From a foamy art exhibition to a performance of Mozart's last symphony, there are some adventures within the Bay Area this weekend.

Here is a partial overview.

When foamy bubbles = art

Do you remember the Foam parties, this cultural phenomenon, which was inexplicably popular within the Nineteen Nineties, through which people danced around with foamy bubbles in a room? Well, foam parties are back and this time they’re high art.

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays to February eighth, the Minnesota Street project will hold appearances by Mikhail Mikhailov's “self -obvious” in San Francisco. The first time that this piece has been staged you’ll be able to see what Hilarity results. Of course it’s deeper. “In our cultural dialogue about reality and perception, in our cultural dialogue and perception,” writes the organizers of the show. “At a time when several realities – equipped, virtually and artificially – overshadow and sometimes overshade and overshadow and Sometimes overshadow, Mikhailov's work intentionally uses darkness as a powerful artistic tool. “

There are two ways to enjoy this performance: as an observer or as a participant swimming in the froth while wearing white protective suits. However, most participants tickets appear to be sold out. So plan to be an observer – not a nasty thing since you will find a way to see what happens and never blindly (in a funny way) in foam.

Details: The doors open on Thursdays and Fridays at 5 p.m., with performances at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 2 p.m. with performances at 3:30 p.m. 1201 Minnesota St., San Francisco; Minnesota Streetproject.org.

Classic picks: Cal Symphoby; David Lang

This week there’s music for each taste within the classic music calendar: Mozart's on the Program at The California Symphony, David Lang returns with a brand new work to Stanford, and the Danish string quartet is especially acting at Cal Performances.

“Mozart Serenity”: At the California Symphony, music director Donato Cabrera and the orchestra begin the brand new yr with three beguiling works, starting with Mozart's final symphony, the Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter”. The guitarist Meng SU joins the orchestra in Rodrigo's breathtaking “Concierto de Aranjuez”, and Carlos Simon's “Breathe” completes this system.

Details: 7.30 p.m. Saturday, 4 p.m. Sunday; Lesher Center, Walnut Creek; 25 to $ 95; Californiasymphony.org.

Only and Stanford: David Lang returns along with his latest work with the title “Before and after nature” to Stanford Live. It is the meditation of the Pulitz Prize Price composer concerning the natural world, each before human existence and after man who has disappeared. The work was called “an immersive spectacle of sound and eyesight”.

Details: Presented by Stanford Live; 7.30 p.m. Saturday; Bing Concert Hall, Stanford; Tickets start at 32 US dollars; live.stanford.edu.

Danish joys: The Danish string quartet is characterised in the complete spectrum of chamber music, from baroque arrangements to contemporary works. In this return to Cal Performanances, they play music by Haydn, Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Caroline Shaw.

Details: 3 p.m. Sunday; Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley; $ 92- $ 110; Calperformances.org.

NT

Maniscalco brings laughter to the Bay Area

Sebastian Maniscalco has so much happening.

It is a presence on the large screen after he in celebrated movies similar to “Green Book” and “The Irish” in addition to in Voice acting in such animated (or partially animated) movies similar to “The Nut Job 2: Nusty by Nature, occurred, occurred. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “If” – the latter is one of the best films of 2024.

Maniscalco also plays in the TV comedy series “Bookie”, which recently started his second season on Max.

And of course he is best known for his stand-up comedy, which he in “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson”, “The Jay Leno Show”, “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon”, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, “Conan” and so many other programs.

The best strategy to experience Maniscalco's nostalgic, observing brand of humor is to envision him within the concert. And the stand-up comedy fans of Bay Area will even have this chance when the Jokester brings his IT-Right tour to the SAP Center in San Jose on Saturday.

Details: 7pm; Tickets start at 55 US dollars; Ticketmaster.com.

Wilders 'Ace' is a very good bet

It will not be too late to capture a few of the fantastic offers on the Noir City Film Festival, which, like Shadow and Fog, has bordered the Grand Lake Theater von Oakland.

Such an attraction is Billy Wilders “Ace in the Loch”. The seven-time Oscar winner has a jaw-waste resume, including “some as it is”, “The Apartment”, “Sunset Boulevard”, “Witness to law enforcement” and “double compensation”, to call just a number of. “Ace in the Loch”, his in 1951 within the soul of emptiness, differs from these more well -known publications within the indisputable fact that it requires not only human illness, but additionally the media, extremely dark view of human illness. Kirk Douglas plays a slimy reporter who cares with an enormous story that he covers to realize more popularity for himself. Jan Sterling Co-Stars within the Nieter from 1951 classic. The invoice begins with a 35 mm print by director Joseph Losey's edgy “The Prowler”, a scorcher from 1951 concerning the conspiracy of a person to murder a lady's husband who’s the topic of his desire. It was written by screenwriter Dalton Trumbo.

Details: The Prowler ”screens 2 and seven p.m. Sunday; “Ace in the hole” screens at 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. Sunday; Part of the proceeds go to the non -profit Noir Film Foundation; www.noircity.com

Originally published: January 29, 2025 at 8:00 a.m.

With holiday entertainment in full swing, there are many great shows and live shows to see within the Bay Area this weekend. Here is a partial overview.

The holiday “Cinderella” is back

The centuries-old Cinderella story about an ignored and humiliated girl who gets the last laugh (and the handsome prince) when given the possibility to shine has countless different versions with different origins stretching back centuries and world wide might be found. The versions mostly present in American popular culture reflect the story's beginnings in Europe within the seventeenth century and generally are predominantly white. And there's rarely a vacation reference, except after all for the 2019 teen romantic comedy Cinderella Story: A Christmas Wish (which currently has a 40 percent audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes). But the African-American Shakespeare Company of San Francisco is bucking each trends with its adaptation of “Cinderella.” The production, directed by Tavia Percia and starring Jasmine Williams within the title role, has change into AA Shakes' beloved holiday classic, often selling out. Although the plot follows the normal story to some extent, it also celebrates African American culture and offers a narrative of female empowerment.

Details: Performances will happen on December twentieth at 7 p.m., December twenty first at 2 and seven p.m. and December twenty second at 2 p.m.; Autumn Theater, 401 Van Ness Ave; $45, $18 for those under 21; www.african-americanshakes.org.

In the meantime, there are three more holiday stage shows to see this weekend.

“The Jewelry Box”: Brian Copeland is a talented performer and writer, and this funny and heartwarming story about how, as a 6-year-old boy, he tried to search out and procure an ideal Christmas present for his mother stays one in all his hottest works. He is reviving the show for the Christmas season.

Details: December twenty first, 5 p.m.; The Marsh, 1062 Valencia St., San Francisco; $25-$100; themarsh.org.

“Armistice: A Christmas Wish from the First World War”: A decade ago, San Jose's City Lights Theater Company presented the world premiere of the heartfelt play set in World War I, when warring factions agreed to put down their arms for Christmas in 1914. Now the hit piece is back as a Christmas production by City Lights.

Details: Until December twenty second; City Lights Theater, 529 S. Second St., San Jose; $31-$70; cltc.org.

“Sisters’ Christmas Catechism”: This a part of Maripat Donovan's solo stage series “Catechism” is described as a combination of comedy, mystery and a definitely unusual Christmas story. The touring show plays one night only in Livermore.

Details: 7:30 p.m. December 19; Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore; $55-$66; Livermorearts.org.

East Bay “Nutcracker” returns

The Nutcracker Christmas ballet has a fairly incredible history within the Bay Area. There is, after all, the San Francisco Ballet, which presented the primary full-length U.S. production of the classic in 1944. The San Jose Dance Theater's annual version is around 60 years old. And an amazing East Bay “Nutcracker” tradition returns this weekend to the Oakland venue where it has been performed for about 15 years. Oakland Ballet’s “Nutcracker” was created by the corporate’s artistic director, Graham Lustig. Set in Edwardian-era Vienna, the version follows the unique version of E. T. A. Hoffmann's story and includes elements of an often-dismissed act involving a fantastical dance within the Land of Sweets. The Oakland Ballet production also includes a ravishing Art Nouveau set and sensible costumes worn by a forged of about 40 dancers. Lustig's “Nutcracker” premiered in New Jersey in 1999 but is now the pride of Oakland. The production includes the Oakland Symphony and the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir.

Details: 21-22 Dec., 1 p.m.; Paramount Theater, 2525 Broadway, Oakland; Visitors can meet the artists on the “Sweet Dreams” reception after the performance. $34-$154; Oaklandballet.org.

There are Nutcracker and holiday dance performances everywhere in the Bay Area, there are several options here.

SF Ballet: Until December twenty ninth; War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco; $19-$465; www.sfballet.org.

New ballet “San Jose Nutcracker”: Presented in collaboration with Symphony San Jose; until December twenty third; California Theater, San Jose; $31.50-$121.50; newballet.com

Mark Foehringer dance project: Presenting the hour-long “Mark Foehringer’s Nutcracker Sweets”; until December twenty second; Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, San Francisco; $23.50-$59.50; nutcrackersweets.org.

Berkeley City Ballet “Nutcracker 2024”: 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. December twenty first; Alan Harvey Theater, Piedmont; $35; berkeleycityballet.org.

Peninsula Ballet Theater “Nutcracker”: 2:00 p.m. 21-22 December; San Mateo Performing Arts Center; $35-$70; www.peninsulalyarts.org.

“Hip-Hop Nutcracker”: 21-22 December, 2 p.m.; Fox Theater, Redwood City; $35-$70; www.peninsulalyarts.org.

Smuin Contemporary Ballet: The Christmas ballet program includes recent and classic works from the favored company; until December twenty fourth; Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA, San Francisco; $25-$119; www.smuinballet.org.

Here comes Muldaur’s “Holiday Swing”

Let's be clear: Famous singer Maria Muldaur has nothing against most Christmas songs – just the cheesy ones.

She created her “Holiday Swing” concert to remind us that every one the boring, overly sentimental Christmas songs that belong in elevators don't necessarily should define our holiday music experience. That's why she put together a group of swinging jazz, blues and roots songs that she sees as an antidote to the same old.

What could these songs be? You'll have to search out out for yourself on Sunday when Muldaur performs her “Holiday Swing” concert at Backroom in Berkeley, backed by her Jazzabelle quintet: Danny Caron on guitar, Ruthie Davies on bass, John R. Burr on piano, Kristin Strom on the horns and drummer Mark Lee.

Best known for her 1973 hit “Midnight at the Oasis,” Muldaur has a protracted, storied history that has produced greater than 30 albums and countless collaborations with artists starting from Jerry Garcia to Geoff Muldaur (her former husband) to Linda Ronstadt.

Details: Sunday, 3 p.m.; 1984 Bonita Ave., Berkeley; $30 (children under 12 free); backroommusic.com.

12 golden voices of Christmas

World-renowned, San Francisco-based Chanticleer, the 12-member a cappella male vocal ensemble, has hosted its program “A Chanticleer Christmas” at various Bay Area locations since 1978. The traditional opening is a slow candlelit procession into the church, cathedral or mission while singers perform Gregorian chants. This yr's version will feature the motet “Ave Maris Stella” (Hail, Star of the Sea), which can include verses by various composers, and the group will proceed to perform the early music that’s their trademark in the primary a part of this system. In the second half, further contemporary, stirring and joyful pieces follow, including excerpts from Benjamin Britten's famous “A Ceremony of Carols” and a comparatively recent piece by the Canadian choral composer Sarah Quartet. The touring holiday show runs this weekend.

Details: 7:30 p.m., Dec. 19 at Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church in Mill Valley; 4:00 and 6:30 p.m. December 20 at Mission Santa Clara; 7:30 p.m., Dec. 21, at First Congregational Church in Berkeley; December 22, 8 p.m. at St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco; 6:00 and eight:30 p.m. Dec. 23 at Carmel Mission; $45-$91; www.chanticleer.org.

And listed here are two more holiday live shows you must find out about.

“Vacation spectacular!”: Cal Performances presents the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus and its annual heartfelt, hilarious program of Christmas carols, satirical skits, guest dancers and drag artists; December 21, 5 p.m., Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley; $45-$125; calperformances.org.

“Winter Songs”: Presented by Kitka, the renowned nine-piece vocal ensemble dedicated to the music of the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Slavic countries; through December 22 in Oakland and San Francisco (also available to stream for $36-$56; kitka.org.

Originally published: December 18, 2024 at 1:19 pm PST

From one among pop music's biggest stars to an opera about Mount Everest to a Leonard Cohen-inspired music festival, there's plenty to see and do within the Bay Area this weekend.

Here is a partial summary.

Carpenter brings Short N' Sweet Tour to Chase

Sabrina Carpenter was not scheduled to play the 2024 Outside Lands Festival.

What became their headlining set originally belonged to Tyler, the Creator. But then the good hip-hop star withdrew from the band, calling Outside Lands “a commitment he could no longer keep.”

Luckily, Carpenter was able to fill the void and ended up making her festival headlining debut on the three-day event in August at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. And she did a improbable job, delighting an enormous crowd of boisterous fans with a dizzying pop music extravaganza that featured as many hits because it did star power.

This performance got here shortly before the singer released her sixth album, “Short n' Sweet,” on August 23, which propelled the 25-year-old Pennsylvania native into the ranks of the world's top pop stars.

Featuring multi-platinum No. 1 hits “Please Please Please” and “Espresso,” the album explains why the Short N' Sweet Tour has grow to be one among the toughest tickets of the 12 months. Expect a really full house when Carpenter returns to San Francisco for a performance on the Chase Center on November ninth.

Details: 7 p.m.; Tickets are $475 and up (through resale markets, subject to vary); Ticketmaster.com.

Ice cream is sweet for the vacations

The last time there was snow that stuck in San Francisco was 1976, so you may skip constructing snowmen unless you're heading to the mountains with the youngsters. But there's one enduring tradition that evokes winter wonders just as much: ice skating in the town's Union Square.

The seventeenth season of out of doors skating, which opened this week, runs through Jan. 20 on the Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square. It's an awesome opportunity to learn the best way to strap on skates, wiggle like a newborn calf, after which glide across the urban version of a frozen lake like a professional.

Numerous events happen parallel to the rink, including Flashback Fridays with personalities from the radio station Classic Hits 103.7 playing hits from the Nineteen Eighties; classical music on lazy Sunday mornings and a dance party on Black Friday to burn off those Thanksgiving calories.

There shall be a Drag on Ice show on December fifth where a number of the city's best drag queens and kings will dominate this icy catwalk. Then on January 1st, you may ring within the New Year Canadian style by showing as much as the polar bear skate in your skimpiest beachwear.

Details: until January twentieth day by day from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; 333 Post St., San Francisco; Admission including skate rental is $20, $15 for youngsters under 8; unionsquareicerink.com

Classics: Vivaldi, “Knoxville,” a mountain of an opera

This week's classical music attractions include the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra's tribute to Vivaldi, a Berkeley Symphony concert with Barber and Bernstein, and one other probability to see Opera Parallele's charming production of “Everest.”

“Vivaldi, Venice and the Four Seasons”: Celebrate Vivaldi's music with the Philharmonia's Baroque Orchestra and Chorale, with mandolin virtuoso Avi Avital leading a program featuring works by the acclaimed composer and a few of his contemporaries. Expect traditional Venetian songs and a performance by soprano Estelí Gomez, who will join the ensemble in performing an aria from “L'Olimpiade.”

Details: Today 7:30 p.m. at Herbst Theater, San Francisco, Friday 7:30 p.m. at Bing Hall, Stanford University, Saturday 2:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, Berkeley; $40-$132; philharmonia.org.

“Stories from home”: The Berkeley Symphony opens its 2024 Symphonic Series with a program featuring soprano Lisa Delan as soloist in Samuel Barber's “Knoxville: Summer of 1915.” Led by music director Joseph Young, the event also includes Bernstein's “Symphonic Dances from West Side Story,” Silvestre Revueltas' “Redes Suite” and the Grammy-winning Bay Area premiere of Kris Bowers' “For a Younger Self.” Violinist Charles Yang as soloist.

Details: Sunday, 4 p.m.; Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley; $25-$85; berkeleysymphony.org.

Up: For opera lovers who haven't yet seen Opera Parallele's production of “Everest,” now’s a great time to go to the California Academy of Sciences. Based on a real story of wonderful courage and featuring performances from tenor Nathan Granner and mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, composer Joby Talbot and librettist Gene Scheer's 68-minute graphic novel opera is breathtaking, and this performance on the Morrison Planetarium underlines that a brand new sense of drama to the already intense experience of opera.

Details: Friday to November seventeenth; Morrison Planetarium, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco; $35-$56; cityboxoffice.com.

SF is having a free party and also you're invited

As if San Francisco needed another excuse to throw a celebration, here's one other: November seventh is a Thursday! And not only any Thursday, but the primary Thursday of the month! That means the town's “Downtown First Thursdays” event is back, offering plenty of free fun on 2nd Street between Howard and Market Streets (and several other adjoining alleys) from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. A handful of stages and dance halls feature quite a lot of musicians, including special guests Micah Mahinay, aka Noodles, a San Francisco-born Filipino American DJ, and Andre Power, a DJ and producer who makes a speciality of showcasing emerging music artists. In total, the event will feature greater than a dozen DJs and musical performers, including the Mariachi Bonitas, an acclaimed all-female mariachi band that can perform on 2nd Street from 5 to 7 p.m. The program also includes drag performers, a performance by dance troupe Theater Flamenco, fashion shows and quite a lot of other entertainment options, in addition to two outdoor bars and free entry to the Minna Gallery and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Details: For more information, see www.dftsf.com.

Calling all Cohen fans

Leonard Cohen was an enigmatic and sensible songwriter whose compositions enchanted not only a legion of fans but other songwriters as well. Bob Dylan adored him, and there's a reason Cohen, who died in 2016, stays some of the covered songwriters in history. With his probing, often wistful songs based on quiet, slow-building melodies and delightful observations on love, life, sex, politics and pain, Cohen created a catalog of music based on classics like “Dance Me to the End of Love.” . “I am your man” and “Hallelujah”.

This weekend, Cohen's music, poetry and spirit shall be celebrated on the annual Leonard Cohen Festival, a three-day festival of readings and musical performances on the Swedish American Hall, 2174 Market St., in San Francisco. The event takes place from Friday to Sunday and is hosted and arranged by Conspiracy of Beards, a San Francisco-based men's choir that makes a speciality of performing Cohen's music. The Beards will perform, as will musicians reminiscent of American singer-songwriter Ruby Lee Hill and the band Ismay, in addition to writers reminiscent of San Francisco Poet Laureate Genny Lim.

Details: Performances begin day by day at 7:30 p.m.; $34.43-$44.73; www.sfleonardcohenfest.com.

The aspiring comedian is coming to Stanford, Sonoma

He makes some extent of not revealing his age, but comedian Mike E. Winfield has a youthful look and demeanor that suits him well on stage. This holds true even when he talks about his youth in a troublesome neighborhood in Baltimore, recalling how he once found a gun under his mother's pillow (“I couldn't wait for my teeth to fall out,” he says ), or of his uncomfortable indoctrination into parenthood when he married a much older woman whose son was about his age. His personable, cheerfully delivered autobiographical humor made Winfield successful on the tv series “America's Got Talent,” where he was a finalist, and is fueling his meteoric profession as a standup comedian with two taped comedy specials and a lot of late-night appearances ahead and an Emmy nomination for him. Winfield is coming to the Bay Area this week for performances at two venues.

Details: Friday, 7:30 p.m. on the Sebastiani Theater in Sonoma ($25; events.sebastianitheater.com); Saturday, 7 and 9 p.m. at Stanford University's The Studio, presented by Stanford Live ($15-$50; live.stanford.edu)

A season opener

Music Director Joseph Young and the Berkeley Symphony open the orchestra's 2024-25 season on Sunday at 4 p.m. in Zellerbach Hall on the UC Berkeley campus with a program called “Stories from home.” Fittingly, the pieces actually come from North America, starting with “Knoxville: Summer of 1915” by Samuel Barber, composed for orchestra and voice in 1947 and based on a brief prose piece by James Agee. Soprano Lisa Dean, an acclaimed interpreter of American art songs, is the soloist. Also on the schedule is the Bay Area premiere of “For a Younger Self,” a concert by Oscar-winning composer Kris Bowers that can highlight Grammy-winning violinist Charles Yang. Leonard Bernstein's jazz-influenced “Symphonic Dances from West Side Story” and the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas' “Redes Suite” from his film music round off the concert.

Details: Tickets, $25-$85, available at www.berkeleysymphony.org.

Originally published: November 6, 2024 at 2:09 pm PST

Today is Saturday, July 13, the 195th day of the yr 2024. There are 171 days left within the yr.

Today’s highlight of the story:

On July 13, 1985, the “Live Aid” charity rock live shows took place concurrently in London and Philadelphia, raising hundreds of thousands for famine relief in Ethiopia.

Also on this date:

In 1793, French politician, physician and journalist Jean-Paul Marat was assassinated by Charlotte Corday, who stabbed him to death in his bathroom.

In 1863, deadly riots against the Civil War draft broke out in New York City. (The riot was crushed three days later.)

In 1923, an indication bearing the 50-foot-high letters “HOLLYWOODLAND” was unveiled within the Hollywood Hills to advertise the division of the neighborhood (the last 4 letters were removed in 1949).

The first FIFA World Cup took place in Uruguay in 1930.

In 1960, John F. Kennedy won the presidential nomination in the primary round of voting on the Democratic Party Convention in Los Angeles.

In 1973, former presidential adviser Alexander P. Butterfield revealed to the staff of the Senate Watergate Committee the existence of President Richard Nixon's secret White House recording system.

In 1999, Angel Maturino Resendiz, suspected of being the “Railroad Killer,” turned himself in in El Paso, Texas.

In 2013, a Florida jury acquitted volunteer neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman of all charges related to the shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager whose killing sparked a heated debate about racial profiling, self-defense and equal rights.

In 2018, special counsel Robert Mueller alleged in a grand jury indictment that the Russian government was behind a broad conspiracy to interfere within the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

In 2020, Washington's NFL franchise dropped the “Redskins” name and logo under pressure from sponsors; the move followed many years of criticism that the name and logo were offensive to Native Americans. (The team was eventually renamed the “Commanders.”)

Today's birthdays:

• Game show announcer Johnny Gilbert (TV: “Jeopardy!”) is 96.
• Author and Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka is 90.
• Actor Patrick Stewart is 84.
• Actor Harrison Ford is 82.
• Singer and guitarist Roger McGuinn (The Byrds) is 82.
• The inventor of the Rubik's Cube, Erno Rubik, is 80.
• Actor and comedian Cheech Marin is 78.
• Actress Daphne Maxwell Reid is 76.
• Sports journalist and talk show host Tony Kornheiser is 76.
• Actor Didi Conn is 73.
• Actor Gil Birmingham is 71.
• Singer Louise Mandrell is 70.
• Former world boxing champion Michael Spinks is 68.
• Actor and director Cameron Crowe is 67.
• Comedian Tom Kenny is 62.
• Actor Ken Jeong is 55.
• Singer Deborah Cox is 50.
• Actress Aya Cash is 42.
• Former St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is 42.
• Actor Colton Haynes is 36.
• Actor Steven R. McQueen is 36.
• Soul singer Leon Bridges is 35.
• Actress Hayley Erin (TV: “General Hospital”) is 30.

Originally published: July 13, 2024 at 01:00

From the San Francisco Mime Troupe to the son of a famous Bay Area folk musician, there are many cool shows and concert events to see within the Bay Area this weekend.

Here is a partial overview.

Mime Troupe is back for summer fun

At a time when the political landscape seems about as solid as President Biden's debating skills, the San Francisco Mime Troupe returns to remind us, of their uniquely comical way: It might be worse. Much worse.

The politically oriented musical theater ensemble returns this week with one other recent production, which is traditionally performed in parks and other outdoor venues throughout the summer.

This 12 months’s show, created by Michael Gene Sullivan and Daniel Savio, Director: Velina Brown is titled “American Dreams.” It centers on an African-American man who’s so fed up with having his liberal dreams destroyed that he supports the conservative cause – to the dismay of a school professor's daughter, who wonders if her dreams of a political utopia are nothing greater than a mirage.

The show, which comically – and from a decidedly left-wing perspective – touches on controversial topics like AI, student unrest, election security and more, begins today at 2 p.m. at Mission Dolores Park in San Francisco and runs in Berkeley on Saturday. The tour runs through September 8. with mostly external stops in Berkeley, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Orinda, Davis and more.

Details: Admission to all performances is free. For the schedule and further information, visit www.sfmt.org.

Oakland film series serves free comedy classics

Are you craving for a touch of Nineteen Eighties nostalgia? Or do you’ve got children who’ve never experienced the enjoyment of computer graphics? Then come to Jack London Square in Oakland on July fifth and see a special screening of “Honey, I shrunk the kids”, the classic 1989 comedy that, surprisingly, has not been remade like every other successful film.

The screening is an element of Oakland's ongoing Waterfront Flicks series, held outdoors on the Marina Lawn. Previous movies include “Toy Story” and “Beetlejuice,” but you won't need to miss Rick Moranis' best work as a mad inventor who by chance shrinks his children to the dimensions of ants after which throws them out with the trash, where they need to fend off terrifyingly large insects. (What stressed-out parent hasn't a minimum of dreamed of doing this?)

It will not be yet known whether the screening will probably be coupled with the Roger Rabbit short film “Tummy Trouble,” which accompanied the unique theatrical release.

Details: The screening begins at 8:30 p.m. Meet on the Marina Lawn near Heinold's: First and Last Chance Saloon; free; blankets and/or lawn chairs welcome; snacks and sandwiches may be ordered from Left Bank; jacklondonsquare.com/events

The son of an icon enters the stage

Although he grew up in a conservative New Jersey family, David Grisman was instrumental in shaping the catchy, syncopated sound that characterised the Bay Area's freewheeling folk scene within the late twentieth century. After moving to the Bay Area, Grisman, an incredibly talented mandolin player, began to develop his musical identity, which brought him into contact with Jerry Garcia. The two developed a lifelong friendship and musical partnership. Grisman was a member of the bluegrass band Old and In the Way, led by Garcia, and helped develop a musical blueprint that blended folk, bluegrass, classical string band music, and gypsy jazz. Garcia named it “Dawg” music in Grisman's honor, reportedly because sooner or later while the 2 were walking on Stinson Beach, Grisman was chased by a dog.

We don't know what happened to the pooch, but Grisman's music lives on, partly in the shape of Grisman's son, Sam, who can be a talented string player. Since his love of his father's music stems from each its sound and the enjoyment and camaraderie it exudes, the young musician has formed the Sam Grisman Project, which makes a speciality of performing Grisman/Garcia songs, particularly from the early Nineties, in addition to Sam Grisman's own songs. The band will perform on the Freight & Salvage Club in Berkeley on July 6.

Details: 8pm; $49-54; www.thefreight.org.

Star violinist lands within the Bay Area

It was clear early on that drive and talent could be a given for young violinist Damien Escobar from Queens, New York. At age 10, he became the youngest student ever accepted into the Juilliard School of Music. After honing his skills busking on the streets of New York, Escobar formed the duo Nuttin' But Stringz along with his brother. About a decade ago, Escobar decided to go solo, and he has hardly looked back.

Escobar is taken into account an outstanding musician with a talent for combining soul, jazz and hip-hop with contemporary classical music. He has built a following all over the world along with his melodic albums and activism. He founded the Violins Against Violence foundation in 2007 and has been involved with the VH1 Save the Music Foundation and UNICEF. In 2018, he was nominated for an NAACP Image Award.

Celebrated as an excellent live performer, Escobar is on tour to support his latest release, “Gemini,” and is coming to Yoshi's in Oakland for a weekend performance.

Details: July 5, 7:00pm and 9:15pm, July 6, 7:30pm and 9:30pm; $49-$89; yoshis.com.

Rare appearance by Dinnerstein

The incomparable pianist Simone Dinnerstein, who catapulted herself into the stratosphere in 2007 with an exquisitely expressive recording of Bach's “Goldberg Variations” that continues to be the primary alternative for a lot of devotees (the New York Times called her “a singular voice in the forest of Bach interpretations”), will not be often heard here within the Bay Area, so it is advisable to jump at the possibility to listen to her perform July 5 as a part of pianist Awadagin Pratt's Art of the Piano Festival, held on the San Francisco Conservatory of Music's Barbro Osher Recital Hall on the eleventh floor of the Bowes Center at 200 Van Ness Ave.

Dinnerstein will draw a part of her program from the music of “Undersong,” the ultimate a part of a trilogy of albums recorded at her Brooklyn home in the course of the pandemic. She will play Couperin’s “Les Barricades Mystérieuses”; Schumann’s “Arabesque, Op. 18; Philip Glass’ “Mad Rush”; Erik Satie’s “Gnossienne No. 3” and Schumann’s “Kreisleriana, Op. 16.”

Details: Concert starts at 7pm; $20, www.artofthepiano.org.

Literature involves life

Have you ever found yourself tossing and turning uncomfortably in your seat on a plane, bus or train, attempting to avoid eye contact with a nosy, overly talkative seatmate who just doesn't appear to get the hint? Acclaimed Irish author Kevin Barry has written about this to hilarious effect in “The Wintersongs,” one in all three of his short stories performed with full text on stage by the dynamic San Francisco theater company Word for Word. Actors Stephanie Hunt and Ailbhe Doherty play the trapped young girl and her older seatmate within the story, which takes a somewhat surprising turn.

Also presented are “Who's-Dead McCarthy”, named after the annoying protagonist McCarthy, who enthusiastically desires to inform everyone in the town about who the last unlucky person to die is, and “The Coast of Leitrim”, which is about an ungainly Irishman who’s concerned with a younger Polish woman and eventually becomes obsessed along with her.

Details: Performances July 5-6, 8 p.m.; ZSpace Theater, 470 Florida St., San Francisco; runs through July 21; $40-65, zspace.org/barry.

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