From a new take on a literary classic to an all-world opera singer and a festival devoted to arguably the cutest dogs in existence, there is a lot to see and do in the Bay Area this weekend.
Here’s a partial rundown.
New look at ‘Little Women’
Bay Area playwright Lauren Gunderson has created a walking-talking literary/theatrical museum of sorts with her works about real-life people and famous characters. These include Marie Curie, 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, her own husband (famed virologist Nathan Wolfe) as well as Jane Austen’s beloved “Pride & Prejudice” characters in her “Christmas at Pemberley” trio of plays.
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We are, of course, just scratching the surface with Gunderson, who is known as one of America’s most prolific and most-produced playwrights. Luckily, her Bay Area connections mean that many of her works get presented here, particularly at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley in Palo Alto.
She returns to the company this week with her latest project, “Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women,” a world premiere co-commissioned by TheatreWorks; City Theatre Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Northlight Theatre in Skokie, Illinois; and People’s Light in Malvern, Pennsylvania. In the world premiere production, Gunderson brings to the stage the iconic March sisters — Meg, Beth, Amy, and Jo — and their mother (Marmee) in a family-friendly story set in 19th-century New England and filled with the adventure, romance, hardship, and above all sisterhood that defines Alcott’s works. As the Chicago Tribune noted, “Gunderson’s love for her characters bursts from all her scripts. She fuses period interest with a contemporary sensibility.” TheatreWorks artistic director Giovanna Sardelli helms the production.
Details: In previews through Friday, main run is Saturday through Oct. 12; Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts; $39-$109; theatreworks.org.
— Randy McMullen, Staff
An a-peeling show for humor fans
What’s the funniest musical that you can think of? “Spamalot”? “Hairspray”? “Mean Girls”? All worthy contenders, for sure.
Yet, I laughed harder — and certainly more often — during “Shucked” at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco than I did while watching any of those other productions. Let’s face it, there are 498,735 jokes (give or take) in this 2022 musical, which received nine nominations — including for Best Musical — at the 76th Tony Awards.
And roughly 498,736 of jokes work in “Shucked,” which is making its West Coast debut at the Curran.
The story is set in a rural small town area known as Cobb County, which is in dire straights due to its highly valued corn crops dying. Thus, young Maizy (wonderfully portrayed by Danielle Wade, who also played “Cady” in the “Mean Girls” national tour) sets out on the road to find help for the corn in the thriving metropolis of Tampa.
Maizy ends up meeting convincing city slicker Gordy (played by Quinn VanAntwerp), who senses the opportunity to take these small town’s woes and turn them into cash. But can he carry out his dastardly plan before the people of Cobb County soften his heart and change his mind?
The musical, which my companion astutely likened to a modern take on “The Music Man,” also contains plenty of great tunes by the songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally.
Details: Through Oct. 5; Curran Theatre, San Francisco; 2 hours, 15 minutes with an intermission; $62.01-$198.90; broadwaysf.com.
— Jim Harrington, Staff
Classical picks: Runnicles & Mahler; Cohen at CalPerf
This week’s classical music events offer a wide range of styles, from the enveloping sound world of Gustav Mahler’s first symphony; in two additional concerts, audiences will hear songs from the natural world, and exuberant works by American composer-pianist George Gershwin.
Runnicles conducts Mahler: Sir Donald Runnicles, the former music director of San Francisco Opera, has Mahler on his mind; this week, the celebrated conductor returns to San Francisco Symphony to lead the composer’s Symphony No. 1. His program also includes Alban Berg’s Romantic “Seven Early Songs,” with mezzo-soprano Irene Roberts as vocal soloist.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; $55-$185; sfsymphony.org.
Cohen’s “Uncharted”: Countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen is at Cal Performances on Saturday, embarking on a concert comprised of songs recalling the beauty of the natural world. Accompanied by John Churchwell in the intimate Hertz Hall, the wide-ranging program includes works by Brahms, Schumann, Florence Price, and Jake Heggie.
Details: 8 p.m.; $78 and up; calperformances.org.
“Pictures from Paris”: This weekend, the California Symphony also steps back to another era, one that centers on the artistic milieu of 1920s Paris. Music director Donato Cabrera leads the orchestra in a program that includes works by Ravel and Mussorgsky, along with music highlights from George Gershwin’s exuberant “An American in Paris.”
Details: 4 p.m. Sunday; Lesher Center, Walnut Creek; $50-$110; californiasymphony.org.
— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent
Corgis get the call
Ever had a weird desire to swim in a sea of thousands of fluffy, smiling dogs? Well, experience the reality at this year’s Corgi Con, an annual gathering of the corgis held on Saturday at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.
The organizers bill the convention as the “largest corgi event in Corgifornia and probably the world,” and who’s going to fact-check them on that? Regularly held at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach before regulations forced it into the suburbs, Corgi Con attracts legions of these short-legged, fluffy-bottomed hounds, whose name is Welsh for “dwarf dog.”
While the schedule is yet-to-be announced, past conventions have included costume contests and a “Corgi Ninja Warrior” obstacle course tailored for very wee legs. There are usually speed races and a giant group picture that should provide phone-background happiness for a year. Also merch, from vendors selling everything from keychains and corgi plushies to patterned dog scarves. Note: Other dog breeds are welcome, and will be treated like honorary corgis for the day.
Details: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton; $11.20; corgicon.com.
— John Metcalfe, Staff
Freebie of the week
The “Movement” part of Movement Immigrant Orchestra actually can be taken several ways. It can refer to immigration itself, the constant movement of people around the globe that influences the Earth’s history and character in ways that vary from simple to profound. It can refer to the movement that is inspired by listening to the orchestra’s rich, rhythmic sound of Ethio-jazz as filtered through music from India, Mexico, Ethiopia, Cuba, Italy, Taiwan, Spain, Iran, China and Lebanon. And it calls attention to the band’s global drive through podcasts, broadcasts and live performances to spread the stories and songs of immigrants around the world, partly through its involvement in the PRX family of public media/radio content (prx.org).
The ambitious band/musical project was founded in 2020 by Ethiopian-born, San Francisco-based singer-songwriter Meklit Hadero, a former refugee, and Italian-born percussionist Marco Peris Coppola. True to its wide-ranging musical foundation, Movement Immigrant Orchestra’s performances can vary considerably, depending on which member is leading the band during a particular song. Movement Immigrant Orchestra was said to have turned in an incendiary performance during last year’s Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, and the band will be back at the event this weekend – from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday – for a free performance.
Details: The concert is at Yerba Buena Gardens Great Lawn, on Mission Street, between 3rd and 4th streets. More information is at ybgfestival.org.
— Bay City News Foundation
Carmen’s Lundy’s big Bay Area weekend
These are good times for Bay Area fans of Carmen Lundy, the 70-year-old multi-talented and influential jazz singer-songwriter. She’s a featured performer at the Monterey Jazz Festival on Sept. 27 (5 p.m.; montereyjazz.org), a highlight in what is a stellar lineup for those who love jazz vocalists. And on Friday, you can catch her at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley. It’s likely that she will have new music to showcase, since she is slated to drop a new album this year, although the title and release date have not been announced. Even without a new record, Lundy has a packed catalogue of great tunes from the some 15 albums she’s released. She composed a great deal of the songs she’s recorded (more than 50 in all), earning raves for her songwriting and arranging skills, not to mention her stellar work on piano and guitar. She’s also an acclaimed actor, a painter (who’s had shows in New York, L.A.) and teacher. Lundy broke through in 1985 with the acclaimed album “Good Morning Kiss,” and has gone on to earn two Grammy nominations in the best jazz vocal album category.
Details: Lundy performs at 8 p.m. Friday at Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage club. Tickets are $34-$39 (you can see two shows for $50 if you also want to book tickets for trumpeter Keyon Harrold at 8 p.m. Thursday). Go to thefreight.org
— Bay City News Foundation