Featured: Bay Area Dance Week
Bay Area Dance Week is a week-long celebration, an opportunity for lovers of dance to experience the profusion of body-shaking styles offered in the Bay Area. With over 400 free events around the region to choose from, it will be hard to pick just one but we’ve got our eye on ODC’s events, including Rhythm & Motion Fusion Essentials with Heather Bornfeld on April 28 and Afro-Haitian with Blanche Brown on May 3. A community mixer, also on May 3, is a chance to socialize and meet your neighbors, too. Takes place in locations around San Francisco and the Bay Area (SF), April 26-May 5, bayareadance.org/
THEATER
Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
THRU MAY 12
Charlie Bucket and four other children win admission to the mysterious chocolate factory, where Willy Wonka serves as their guide to an epic adventure.
Golden Gate Theatre (SF)
888.746.1799, shnsf.com
Vanity Fair
THRU MAY 12
Ambitious Becky Sharp is as determined as ever to attain status in this new production based on William Makepeace Thackeray’s 19th-century novel. Playwright Kate Hamill reinvigorates Sharp with a spirit that is decidedly 21st century.
Geary Theater (SF)
415.749.2228, act-sf.org
Weightless, the Rock Opera by the Kilbanes
THRU May 12
Part concert, part play, part dream, this story of Procne and Philomela weaves together myth from Ovid’s Metamorphoses with indie rock to tell a story of sisterhood, love, betrayal and rebirth.
Strand Theater (SF)
415.749.2228, act-sf.org
110 In the Shade
THRU May 12
Sparks fly when a charming stranger visits a drought-stricken Depression-era town and the sheriff must deal with a con man.
Gateway Theatre (SF)
415.255.8207, 42ndstmoon.org
Jazz
THRU MAY 19
Adapted from Toni Morrison’s novel set in 1926 Harlem, this production explores themes of revenge and unforgivable acts. Underscored by Bay Area musician Marcus Shelby.
Marin Theatre Company (Mill Valley)
415.388.5200, marintheatre.org
The Jungle
THRU MAY 19
Named for the makeshift home of thousands of immigrants and refugees in Calais, France, from January to October 2016, this play is a reminder of a massive human rights crisis that stoked fears about the dangers of mass migration.
Curran (SF)
415.358.1220, sfcurran.com
Significant Other
THRU JUN 15
Surrounded by girlfriends during his search for Mr. Right, Jordan, a gay, Jewish, 20-something New Yorker, learns that supporting the people you love can be harder than looking for love.
San Francisco Playhouse (SF)
415.677.9596, sfplayhouse.org
Throwin’ a Ball Tonight
MAY 16–17
With cabaret in his heart and the American Songbook on his lips, Tom Reardon brings his wry storytelling and musical theater chops to the stage.
Feinstein’s at the Nikko (SF).
866.663.1063, feinsteinsatthenikko.com
Grease
MAY 19, 26
Launching its 106th season, the Mountain Play returns to Mount Tam with Chelsea Holifield (Sandy) and David Crane (Danny) donning saddle shoes and leather jackets not to brave the fog but to belt out classic hits through mid-June.
Cushing Memorial Amphitheater (Mill Valley)
415.383.1100, mountainplay.org
Moll Flanders
MAY 23–JUN 16
Adapted for the stage by Jennifer LeBlanc from Daniel Dafoe’s 1722 novel, the story follows the main character from England to the colonies in the New World and back again as she attempts to secure her financial future through her skill as a “fortuned widow.”
Barn Theater (Ross)
415.456.9555, rossvalleyplayers.com
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
MAY 28–JUN 9
After winning two Tony awards in 2014 and a Grammy in 2015, the musical story of the rise of King returns for an encore performance.
Golden Gate Theatre (SF)
888.746.1799, shnsf.com
Rhinoceros
MAY 29–JUN 23
In this new adaptation of Ionesco’s absurdist satire, a rhinoceros rampages through a town square. Villagers debate: was it real or is it fake news? Amid the chaos, one villager must decide to take a stand or join the mindless hordes.
A.C.T.’s Geary Theater (SF)
415.749.2228, act-sf.org
DANCE
Dance Series 02 and Best of Smuin
THRU JUN 1
Loosely inspired by the 385-mile protest wall of women in India on New Year’s Day 2019, Smuin Ballet celebrates the end of its 25th season with work from Amy Seiwert, along with the return of Michael Smuin’s favorites.
YBCA Theater (SF)
415.912.1899, smuinballet.org
The Shostakovich Trilogy
MAY 7–12
Set to the composer’s orchestral works, this co-commission with American Ballet Theatre includes three ballets; Symphony #9, Chamber Symphony and Piano Concerto #1.
War Memorial Opera House (SF)
415.865.2000, sfballet.org
Listening Creates an Opening
MAY 12–14
Part of the 2019 Walking Distance Dance Festival, this site-specific performance invites dance interpretation and deep listening, both within the body and across landscapes and public spaces.
Mary Armentrout Dance Theater (SF)
415.549.8519, odc.dance
Just Dance Academy Spring Performance
MAY 19
The San Rafael–based dance school presents Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a Bollywood performance.
Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael)
415.473.7000, marincenter.org
COMEDY
Jim Gaffigan
MAY 30–31
The Grammy-nominated comedian, actor, writer, producer and New York Times best-selling author yuks it up with jokes about fatherhood and observations on life.
Masonic (SF)
415.776.7457, sfmasonic.com
EVENTS
Immigrant Yarn Project
THRU MAY 15
Celebrate the diverse citizenry of the United States at the nation’s largest crowdsourced art installation, featuring thousands of yarn-based art pieces by over 600 contributors from California to Maine and everywhere in between.
Fort Point (SF)
immigrantyarnproject.org
Decorator Showcase
THRU MAY 27
With proceeds benefiting the financial aid program of San Francisco University High School, this annual event tasks 45 designers with remodeling each of this San Francisco manse’s 45 rooms.
Le Petit Trianon (SF)
415.447.5830, decoratorshowcase.org
Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change
THRU JUNE 1
This special exhibition on California’s wildflowers features photographs by Nita Winter and Rob Badger and addresses the effects of climate change on a universal emblem of beauty.
Bay Model Visitor Center (Sausalito)
650.608.1274, cnpsmarin.org
Party at the Piers: Alchemy
MAY 3
Celebrate the Exploratorium’s 50 years of science, art and human perception in a very Bay Area setting while enjoying demonstrations and performances, all to support another 50 years.
Exploratorium (SF)
415.397.5673, exploratorium.edu
Marin Open Studios
May 4–5, 11–12
Discover Marin artists and interact with them where they work.
Various locations
415.343.5667, marinopenstudios.org
Center for Reproductive Rights Benefit
MAY 7
Enjoy a cocktail reception and program featuring the personal stories of two legal clients of the center.
Julia Morgan Ballroom (SF)
reproductiverights.org/SFbenefit2019
Outdoor Antique French Market
MAY 12
French music by Michel Michelis and made-to-order crepes accent rows of booths laden with vintage clothing, retro and antique furniture, art and garden decor.
Marin Center (San Rafael)
415.383.2252, thefrenchmarketmarin.com
San Francisco Ballet School Festival
May 22–24
Hosted by the San Francisco Ballet Auxiliary, the events include a dinner and performances showcasing the best of the students’ work, in three different programs over three evenings.
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater and Four Seasons Hotel (SF)
415.865.2000, sfballet.org
Muir Beach Volunteer Firemen’s Barbecue
MAY 26
Savor barbecue chicken and vegetarian tamale lunches after dancing to live music by Andre Pessis and his All-Stars and Soul Ska. All proceeds from the event and raffle benefit the Muir Beach Volunteer Fire Department.
Santos Meadow (Muir Beach)
415.381.8793, muirbeachfire.com/bbq
FILM
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
THRU MAY 26
Disney’s first full-length feature (83 minutes) from 1937 asks the now age-old question: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”
Disney Theater (SF)
415.345.6800, waltdisney.org
MAY 1–5
Silent Film Festival
Including works such as Stan and Ollie, Buster Keaton in The Cameraman and Coeur Fidèle from Jean Epstein.
Castro Theatre (SF)
415.777.4908, silentfilm.org
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan with William Shatner Live
MAY 16
Enjoy a screening of the classic film, followed by the original Captain James T. Kirk (Shatner) on stage sharing stories from the Star Trek movies and TV series as well as from his 50 years in showbiz.
Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael)
415.473.7000, marincenter.org
The Tempest
MAY 16, 18
Watch the Stratford Festival’s latest production of Shakespeare’s final masterpiece from your theater seat.
Lark Theater (Larkspur)
415.924.5111, larktheater.net
Who Killed Lieutenant Van Dorn
MAY 20
Told through the eyes of survivors, pilots, mechanics and family members, this documentary explores the death of a Navy helicopter pilot in a 2014 training exercise and the subsequent investigation that uncovers a long history of institutional failings.
Rafael Theater (San Rafael)
415.454.5813, rafaelfilm.cafilm.org
