From the return of ‘Hamilton’ to a brilliant guitarist and a star-studded (literally) night in Oakland, there is a lot to see and do in the Bay Area this weekend.
The Founding Fathers are back
Is it just us, or does a musical about how a group of political leaders put their squabbling ways, personal interests and other matters behind them just long enough to create an American Democracy seem especially relevant right now?
Even if you don’t want to look at it that way, “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2015 musical that changed the notion of what a musical could be, is worth seeing. The fast-paced show with rapid-fire, hip-hop-infused numbers, a largely non-white cast and a compelling story wrapped around Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and the creation of the U.S. Constitution, makes for a thrilling night at the theater. And now it’s back in the Bay Area for a four-week run extending into early January.
“Hamilton,” based on Ron Chernow’s best-selling biography “Alexander Hamilton,” has been embraced with almost universal acclaim. It became an instant sensation with its off-Broadway opening and continued to generate sold-out audiences when it moved to the Great White Way, eventually garnering a record-breaking 16 Tony Award nominations and 11 trophies, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for drama.
Now a new North American tour of the iconic show, which blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and traditional showtunes in what Miranda has described as an exploration of “America then, as told by America now,” is playing at the Orpheum Theatre.
Details: Presented by BroadwaySF; through Jan. 5; 1192 Market St.; tickets start at $189; broadwaysf.com.
— Randy McMullen, Staff
All-world guitarist heading to Yoshi’s
Mike Stern will take your breath away.
He’s just that good — the type of guitarist who will leave you in awe with his fretboard fireworks, honed through decades of stellar work in the jazz world.
But please don’t just take our word on the matter. Instead, put our statement of his greatness to the test by going to see Stern when he performs three shows in two days.
Stern, of course, has amazing credentials in the music industry. He came to fame as a member of the popular jazz-rock troupe, Blood, Sweat & Tears, when he was 22. From there, he came under the wing of Billy Cobham, working in the drummer’s fusion group, before getting the call to join Miles Davis’ band.
He’s since established himself as a first-tier bandleader in the jazz game, thanks to such fine releases as 1988’s “Time In Place,” 1994’s “Is What It Is” and 2006’s “Who Let the Cats Out?”
The guitarist is out on the road with his latest Mike Stern Band ensemble — featuring drummer Dennis Chambers, saxophonist Bob Franceschini, bassist Janek Gwizdala and vocalist-guitarist Leni Stern — in support of the recently released album “Echoes and Other Songs.”
Details: 7:30 p.m. Monday and 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Tuesday; Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland; $29-$74; yoshis.com.
— Jim Harrington, Staff
Stars on parade in Oakland
The Perseids are lovely, peaking in mid-August with swift and plentiful fireballs, and October’s Orionids are a delight with their smoky, long-lasting trails. But real meteor-heads look forward to December when it’s time for the Geminids, the strongest annual shower, in terms of action, with more than 100 shooting stars zipping by every hour.
The 2024 Geminids meteor shower will peak overnight from Dec. 13 to 14 and, to celebrate, the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland is holding a watch party for kids and adults. Gather on the center’s observation deck to observe the busy skies and get all your astronomical questions answered by experts — where do the Geminids come from? (Asteroid 3200 Phaethon.) How big are they (pretty much grains of sand) and what might they taste like (perhaps clay or metal)?
The viewing conditions aren’t 100 percent optimal this year, with a waxing-gibbous moon providing interference, but the Geminids’ trademark light-bright meteors should still make the show a blast. Note: Bring warm clothing and optional blankets, chairs or sleeping bags.
Details: 11 p.m.-3 a.m. Friday; 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland; $15 for adults, $7 for ages 2-12, chabotspace.org.
— John Metcalfe, Staff
‘Nutcrackers’ of all kinds
With the holiday entertainment season in full bloom, here are some productions of the beloved “Nutcracker” you should know about.
San Francisco Ballet ‘Nutcracker’: Helgi Tomasson’s classic adaptation of the work is back; through Dec. 29; War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco; $19-$465; www.sfballet.org.
Dorrance Dance “Nutcracker Suite”: Presented by the nation’s preeminent tap company; 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday; Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley; $30-$150; calperformances.org.
“The San Jose Nutcracker”: Presented by New Ballet and Symphony San José, set in the South Bay in 1905 and featuring choreography by Dalia Rawson, New Ballet’s founder and artistic director; Saturday through Dec. 23; California Theatre, San Jose; $31.50-$121.50; newballet.com.
Mark Foehringer Dance Project: The roughly 1-hour “Nutcracker Sweets” was designed by Foehringer with young viewers in mind; through Dec. 22; Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, San Francisco; $23.50-$59.50; nutcrackersweets.org.
San Jose Dance Theatre: The company’s annual production of the “Original San Jose Nutcracker” runs through Sunday; San Jose Center for the Performing Arts; $39.50-$115; www.sjdt.org.
— Andrew Gilbert, Correspondent
Celebrating holidays in song
Looking for a special concert to round out your holiday calendar? Here are three you should know about.
“A Chanticleer Christmas”: Founded in 1978 by the late singer and musicologist Louis Botto, Chanticleer continues to set the gold standard for exquisitely sung choral music. From classical favorites to holiday carols, the 12-man vocal ensemble always achieves a radiant blend as they celebrate this special time of year. This season, the group returns under music director Tim Keeler — a countertenor who previously sang with Chanticleer — in a wide-ranging program that begins with a candlelit chant procession and moves to a joyous gospel conclusion.
Details: Friday through Dec. 23, with performances in Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, Mill Valley, Petaluma, Sacramento, Santa Clara, and Carmel; $45-$91; chanticleer.org.
“Wintersongs”: Kitka, the acclaimed nine-woman vocal ensemble dedicated to the music of the Balkan, Caucasus and Slavic lands, returns with its annual concert following the arc of the “Supra,” a traditional Georgian ritual feast.
Details: Through Dec. 22; concerts in Davis, Santa Cruz, Oakland and San Francisco; $36-$56; kitka.org.
“Messiah,” American Bach Soloists: It’s a Bay Area tradition: Handel’s masterwork, performed in Grace Cathedral, is one of the great holiday events, and American Bach presents it in all of its splendor. This year, conductor Jeffrey Thomas leads the orchestra and Bach Choir in a performance featuring soprano Mary Wilson, countertenor Eric Jurenas, tenor Jon Lee Keenan, baritone Jesse Blumberg, and the company’s Bach Choir.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Saturday; Grace Cathedral, San Francisco; $25-$135; americanbach.org.
— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent
Austen for the holidays
Jane Austen is justifiably revered for a great many things: her exquisite prose, her savvy critique of the British upper class, her emotionally satisfying romantic storylines. But she has rarely been thought of the go-to author for the winter holidays. But TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, along with Bay Area playwrights Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, may have changed all that. The Palo Alto stage company is presenting Gunderson and Melcon’s Austen-themed work, “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley” as its holiday stage show this year. The comedic rom-com is described as a sequel to Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” and, as the title makes clear, it is set during the holiday time. The play focuses on the middle Bennet daughter, (the “bookish” Mary, as organizers put it) who is weary of always being in the middle of her siblings’ romantic issues until a dishy new visitor arrives at Pemberley to light up her world.
Having scored with audiences in a trio of Austen adaptations – “Pride and Prejudice,” “Sense and Sensibility,” and “Emma” – you can’t blame TheatreWorks for returning to the beloved author, as well as acclaimed playwrights Gunderson and Melcon, for some holiday cheer. Directed by Jeffrey Lo, “Miss Bennett” plays at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto through Dec. 29.
Details: $34-$115; theatreworks.org.
— Bay City News Foundation
Some perky Prokofiev
We always expect the San Francisco Youth Symphony to bring families a rousing performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s charming “Peter and the Wolf” every holiday season, but we don’t know until the date approaches what celebrity will be picked to fill the narrator’s shoes. Past performers have included Sharon Stone, Linda Ronstadt, Robin Williams, Bobby McFerrin and Rita Moreno. This year, it’s the Filipino American Broadway star of “Aladdin” and current host of the kids TV series “Blues, Clues and You” Josh Dela Cruz who will be telling the tale of the plucky boy, his animal friends and the unlucky duck who gets swallowed whole. The concert, conducted by Radu Paponiu, takes place at 2 p.m. Sunday in San Francisco’s Davies Hall. There are other fun works on the program, including the “Thunder and Lightning Polka” by Johan Strauss, Jr., and it will wind up with a traditional holiday carol singalong.
Details: $37.50-$199; sfsymphony.org.
— Bay City News Foundation