A cultural commentary riddled with humor, insight, and clever dialog in two languages, San Francisco’s Playhouse’s production of the comedy “Chinglish” by Tony Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist David Henry Hwang is a perfect examlple of hoow culture and customs can collide. In this fast-paced modern comedy, culture and customs do just that as a naïve American sign manufacturer travels to China in search of a lucrative contract. While there he discovers the complexities of the venture as he learns that some things aren’t so easily translated. Directed by Bay Area director Jeffrey Lo, “Chinglish” is currently performing through June 10, 2023 at San Francisco Playhouse (450 Post Street).

     “Chinglish” is a brilliant two-act play performed in English, with one quarter of the dialogue in Mandarin with projected English supertitles. It is part social-political, part drama, and primarily a comedy of cultural misunderstanding.

     A special new exhibit, “It’s Only Rock n’ Roll (But I Like It),” is currently on display through July 9, 2023 at the UNCLE Credit Union Art Gallery in Livermore, CA. This gallery exhibition showcases the art of rock n’ roll, featuring guitars, album covers, photography, and more. Individuals and groups can take a visual tour of the history of rock n’ roll in the Gallery: acoustic guitars, solid and hollow body guitars, amps, pedals, album covers, posters, photographs, and other accouterments from the world of rock n’ roll are on display for visitors to relish in, reminisce, and recall greats of music history.

     As part of enhancing the public’s experience, LVA will also be hosting a number of events around this unique kind of exhibit: there will be a Rock n’ Roll Roadshow where visitors can learn more about a vintage or unique guitar in their possession on Saturday, June 3, and an Air Guitar Contest on the Bankhead stage on Thursday, June 8.

By Darlene Jurow

     The Contra Costa Civic Theatre’s presentation of the Bay Area premiere of “To Master the Art” is a delicious passion play written by William Brown and Doug Frew, and directed by Marilyn Langbehn. It begins and ends with Julia Child’s devotion to all things French, especially the cuisine she literally uncovers in a post-war Paris and inevitably exports to a grateful America.

      “To Master the Art” is the story of the legendary French Chef, Julia Child, from the French bistro where she fell in love with food, to the kitchen table where she recreated everything learned during cooking class, to a room where her husband Paul was grilled by U.S. agents about alleged Communist contact. . This is a larger-than-life story of a culinary icon and her remarkable spouse as they struggle to find themselves as Americans abroad.

by Ed Brice

     Smuin Ballet’s 2022-23 season finale, which began performing at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts in late April and continues performances throughout the Bay Area through May, is a dazzling performance headlined by four soaring works that highlight the company’s artistry and depth of talent. This stunning four-course production includes: “Swipe” by Val Caniparoli with music by Gabriel Prokofiev; “Sextette” by Katarzyna Skarpetowska with music by Johann Sebastian Bach; “Dream” by Michael Smuin with music by Chopin; and “French Kiss”, a world premiere by Amy Seiwert with music by Pink Martini. If there’s one thing that audiences take home from this stirring performance is how well the entire Smuin company dances – big and bold in repertoire that makes all its dancers look absolutely fabulous!

     It all begins as Val Caniparoli returns to Smuin with “Swipe”, a revival of the first work from the acclaimed dancemaker performed by the company. This highly technical piece for four men and three women is set to a remix of “String Quartet No. 2” by Gabriel Prokofiev, grandson of Sergei Prokofiev. A classically trained composer known for electronic and hip-hop music, Prokofiev’s music complements the vibrant energy of Caniparoli’s blend of classical and contemporary movement.

One of the most iconic and dynamic modern dance ensembles of our time, the Paul Taylor Dance Company has been innovating and transforming the art form of modern dance since 1954. Their recent performance was an unforgettable experience for all those in attendance, as was accentuated by the standing ovation they received at the conclusion of their Lesher Center for the Arts performance in Walnut Creek, CA. on Friday, April 7. Each of the three pieces presented that night showcased the highly-athletic and musical skills of both the dancers and choreographers alike.

Brandenburgs (choreographed by the late, founding director Paul Taylor) was a visual delight as the dancers brought the musical score of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos #6 to life. We could see the rise and fall of the notes, the rhythm of the measures, and the ebbs and flows of the musical dynamics as the dancers curved and turned across the stage, eliciting images of the detail, beauty, and grandiosity often associated with the Baroque era.

“Come From Away,” currently playing at Broadway SF’s Golden Gate Theatre (1 Taylor Street) in San Francisco, offers a moving, brilliantly shot and staged spectacle tied to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that brings that moment unerringly back to life. The poignancy of BroadwaySF’s stage presentation offers an uplifting, yet lump-in-your-throat emotional experience all at the same time.

“Come From Away” captures the remarkable use of the physical stage space – with the ensemble cast each playing multiple characters – while putting the cameras in positions that enhance the experience.

This fact-based musical tells multiple stories of the 7,000 people temporarily stranded in a small town in Newfoundland when 38 flights were grounded after the attacks, almost instantly doubling the size of the small but close-knit community.

     Center Repertory Company’s presentation of Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “SWEAT,” directed by acclaimed actor/director Elizabeth Carter, eloquently captures the malaise among a group of longtime co-workers at a Berks County, Pennsylvania, mill. This play follows a group of friends who have spent their lives working together on the factory floor, sharing drinks, secrets, and laughs. However, as their career prospects fade when layoffs and picket lines begin to chip away at their trust, they turn on one another, and these lifelong companions become combatants in this heart-wrenching fight to stay afloat. Race, class, and friendship are all elements that collide in this explosive drama.

     “Sweat” features a truly remarkable ensemble and creative team. Cathleen Riddley plays Cynthia, an African American factory worker interested in becoming a manager. Lisa Anne Porter plays the role of Tracey, a white factory worker who is friends with Cynthia, and Maryssa Wanlass plays Jessie, a friend of both Cynthia and Tracy. However, their friendship becomes destabilized when Cynthia moves into management.

     California Symphony explores the sphere of incredibly gifted people who influenced Gustav Mahler in its “Mahler’s Inner Circle” concerts, including one recently presented at the Hoffman Theatre at Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA. Featuring contralto Sara Couden performing Alma Mahler’s ‘Fünf Lieder’, the California Premiere of Hans Rott’s ‘Symphony No. 1’, and Alexander Zemlinsky’s ‘Lustspiel Ouvertüre’. This program continues the orchestra’s adventurous 2022-23 season, celebrating its 10th season under Music Director Donato Cabrera, introducing works never before performed by the California Symphony, and featuring an all-women line-up of soloists.

     Alma Mahler was an accomplished composer who relinquished her work to marry Gustav Mahler, with the five songs in her ‘Fünf Lieder’ being the only works published during her husband’s lifetime. Throughout her life, Alma became the muse of many celebrated writers, composers, and artists – from Gustav Klimt to Alexander Zemlinsky, Gustav Mahler, Walter Gropius, Oskar Kokoschka, and Franz Werfe. Klimt and Kokoschka painted her; she married Mahler, and following his death, Gropius and then Werfel. During her marriage to Mahler, she had an affair with young architect Walter Gropius, who helped her edit and publish the five songs that make up Fünf Lieder. They will be performed by Walnut-Creek based Sara Couden, a premiere interpreter of operatic, chamber, and song repertoire who has appeared at major opera companies including the Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco Opera, as well as Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Seattle Symphony.

     Abhann Productions has announced that the 25th anniversary production of Riverdance will continue its critically acclaimed tour in over 50 cities across North America in 2023 with a limited engagement at San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts (255 S. Almaden Blvd.) from Friday, May 12 through Sunday, May 14, 2023. The San Jose engagement of Riverdance is presented by Broadway San Jose, a Nederlander presentation.

     The performance schedule for Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show is as follows: Friday, May 12 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 13 at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sunday, May 14 at 1 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.

     Riverdance completed a successful 40-city North American Tour which marked the dance phenomenon’s long-awaited return to stages after the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. The 2022 tour included a sold-out, two-week inaugural run at Washington DC’s historic Kennedy Center, a special performance for President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and national television appearances on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, Good Morning America, GMA3 and Watch What Happens Live. The 2023 Tour recently kicked off with a special performance on America’s Got Talent, seen by over 7 million people across the country.

Welcome back San Francisco Playhouse (450 Post Street)! The opening night performance of “Clue” played to an excited packed house! This production, currently playing through April 22, 2023, brings the beloved board game “Clue” to the stage in a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery. Murder and blackmail are on the menu as six mysterious guests arrive at Boddy Manor for an unusual dinner party. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects and race to find the killer as the body count rises. Based on the cult-hit 1985 film, which was inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, “Clue” has been deemed “a welcome throwback to an era of physical comedy” by The New York Times. This uproarious comedy whodunit is certain to leave both cult-fans and newcomers in stitches as they try to solve the mystery.

San Francisco Playhouse Co-Founder and Producing Director Susi Damilano helms a starry cast of theatre talents who personify the game’s iconic characters. Bay Area theatre veteran Stacy Ross returns to San Francisco Playhouse as Mrs. Peacock, the batty wife of a Senator while another Bay Area theatre veteran, Michael Gene Sullivan, takes on the role of Professor Plum, an academic Casanova.

The Bankhead Theater in Downtown Livermore, CA. has a little something for everyone this month in a March Music celebration, with concerts and performances to satisfy every appetite. From nostalgic tones with the “Ronstadt Revue,” featuring Gesenia and special guest John Beland, on Wednesday, March 22 to a performance for families to come together at “Somos Amigos – Songs on Common Ground,” on Sunday, March 19, this month fills The Bankhead with melodies and tunes for all ages. Smooth jazz will even take over with Peter White on Saturday, March 25.

The Bankhead invites families to come together for an all-ages concert at “Somos Amigos – Songs on Common Ground.” Friendship is at the heart of this joyful collaboration between Mexican songstress Sonia De Los Santos and the Americana folk duo, The Okee Dokee Brothers. This bilingual program includes old and new songs that span the musical traditions of North America and illustrates the collective power of singing together and learning from each other. With an adventurous spirit and a shared vision of peace and understanding, Somos Amigos encourages young and old alike to explore, dance, sing, and laugh together hand-in-hand.

     Tropicana Las Vegas is excited to announce the opening of pool season for the Iconic South Beach-themed Tropicana Pool. The 2023 pool season will kick off on March 17 and guests can expect the new season to come with exclusive new menu food and drink options as well.

     Vegas comes alive when the weather warms up and the legendary Tropicana Pool has been a pool to been seen at for many years. New for 2023 Tropicana Las Vegas will celebrate “Tequilas in the Desert” as well new menu options such as Tequila-Infused Seasonal Fruit, Shrimp Tacos, Burrito with freshly grilled Carne Asada or Chicken, Tequila’s Famous Super Stacker and to go with the season’s theme of “Tequilas in the Desert,” an all-new large party Tequila Sampler platter that serve 4-6 people.

Guitars tuned. Mic checked. Get ready to rock as contemporary Dengue Fever hits and Cambodian oldies come together in perfect harmony to take you through past and present Cambodia as Lauren Yee’s Cambodian Rock Band performs at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre through April 2, 2023.

  Immerse yourself in the darkly electric story of a father and daughter set against a grim chapter of Cambodian history. As this intimate rock epic reaches its riveting crescendo, get ready to meet your new favorite band, the Cyclos.

     A dramatic, intriguing new exhibit, “Bay Area Figurative: Emerging from Abstraction,” is on display this spring at the UNCLE Credit Union Art Gallery through April 23, 2023. This gallery exhibition centers on one of the major art movements with direct roots in the Bay Area, Bay Area Figurative, and highlights the significance of this Movement, considered the first significant North American art movement to be based on the West Coast. The public is invited to experience this exciting exhibit at the UNCLE Credit Union Art Gallery at the Bankhead Theater in Downtown Livermore, CA.

The Oakland Zoo has a number of exciting events that the public is invited to attend this spring.

On March 15, 22, 25, 29, and April 1 the public is invited to take your next Zoo visit to a while new level by touring the Oakland Zoo’s state-of-the-art Veterinary Hospital. This behind-the-scenes tour will take you through a facility designed to accommodate all current and future animals at the Oakland Zoo.

Then, on April 3-7 and 1i0-14 the Oakland Zoo has two fun-filled sessions of Spring Break ZooCamp, and you’re welcome to join the Zoo’s staff for one or both! Each session will include all your ZooCamp favorites including games, songs, assemblies, animal close-ups, Zoo tours, Behind-the-Scenes, and more!

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.