Saturday, December 29, 2018
In chronological order, these were the year’s most notable moments in the arts, from this editor’s highly personal perspective. “Vietgone” at American Conservatory Theater (March) Th…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 03:01AMSunday, December 2, 2018
In “Kaleidoscope,” the new Circus Bella show under a big tent on Treasure Island, clown Sara Moore balances a broom on her hand and has an amusing bit chasing the »
The post Circus …
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 05:00PMMonday, November 19, 2018
San Francisco Opera’s revised production of Jake Heggie’s opera “It’s a Wonderful Life” in its West Coast premiere is a feel-good holiday-themed piece, even as it could add some �…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 02:15PMWednesday, June 13, 2018
Fresh mixed-media effects and a strong cast set the stage for San Francisco Opera’s engaging revival of Francesca Zambello’s 2011 production of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle at Tuesday’s…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 02:00PMWednesday, May 30, 2018
Opera fans from around the world, especially Richard Wagner aficionados, will flock to the War Memorial Opera House June 12-July 1 as San Francisco Opera presents three cycles of the »
…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 03:01AMSunday, May 20, 2018
Since 2003, the San Francisco International Arts Festival has presented artists from across the world with innovative projects dedicated to increasing human awareness and understanding ̵…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 03:01AMFriday, May 4, 2018
It’s time for the 2018 Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, and that means free outdoor entertainment in The City from spring through fall. The festival’s 18th season begins at 1 p.m. »
Th…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 03:00PMThursday, March 1, 2018
Bay Area doctors told touching stories about love on Tuesday at Brava theater in The City in a live version of The Nocturnists, a San Francisco-based podcast dedicated to bringing »
The…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 03:01AMWednesday, January 17, 2018
San Francisco Opera will present a chronological, comprehensive selection of nine operas — from Handel’s rarely performed Baroque classic “Orlando” to Jake Heggie’s contemporary �…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 04:01PMMonday, November 6, 2017
San Francisco Opera brought back Massenet’s opera “Manon” after a 19-year absence Saturday evening in Vincent Boussard’s new production, which raised questions over its setti…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 01:30PMMonday, September 25, 2017
Although San Francisco Opera didn’t break new ground Saturday night opening its sixth revival of John Copley’s production of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” strong company debuts from sopra…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 03:00PMSunday, June 11, 2017
Paris in February can be a city as chilly as it is costly, as it is in Puccini’s “La Bohème.” But San Francisco Opera’s strong cast of bohemians breathed warmth »
The post Arti…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 02:00PMMonday, June 5, 2017
Mozart’s masterpiece “Don Giovanni” makes it quite clear it’s a man’s world. And two powerhouse bass-baritones, Ildebrando D’Arcangelo (in the title role) and Erwin Schrott (as h…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 05:45PMSunday, June 4, 2017
San Francisco Opera’s announcement that bass-baritone Erwin Schrott would replace the ailing Marco Vinco as Leporello in “Don Giovanni” is a win-win: The opera lands a renowned Mozart …
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 03:01AMThursday, June 1, 2017
Early on in “Rigoletto,” a curse befalls the title character that will dog him throughout the tale. But San Francisco Opera’s re-staging of the Verdi favorite, which opened Wednesday, …
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 01:45PMMonday, November 7, 2016
Director Francesca Zambello’s new San Francisco Opera production of “Aida” — boasting bold, contemporary designs by Los Angeles street artist RETNA — meets the challenges o…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 02:15PMThursday, November 3, 2016
There are many parts of Al Letson’s one-man show that are truly moving. One is when he, a black man, offers to shake the hand of a white cop who »
The post Poet Al Letson has a moving…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 01:00PMMonday, October 17, 2016
German soprano Nadja Michael, singing the lead role of San Francisco Opera’s revival of Olivier Tambosi’s riveting production of Leoš Janáček’s “The Makropulos Case,” is exc…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 02:30PMThursday, September 29, 2016
There’s no fool like an old fool, and few old fools endure comic flimflammery quite like the aging title character in Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale,” which has been revived after 32 …
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 09:00PMSunday, September 11, 2016
The attempt to adapt a 2,400-page-plus classic novel of Chinese literature into an English-language opera might seem destined to please neither Asian literary scholars nor Western opera puri…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 09:00PMSaturday, September 10, 2016
In Giordano’s pinnacle verismo work “Andrea Chénier,” which takes place during the French Revolution, it’s only a matter of time before heads start to roll. Fortunately, heads are m…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 06:45PMTuesday, September 6, 2016
San Francisco Opera faces a seemingly daunting challenge with its world premiere of composer Bright Sheng and co-librettist David Henry Hwang’s “Dream of the Red Chamber,” which is bas…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 03:01AMFriday, August 19, 2016
The 146th edition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus doesn’t have any elephants, and, guess what? They weren’t missed on Thursday’s opening night at Oracle Arena in …
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 02:30PMThursday, June 16, 2016
“I saw a muzzled dog vomit on the bus.” That first line promises much, and monologist Ady Lady follows through, in her wildly funny show onstage at The Marsh in »
The post Ady Lady …
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 03:01AMTuesday, May 17, 2016
Among the more than 100 offerings from 13 countries in the 2016 San Francisco International Arts Festival is the home-grown piece “Uncle Gunjiro’s Girlfriend” by Brenda Wong Aoki and M…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 03:01AMThursday, May 5, 2016
After a four-year drought relieved by a season of El Niño rain, what could be more appropriate than a new ballet by a California native, with a score composed by »
The post Smuin Balle…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 03:01AMWednesday, March 30, 2016
It’s too bad that not all storytelling theater pieces can have a soundtrack as eloquent as the one in “Second Time Around.” Compositions by Jean Jeanrenaud of Kronos Quartet fame »…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 05:21PMFriday, March 18, 2016
The best part of Justin Bieber’s concert Thursday at the SAP Arena in San Jose was when he invited a young woman onstage to tie his floppy blond hair back »
The post Justin Bieber com…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 02:57PMMonday, March 14, 2016
About 30 minutes into his nearly 3 ½ hour concert at the Oracle Arena in Oakland on Sunday, Bruce Springsteen surfed the crowd during a great sing-along version of “Hungry »
The post…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 03:15PMFriday, March 11, 2016
With plenty of tulle, glitter and living dolls, San Francisco Ballet’s happy production of “Coppélia” hides a dark core. Léo Delibes’ lively score, choreography by George Balanchin…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 05:36PMTuesday, March 8, 2016
San Francisco Opera’s new venture, called SF Opera Lab, is admittedly small. “One of the keys is the intimacy. Historically, San Francisco Opera produced grand-scale opera, and we have a…
SOURCE: The San Francisco Examiner at 03:01AM 
