Werx 446 I SF $15-$30 I 415.885.8526 wilywestproductions.com Wily West presents an apocalyptic comedy written by Patricia Milton (Ends 8/25) 2 I Buraka Som Sistema

Independent I SF $20 I 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com Band from Lisbon.

Slim’s I SF $8 I 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com With Dregs One, Projekt Seer, Understudies Crew.

Marin Theatre Company I Mill Valley $15-$57 I 415.388.5208 marintheatre.org Five characters learn more about themselves than acting. (Ends 8/26) 2 I Music of the Beatles

Davies Symphony Hall I SF $15-$90 I 415.864.6000 sfsymphony.org Four musicians who look and sound just like the original Fab Four. (Ends 8/3) 2 I Daniel Santos

ODC Theater I SF $20-$25 I 415.863.9834 odctheater.org Santos bids adieu to ODC after a decade with pieces by Brenda Way, KT Nelson, & more. (Ends 8/4) 2 I Fags ‘N Hags

Cobb’s Comedy Club I SF $20 I 415.928.4320 cobbscomedyclub.com Stand-up by gay men and the women who love them!

2 I Greg Proops

Punch Line San Francisco I SF $20 I 415.397.7573 punchlinecomedyclub.com Of the hit podcast The Smartest Man in the World. (Ends 8/4) 2 I John Fogerty

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $45-$125 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com Creedence Clearwater Revival alum.

2 I La Finta Giardiniera

Cowell Theater I SF $40-$60 I 415.864.3330 sfopera.com SF Opera’s Merola Program performs one of Mozart’s earliest works. (Ends 8/4)

image: mark kitaoka (upright grand - dan hiatt)

Lucie Stern Theater I Palo Alto $24-$73 I 650.463.1960 theatreworks.org TheatreWorks launches its 43rd season with the premiere by Laura Schellhardt.

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

by elizabeth warnimont “I’m a betweener.” That’s how Ottmar Liebert, whose nouveau flamenco band Luna Negra makes a stop in the Bay Area this summer, describes both his music and himself. “Even as a little kid, I wanted to connect the things that I liked. How can they make sense together?”

MUSIC

OTTMAR LIEBERT

connecting cultures and people

Flamenco, Liebert says, lies at the heart of several different cultures so that, in its modern form, it reflects several disparate influences. In his music, Liebert strives to find new combinations deriving from different world regions in order to create new sounds that are reminiscent of the root cultures, but also fresh and appealing to new audiences. That urge to connect things carries over into Liebert’s personal world view: “In this day and age, if we don’t find similarities in things - how we can work together and appreciate each other’s music and culture - it’s always going to be ‘us’ against ‘them.’”

Flamenco is sometimes associated with mariachi, and Liebert embraces both genres. “Mariachi is a lot of Hispanic culture plus a lot of German culture. The bass and horn is very reminiscent of German folk music. I haven’t studied mariachi in depth, but it’s a big part of my music.”

“When you listen to my first album, Nouveau Flamenco, songs like Barcelona Nights have a rumba rhythm, which is Spanish, but also thirds in the main melody, and the sort of walking oom-pah bass which also is very mariachi-like.

Very few critics picked up on that. A lot of the music on that album was actually a crossover between flamenco and mariachi.”

Liebert’s newest album, Dune, features accordion player Char Rothschild, who was not able to join the summer tour. “We were thinking, should we find an accordion player? But in our mind trumpet breath and accordion bellows are very similar,” so trumpet and flugelhorn player Mike Middleton will be standing in for Rothschild on the tour, which wraps up in Houston at the end of the month.

image: courtesy photo

OTTMAR LIEBERT August 1 I 8:00 pm Napa Valley Opera House 1030 Main Street, Napa $30 to $35 I 707.226.7372 nvoh.org August 2 to 4 I 8:00 & 10:00 pm Yoshi’s 1330 Fillmore Street, SF $22 to $30 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com AUGUST 2012 I

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CLOSING SHOWS

DAILY 2 I Lena Sunday

Yoshi’s I Oakland $20-$25 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Bay Area-native jazz vocalist.

2 I Ottmar Liebert

Michael Rhone & Corrie Borris in How to Succeed.... (8/12) 11 I Pinky

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

12 I King John

Yoshi’s I SF $10-$30 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com/sanfrancisco 5-time Grammy nominated New Flamenco guitarist/composer. (Ends 8/4) 2 I 7 Brides for 7 Brothers

6th Street Playhouse I Santa Rosa $15 I 707.523.4185 6thstreetplayhouse.com Summer workshop production, staged with an all-student cast. (Ends 8/5) 2 I Women Choreographers

3 I Elvin Bishop

Yoshi’s I Oakland $20-$26 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com/oakland With his band. Bishop wrote the hit “Fooled Around and Fell in Love.”

3 I Humor Abuse

American Conservatory Theater I SF $25-$95 I 415.749.2228 act-sf.org Lorenzo Pisoni’s tale of life growing up in the circus returns. (Ends 8/19) 3 I Jay Pharoah

Cobb’s Comedy Club I SF $22.50 I 415.928.4320 cobbscomedyclub.com SNL’s youngest ever comedian live at Cobb’s. (Ends 8/5)

Forest Meadows Amphitheatre I SR $20-$35 I 415.499.4488 marinshakespeare.org Action-packed play recounting King John’s battle for the English throne.

ODC Theater I SF $20-$25 I 415.863.9834 odctheater.org Amy Seiwert presents world premieres

by Seiwert, Julia Adam and Gina Patterson. (Ends 8/4)

3 I Michael Franti & Spearhead

12 I Greater Tuna

2 I Squarepusher

Regency Ballroom I SF $27-$30 I 888.929.7849 theregencyballroom.com With Eric Sharp.

Actors Theatre of San Francisco $38 I 415.345.1287 actorstheatresf.org Strindbergs’ psycho-sexual drama filled with obsession & ambition. (Ends 9/8)

2 I TOMMY DAVIDSON

3 I Pride and Prejudice

2 I Paul Thorn Band

3 I TITO Y SU SON DE CUBA

The Barn Theatre I Ross $17 I 415.456.9555 rossvalleyplayers.com Ross Valley Players in this comedy about the mythical town of Tuna, TX. 12 I Merry Wives of Windsor

12 I How To Succeed...

Smithwick Theatre I Los Altos Hills $10-$28 I 650.949.7360 foothillmusicals.com Musical satire of 1960s corporate life and one man’s shortcut to success.

12 I Her Rebel Highness

Harlot I SF $25-$65 I 415.735.1627 herrebelhighness.com Tale of three rebellious princesses, determined to write their own destinies.

17 I ENRON 2012

Tommy T’s I Pleasanton $20-$30 I 925.227.1800 tommyts.com Comedia, musician, actor and original star of In Living Color. (Ends 8/5) Freight & Salvage I Berkeley $22.50-$24.50 I 510.644.2020 thefreight.org David Jacobs-Strain opens.

2 I War Horse

3 I Miss Julie

Cue Productions Live! I Concord $18 I 800.838.3006 b8company.com A staged adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic tale. 2 parts. (Ends 8/26) Freight & Salvage I Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 I 510.644.2020 thefreight.org High energy Cuban sound a la Buena Vista Social Club.

Curran Theatre I SF $31-$100 I 888.746.1799 https:shnsf.com SHN brings the play that won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Play to San Francisco. (Ends 9/9)

3 I Private Lives

3 I Cafe con Comedy

3 I Soul Asylum

Altarena Playhouse I Alameda $19-$22 I 510.523.1553 altarena.org Noël Coward’s hilarious comedy of manners. (Ends 9/2)

EXIT Theatre I SF $25 I No Phone Available enron2012.com The Smartest Guys in the Room meets Avenue Q. A dark and comedic view.

Dolores Park Cafe I SF $7-$20 I 800.838.3006 koshercomedy.com Night of stand up with restaurant veterans: Bob McIntyre, Nick Leonard, Carla Clayy, Lisa Geduldig.

Independent I SF $20 I 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com With Trapper Schoepp & The Shades, Cosmic Suckerpunch.

18 I Noises Off!

3 I Edna Wright/Honey Cone

CounterPulse I SF $20 I No Number Available counterpulse.org Indian classical dance exploration of the hidden in human relationships and emotions. (Ends 8/4)

Live Oak Theater I Berkeley $15 I 800.838.3006 aeofberkeley.org Farce about a horrible British farce and the madness backstage.

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Rrazz Room I SF $35 I 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Classic 70s R&B and Soul girl group singing all of their hits. (Ends 8/4)

3 I The Quest Unsaid

image: david allen (how to succeed in business without really trying - michael rhone, corrie borris)

Concannon Vineyard I Livermore $25-$39 I 800.838.3006 livermoreshakes.org Ladies have the last laugh when Falstaff comes to town.

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $45-$85 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com With Naia Kete.

the journey of growth by lee walker

Playwright Annie Baker has been doing quite well in the Bay Area this year. Her play Body Awareness was presented in January by Aurora Theatre Company in Berkeley and The Aliens landed at SF Playhouse in March. This month the North Bay gets to experience a Circle Mirror Transformation courtesy of Marin Theatre Company. In it, four people take an acting class and they all, including the teacher, learn more about themselves than they expected.

image: ed smith (circle mirror transformaton - arwen anderson, l. peter callender, robert parsons, julia brothers, marissa keltie)

The outstanding cast - all MTC veterans - includes Arwen Anderson. L. Peter Callender, Robert Parsons, Julia Brothers and Marissa Keltie. For Keltie, a newly-minted member of Actors Equity, the job is something of a dream.

“It’s amazing to have grown up here in the Bay Area because I’ve seen so many of these folks on stage for so many years, and then in the past few years, to get to the place where I’m now working with them is just sort of mind-blowingly amazing,” she says. “For example, Peter Callender came and spoke when I was in college and so we struck up a friendship and he would coach monologues for me.”

Keltie saw the two recent Baker productions not knowing she’d soon be appearing in one herself. “I was smart enough to see them, is what I always say, but I was actually lucky enough to see them because two friends invited me to each of the plays. The Aliens blew me away. I thought it was so fantastic.”

PLAY

CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION

She describes the play as “deceptively simple.

By the end it sort of hits you that you’ve really met and been through a journey with these five people, this really profound journey in all of their lives. I don’t think that you realize that you’re doing that as you’re watching it.”

Circle mirror transformation August 2 to 26 Marin Theatre Company 397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley $36 to $57 I 415.388.5208 marintheatre.org

AUGUST 2012 I

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CLOSING SHOWS

DAILY 4 I David Grisman

4 I The Family Stone

4 I Guitars w/out Borders

4 I The Mikado

Independent I SF $29.50 I 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com The David Grissman Bluegrass Experience.

Vernon Bush in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. (8/19) 18 I 10 Years of Un-Scripted

SF Playhouse - Stage 2 I SF $10-$20 I 415.322.8738 un-scripted.com Un-Scripted celebrates its Tenth Anniversary Season.

18 I A Doll’s House

Willows Theatre I Concord $30-$36 I 925.798.1300 willowstheatre.com 19th-century wife finds her true self only after a falling out with her spouse.

19 I Merchant of Venice

Next Stage I SF $25-$32 I 415.798.2682 custommade.org A stylistic cross between Mad Men and American Psycho explores greed.

19 I Willy Wonka

Julia Morgan Center I Berkeley $17-$35 I 510.845.8542 berkeleyplayhouse.org Berkeley Playhouse presents a musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic tale.

19 I Project: Lohan

20 I Sweeney Todd

Coastal Rep I Half Moon Bay $35 I 650.569.3266 coastalrep.com Stephen Sondheim’s musical about “The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

26 I Les Misérables

4 I Guthrie Family

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $35-$75 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com With Arlo Guthrie.

4 I Jay Brannan

Great American Music Hall I SF $16 I 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com With Chris Pureka.

4 I Kit Lopez

Campbell Theatre I Martinez $20 I 925.798.1300 willowstheatre.com With her band The Branded Men. 4 I Madama Butterfly

Mildred Owen Hall I Pacifica $20 I 650.355.1882 pacificaperformances.org Pacifica Performances presents Verismo Opera with Puccini’s tragic opera.

4 I Orquesta La Moderna

Osher Marin JCC I San Rafael $20 I 415.444.8000 marinjcc.org Osher Marin JCC’s Summer Nights.

Dance lessons before the show.

4 I So Much Better

Lesher Center I Walnut Creek $10 I 925.943.7469 lesherartscenter.org Presented by DTC’s Youth Camp.

4 I String Virtuosos

Yerba Buena Gardens I SF FREE I 415.771.2376 afrosolo.org AfroSolo’s Jazz in the Gardens.

Orpheum Theatre I SF $31-$150 I 888.746.1799 shnsf.com 25th anniversary tour of the worldbeloved French Revolution musical.

4 I Dreamchasers Tour

26 I Chicago

4 I The English Beat

City Lights Theater I SJ $25-$35 I 408.295.4200 cltc.org Kander and Ebb’s brilliant satirical musical set in 1920s Chicago.

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Fillmore I SF $35 I 800.745.3000 livenation.com With Meek Mill and Gunplay.

Bimbo’s 365 Club I SF $22-$25 I 877.435.9849 bimbos365club.com Ska band shares the stage with The Champions Inc.

Napa Valley Opera House I Napa $17.50-$45 I 707.226.7372 lamplighters.org Live orchestra, gorgeous sets and costumes, and the amazing voices of the Lamplighters! (Ends 8/5) 4 I Wayne Wallace

Mitchell Park I Palo Alto FREE I No Number Available cityofpaloalto.org Palo Alto’s free 2012 Twilight Concert Series.

5 I Berlioz Requiem

Davies Symphony Hall I SF $15-$45 I 415.392.4400 fingerlakeschoral.org Featuring over 300 musicians and singers from a number of New York and San Francisco choruses.

5 I Chinese Opera

YBCA - Novellus Theater I SF $35-$45 I 415.978.2787 ybca.org Harmony Chinese Musical Center - benefiting Gum Moon Women’s Residence.

5 I Help is on the Way XVIII

Herbst Theatre I SF $50-$125 I 415.392.4400 reaf.org Annual AIDS benefit with a stellar cast of dozens of gifted artists, silent auction.

5 I Los Enanitos Verdes

Fillmore I SF $45 I 800.745.3000 livenation.com

5 I Los Lonely Boys

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $35-$65 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com And North Mississippi Allstars.

5 I Niyaz

Yoshi’s I SF $26-$28 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Blending Sufi mystical poetry with Middle Eastern folk music.

5 I Ozomatli

Stern Grove I SF FREE I No Number Available sterngrove.org Returning to the Stern Grove Festival, with Malian band SMOD.

image: jessica palopoli (willy wonka and the chocolate factory - vernon bush)

The Costume Shop I SF $25 I 800.838.3006 projectlohan.com D’Arcy Drollinger’s multi-media show chronicling the life of Lindsay Lohan.

Freight & Salvage I Berkeley $22.50-$24.50 I 510.644.2020 thefreight.org Featuring Alex De Grassi, Walter Strauss, Franco Morone.

Yoshi’s I Oakland $22-$28 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com/oakland Legendary rock band.

that’s entertainment by chris rené

In its almost two-decade history, the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation has recruited Emmy, Grammy, Tony and Oscar winners to donate their talents in support of Bay Area AIDS service organizations. In recent years, new types of winners have emerged, from shows like American Idol and America’s Got Talent, to lend their support.

BENEFIT

HELP IS ON THE WAY

Again under the guidance of director David Galligan, this years edition of Help is on the Way, sub-titled That’s Entertainment, will feature a mix of frequent players like jazz singer Paula West, Phantom soprano Liza Vroman and “grand diva” Carole Cook; returning guests from Broadway and Hollywood like Sam Harris, Maureen McGovern, Vicki Lewis, and Rex Smith; singers Kimberley Locke and the duo Tuck & Patti; and the ever-constant ASL interpretation of Jon Maher.

A newcomer to the fold is a lady who needs little introduction even though she’s chosen to be out of the spotlight for the last decade. Australian singer Helen Reddy was the voice of the women’s movement in the ‘70s with the anthem “I Am Woman,” which she wrote with Ray Burton. A multiple Grammy winner, Reddy recorded over a dozen Top 40 hits, had her own television show and also starred on Broadway and in London’s West End before retiring from showbiz to help others by training as a therapist.

It’s not the first time Reddy has lent a hand to this cause. “Oh, I’ve done a lot over the years,” she says. “In the early days, we just didn’t know what was going on. I was seeing friends one after the other just drop. It was really, really scary.“

images: courtesy photos (all)

Depending on the ticket purchased, in addition to enjoying the wonderful and diverse cast of entertainers, patrons of the benefit can attend pre- and post-show receptions - the latter offering a chance to rub elbows with much of the cast.

HELP IS ON THE WAY August 5 Herbst Theatre 401 Van Ness Avenue, SF $50 to $125 I 415.273.1620 helpisontheway.org

AUGUST 2012 I

I9

ONGOING SHOWS

DAILY 5 I Patrick Landeza

7 I Kasey Chambers

5 I JOANNA PITT

7 I Kinsey Sicks

Yoshi’s I Oakland $20 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Hawaiian slack key guitarist.

The rain’s staying in Spain at My Fair Lady at SF Playhouse.

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.

BEYOND THERAPY

Shelton Theater I SF $20 I 800.838.3006 sheltontheater.org The tale of rwo Manhattanites seeking stable romantic relationships.

Big City Improv

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

MY FAIR LADY

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.

5 I Shawn Brown

Rrazz Room I SF $35-$40 I 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Electile Dysfunction: The Kinsey Sicks for President. (Ends 8/19)

Firehouse Arts Center I Pleasanton $15-$25 I 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org With Graham Central Station’s Ashling Cole.

7 I Neil Diamond

5 I Refugee All Stars

8 I Duran Duran

5 I Viviana Guzmán

8 I Iglesias & Lopez

6 I Chris Isaak

8 I Jonathan Butler

Independent I SF $20 I 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com With Black Nature Band, Naia Kete.

Lesher Center I Walnut Creek $25 I 925.943.7469 lesherartscenter.org Chilean flutist, guitarist Jérémy Jouve.

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $55-$135 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com With Shawn Colvin.

6 I Kelly Park Presents...

HP Pavilion I San Jose $82-$117 I 800.745.3000 hppavilion.com Legedary vocalist live at the HP. Mountain Winery I Saratoga $59.50-$149.50 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com (Ends 8/9) HP Pavilion I San Jose $96.50-$176.50 I 800.745.3000 hppavilion.com Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias.

Yoshi’s I Oakland $20-$28 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com/oakland South African-born R&B, jazz and gospel singer & guitarist. (Ends 8/9)

Rrazz Room I SF $20 I 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Jazz vocalist Nicolas Bearde, Kelly Park Trio with violinist Mads Tolling.

8 I Chiyanike & Azim

6 I Ravi Coltrane

8 I Liv Warfield

Yoshi’s I Oakland $15-$20 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com/oakland Saxophonist is backed by David Virelles, Dezron Douglas, EJ Strickland. (Ends 8/7) 7 I Etienne Charles

Freight & Salvage I Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 I 510.644.2020 thefreight.org Healing music of spirits of Zimbabwe.

Yoshi’s I SF $14-$20 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com With Jarrod Lawson.

8 I Maron & Barker

Yoshi’s I SF $14 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Acclaimed trumpeter from Trinidad.

Cobb’s Comedy Club I SF $35-$60 I 415.928.4320 cobbscomedyclub.com Comedians perform as a benefit for SF Animal Care & Control’s Animal Shelter.

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

7 I Fang Island

8 I Opry at the Opera

Shopping! The Musical

7 I Joe Bartnick

Secret Improv Society

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

10 I

I AUGUST 2012

Great American Music Hall I SF $15 I 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com With Zechs Marquise.

Punch Line San Francisco I SF $15 I 415.397.7573 punchlinecomedyclub.com Live CD recording by the comic who opens Lisa Lampanelli’s live shows.

Napa Valley Opera House I Napa $35-$45 I 707.226.7372 nvoh.org The Silverado Pickups, Striking Matches, and Radney Foster.

8 I Redd Kross

Great American Music Hall I SF $20 I 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com With The Mantles, Warm Soda.

image: jessica palopoli (my fair lady - richard frederick, johnny moreno, monique hafen)

SF Playhouse I SF $30-$70 I 415.677.9596 sfplayhouse.org A fresh and sexy take on the classic musical based on Shaw’s Pygmalion.

Rrazz Room I SF $25 I 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Tribute to Karen and Richard Carpenter.

Slim’s I SF $27.50 I 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com With Sarah Jarosz.

images: judy potter (pride and prejudice - becky potter, edwin peabody), brinkhoff/ mögenburg (war horse - andrew veenstra, christopher mai, derek stratton, rob laqui), chris bennion (humor abuse - lorenzo pisoni)

an adaptation in two parts

by elizabeth warnimont John Butterfield had just finished studying direction in New Zealand when he came to Concord to establish Butterfield 8 Theatre Company in 2006. “They really stressed ‘think outside the box.’” Meanwhile, his good friend Carol Davis had been looking for artists to make use of the performance area at her downtown production company. The place is nothing like a conventional theater - in fact it’s not much more than a little floor space - but it was just the kind of creative challenge Butterfield had come prepared to meet. Pride and Prejudice, an adaptation of the Jane Austen classic penned by local author and Austen aficionado Don Hardy, reflects the director’s now well-seasoned propensity for innovation.

Play

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

When he first approached Hardy about adapting the novel for the stage, the author was hesitant. “Don didn’t feel the play could be crammed into one evening. That’s a lot of story to cram into a little time slot.”

Once he suggested presenting the play in two parts, though, Hardy was intrigued. “He spent about a year putting it together.”

The work premiered at Cue Productions last year and it was so popular, the two agreed it wasn’t too soon to bring it back this summer - with a few small improvements. “You know, you’re always tinkering.

Don added some dialogue and some explanation and transition for characters, Darcy and I think for Jane as well. There will be a few new costumes, and some new props.” The show also involves some unconventional staging. “(Hardy) didn’t want the actors to leave the stage. He wanted them to stay and be engaged in the story, so we had to come up with stations for everyone.”

SPOTLIGHT

WAR HORSE August 2 to September 9 SHN Curran Theatre 445 Geary Street, SF $31 to $100 I 888.746.1799 shnsf.com Based on the beloved novel by Michael Morpurgo and adapted

by Nick Stafford, War Horse is directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, and presented in association with Handspring Puppet Company. Filled with stirring music and songs, at the heart of the show are life-sized puppets which bring breathing, galloping, charging horses to breathtaking life on stage.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE August 3 to 26 Cue Productions Live 1835 Colfax Street, Concord $10 to $12 I 510.282.6174 b8company.com HUMOR ABUSE August 3 to 19 American Conservatory Theater 415 Geary Street, SF $25 to $95 I 415.749.2228 415.749.2228 There’s probably not a clown joke that Lorenzo Pisoni has not heard at least once. The son of Pickle Family Circus founder Larry Pisoni, Lorenzo not only had a clown for a father, he grew up in the circus and tumbled, juggled and, yes, clowned around in a 20-year career of his own. Humor Abuse is a return engagement of Pisoni’s heartwarming tale of family love and dysfunction, leavened with laughter and clowning.

AUGUST 2012 I

I 11

DAILY That’s Entertainment

AUGUST 5

HERBST THEATER Bay Area’s Largest Annual AIDS Benefit Show & Gala Benefiting 4 Bay Area AIDS Agencies

8 I DRAGONS

10 I Cascada de Flores

9 I Andrew Bird

10 I Jane Monheit

Oracle Arena I Oakland $65-$100 I 800.745.3000 ringling.com Presenting their latest circus from Rinling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey.

Independent I SF $50 I 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com Outside Lands Festival. With Kelly Hogan.

La Peña Center I Berkeley $12-$15 I 510.849.2568 lapena.org Jovelyn Richards’ story of a brothel set in an African American neighborhood during the Depression. (Ends 8/12)

9 I Kim Waters

10 I Ngaio Bealum

Cobb’s Comedy Club I SF $18.50 I 415.928.4320 cobbscomedyclub.com With special guest Rachel Feinstein.

(Ends 8/12) 9 I Mesut Özgen

Lesher Center I Walnut Creek $25 I 925.943.7469 lesherartscenter.org Presented by Sierra Guitar.

12 I

I AUGUST 2012

10 I Mrs. Pat’s House

142 Throckmorton I Mill Valley $20-$30 I 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org Vaughn is joined by Bob Kenmotsu, John Wiitala and Kent Bryson.

9 I Loni Love

helpisontheway.org 415.273.1620

Napa Valley Opera House I Napa $25-$30 I 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Gifted jazz vocalist.

9 I Eric Vaughn Quartet

Yoshi’s I SF $18-$22 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com/sanfrancisco Smooth urban jazz saxophonist.

Sam Harris Helen Reddy Rex Smith Maureen McGovern Kimberley Locke Lisa Vroman Jake Simpson Carole Cook Paula West Tuck & Patti Cast of Les Mis & MORE

Old First Church I SF $17 I 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org Celebrating the music of the golden radio age of Latin America.

9 I Nicki Minaj

Punch Line San Francisco I SF $19 I 415.397.7573 punchlinecomedyclub.com Sharing the stand-up stage with Sean Rouse. (Ends 8/11) 10 I Outside Lands

Golden Gate Park I SF $95-$225 I No Number Available sfoutsidelands.com Neil Young, Foo Fighters, Beck, and many, many more.

10 I Seal

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $55-$155 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com With special guest Macy Gray.

Paramount Theatre I Oakland $48.50-$82.50 I 800.745.3000 paramounttheatre.com Trinidadian-American rapper and singersongwriter.

10 I Soul Power

9 I Ottmar Liebert

10 I Terence Blanchard

Bankhead Theater I Livermore $39-$51 I 925.373.6800 mylvpac.com World-renowned nouveau flamenco guitarist and composer, with Luna Negra.

9 I Weird Al Yankovic

Uptown Theatre I Napa $55 I 707.259.0123 uptowntheatrenapa.com His Alpocalypse Tour.

10 I A Funny Thing Happened...

Woodminster Amphitheater I Oakland $27-$56 I 510.339.0241 woodminster.com Hilarious musical farce set in ancient Rome. Music by Stephen Sondheim.

Beautiful outdoor setting. (Ends 8/19)

Yoshi’s I Oakland $15-$18 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Horn-driven funk & soul.

Yoshi’s I SF $20-$24 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com/sanfrancisco 5-tim Grammy award-winning jazz trumpeter & film composer. (Ends 8/11) 10 I The Nickel Slots

142 Throckmorton I Mill Valley $15-$20 I 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org With Todd Morgan & the Emblems.

10 I Washed Out

Independent I SF $25 I 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com Outside Lands Festival. With Seventeen Evergreen.

by will schmid It’s an old joke, but if anyone can breathe new life into “putting the fun into dysfunction,” it has to be Winnie, Rachel, Trixie and Trampolina - better known as The Kinsey Sicks. The a capella drag quartet is marching to a fife and drum beat with their politically-themed show Electile Dysfunction.

Getting a politician to state a position is always a challenge, and according Irwin Keller - Winnie’s alter ego - some days it felt like every time he and his cohorts would come up with a really wicked musical gag for the show, their subject would flipflop and change the punch line.

“In a certain way our challenge - especially during the primary season, and especially with that cast of characters going for the Republican nomination - our challenge was being extreme enough,” says Keller. “Every time we would create a lyric, poking fun at the Republicans by taking some outrageous position, or saying some outrageous thing, we would turn on the TV and one of the candidates would have just said it.”

Washington, D.C. at Theater J. That’s theater with an ‘er’ not an ‘re.’ None of that British shit,” jokes Keller. “We spent a fair amount of time in 2011 writing this show, coming up with all new music. This show has 12, 13, 14 songs that had never been in any Kinsey Sicks show before. They were all written around this election, about this election, and about all the issues that were being bandied about. So the show is probably more political than any show we’ve done in quite awhile, and really biting and really funny.”

SATIRE

THE KINSEY SICKS

if you laugh for more than four hours...

ELECTILE DYSFUNCTION August 7 to 19 The Rrazz Room 222 Mason Street, SF $35 to $40 I 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com

image: c. stanley (the kinsey sicks - spencer brown, jeff manabat, irwin keller, ben schatz)

It’s all in a day’s work for Keller, Ben Schatz (Rachel), Jeff Manabat (Trixie), and Spencer Brown (Trampolina). The show is the group’s first commissioned work.

“We’re very happy about it. We premiered it in

AUGUST 2012 I

I 13

STILL STANDING (UP)

DAILY 10 I Wizard of Oz

12 I A Flock of Seagulls

11 I Blithe Spirit

12 I Al Jarreau

Newark Memorial High School $10-$15 I 800.838.3006 stage1theatre.org The Wizard of Oz (RSC version) performed by kids aged 5-17. (Ends 8/19)

Mike Capozzola at El Rio for Kung Pao Comedy. (8/13) COMEDY PALOOZA

Bruns Memorial Amphitheater I Orinda $35-$71 I 510.548.9666 calshakes.org Cal Shakes presents Noël Coward’s tale of a novelist who conjurs up the ghost of his late wife. (Ends 9/11)

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

11 I Buddy Guy

COMEDY RETURNS TO EL RIO

11 I MSTRKRFT

El Rio I SF $7-$20 I 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 I SF FREE I 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 I SF $20 I 415.346.3025 decosf.com LGBT comedy variety show that changes its theme every month.

MARK PITTA & FRIENDS

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

MINORITIES STAND UP

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

SFCC UNDERGROUND

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $39.50-$99.50 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com With Jonny Lang.

Independent I SF $35 I 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com With The M Machine.

11 I Seal

Wells Fargo Center I Santa Rosa $65-$85 I 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org Special guest Macy Gray.

11 I Singer’s Showcase

Firehouse Arts Center I Pleasanton $12-$25 I 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org Actresses performing Arlen (11th) and Gershwin (12th) selections. (Ends 8/12) 11 I Swing Set Jazz Combo

Rrazz Room I SF $25 I 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Multiple-award winning, student-led jazz combo from Maria Carrillo High School in Santa Rosa.

11 I The Blackbyrds

Greek Theatre I Berkeley $55-$95 I 800.745.3000 deadcandance.com 12 I Grandaddy

Independent I SF $25 I 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com Outside Lands Festival. With Caveman.

12 I Outside Lands Fesitval

Golden Gate Park I SF $95-$225 I 800.745.3000 sfoutsidelands.com Stevie Wonder, Jack White, Dispatch.

12 I Roger Hodgson

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $35-$85 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com Vocalist for Supertramp. With Tyrone Wells.

12 I Talk of Marriage

YBCA - Forum Theatre I SF $5 I 415.978.2787 ybca.org Performance & discussion touching on the sacred & profane nature of marriage, 12 I Tim Hockenberry

142 Throckmorton I Mill Valley $28-$40 I 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org 13 I Heart

11 I The Mikado

Yoshi’s I Oakland $15 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com With guitarist Jesse Harris.

11 I You and I

Campbell Theatre I Martinez $20 I 925.798.1300 willowstheatre.com A musical salute to music icons of the past. Willows Theatre’s Summer Series.

13 I Jesca Hoop

13 I The Shout

Grand Lake Coffee House I Oakland $5-$20 I 510.220.8614 theshoutstorytelling.com Life’s true stories told onstage without notes or scripts.

image: courtesy photo (mike capozzola)

TUESDAYS ARE JILLARIOUS

I AUGUST 2012

12 I Dead Can Dance

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $45-$95 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com With Fanatic Four.

Mountain View Center I MV $18-$52 I 650.903.6000 lamplighters.org Live orchestra, gorgeous sets and costumes, and the amazing voices of the Lamplighters! (Ends 8/12)

14 I

Stern Grove I SF FREE I No Number Available sterngrove.org With George Duke Trio plus Mara Hruby.

Yoshi’s I Oakland $25-$28 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com/oakland Funk and R&B pioneers perform their hits. (Ends 8/12)

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

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

Yoshi’s I SF $25 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com English New Wave band won a 1983 Grammy award.

different movements by grier cooper

DANCE

COUNTERPULSE

SPOTLIGHT

image: roel q. seeber (counterpulse - bianca cabrera), stouart bousel measure for measure)

MEASURE FOR MEASURE August 17 to 27 Café Royale 800 Post Street, SF $5 I No Number Available sftheaterpub.wordpress.com

CounterPULSE is offering a wide selection of live performance from emerging California artists this summer. BARK (Karen Schaffman and Eric Geiger), is an exploration of chance and our readiness for it; The Quest Unsaid (Navia Natarajan and Jyotsna Vaideeswaran) is a look at relationships seen through Indian classical dance, music and poetry; WorkMORE! #5 (VivvyAnne ForeverMORE! And Mica Sigourney/OX), has drag performers blurring the line between theater and nightclub experience; and Sunk in Sleep (Bianca Cabrera’s Blind Tiger Society), bills itself “part dream, part nightmare” and “a down the rabbit hole kind of exploit.”

“I’m interested in the way audiences witness and explore performances. I think being a passive witness is a wonderful way of engaging, but I’m interested in seeking out other ways for people to be engaged,” says Cabrera, director and choreographer.

“I’m interested in ways to make performance more of a party.” She explains, “There’s a bit of passive watching, sitting in chairs, but the there’s an interim space which I call The Portal. This is a space where they engage with the performers.

There will be food and drink offered. It was essential to me

that we tap into multiple senses.

You can choose your own level of adventure and participate as much or as little as you please.”

Cabrera partnered with Roel Q. Seeber, who created The Portal and serves as lighting and technical producer, and musician/ composer Ben Joudvalkis. “His music is incredibly ornate and technological,” says Cabrera. “We have been rehearsing and building the material together.”

The group takes its name from illegal dive bars that advertised shows of natural oddities/ curiosities during the Prohibition era. “Come see the Blind Tiger, 25 cents!!” meant a sly drink would be put in your hand as you perused the spectacles. These Tigers bring a hedonistic edge to Bay Area dance. “It’s like that final sip of wine,” says Cabrera, “where you say ‘I am feeling exactly like I want to feel - a little bit happy, a little bit dizzy… moving from the apex of the evening into a dream state.”

COUNTERPULSE August 3 to 27 CounterPULSE Theater 1310 Mission Street, SF $12 to $20 I 415.626.2060 counterpulse.org

San Francisco Theater Pub has been curating twelve-month seasons of both staged readings and full dress productions of rarely-produced classics, new translations, and wholly original works since 2010, all in an atmosphere of chummy camaraderie, aided no doubt by the freely-flowing libations at their Tendernob lounge home, Café Royale.

Artistic Director Stuart Bousel is no stranger to lesser-known works of Shakespeare, including adapting both Henry IV and Henry V in 2011, and directing The Merchant of Venice, now running at Next Stage. What draws to this month’s Measure for Measure is the theme of compassion.

“The basic crux of the story, a deviant ruler who acts in a manner that he won’t tolerate in others, is a fantastic set up for discussing how and why we forgive some people and condemn others - often for doing the same thing or things we ourselves have done,” he says. “Additionally, it has an extraordinary heroine in the character of Isabella, who is able to embody compassion effortlessly once she comes to understand her own flaws.”

Bousel suggests a balance of low commitment and maximum fun is part of what lures actors to Theater Pub. “The point is to be as diverse as possible and also to be as inclusive as possible, so that we’re a true Theater Pub working for the community.” Many cast members of Bousel’s ambitious, off-book Measure are not just Theater Pub regulars, but real movers and shakers in the SF indie theater scene, including Julie Heitner, Kristen Broadbear, and Neil Higgins.

- Nicole Gluckstern AUGUST 2012 I

I 15

DAILY 13 I Tommy Igoe Big Band

Rrazz Room I SF $25 I 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com 15 member band, including members of Tower of Power, Santana and The Doobie Brothers . (Ends 8/27)

14 I Eric Vaughn Quartet

graphic design publishing

Yoshi’s I Oakland $15-$20 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Featuring Eric Vaughn, Bob Kenmotsu, John Wiitala and Kent Bryson.

14 I Measure For Measure

Café Royale I SF FREE I No Number Available sftheaterpub.wordpress.com SF Theater Pub’s 2012 Shakespeare production of the Bard’s fast-paced romp. (Ends 8/27)

415.552.8040 www.viamedia.net a division of Caselli Partners LLC

14 I Sara Gazarek

Yoshi’s I SF $16 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Award-winning jazz vocalist.

14 I Scott Capurro

Punch Line San Francisco I SF $17.50 I 415.397.7573 punchlinecomedyclub.com Presenting his live comedy chat show Scott Capurro’s Position.

14 I Weird Al Yankovic

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $35-$65 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com The Alpocalypse Tour.

15 I Diana Krall

Wente Vineyards I Livermore $89-$289 I 800.745.3000 wentevineyards.comconcerts Summer Nights US Tour.

15 I Gipsy Kings

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $55-$149.50 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com Spanish instrumentalists.

15 I Ian Edwards

Punch Line San Francisco I SF $15 I 415.397.7573 punchlinecomedyclub.com Sketch-writer and comedian brings his stand-up to San Francisco. (Ends 8/18) 15 I Marlow Rosado

Yoshi’s I SF $22 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com With his twelve-piece band La Riquena playing “salsa dura.”

16 I

I AUGUST 2012

15 I DRAGONS

HP Pavilion I San Jose $105 I 800.745.3000 ringling.com The latest circus from Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey. (Ends 8/19) 15 I Will Durst

Yoshi’s I Oakland $20 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Political comedy.

15 I ZZ Top

Wells Fargo Center I Santa Rosa $69-$129 I 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org Kings of red-hot Texas boogie and blues.

16 I Alejandro Escovedo

Bimbo’s 365 Club I SF $25 I 877.435.9849 bimbos365club.com With Jesse Malin.

16 I Cherry Poppin’ Daddies

Yoshi’s I SF $22 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Oregon swing band.

16 I Diana Krall

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $59.50-$129.50 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com With Denzal Sinclaire.

16 I Dr. John & Lower 911

Independent I SF $39.50 I 415.771.1421 theindependentsf.com Featuring Jon Cleary. (Ends 8/17)

16 I Our Country’s Good

Redwood Amphitheatre I Ross $15-$30 I 415.251.1027 porchlight.net Royal Marines and convicts come together through theater. (Ends 9/27)

16 I Benny Green Trio

Yoshi’s I Oakland $18 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Hard-bop pianist.

16 I The Mikado

YBCA - Novellus Theater I SF $15-$59 I 415.978.2787 lamplighters.org Live orchestra, gorgeous sets and costumes, and the amazing voices of the Lamplighters! (Ends 8/18) 16 I Willie & the Locos

142 Throckmorton I Mill Valley $18-$30 I 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org Willie Royal of Willie and Lobo.

making rain

by lee walker An awkward spinster on a drought-ridden farm and the charming con man who promises her a downpour for $100 were the characters invented by N. Richard Nash for his play The Rainmaker, which opened on Broadway in 1954 with Geraldine Page and Darren McGavin, and was filmed two years later with Burt Lancaster and Katharine Hepburn. Then as now, plays that begat movies often begat musicals. Rechristened 110 in the Shade, Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt of The Fantasticks made their Broadway debut in 1963 with Inga Swenson and Robert Horton as the singing Lizzie Curry and Bill Starbuck.

MUSICAL

110 in the shade

The show bows this month at the North Bay’s Cinnabar Theatre in Petaluma and opera-trained Kelly Britt, fresh from playing Maria in West Side Story at Contra Costra Civic Theatre, stars as Lizzie.

At 25, Britt seems too young to be cast as a spinster, but director Elly Lichenstein helps put the term in context. “In the ‘30s, at the time of the show, a 25-year-old woman in a small town would be pretty nervous about her single-hood,” she says, “so age isn’t much of an issue in my mind. Lizzie has been sold a bill of goods about her looks. She believes herself to be plain, because her family sees her that way. When her inner beauty is discovered, her outer beauty will shine.

The great thing about Kelly is that she also has no idea how beautiful she is. Perfect casting, if you ask me!”

image: jenny elwick (110 in the shade - kelly britt). courtesy photo (sally struthers)

“I love her,” says Britt of the character. “I love that she’s a very straightforward and honest character. She says what’s on her mind without thinking it through sometimes, and that’s what gets her in trouble. She really has this beautiful quality. She’s very, very insecure, so she’s very exposed at times and she’s very vulnerable. It’s this whole process of discovery, of her finding her own beauty, and of Starbuck helping her discover that.”

110 in the shade August 17 to September 2 Cinnabar Theater 3333 Petaluma Boulevard North, Petaluma $25 to $35 I 707.763.8920 cinnabartheater.org

BAY AREA VENUES

Sally Struthers appears at Firehouse Arts Center in Pleasanton. (8/18) 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

AUGUST 2012 I

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SAN FRANCISCO VENUES

DAILY 17 I 110 in the Shade

Cinnabar Theater I Petaluma $25-$35 I 707.763.8920 cinnabartheater.org Musical version of The Rainmaker about a charismatic rainmaker’s visit to a drought stricken town. (Ends 9/2) 17 I 6RMS RIV VU

Maria Giere Marquis in Believers at Stage Werx Theatre (8/2-25)

18 I

I AUGUST 2012

17 I Carmina Burana

Davies Symphony Hall I SF $28-$34 I 415.392.4400 sfchoral.org SF Choral Society presents a semistaged production of Carl Orff’s erotic classic, with a twist. (Ends 8/18) 17 I Darol Anger & Furies

Freight & Salvage I Berkeley $22.50-$24.50 I 510.644.2020 thefreight.org All-star string extravaganza.

17 I Hiroshima

Yoshi’s I Oakland $28 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com/oakland Still producing beautiful music after 30 years. (Ends 8/19) 17 I Jazz Crusaders

Yoshi’s I SF $30-$40 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com/sanfrancisco Joe Sample, Wayne Henderson and Wilton Felder perform their hits from the 60s and 70s. (Ends 8/19) 17 I Jerry Jeff Walker

Bankhead Theater I Livermore $27-$47 I 925.373.6800 mylvpac.com Country singer/songwriter is know for writing the hit song “Mr. Bojangles.”

17 I Manhattan Transfer

Uptown Theatre I Napa $50 I 707.259.0123 uptowntheatrenapa.com With guests the Kellie Fuller Trio.

17 I Rights of Passage

New Conservatory Theatre I SF $25-$36 I 415.861.8972 nctcsf.org A new play focused on a gay Hindu from Bali woven with stories from around the world about dignity. (Ends 9/16)

Brava Theatre I SF $15-$30 I 800.380.3095 brava.org Bands from Veracruz, Mexico, join US bands. Benefit for Brava. (Ends 8/18)

17 I sfSoundOrchestra

Old First Church I SF $17 I 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org Celebrating the music of John Cage.

17 I Sunk in Sleep

CounterPulse I SF $20 I No Number Available counterpulse.org Kinetic dance production by Bianca Cabrera’s Blind Tiger Society, presented

by CounterPulse. (Ends 8/19) 17 I Super Diamond

Bimbo’s 365 Club I SF $22 I 877.435.9849 bimbos365club.com Neil Diamond cover band, with Duran Duran Duran. (Ends 8/18) 17 I The Liar

Forest Meadows Amphitheatre I SR $20-$35 I 415.499.4488 marinshakespeare.org West Coast premiere of The Liar, a new comedy set in the decadent and flamboyant cavalier period. (Ends 9/23) 17 I The Wizard of Oz

Spreckels Center I Rohnert Park $20-$26 I 707.588.3400 spreckelsonline.com Before Wicked there was The Wizard of Oz and the MGM motion picture score!

(Ends 8/26) 17 I Twin Shadow

Great American Music Hall I SF $21 I 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com With Poolside.

17 I URINETOWN

Village Theatre I Danville $18-$22 I 925.314.3466 musicboxtheatreco.com Corruption, police brutality, environmental meltdown and love. (Ends 8/19) 17 I WAR

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $35-$65 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com Special Guest Average White Band.

18 I Bay Area Tap Festival

Herbst Theatre I SF $18 I 415.392.4400 stepology.com 10th Anniversary Celebration.

image: courtesy photo (believers - maria giere marquis))

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

Diablo Actors’ Ensemble I WC $25 I 866.811.4111 diabloactors.com DAE presents this urban romantic comedy about two strangers locked in an apartment overnight. (Ends 9/1)

17 I Son Jarocho Festival

on the way to the amphitheatre by will schmid

image: kathy kahn (a funny thing happnened on the way to the forum - trente morant, jesse caldwell, john tichenor, kelly houston)

Save your tragedy for tomorrow, because Woodminster Summer Musicals has decided it’s time for “Comedy Tonight” with A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Based on the plays of Plautus, the 1962 show marked the debut of Stephen Sondheim as a Broadway composer after his acclaimed lyric writing for West Side Story and Gypsy. The jokes were supplied by Burt Shevelove and M*A*S*H creator Larry Gelbart and the show won the Tony for Best Musical.

The plot centers around Pseudolus, a conniving slave trying to win his freedom. Drawn into his plottings are his young master, Hero; Domina and Senex, Hero’s parents; Hysterium, slave to Domina; Erronious, their doddering neighbor; Marcus Lycus, the town procurer; the courtesan Philia, the object of Hero’s first love, whom Lycus has sold to Miles Gloriosus, a Roman general; and various soldiers, courtesans and proteans.

It’s low farce, filled with slamming doors, convoluted story twists and many mistaken identities. ”We did it back in I think 1982,” says director Joel Schlader.

“I remember how funny it was, even as an eight year old. So, we’ve always wanted to do it again. It’s a great show because it’s a small cast, pretty much one setting, so we don’t have a lot of scene changes or anything like that.”

Simplicity is a benefit for Woodminster’s familyfriendly amphitheatre setting. “When you hit a night that’s really nice weather, it is absolutely beautiful up there. I grew up in the theatre and it always amazes me when we hit a good night and you can look out and see the city.“

MUSICAL

A FUNNY Thing happened

“People come up even if they have crying kids.

They sit in the back, nobody hears them. We have low concessions prices. You can bring in your own food. You can bring in your own wine. So there’s a lot of things that you can do at Woodminster that you can’t do at other theatres, which is kind of nice.”

A funny thing happened on the way to the forum August 10 to 19 Woodminster Amphitheater 3300 Joaquin Miller Road, Oakland $27-$56 I 510.531.9597 woodminster.com

AUGUST 2012 I

I 19

COMEDY & IMPROV

DAILY 18 I Benny Green

18 I Teens on the Green

18 I Comedy at Campbell

18 I ZZ Top

Napa Valley Opera House I Napa $20-$25 I 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Jazz pianist with his trio.

DL Hughley plays Tommy T’s Showroom. (8/10-12)

20 I

I AUGUST 2012

18 I County Line Trio

Mildred Owen Hall I Pacifica $20 I 650.355.1882 pacificaperformances.org Pacifica Performances presents this Kingston Trio tribute band.

18 I Darol Anger

Dance Palace I Point Reyes Station $22 I 415.663.1075 dancepalace.org Renowned fiddler and his Republic of Strings.

18 I Merola Grand Finale

War Memorial Opera House I SF $25-$45 I 415.864.3330 sfopera.com The final performance from this year’s class of SF Opera’s Merola Program.

18 I Precious Little

Ashby Stage I Berkeley $18-$25 I 510.841.6500 shotgunplayers.org Play where best & worst of human nature collide. (Ends 9/9) 18 I Roy Zimmerman

Glaser Center I Santa Rosa $18-$22 I 707.568.5381 glasercenter.com Zimmerman shows off his razor-sharp songwriting ability and stage presence.

18 I Sally Struthers

Firehouse Arts Center I Pleasanton $28-$38 I 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org An evening with one of America’s most loveable actors.

18 I STAGE FLIGHT

O’Hanlan Center I Mill Valley $12-$15 I 415.388.4331 ohanloncenter.org Four funny and engaging female solo theater artists read and perform their compelling new works.

18 I Swingabilly Bash

Uptown Theatre I Napa $35 I 707.259.0123 uptowntheatrenapa.com Cherry Poppin’ Daddies and Deke Dickerson, with Kit & the Branded Men.

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $59.50-$155 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com Everybody’s favorite beard band.

19 I Braid

Slim’s I SF $20 I 415.255.0333 slimspresents.com With Owen, TS & The Past Haunts.

19 I Chiddy Bang

Independent I SF $20 I 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com Alternative Philly hip-hop duo.

19 I Keith Snell

Old First Church I SF $17 I 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org Gifted pianist returns to Old First.

19 I Opera @ Stern Grove

Stern Grove I SF FREE I No Number Available sterngrove.org Featuring soprano Leah Crocetto and tenor Michael Fabiano.

20 I Satisfaction

Yoshi’s I SF $20 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Rolling Stones tribute band.

21 I Barbara Cook

Rrazz Room I SF $55-$75 I 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Broadway legend in her show Let’s Fall In Love. (Ends 8/26) 21 I Kevin Shea

Punch Line San Francisco I SF $15 I 415.397.7573 punchlinecomedyclub.com Korean-born, American-raised comic.

(Ends 8/22) 21 I Michael Pedicin Quintet

Yoshi’s I SF $16 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Jazz tenor sax player and his band.

21 I Radiostar Improv & HUGE

Eureka Theatre I SF $15 I 800.838.3006 sfimprovfestival.com Part of the 2012 San Francisco Improv Festival.

image: courtesy photo (dl hughley)

BATS IMPROV Marina, SF improv.org I 415.474.6776 BLUE BLANKET IMPROV Half Moon Bay blueblanketimprov.com I 650.726.0770 BUNJO’S COMEDY LOUNGE Dublin bunjoscomedy.com I 925.264.4413 COBB’S COMEDY CLUB North Beach, SF cobbscomedyclub.com I 415.928.4320 COMEDY OFF BROADWAY Oakland coboak.com I 510.214.2626 COMEDYSportz San Jose comedysportzsanjose.com DARK ROOM Mission, SF darkroomsf.com I 415.401.7987 ENDGAMES IMPROV Union Square, SF endgamesimprov.com ENSO Half Moon Bay ensohmb.com I 650.726.1409 IMPROV San Jose improv.com I 408.280.7475 MADE UP THEATRE Fremont madeuptheatre.com I 510.573.3633 PUNCH LINE Embarcadero, SF punchlinecomedyclub.com I 415.397.7573 ROOSTER T. FEATHERS Sunnyvale roostertfeathers.com I 408.736.0921 SAN FRANCISCO COMEDY CELLAR Union Square, SF sfcomedycellar.jigsy.com I 415.345.8222 SECRET IMPROV SOCIETY Union Square, SF improvsociety.com STONE SOUP IMPROV Berkeley stonesoupimprov.com I 510.380.6808 TOMMY T’S SHOWROOM Downtown, SF tommyts.com I 415.346.5597

Campbell Theatre I Martinez $20 I 925.798.1300 willowstheatre.com David Studebaker and Ellis Rodriguez, presented by Willows Theatre.

Mitchell Park I Palo Alto FREE I No Number Available cityofpaloalto.org Palo Alto’s 2012 Twilight Concert Series.

new ground theatre dance company by grier cooper “Dance performance that’s like watching a movie brought to life onstage” is the way NewGround Theatre Dance Company describes AXIOM, their newest story-based production. The company uses a fusion of art forms to bring the unspoken script to life – every story repeats itself...until we are changed by a force that is stronger – a story about one man repeating his story as he faces his inner demons, shifting back and forth between the real world and the surreal, or AXIOM world, until he learns new ways to approach and change his outcome.

DANCE

AXIOM

“Dance can ignite so much within the whole person,” says Colleen Lorenz, founder and director of New Ground Theatre Dance Company, now in its third year. “You’re seeing it, you’re feeling it, you’re almost moving with the dancers onstage.”

Lorenz draws from her background as a movement therapist when creating new work. She states, “Choreography presents an opportunity to create new and contemporary design to reach people in a way they haven’t been reached before… I want to connect with the audience… awaken their thought process, to dive in a little deeper.”

images: rich rossi (axiom - sarah garland, david spain), courtesy photo (diana krall)

The original idea for AXIOM came from a dream about seven dancers, who represent the seven energies, or chakras in the body. Collectively the dancers have an extremely diverse background, ranging from ballet to hip-hop and ballroom. Lorenz discovered the original music through personal connections and was particularly drawn to David Sheffield’s work (which comprises the majority of the score). “There is such an emotional pull and so much variation is his work,” she says.

The company’s mission to awaken and inspire individuals through their dance theatre productions is taken a step further through workshops put on by New Ground’s sponsor, Arts Unity Movement, which draws material from the performances for their curriculum. “Today we are so mentally and digitally obsessed,” explains Lorenz. “Art can bypass all that… strip away the layers so you can be touched. We are so much more than our physical bodies. There’s a whole inner life to us that can really change things.”

AXIOM August 10 to 19 Notre Dame de Namur University Theater 1500 Ralston Avenue, Belmont $20 to $25 I artsunitymovement.com

SPOTLIGHT

DIANA KRALL August 15 I 8:15 pm Wente Vineyards 5050 Arroyo Road, Livermore $89 to $289 I 925.456.2400 wentevineyards.com August 16 I 7:30 pm Mountain Winery 14831 Pierce Road, Saratoga $59.50 to $129.50 I 408.741.2822 mountainwinery.com August 19 I 8:00 pm Davies Symphony Hall 201 Van Ness Avenue, SF $69.50 to $125 I 800.745.3000 ticketmaster.com Jazz musician Diana Krall is making three stops in the Bay Area this month. Two are luxury-level outdoor concerts at wineries in Saratoga and Livermore, where the upper-tier tickets include dinner. The third is a more traditional concert hall setting in San Francisco.

Born in Nanaimo, Canada, to a musical family - her father is a stride–style pianist and serious record collector - Krall grew up absorbing music that guided her future growth.

She attended Berklee School of Music in the early ‘80s, then moved to Los Angeles where she continued her studies with bassists Ray Brown and John Clayton, drummer Jeff Hamilton and pianist Jimmy Rowles.

Rowles convinced the young pianist to focus on her singing as well. By 1990, Krall relocated to New York City and began performing with a trio, and in 1993, she released her debut album on a small Canadian independent label.

AUGUST 2012 I

I 21

JUST THE TICKET!

DAILY 22 I Colbie Caillat

24 I George Benson

22 I Eric Johnson Band

24 I Hank 3

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $49.50-$79.50 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com And Gavin DeGraw.

Yoshi’s I Oakland $30 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com/oakland Rock guitarist and his band. (Ends 8/23) 22 I Kenny Neal

Matthew Santos tix for Hotel Utah on 8/15 are available at Ticketfly.

ONLINE/PHONE SALES 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

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

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.

22 I

I AUGUST 2012

22 I Time Stands Still

Mountain View Center I MV $42-$73 I 650.463.1960 theatreworks.org A war photographer and her correspondent lover return home. (Ends 9/16) 23 I Brandi Carlile

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $35-$59.50 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com With The Barr Brothers.

23 I Hapa

Napa Valley Opera House I Napa $30-$35 I 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Hawaiian band.

23 I Jamie Kennedy

Cobb’s Comedy Club I SF $25 I 415.928.4320 cobbscomedyclub.com Actor and comedian started out in standup. (Ends 8/25) 23 I John Heffron

Punch Line San Francisco I SF $18.50 I 415.397.7573 punchlinecomedyclub.com Season two winner of NBC’s hit series Last Comic Standing. (Ends 8/25) 23 I Lydia Pense

Yoshi’s I SF $16-$20 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com And her funk/soul band Cold Blood.

24 I Cinderella

Castro Valley Center I Castro Valley $15-$25 I 510.889.8961 curtaincallperformingarts.org This steampunk’d take on the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic! (Ends 8/31) 24 I Esperanza Spalding

Wells Fargo Center I Santa Rosa $35-$65 I 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org With her band Radio Music Society.

Regency Ballroom I SF $26-$28 I 888.929.7849 theregencyballroom.com With Hellbilly, Attention Deficit Domination, and 3 Bar Ranch.

24 I Hapa

142 Throckmorton I Mill Valley $25-$35 I 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org Pan-Polynesian music by Hawaiian musicians.

24 I Joey DeFrancesco

Yoshi’s I Oakland $20-$25 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com/oakland Organist with Jimmy Cobb on drums and Larry Coryell on guitar. (Ends 8/26) 24 I Rickie Lee Jones

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $35-$75 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com And Madeleine Peyroux 24 I Rory Block

Freight & Salvage I Berkeley $22.50-$24.50 I 510.644.2020 thefreight.org Delta blues artist.

24 I 7 Brides for 7 Brothers

6th Street Playhouse I Santa Rosa $26-$38 I 707.523.4185 6thstreetplayhouse.com Harkens back to the glory days of the movie musical. (Ends 9/16) 24 I Chad Deity

Aurora Theatre I Berkeley $32-$50 I 510.843.4822 auroratheatre.org A look at American culture via a pair of professional wrestlers. (Ends 9/30) 24 I Veronica Klaus

Rrazz Room I SF $30 I 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Acclaimed tribute to Peggy Lee, with the Tammy Hall Trio. (Ends 8/25) 25 I Cabaret Gone Choral

Firehouse Arts Center I Pleasanton $10-$20 I 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org Broadway Chorus and Tri Valley Rep in an evening of Broadway hits. (Ends 8/26)

image: stephanie bassos (matthew santos)

FISHERMAN’S WHARF 2800 Leavenworth Street Thursday to Saturday 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Yoshi’s I SF $12-$15 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com/sanfrancisco Modern swamp-blues musician.

Napa Valley Opera House I Napa $120-$135 I 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Legendary jazz guitarist and vocalist.

bentyne is back in the boop-bop by robert sokol

When Cheryl Bentyne steps onto Napa’s Uptown Theatre’s stage this month with Janis Siegel, Alan Paul and Tim Hauser, it will be her first stateside concert with the long-running group, better known as The Manhattan Transfer, since her cancer diagnosis in 2011. It was Hodgkins Lymphoma and the operative word is “was” since Bentyne is in good enough health after a round of chemotherapy to get back to work.

“I’ve been off the road for the last seven months,” she says. “I came off a tour last November - we were in Europe - and I was just feeling like shit. I was sick and had no energy. I was losing weight.

I couldn’t eat. I thought, oh God, I have the flu.”

She saw her doctor. “I spent six hours getting blood tests and I get home that night and the doctor calls me at home and he goes, ‘You’ve gotta get to the emergency room right now.’ I had to have a splenectomy the next day, and then I was laid up and was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”

In addition to being back in the Transfer groove, Bentyne has been working on some solo projects, which all members of the group do regularly. “I think that’s part of the key of why it works,” she says. “We do have those needs, and we support each other.” She’s got a new CD of Cole Porter tunes releasing this month and she returns to San Francisco on September 18 for a solo show with her trio at The Rrazz Room. She’s extremely sanguine about her experience with cancer. “You go through it thinking you’re never gonna feel better,” she says, “and then when it’s over it’s like you never remember how bad you felt.”

The Manhattan transfer August 17 Uptown Theatre 1350 Third Street, Napa $50 I 707.259.0123 uptowntheatrenapa.com

image: courtesy photo (tim hauser, cherul bentyne, janis siegel, alan paul)

The chemotherapy delivered one of its expected side effects. “I’ve got wigs,” she says. “I’ve worn scarves, I don’t quite have any hair yet, but that’s the least

of it. I feel great.” Other than needing to get back in shape, she says there was no impact on her voice. “It’s so amazing to talk about this now, because it just seems like it never happened.”

MUSIC

the manhattan transfer

AUGUST 2012 I

I 23

SPOTLIGHT

DAILY 25 I Brandi Carlile

Wells Fargo Center I Santa Rosa $36-$46 I 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org Singer/songwriter makes her Santa Rosa debut.

25 I Mochrie & Sherwood

OUR COUNTRY’S GOOD August 17 to September 8 Redwood Amphitheatre 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross $15 to $25 I 415.251.1027 porchlight.net

25 I Drew Harrison

Campbell Theatre I Martinez $20 I 925.798.1300 willowstheatre.com A tribute to the life and music of John Lennon.

25 I Esperanza Spalding

Paramount Theatre I Oakland $30-$75 I 866.920.5299 sfjazz.org And her Radio Music Society band.

SF Jazz.

25 I Foreverland

Bimbo’s 365 Club I SF $22 I 877.435.9849 bimbos365club.com Michael Jackson tribute band performing ‘Bad’ in its entirety.

25 I Grupo Falso Baiano

Mildred Owen Hall I Pacifica $20 I 650.355.1882 pacificaperformances.org Bay Area native band specializing in Brazillian Choro music.

25 I Rosanne Cash

Uptown Theatre I Napa $50-$60 I 707.259.0123 uptowntheatrenapa.com With Shawn Mullins.

KEIKO MATSUI August 17 I 7:00 & 9:00 pm George’s Nightclub 842 4th Street, SR $35 to $50 I 415.226.0262 georgesnightclub.com Keiko Matsui is a Japanese producer, contemporary jazz pianist and composer whose career spans three decades, during which time she has released twenty CDs and has received international acclaim.

Matsui grew up in Tokyo and took her first piano lesson at the age of five. Influenced by Stevie Wonder and Rachmaninov as well as early fusion masters Maurice Jarre and Chick Corea, Matsui began composing while in junior high.

24 I

I AUGUST 2012

25 I Stompy Jones

El Campanil Theatre I Antioch $22 I 925.757.9500 elcampaniltheatre.com Vintage jump style R&B. 25 I The Mikado

Bankhead Theater I Livermore $22-$46 I 925.373.6800 lamplighters.org Live orchestra, gorgeous sets & costumes, and the Lamplighters! (Ends 8/26) 25 I Tick Tock Boom Clap

Fairfield Center for Creative Arts $5-$8 I 707.422.1598 ticktockboomclap.com Premiere of romantic comedy about aging, grief & musical theater.

Yoshi’s I SF $15-$18 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com Latin soul artist.

26 I CMASH

Old First Church I SF $17 I 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org New Music repertory group.

26 I Cyrus Chestnut Quartet

Filoli I Woodside $60 I 650.364.8300 filoli.org Acclaimed pianist and his band.

26 I Gigantes Tour

HP Pavilion I San Jose $197.50-$248 I 800.745.3000 hppavilion.com Marc Anthony, Chayanne & Marco Solis.

26 I My Grandmother

142 Throckmorton I Mill Valley $15-$18 I 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org The Beth Custer Ensemble accompanies the screening of this 1929 silent film.

26 I OK Go

Stern Grove I SF FREE I No Number Available sterngrove.org Closing the Stern Grove Festival, with The Family Crest.

26 I Shawn Mullins

Freight & Salvage I Berkeley $22.50-$24.50 I 510.644.2020 thefreight.org Grammy nominated singer-songwriter.

26 I Steve Martin

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $45-$99.50 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com With The Steep Canyon Rangers. An evening of Bluegrass and comedy.

27 I Muziki Roberson

Yoshi’s I Oakland $15 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Jazz pianist and composer with his ensemble.

28 I Beres Hammond

Independent I SF $30 I 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com With 9Tomorrows.

28 I Diana Krall

Wells Fargo Center I Santa Rosa $69.75-$89.75 I 707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org With special guest Denzal Sinclaire.

images: thais harris (our country’s good - nick sholley, natalie palan walker, dorian lockett), courtesy photo (keiko matsui)

Journey to a 1780s penal colony in New South Wales where a group of Royal Marines and convicts put on a production of The Recruiting Officer in this award-winning play

by Timberlake Wertenbaker adapted from the Thomas Keneally novel The Playmaker. Porchlight Theatre Company presents the play outdoors at the Redwood Amphitheatre located at the Marin Art & Garden Center in Ross. Picnics welcome.

Napa Valley Opera House I Napa $50-$60 I 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Stars of Whose Line is it Anyway? with an evening of improv.

26 I Alex Cuba

WHO’S ON (THE) FIRST? 28 I Under Paris Skies

Yoshi’s I Oakland $20 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Two Parisian-inspired bands: The Baguette Quartette and Eurocana.

29 I Béla Fleck

Yoshi’s I SF $26-$40 I 415.655.5600 yoshis.com/sanfrancisco With the Marcus Roberts Trio, Jason Marsalis and Rodney Jordan. (Ends 9/1) 29 I Civil Twilight

Independent I SF $12-$14 I 877.435.9849 theindependentsf.com With Morning Parade, Vanaprasta.

29 I Dan Cummins

Punch Line San Francisco I SF $15 I 415.397.7573 punchlinecomedyclub.com Comedy Central favorite. (Ends 8/31) 29 I Desaparecidos

Regency Ballroom I SF $25 I 888.929.7849 theregencyballroom.com With The Velvet Teen.

29 I Men of Worth

Cinnabar Theater I Petaluma $20-$25 I 707.763.8920 cinnabartheater.org Traditional & original tunes about their homelands of Scotland and Ireland.

29 I Nicole Henry

Rrazz Room I SF $35 I 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com International jazz and American songbook recording artist. (Ends 8/30) 29 I Steve Martin

Wente Vineyards I Livermore $89-$289 I 800.745.3000 wentevineyards.comconcerts Plus Steep Canyon Rangers presenting an evening of bluegrass & comedy.

image: courtesy photo (madeleine peyroux)

30 I Janiva Magness

Yoshi’s I Oakland $16 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com Award-winning blues and soul vocalist.

30 I Big, Bad & Sexy

Improv I SJ $12 I 408. 280.7475 improv.com Hosted by Herman “Big Worm” Romero.

31 I Huey Lewis & News

Mountain Winery I Saratoga $45-$99.50 I 888.929.7849 mountainwinery.com

31 I Karrin Allyson

Rrazz Room I SF $35 I 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com 3-time Grammy nominated jazz vocalist brings her polished and versatile repertoire to the Rrazz Room (Ends 9/2) 31 I Lucky Stiff

Lesher Center I Walnut Creek $38-$47 I 925.943.7469 centerrep.org A zany, offbeat and very funny and romantic murder mystery farce! (Ends 10/7) 31 I Mark Nadler

Rrazz Room I SF $35 I 800.380.3095 therrazzroom.com Accomplished cabaret artist direct from his sold out NYC engagement with his show Crazy 1961. (Ends 9/1) 31 I The Musical Line

Old First Church I SF $17 I 415.474.1608 oldfirstconcerts.org The Monteverdi Brass and a quartet.

31 I Yellowjackets

Madeleine Peyroux sings at Napa Valley Opera House Band of Heathens

Café Du Nord I SF $12.00-$15.00 I 415.383.9600 cafedunord.com Austin-based band shares the stage with The Trishas.

Brown Bird

The Independent I SF $12-$14 I 415.771.1421 theindependentsf.com With These United States.

Evolfo Doofeht

Yoshi’s I Oakland $20-$25 I 510.238.9200 yoshis.com/oakland Acclaimed jazz quartet. (Ends 9/2)

142 Throckmorton I Mill Valley $15-$18 I 415.383.9600 142throckmortontheatre.org And Project Blue Book. Funk, gypsy and soul music.

31 I THE VASELINES

Ramana Vieira & Ensemble

The Independent I SF $22 I 415.771.1421 yoshis.com/oakland Twenty years in the making, the second Vaselines album is here!

31 I REFUSED

Fox Theater I Oakland $35 I 800.745.3000 thefoxoakland.com Swedish hardcore punk band from Umea.

31 I DEANNA BOGART

Biscuits & Blues I SF $20 I 415.292.2583 biscuitsandblues.com Combines the best of boogie-woogie, contemporary blues, country and jazz.

31 I James Cotton

Napa Valley Opera House I Napa $24-$28 I 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Grammy Award-winning blues harmonica master has recorded 30 solo albums.

Freight & Salvage I Berkeley $20.50-$22.50 I 510.644.2020 thefreight.org Fadista pulls traditional Portuguese folk music into the 21st century.

Ruckatan

Firehouse Arts Center I Pleasanton $15-$20 I 925.931.4848 firehousearts.org Latin, reggae, world-rock band.

The Sock Hop

Palace of Fine Arts I SF $25-$100 I 800.838.3006 funkanometry.org Funkanometry SF Dance Company’s annual dance showcase and fundraiser.

Yeasayer

Fox Theater I Oakland $25 I 800.745.3000 thefoxoakland.com With guest Daughn Gibson.

MADELEINE PEYROUX

Napa Valley Opera House I Napa $40-$45 I 707.226.7372 nvoh.org Known for intimately arranged covers of the early American blues and jazz.

AUGUST 2012 I

I 25

RECORDING Your destination for tickets to

Live & Cultural Events in the

San Francisco Bay Area

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG 2012 Concert Cast

FOLLIES Original Cast (Reissue)

GODSPELL 2011 Broadway Revival Cast

QUEEN OF THE MIST Original Cast

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN 2012 London Cast

TOP HAT Original London Cast

Josh Young Still Dreaming of Paradise

ANDREA MARCOVICCI Smile

The City Center Encores cast on two full discs. (psclassics.com)

Includes bonus track by John Ondrasik. (sh-k-boom.com)

Limited edition, remastered from the source tapes. (kritzerland.com)

Moving new score by John Michael LaChiusa. (ghostlightrecords.com)

Visit us at one of our three locations:

TIX Booth

@Union Square 350 Powell St San Francisco

Recent West End edition of the film & stage hit. (firstnightrecords.com)

Stage adaptation of the Astaire & Rogers film. (firstnightrecords.com)

City Sightseeing

@Fishermans Wharf 2800 Leavenworth St, San Francisco

California Welcome Center @Pier 39 Building B, Level 2 San Francisco 26 I

I AUGUST 2012

Tony nominee sings new & classic showtunes. (josh-young.com)

Cabaret star’s newst collection, from Chaplin to Pink. (marcovicci.com)

BACK

Michael Feinstein at Davies Symphony Hall

Adrienne Walters, Ashley Rae Little, Kristin Schmitz & Amie Shapiro of The Marvelous Wonderettes at Broadway By the Bay

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Brandon Callender, Margo Hall & L. Peter Callender at Spunk at Cal Shakes

Andrea Marcovicci at the Rrazz Room

Megan Briggs & Molly Holcomb of The Merchant of Venice at Custom Made

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Members of the cast of Chicago at City Lights Theatre Company in San Jose

Alex Kirchner, Katherine Cooper & Alex Rodriguez attend Sweeney Todd at the Eureka Theatre

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Trini Lopez at the Rrazz Room

The cast of D’Arcy Drollinger’s Project: Lohan at The Costume Shop

Charles Dean of My Fair Lady at SF Playhouse

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BACK Bobby Bryce of Sweeney Todd at Coastal Rep

The cast and band of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson at The Stage in San Jose

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Cindy Goldfield and Rachel Harker of Bill W. & Dr. Bob at San Jose Rep

Carlos Barrera of Marat/Sade at Brava Theatre Center

Zac Schuman, Sally Hogarty & Johnny Lew of Vaudeville at the Campbell Theatre

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The cast of Spring Awakening at Altarena Playhouse in Alameda

Linsay Rousseau, Velia Amarasingham & Maria Mikheyenko of Her Rebel Highness at Harlot

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Velina Brown of San Francisco Mime Troupe

The cast and director of Lips Together, Teeth Apart at New Conservatory

Daniel Fabricant, Emily Bergl & G. Scott Lacy at the Rrazz Room

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THE SOLD-OUT HIT RETURNS! “90 MINUTES OF NONSTOP HILARITY” San Francisco Chronicle

“PISONI’S PERFORMANCE IS BREATHTAKING.” The New York Times

“SURPRISING, FUNNY, AND ENTIRELY THEATRICAL”

BEGINS

AUG 3

Variety

Created by

Directed by

LORENZO PISONI and ERICA SCHMIDT

ERICA SCHMIDT

ACT-SF.ORG | 415.749.2228 GROUPS OF 15+, call 415.439.2473.

©2012 Feld Entertainment

Tickets Start At $15!

Additional fees may apply.

AUG. 8 - 12

AUG. 15 - 19

1-800-745-3000

205929

Come 90 minutes before showtime to see our Asian elephants at the Animal Open HouseSM. Then, come meet the stars an hour before the show at the interactive All Access Pre-show – FREE ADMISSION with your ticket!

Ringling.com

Scan here for sneak peek!