thursday, sept. 13 Doobie Brothers Northern California’s Doobie Brothers are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their propulsive roots-based, harmony-laden, guitar-driven style that has sold an estimated 40 million records over the course of four decades. Their indelible contributions to the American songbook – from “Listen To The Music” and “China Grove” to “Black Water” and…
In 1942, their countrymen betrayed those who pledged it. Can a musical tell their story and prevent that from happening again? An interview begins with the interviewer mispronouncing a genuine Hollywood legend’s name. “It’s Tuh-kay,” said George Takei, most famous for his role as Lt. Sulu in the original, groundbreaking NBC television series, Star Trek,…
The Campaign In case you haven’t noticed, we’re smack dab in the middle of the silly season. This is the period during a political campaign when the promises, claims, attacks and revelations get so desperate and weird and implausible that “silly” is the only word that really describes it all. A few weeks ago, not…
thursday, sept. 6 Pippin A reimagined, innovative staging of the musical favorite that captivated Broadway audiences and continues to appeal to the young at heart everywhere! James Vasquez upends the story of a young prince searching for happiness and fulfillment. On his journey Pippin samples the glories of the battlefield, the wisdom of a grandmother,…
thursday, aug. 30 The Mystery Plays Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, Alfred Hitchcock and The Twilight Zone, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s The Mystery Plays is comprised of two intertwined, spine-tingling one-acts. In the first – The Filmmaker’s Mystery – a young horror film director survives a train disaster only to be haunted by a passenger he met briefly…
The nightlife venue that formerly housed Eden and Universal re-opened last Friday under an undisclosed name. Billed as a soft opening that also seconded as a renaming party, the event saw a large crowd who donned every look from street clothes and mohawks to “dress to impress” little black dresses and bow ties. Many are…
Cosmopolis A few years ago, I was reading Don DeLillo’s Libra, a speculative novel about the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and I remarked to a literary critic that none of DeLillo’s characters spoke like recognizable people, and they all spoke alike in their staccato pretentiousness. But there was one exception: Oswald’s wife, Marina, had…
No Time to Lose by Peter Piot It’s 10 minutes after the hour, and you’ve done it again. You hate missing the first part of your favorite show. Call it obsession, call it silly, but you have to see it from the start or you don’t feel it’s worth watching at all. Yes, you could…
dvd of the week I was surprised that the original film was written by Joel Schumacher, who went on to gayify Batman and direct St. Elmo’s Fire and The Client. But I was more surprised by Irene Cara in the title role. She’s so young, so vulnerable, and her singing is as soulful as Jordin…
dvr this Turner Classic Movies, Sunday, Aug. 26, 11:30 p.m. King Vidor’s 1949 adaptation of Ayn Rand’s ridiculous novel about an ambitious, obnoxiously individualistic architect is high camp absurdity, which is fitting because of how influential Rand’s politics are among the most selfish of the current Republican leaders. Gary Cooper is Howard Roark, in arguably…
