Features
Goodbye Christopher Robin – Film Review
The charming character of Winnie-the-Pooh gives way to warm, childhood memories, but the reality is the children’s classic was wrought with the lifeblood of the author. The film Goodbye Christopher Robin, directed by Simon Curtis, tells the true story of how the character and book by A.A. Milne came to fruition. What appears to be a heartfelt and loving story on the outside is actually a quite depressing and sad tale of post-traumatic stress syndrome and childhood abandonment.
La Traviata at the San Francisco Opera
Verdi’s La Traviata is currently playing at The San Francisco Opera. It was first performed by the San Francisco Opera during the Company’s second season in 1924. This rendition features three company debuts, Romanian soprano Aurelia Florian as Violetta Valéry, Brazilian tenor Atalla Ayan as Alfredo Germont and Polish baritone Artur Ruciński as Giorgio Germont.
SISTER ACT-BAY AREA PREMIERE
Berkeley Playhouse opened their tenth season with Alan Menken’s musical comedy, Sister Act. The play is based on the hit 1992 film that featured Whoopi Goldberg as Deloris Van Cartier. There are slight differences between the two but the heart of the story is the same. Deloris witnesses a crime and needs to be placed into protective custody stat. Where’s the last place you’d look for a Disco Diva? A convent of course!
Opera in the Park – Huge Hit in San Francisco
This year’s roster for Opera in the Park included sopranos Sarah Cambidge, Amina Edris, Aurelia Florian and Toni Marie Palmertree; mezzo-soprano Jill Grove; tenors Atalla Ayan, Brian Jagde, Pene Pati and Kyle van Schoonhoven; baritone Artur Ruciński; and bass-baritone Alfred Walker performing arias and duets by Puccini, Verdi, Wagner, Bellini, Beethoven and Gounod along with traditional songs including “This little light of mine” and “The house I live in.”
Hamilton Returning to San Francisco
Producer Jeffrey Seller announced the first week of August that HAMILTON will return to San Francisco in early 2019. Information regarding engagement dates and how to purchase tickets will be announced at a later time.
The Beguiled – Film Review
In her new film, The Beguiled, Sofia Coppola gives audiences a melancholic and poignant tale of a group of women and their need for or perhaps rejection of men in a post-Civil War era.
A Night With Janis Joplin in San Francisco
It’s fitting that the American Conservatory Theater is bringing “A Night with Janis Joplin” back to the Bay Area during the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love in San Francisco. It’s estimated that nearly 100,000 artists, misfits, hippies, activist, anyone who was disgusted with current politics, consumerism, or just felt like an outsider united in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood.
Rough Night – Film Review
Rough Night is co-written and directed by Lucia Aniello. The film loosely borrows their plot from the 90’s movie Very Bad Things, the Christian Slater flick where a prostitute is killed at a bachelor party, The Hangover; for obvious reasons, and Bridesmaids for melding in the antics and hilarity of women prepping themselves for their friend’s wedding.