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Bay Area arts: 15 cool live shows — and 1 film fest — to see this weekend

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There are a ton of shows, concerts and dance recitals to see this weekend in the Bay Area, both of the holiday and non-holiday nature.

Here is a partial rundown.

Tabard aftermath: ‘Blues Is a Woman’ back on

Among the several shows thrown into doubt by the sudden closure of the Tabard Theatre in San Jose was the acclaimed Pamela Rose-directed musical revue “Blues Is a Woman.”

But that show, along with singer Le Perez’s holiday show “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” has been rescheduled for this weekend at the OneCreative performance/streaming venue in San Jose. Here are the details.

“Blues Is a Woman”: The extraordinary Bay Area vocalist Pamela Rose brings her multi-media tribute to female blues artists, including such legends as Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Ma Rainey, Ida Cox, Memphis Minnie and Bonnie Raitt, to OneCreative on Dec. 9. Details: 8 p.m.; 196 N. 3rd St., San Jose; $25-$35; tickets and more details at Tabard Theatre site; tabardtheatre.org.

Le Perez: The powerhouse San Jose singer who can cover styles ranging from blues to jazz to gospel and Motown brings her holiday show “The Most Wonderful Time of Year,” serving up “some things old, some things new, some things jazzy and some things blues.” Details: 8 p.m. Friday at OneCreative, 196 N. 3rd St., San Jose; $25-$35; tickets and more details at Tabard Theatre site; tabardtheatre.org.

The Tabard Theatre on North San Pedro Street in San Jose in abruptly shut down late last week after operators said they had lost their lease on the building, leaving the status of several concerts and holiday shows in doubt.

Some shows have been canceled, a few have been rescheduled or will be offered as a streaming event. Go to the Tabard Theatre site for updates;  tabardtheatre.org.

— Randy McMullen, Staff

Classical picks: Christmas concerts; breaking bread

Here are several concerts classical music fans should know about.

“Six Centuries of Christmas”: Music director Richard Egarr conducts the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra Chamber Players and Valérie Sainte-Agathe leads the Philharmonia Chorale in music from the 16th century to the present, beginning with Andrea Gabrieli’s 1533 “Magnificat in Twelve Parts” and featuring “The Lamb,” a new, commissioned score by British baritone and composer Roderick Williams. Works by Pachelbel, Vivaldi, and others complete the program.

Details: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at Herbst Theatre, San Francisco; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at Bing Hall, Stanford University; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9 at First Congregational Hall, Berkeley; $9-$100; philharmonia.org.

“Christmas at the California”: San Jose’s California Theatre is always impressive, but it’s especially lovely during the holidays. Symphony San Jose’s program, led by conductor Elena Sharkova, features the orchestra and chorale in “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” with holiday favorites, special guests, and more.

Details: 7:30 Dec. 9, 2:30 Dec. 10; $45-$95; symphonysanjose.org.

Big Sing: The Oakland Symphony’s latest “Let Us Break Bread Together” concert is dedicated to the late, great, always-dazzling Tina Turner, who died earlier this year. It features the legendary singer’s hits, with appearances by newsman Dan Ashley, the Cal State East Bay Singers, Contra Costa High School Chorus, Kugelplex (the Bay Area klezmer band), and the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir. Omid Zoufonoun conducts.

Details: 4 p.m. Dec. 10; Paramount Theatre, Oakland; $15-$65; oaklandsymphony.org.

Celebrate at SF Symphony: The orchestra is offering a mix of classic scores, movies with live accompaniment, special guests and more. In all, the December calendar boasts four weeks of highlights, ranging from traditional works such as Handel’s “Messiah (Dec. 9) ” and “Peter and the Wolf (Dec. 10)” to a “A Merry-Achi Christmas (Dec. 10)” and “The Colors of Christmas” (Dec. 13-14) and “Charlie Brown — Live (Dec. 20-21).” Details: Full schedule at www.sfsymphony.org.

“Folk Songs of the World”: The San Francisco Girls Chorus is devoting its holiday program to music from many countries. Conducted by Valérie Sainte-Agathe and featuring Latin Grammy nominee Sam Reider as special guest, expect the kind of international musical tour that makes the world seem a little brighter.

Details: 7 p.m. Dec. 11, Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco; $30-$68; sfgirlschorus.org.

— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent

4 choices for ‘Nutcracker’ fans

Here are three productions of the holiday staple “Nutcracker” playing in the Bay Area this weekend.

San Jose Dance Theatre: The company’s “Original San Jose Nutcracker” as been a South Bay staple since the mid-1960s. Featuring the Cambrian Symphony conducted by Scott Krijnen, SJDT’s professional company and the school’s youth ensemble, it’s a sturdy and winning production.

Details: Friday through Sunday; San Jose Center for the Performing Arts; $30-$99; www.sjdt.org.

Valley Dance Theatre: The company’s full-length adaptation of the Tchaikovsky classic, accompanied by Valley Dance Theatre Pit Orchestra, has been a favorite of the Tri-Valley holiday scene for more than 40 years.

Details: Saturday through Dec. 17; Bankhead Theater, Livermore; $25-$45; www.valleydancetheatre.com.

Mark Foehringer Dance Project|SF: Mark Foehringer’s “Nutcracker Sweets,” now in its 15th year, is known for its 50-minute running time and immersive design. Created for families with young children, the production features a nine-piece Keisuke Nakagoshi-conducted chamber ensemble with orchestrations by the late Michael Morgan. With ODC Dance veteran Carlos Venturo as Drosselmeyer, Ballet 22’s Theresa Knudson as Clara, and Oakland Ballet’s Vincent Chavez  as the titular utensil.

Details: Through Dec. 23; Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center, San Francisco; $23.50-$49.50; 415-345-7575, mfdpsf.org.

Peninsula Ballet Theatre: The company is serving up three versions of the ballet — a full-length “Nutcracker,” an abridged “Nutcracker Sweet” and a “Hip-Hop Nutcracker Sweet,” which keeps the story and music but applies some different footwork.

Details: Through Dec. 17 in San Mateo and Redwood City; $25-$75; www.peninsulaballet.org.

— Andrew Gilbert, Correspondent

Bless the ‘Christmas Carols’ — every one

It’s just not the holiday season without a host of completely different adaptations of Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic.

Notably, this will be the last year that American Conservatory Theater stages its current version by Paul Walsh and former artistic director Carey Perloff that it’s been doing since 2005. Next year ACT plans to unveil a new adaptation, just like the current one unseated the one the theater had produced yearly since 1976.

Center Repertory Company’s production in Walnut Creek is a Bay Area tradition in its own right, recurring faithfully since 1979.

Meanwhile, Silicon Valley Shakespeare is in its second year of doing an immersive walking production — the idea is that audience members walk through Ebenezer Scrooge’s past, present and future — at the Montalvo Arts Center, using the Richard Orlando adaption originally from Northside Theatre Company.

Details: ACT, Through Dec. 24 at Toni Rembe Theater, San Francisco; $25-$130; www.act-sf.org; Silicon Valley Shakespeare, through Dec. 17 at Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga; $40-$70; www.svshakespeare.org; Center Repertory, today through Dec. 21 at Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek; $45-$70; www.lesherartscenter.org

— Sam Hurwitt, Correspondent

Hole in the Head is back

I look forward every year to Another Hole in the Head, a wild ride of an indie film festival of low-budget gems with a whole lot of chutzpah and utterly lacking in studio interference or test marketing.

The annual San Francisco cinematic treat turns 20 this year with its usual assortment of Bay Area shorts along with upstart features you probably never have heard of — some scary, some funny, and some outright sexy. There are live screenings at the Balboa, Roxie, 4 Star and Eclectic Box SF theaters, as well as a well-stocked virtual program. And a live holiday-themed parody of “A Nightmare on Elm Street” will run through Saturday and Dec. 13-16 at at Eclectic Box, 446 Valencia St. in San Francisco.

One film in the lineup we heartily recommend is director Antonio R. Cabal’s sensual update of his 1985 feature “End of Trip – Sahara,” a stunningly photographed, sexy travelog cataloging the exploits of a trio of 1970s carefree, careless adventurers trekking via a Land Rover through the Sahara Desert. It screens 4 p.m. Saturday at the 4 Star Theater.

Details: Through Dec. 25; most screenings $15-$35; more details and complete lineup are holehead2023.eventive.org/welcome.

— Randy Myers, Bay City News Foundation


Originally published at Randy McMullen

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