Bring on the ‘Beetlejuice’
When most people think of “Beetlejuice” they likely focus on Michel Keaton chewing up scene after scene as the bizarro “bio-exorcist” spirit called in to scare the heck out of a innocent family and drive them from the house they have just purchased.
But the popular Tim Burton movie, which also starred Winona Ryder, Alex Baldwin and Geena Davis, among others, has evolved into a full-fledged American franchise, spawning a TV series, three video games and a stage musical by Eddie Perfect, Scott Brown and Anthony King. The show, which debuted on Broadway in 2019, is now playing in San Francisco’s through Dec. 31.
The musical centers on odd, troubled teenager Lydia Deetz, who is able to communicate with Beetlejuice and other members of the afterlife, and who prompts the titular ghost to unleash a crazed collection of otherworldly critters, including, as producers put it, “the biggest sandworm Broadway as ever seen.” Deetz is played in this run by Bay Area native Isabella Esler, who has appeared in several Children’s Musical Theatre productions.
For fans of horror/comedy and eye-popping stage effects, “Beetlejuice” will put you in its spell.
Details: Performances at Golden Gate Theatre, Taylor and Market streets, San Francisco; $66.50-$184.50; www.broadwaysf.com.
— Randy McMullen, Staff
The Gospel according to Ruthie Foster
Raised in a family of gospel singers, Ruthie Foster was a standout talent as a teenager in Texas, where she came to infuse the cadences of blues and folk music in sacred songs. Atlantic Records hoped to mold her into a pop star, but she decided to stick to her own path, earning widespread respect on the folk music scene with her first two records in the late 1990s.
A dozen albums later, Foster has proved she can move effortlessly between folk, gospel and blues settings, earning four Grammy Award nominations and eight Blues Music Awards in contemporary and traditional blues categories along the way.
Released in September, “Healing Time” is her latest studio effort. It’s a soul-stirring response to the isolation and despair imposed by the pandemic. Performing solo and accompanying herself on guitar, Foster’s embracing spirit is balm for every kind of woe.
She’ll showcase the album in a performance Friday at Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage.
Details: 8 p.m.; $32-$36; www.thefreight.org.
— Andrew Gilbert, Correspondent
On the road again: For their 44th season – and a return to the live performances scuttled by the pandemic – the Grammy-winning a cappella male chorus that justifiably calls itself “an orchestra of voices” is on tour nationwide with the annual “A Chanticleer Christmas” series of concerts. Each concert begins with a candlelight procession to the music of Renaissance masters and dips into jazz arrangements and holiday favorites before winding up with a hearty rendering of spirituals. The remaining dates on the Bay Area and Northern California portion of the tour are: 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Stanford Memorial Church in Palo Alto, 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday at St. Vincent’s Church in Petaluma, 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco, 8 p.m. Dec. 20 at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento, 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Dec. 21 at the Carmel Mission, 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Dec. 22 at Mission Santa Clara and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 23 at the First Congregational Church in Berkeley. Find your tickets, $38-$80 at chanticleer.org and treat yourself to a video of the guys singing “Deck the Halls” here to get yourself in the mood.
— Bay Area News Foundation
Stages bursting with holiday magic
Theater companies across the Bay Area are launching their holiday productions. Here are three you should know about.
“A Christmas Carol”: There’s no holiday tradition like the usual zillion different adaptations of this classic Charles Dickens story. American Conservatory Theater’s version by Carley Perloff and Paul Walsh is back for the first time since 2019. (Details: through Dec. 24; Toni Rembe Theater, San Francisco; $25-$130; www.act-sf.org.) Center Repertory Company brings back its longtime version by Cynthia Caywood and Richard L. James. (Details: Through Dec. 22; Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek; $29-$50; www.lesherartscenter.org.) Silicon Valley Shakespeare takes the story on for the first time in an immersive walking production, using Richard Orlando’s adaptation that was previously a staple of Northside Theatre Company. (Details: Through Sunday; History Park, San Jose; $30-$60; www.svshakespeare.org.)
“Cinderella”: Fairy tales are a holiday staple, and the African-American Shakespeare Company celebrates its 20th anniversary of presenting its version of “Cinderella” in a newly reimagined version with new choreography. (Details: Through Sunday at Marines Memorial Theatre, San Francisco; $30-$75; www.african-americanshakes.org.) Town Hall Theatre presents “Cinderella: A Fairytale,” an original retelling by Sally Cookson and Adam Peck revived from 2019 and told through a queer lens in its staging. (Details: Through Sunday; Town Hall Theatre, Lafayette; $25-$40; www.townhalltheatre.com.)
“The Jewelry Box”: Brian Copeland takes a break from his latest one-man show “Grandma & Me” to revive his beloved holiday monologue about doing odd jobs at the age of 6 to save up to buy a Christmas present for his mom in 1970s Oakland. Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday; The Marsh, San Francisco; $25-$35; www.themarsh.org.
— Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent
It’s officially ‘Nutcracker’ season
Most Bay Area dance companies are presenting their holiday productions now, which means there are a whole lot of “Nutcrackers” going on. Here’s a partial roundup.:
San Francisco Ballet “Nutcracker”: Company artistic director Helgi Tomasson’s take on the classic, now in its 19th year, sets the celebratory proceedings in San Francisco. Besides 83 company dancers, the production features 110 S.F. Ballet School children performers, live musical accompaniment as well as 150 pounds of artificial snow. Details: Through Dec. 27; War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco; $19-$465; 415-865-2000, www.sfballet.org.
Mark Foehringer’s Dance Project|SF: “Mark Foehringer’s Nutcracker Sweets” is a well-known Bay Area tradition, abridged to 50 minutes with younger viewers in mind. Details: Through Dec. 18. Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, San Francisco. $22.50-$44.50; nutcrackersweets.org.
San Jose Dance Theatre “The Original San Jose Nutcracker”: Through Dec. 18; San Jose Center for the Performing Arts; $44-$95; www.sjdt.org/the-nutcracker.
Oakland Ballet Company: “Graham Lustig’s The Nutcracker,” created by the company artistic director, follows Hoffmann’s original story line and includes the Oakland Symphony and the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir. Details: 1 and 5 p.m. Dec. 17, 1 p.m. Dec. 18; Paramount Theatre, Oakland; $33-$127; oaklandballet.org.
Berkeley City Ballet “Nutcracker”: 2 and 4:30 p.m. Dec. 17-18; BCB Studio Theater, Berkeley; $20-$25; berkeleycityballet.org.
New Ballet: “The San Jose Nutcracker” sets the action in — where else — San Jose, complete with historical references to the city and Silicon Valley. Includes live orchestra. There is also a 45-minute version for young viewers. Details: Dec. 16-18; California Theatre, San Jose. $25-$95; www.newballet.com.
Black Diamond Ballet “Nutcracker”: The company’s annual production is a mix of professional dancers and young ballet students. Details: Through Dec. 18; El Campanil Theatre, Antioch; $20-$35; www.blackdiamondballet.org.
Valley Dance Theatre: The company’s full-length, opulent production, accompanied by Valley Dance Theatre Pit Orchestra, has been a favorite of the Tri-Valley holiday scene for 41 years. Details: Through Dec. 18; Bankhead Theater, Livermore; $35-45; www.valleydancetheatre.com.
Peninsula Ballet Theatre: The company’s full-length “Nutcracker” plays 7 p.m. Dec. 16 and 2 p.m. Dec. 17; Fox Theatre, Redwood City; $50-$70; www.peninsulaballet.org
— Andrew Gilbert, Correspondent
Concerts bring holiday sparkle
Here are some of the holiday concerts to catch this weekend.
“Messiahs”: For many of us, Handel’s “Messiah” is a must. Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale, led by Richard Egarr, performs the classic 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15 at Herbst Theatre, San Francisco, and 7 p.m. Dec. 17 and 4 p.m. Dec. 18 at First Congregational Church, Berkeley.
Details: $32-$130; www.philharmonia.org.
Meanwhile, American Bach Soloists return to Grace Cathedral with their acclaimed “Messiah.” Jeffrey Thomas conducts, with a great lineup of vocal soloists: soprano Maya Kherani, countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, tenor James Reese, and bass-baritone Christian Pursell.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15-16; Grace Cathedral, San Francisco; $25-$125; americanbach.org.
“Winter’s Gifts: PEACE”: The Choral Project and San José Chamber Orchestra present two performances of their 18th annual holiday concert, featuring world music on themes of hope.
Details: 8 p.m. Dec. 16 at Mission Santa Clara de Asis; 8 p.m. Dec. 17 at First United Methodist Church, Palo Alto; $40 general, $25 seniors; $10 students; 408-295-4416; www.wintersgifts.com.
— Georgia Rowe, Corrrespondent
Oy, vey, it’s the holidays
The Kinsey Sicks, whose name is a tongue-in-cheek ode to Dr. Alfred Kinsley’s famed mid-20th-century hetereosexual-homosexual rating guide (“six” being “exclusively homosexual”), bills itself as “America’s Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet.” We’re not even sure what that means, exactly, except that a Kinsey Sicks performance entails gloriously goofy cross-dressing and razor-sharp harmonies delivered by some truly talented singers. The troupe owes its start to – what else? – a Bette Midler concert in San Francisco in 1993, when several guys showed up dressed in drag (as the Andrews Sisters), assuming that lots of concertgoers would be doing the same thing. Turns out, they were the only ones who did, but, as the story goes, they were invited by an impressed Midler fan to perform at a birthday party. A year later, the Kinsey Sicks were born, and while the lineup has changed frequently, the group has gone on to perform in shows, concerts and residencies around the Bay Area and across the country. The Kinsey Sicks are now performing their holiday show, “Oy Vey in a Manger,” at New Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. The story line, which might strike some as sacrilegious, involves a foursome trying to sell the famed Biblical manger before it’s lost to foreclosure. Or something like that. As NCT puts it, “crises arise, secrets are revealed, Jewish-Genile tensions surface, and mayhem ensues – all in glorious four-part harmony.” Yes, it’s a naughty show, not appropriate for kids, but for those looking for a different sort of blasphemous holiday production with killer vocals, “Oy Vey” could be just the ticket.
Details: Through Dec. 31, New Conservatory Theatre, Van Ness Avenue and Market Street; $25-$65; www.nctcsf.org.
— Bay Area News Foundation
Source: www.mercurynews.com