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There are a lot of great shows to see this weekend and beyond in the Bay Area, from rumbling dinosaurs to a revival of “A Chorus Line.” Here is a partial roundup.
Dinos ready to roam in San Jose
Dinosaurs never seem to go out of of style, which after some 230 million years, is really saying something. But they are really having their moment in the Bay Area.
The popular exhibit of beautiful behemoths, “The World’s Largest Dinosaurs,” is on display at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco through January (www.calacademy.org). And this weekend, the family-friendly “Jurassic World Live Tour” rumbles into San Jose’s SAP Center for several shows.
Based on the popular film series, “Jurassic World Live Tour” transforms the SAP Center into Isla Nublar, where Gyrospheres roll through the grounds while some two dozen dinosaurs roam about, including the beloved Velociraptor Blue and a 40-foot-long Tyrannosaurus rex. Even Bumpy, from the “Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous” animated series, makes an appearance.
There is a storyline about scientists rushing to save the dinosaurs of Isla Nublar, who are imperiled by a plan concocted by corrupt entrepreneurs. But the real stars of the show are the lifelike reptiles and the world they inhabit. Some tickets grant you early access to the venue where you can wander aground the prehistoric set (don’t worry, you won’t be eaten).
Details: 7 p.m. July 7, 11 a.m. and 3 and 7 p.m. June 8, 1 and 5 p.m. June 9; SAP Center, San Jose; $20-$150 (subject to change); ticketmaster.com.
— Randy McMullen, Staff
Son Con Son with Los Cenzontles
The musicians in Los Cenzontles, the San Pablo-based ensemble dedicated to Mexican roots music, have been on the trail of the White Monkey for decades, collaborating and studying with the illustrious Veracruz son jarocho group Mono Blanco both in Mexico and the Bay Area since the late 1980s.
The relationship has been captured on albums and the 2006 documentary “Fandango” (available on YouTube), which vividly portrays the way Mono Blanco has revived the Afro-Mexican music and dance idiom at home and abroad.
Performing at Freight & Salvage Sunday in conjunction with a new recording project, the groups are joined by cuatro cubano maestro Kiki Valera. Now based in Seattle, he’s the scion of the La Familia Valera Miranda septet, a hugely influential multi-generational group from Santiago de Cuba that has nurtured the roots of the foundational Afro-Cuban son tradition since the 19th century.
“This is very much in line with the cross-cultural projects we’ve been doing, bringing together old and new friends,” said guitarist and Cenzontles founder Eugene Rodriguez.
The show is part of a concert series curated by acclaimed Bay Area percussionist and bandleader John Santos, which also includes two concerts by Pete Escovedo.
Details: 7 p.m. Sunday; Freight & Salvage, Berkeley; $26-$30; thefreight.org
— Andrew Gilbert, Correspondent
SF Playhouse tackles Chorus Line
“A Chorus Line” remains one of Broadway’s biggest success stories despite its odd makeup. Conceived with an insider’s view by director/choreographer Michael Bennett, the show combines the stunning song and dance numbers that define a Broadway blockbuster with the melancholy stories told by the actors, who portray stage performers desperate to land a relatively small role on a Broadway show.
The show, with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante, is a challenging one because it demands from its cast serious dancing skills as well as acting chops. And for San Francisco Playhouse, which is now presenting the show, there is the added challenge of translating the sophisticated choreography onto its relatively intimate stage. The adapted choreography is by Nicole Helfer, who also stars in the production as a one-time Broadway star now auditioning for her ex-boyfriend hoping to land an ensemble role and keep her career going. Helmed by company artistic director Bill English, the production employs what is said to be the biggest cast in troupe history.
Details: Through Sept. 9k; San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post St.; $15-$100; www.sfplayhouse.org.
— Bay City News Foundation
Yerba Buena Gardens Fest returns
One of the telltale signs of a vibrant arts community is that show or performance that just seems to pop out of nowhere. Like, you’re strolling along Mission Street near the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and all of a sudden you come across a band delivering a vibrant take on Django Reinhardt’s gypsy jazz or a troupe serving up a kid-friendly clown show. That’s kind of the role that the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival plays. Each year, running from early July into September (with one final Halloween-themed show in October), the festival set on Yerba Buena Gardens on Third and Mission streets serves up a rich series of performances and communal events, all of which are free. Included are recurring events such as group dance workouts and yoga sessions, as well as concerts, dance recitals, circus and clowning performances, not to mention a twice-a-month tour of area public art installations. This week’s performances include pianist/accordionist Rob Reich and his swing-era revival band Swings Left (12:30 p.m. Thursday), two appearances by the family-friendly New Orleans-style band Chelle! & Friends (11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Friday) and a dance/music/spoken word event titled “Timing is Synchronicity,” an offshoot of the Get Free Festival at Dance Mission Theatre (1 p.m. Saturday). It’s a great way to enrich a lunch hour or weekend morning or afternoon. A full schedule and more information is at ybgfestival.org.
— Bay City News Foundation
At Davies: Fun films with live music
The San Francisco Symphony is making movie dates especially fun this summer: favorite films on the big screen acquire a whole new dimension when the orchestra plays the music score live.
Showing this month at Davies Symphony Hall, the attractions begin this weekend with Disney-Pixar’s beloved “Ratatouille,” with Thiago Tiberio conducting the orchestra in Michael Giacchino’s score. Also on the calendar: “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (aka the first Indiana Jones movie) with John Williams’ score conducted by Constantin Kitsopoulos, and “The Batman” (the 2022 adaptation with Robert Pattison and Zoe Kravitz) and with music by Michael Giacchino’s score led by Joshua Gersen.
Details: “Ratatouille,” 3 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” 7:30 p.m. July 27, 2 p.m. July 30; “The Batman,” 7:30 p.m. Aug. 2-3; all performances at Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco; $25-$182; sfsymphony.org.
— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent
‘Les Miz’ returns to SF
Get ready to cheer on Jean Valjean once again as “Les Miserables” returns to the Bay Area.
Cameron Mackintosh’s highly cherished production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award-winning hit — which is based on the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo — has set up shop in San Francisco for a limited run at BroadwaySF’s Orpheum Theatre.
“Les Miserables” has long ranked as one of the world’s most popular shows. The English language version, adapted by Mackintosh and featuring lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, opened in London in 1985 and has since gone to become the longest-running musical in West End history. And many longtime fans still cherish the sung-through musical as much as they did when they first saw it decades ago.
“The phenomenon of Les Misérables never fails to astound me,” says Mackintosh. “No show in history has been able to continually reinvent itself and remain a contemporary musical attracting new generations of brilliant new talent, many of whom go on to international stardom.
As for Jean Valjean, the “Les Miz” protagonist who’s been portrayed by actors ranging from Colm Wilkinson and Gerard Depardieu to Liam Neeson and Hugh Jackman, will be played by Nick Cartell in the San Francisco production.
Details: Through July 23; Orpheum Theatre, San Francisco; $60.50-$255.50; broadwaysf.com. Production returns for Oct. 17-22 run at San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts; broadwaysanjose.com.
— Jim Harrington, Staff
Originally published at Randy McMullen