Broadway San Jose, a Nederlander Presentation, will present the San Francisco Bay Area premiere of “Pretty Woman: The Musical” at San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts (255 S. Almaden Blvd.) beginning Tuesday, March 21 and running through Sunday, March 26, 2023.

“Pretty Woman: The Musical” is based on one of Hollywood’s most beloved romantic stories of all time. Starring Broadway superstar and Tony Award®-nominee Adam Pascal as Edward Lewis and newcomer Jessie Davidson as the charming and charismatic Vivian Ward, “Pretty Woman: The Musical” springs to life with a powerhouse creative team led by two-time Tony Award®-winning director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell (“Hairspray,” “Kinky Boots,” “Legally Blonde”).

The Bankhead Theater in Livermore, CA. is set to take its audiences on a music trip around the world this month. From its talented neighbors to the North bringing us Canadian Brass on February 19, to a now fifth visit back to Livermore with the 23rd International Guitar Night on February 24, The Bankhead is celebrating musicality from beautiful cultures all over the globe this month. Both of these international performances will be right in the Tri-Valley at the beautiful Bankhead Theater in Downtown Livermore, CA.

Over the President’s Day holiday weekend, the Bankhead will be presenting Canadian Brass. With an international reputation as one of the most popular brass ensembles today and an imagination and consummate musicianship that has elevated the art of the brass quintet to what it is today, Canadian Brass has truly earned the distinction of “the world’s mot famous brass group.” Masters of concert presentations, Canadian Brass has developed a uniquely engaging stage presence and rapport with audiences. Each of their concerts shows the full range from trademark Baroque and Broadway hits, to new compositions and  arrangements created especially for them – from formal classical presentations to music  serve up with lively dialogue and theatrical effects. The hallmark of any Canadian Brass performance is having a spirit of fun – but never at the expense of the music, performed with utmost dedication, skill, and excellence.

by Ed Brice

Center Repertory Company’s adaptation of Obie Award-winning Cuban American author Caridad Svich’s compelling play “Red Bike” examines a crumbling American dream and the economic-social-cultural divide through the eyes of an 11-year-old growing up in small-town America. Trying to determine how to belong in a divided country, a child fixes her hopes on a red bike that encompasses all the possibilities the world might have to offer. Directed by acclaimed Bay Area director Jeffrey Lo, “Red Bike” presents an imaginative performance of highly choreographed theatrical storytelling.

Bay Area theatre veterans Adrienne Kaori Walters and Amy Lizardo co-star in this production. As the play’s two characters, M (Amy Lizardo) and A (Adrienne Kaori Walters), are the two halves of that 11-year-old’s mind; they are playmates and foils, sidekicks and enemies all in one. Walters turns her lines into little gems, as if she’s always finding the quiet way to read aloud from a diary. Lizardo is very convincing, having the ability to level with audience members, and enlist them into her many moods.

by Darlene Jurow

“Chopin in Paris” is an enchanting ‘play with music’ on the life of the renowned pianist and composer, Fryderyk Chopin, having recently been presented at the Hofmann Theatre at Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA.

This production takes audiences on a musical trip to the City of Light as the California Symphony continues its season featuring all female soloists; currently having Austrian-Romanian pianist Maria Radutu returning to take center stage as she performs Frédéric Chopin’s ‘Piano Concerto No. 1 (in E minor, Op. 11)’.

By Ron Friedenthal

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley is ringing in 2023 with the West Coast Premiere of Ali Viterbi’s “In Every Generation.” This celebration of Jewish tradition, following one family through four millennia of Passover dinners, past, present, and future, is both provocative and thought provoking. As the multi-generational, multi-cultural Levi-Katz family asks, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” they find they all have different answers as they struggle with questions of race and religion that have yet to be resolved. Maybe that is the perspective of watching  “In Every Generation.”  The theme of Passover is freedom and after all of this time, the question remains:  Will we ever be free?

It is obvious as the scenes developed that the Passover theme was used to show the importance of family, tradition, and the strength of Jewish independent thinking.  As the four scenes of the play unfold, they show the perspective of the family members, their lives and how they interact with each other throughout three generations.  The play also shows the importance of everyone following their own path, even it falls outside traditional norms.

Hammer Theatre Center (101 Paseo De San Antonio) in San Jose, CA. invites audiences to escape to the Italian Riviera during its National Theatre Live (NT Live) screening of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” directed by Simon Godwin (“Twelfth Night,” “Anthony and Cleopatra,” “Romeo & Juliet”). Filmed in front of a live audience at the National Theatre in London, this beloved comedy of new beginnings features Katherine Parkinson and John Heffernan in a new production reset in the 1930s. This gleeful production takes place in the legendary family-run Hotel Messina visited by artists, celebrities, and royalty. When the owner’s daughter falls for a dashing young soldier, the hallways are ringing with the sounds of wedding bells. However, not all guests are in the mood for love, and a string of deceptions soon follow. Met with critical acclaim, “Much Ado About Nothing” has been hailed as “a blissful revival”  and “sweet, sparkly, sexy, somber, and touching.” The NT Livescreenings of “Much Ado About Nothing” will be presented at 7:00pm, Thursday, February 2 and 2:00pm, Sunday, February 5, 2023 at the Hammer Theatre Center. For tickets ($20) or more information, the public may visit hammertheatre.com or call (408) 924-8501.

     Fresh off her acclaimed performance in last year’s Academy Award winning film CODA, actress and activist Marlee Matlin will tell the story of her life, Hollywood career, and activism in a Bankhead Theater presentation Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. In partnership with the Rae Dorough Speaker Series, The Bankhead is thrilled to bring to Livermore, CA. “An Evening with Marlee Matlin.” The Apple TV+ film “CODA” won the 2022 Academy Award for Best Picture and Matlin previously won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in the 1986 drama “Children of a Lesser God.” Deaf since age 18 months, Matlin is a staunch advocate for inclusion, acceptance and access. Her presentation will be offered in ASL and translated by an interpreter.

     BroadwaySF, part of the Ambassador Theatre Group, has announced that award-winning actor William Shatner, the Emmy® Award-winning actor who came to fame portraying Captain James T. Kirk on the original “Star Trek” television series, has signed on to provide special co-narration for the all-new concert tour, “Our Planet Live in Concert.”  Based on the Netflix original documentary nature series, the tour will play BroadwaySF’s Golden Gate Theatre (1 Taylor Street, San Francisco) on Saturday, March 4 at 8 PM.

     Audiences will experience the magic of “Our Planet” with the most memorable clips from the series projected on a large HD screen. Like the series, the live show is narrated on-screen by David Attenborough, who has brought the natural world to living rooms all over the world.

Charles Dickens’ endearing “A Christmas Carol” has beautifully withstood the test of time, and CenterREP’s stage production, currently playing at the Hofmann Theater at the Lesher Center for the Arts (1601 Civic Drive) in Walnut Creek, CA. through December 22, is the perfect way to welcome in this holiday season. It’s a charming story, brimming with music and dance, love and laughter, as well as compelling characters. Spectacular special effects throughout the show add to the excitement and surprise of the play, and even really scary ghosts, who, when introduced on stage, really gives the audience a scare!

It’s the most ‘bricktastic’ time of the year! Tis’ the season to make new traditions with holidays at LEGOLAND. The entire resort is bursting with holiday cheer through January 8, 2023, including a 30-foot LEGO Christmas tree that twinkles to holiday tunes.

Favorite holiday characters sare back and ready for hugs, pictures and selfies, and festive food offerings are plentiful.

From 4-D Movies to the LEGO Friends Beach Mission, LEGOLAND California offers entertainment to delight every member of the family. The Park is also filled with more than 60 kid-powered, kid-tastic rides, shows and attractions all built for fun!

     The 80-city “Disney Junior Live On Tour: Costume Palooza” national tour recently kicked off in California, and is geared toward Disney Junior’s most beloved super fans.

     The show brings beloved Disney Junior characters and favorite Marvel Super Heroes together live on stage for an immersive, interactive concert-style show with singing, dancing, 3D special effects, acrobatics, and more, with cirque-level performances, including trampoline routines from renowned acrobatic director John Brady. It features favorite songs from hit Disney Junior series, as well as new original music.

     It’s showtime! BroadwaySF, part of the Ambassador Theatre Group, presents ‘BEETLEJUICE: THE MUSICAL“ -- the ghost with the most that makes it’s San Francisco debut. ‘BEETLEJUICE is currently performing at Broadway SF’s Golden Gate Theatre (1 Taylor Street), San Francisco, CA. through December 31, 2022.

     Based on Tim Burton’s beloved film, “BEETLEJUICE” tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange an unusual teenager whose life changes  when she meets a recently deceased couple and Beetlejuice, a demon w ith a thing for stripes. When Lydia calls on Beetlejuice to scare away anyone with a pulse, this double-crossing specter unleashes a (Nether)world of pandemonium, and the biggest sandworm Broadway has  ever seen.

     Smuin’s joyful holiday tradition has returned to live in-theater after 21 months, spreading yuletide cheer at theatres around the Bay with its signature showcase of classical and contemporary dances set to delightfully festive tunes. “Smuin’s The Christmas Ballet,” currently performing through December 24 in Mountain View, Carmel, and San Francisco, celebrates the holidays with two colorful acts highlighting the best of both worlds: beautiful classical ballet set to beloved carols, and red-hot contemporary numbers set to pop favorites. Its 2022 edition features dances ranging from ballet, tap, and jazz, to swing and more, plus the unwrapping of two world premieres.

     This year's wildly popular, family-friendly experience features hundreds of new displays including larger-than-life animal lanterns throughout the Oakland Zoo. Enjoy a walkabout through the land down under with kangaroos and koalas, icons of the California coastline including whales, otters, and jellies, exotic animals of the tropical rainforest, and a trip to the past with a towering t-rex and a megalodon shark tunnel!

     The Winchester Mystery House has announced a lineup of special events that will take place throughout the holiday season.

     “The holidays are a very special time at Winchester Mystery House,” said General Manager Walter Magnuson. “Many people don’t realize that during Sarah Winchester’s lifetime, the spookiest day of the year was actually Christmas Eve. Families and neighbors would gather around the fire in shadow filled story circles to hear tales of specters and the supernatural.  We hope that our guests make a visit to the Winchester Mystery House part of their holiday tradition.”

     Dress up and join the party with “Disney Junior Live On Tour: Costume Palooza,” coming to the San Jose Civic Auditorium on December 8, then to the Luther Burbank Center in Santa Rosa on December 12.

     California Symphony recently celebrated the orchestra’s largest section, and its melodic heart and soul, with “All Things Strings,” conducted by California Symphony’s Music Director Donato Cabrera, which performed November 5 -6, 2022 at the Hofmann Theatre at Lesher Center for the Arts (1601 Civic Drive) in Walnut Creek, CA.

     Six mysterious guests assemble for a dinner party at Boddy Manor, and then become suspects when their host turns up deceased. But who is the killer? Ah, that’s the question in Center Repertory Company’s farce-meets-murder-mystery theatre stage adaptation of the classic Hasbro board game “Clue,” currently performing through November 20, 2022 at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA.

Back by popular demand, “The Book of Mormon” — which played two previous sold-out and record-breaking engagements — returns to San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts (255 S. Almaden Blvd.) for a limited engagement beginning Tuesday, November 22 and running through Sunday, November 27, 2022.

Music Icon Jose Feliciano to Make Appearance at Bankhead Theatre as Livermore Valley Arts Celebrates It’s 15th Anniversary Season.