From vacation productions and festivals to a rock-guitar god to San Jose seasonal enjoyable, there’s a lot to see and do that weekend.
Right here’s a partial rundown.
Victorian London involves life
“Please sir, I want some more” overnight-oats porridge with almond milk? OK, so it won’t have the ring of the unique “Oliver Twist,” however you possibly can count on issues to be a bit of extra upscale on the “Great Dickens Christmas Fair” on the Cow Palace.
Celebrating its fortieth yr, the truthful is a complete immersion into the Dickensian universe of Victorian London with dozens of costumed characters from the famed books and likewise historical past. Father Christmas? He’ll be there. Ebenezer Scrooge, Mrs. Fezziwig and the Ghost of Christmas Current? Them, too. Guests can discover 4 acres of Victorian-style theaters, pubs, dance halls with dwell music and — most significantly for vacation buyers — loads of lamp-lit retailers promoting handmade presents. For adults, this yr there are particular add-on occasions like a port-and-chocolate tasting, a Jekyll & Hyde pub crawl the place you remedy a thriller and a racy-sounding “Dark Garden Corset Experience” the place you might be personally fitted by a world-renowned corsetiere. After which there’s a miniature steam practice for all the true Tiny Tims (and Tinas) on the market.
Particulars: By Dec. 22 on the Cow Palace, Daly Metropolis; hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays (plus the Friday after Thanksgiving); admission is $18-$45; dickensfair.com.
— John Metcalfe, Workers
Classical picks: ‘General,’ ‘Amadeus’ with soundtracks; ‘Elijah’
This week’s classical music scene consists of two live shows enhanced by movie — and one other celebrating one of many world’s nice oratorios. Listed below are three occasions to assist launch the vacation season.
Silent No Extra: Film lovers would possibly wish to make their method to the Telegraph Quartet’s Sunday live performance at Noe Valley Ministry. The award-winning foursome will play the West Coast premiere of Stephen Prutsman’s rating to “The General” alongside a screening of the basic 1926 silent movie starring Buster Keaton, nonetheless one of many funniest and most progressive films of all time.
Particulars: 5 p.m. Sunday; Noe Valley Ministry, San Francisco; $45 common, $15 college students; noemusic.org.
“Amadeus” on the Symphony: The San Francisco Symphony’s Movie with Dwell Orchestra sequence continues to yield treasures for film lovers. This weekend, it’s “Amadeus,” the 1984 movie and winner of eight Academy Awards, directed by Miloš Forman and starring actor Tom Hulce within the title function. The occasion is carried out by Constantine Kitsopoulos and options pianist John Wilson; Kevin Fox leads the San Francisco Symphony Choir.
Particulars: 7:30 Friday and Saturday; Davies Symphony Corridor, San Francisco; $130-$299; sfsymphony.org.
“Elijah” sings: The San Jose Symphonic Choir is ready to current a single efficiency of Mendelssohn’s masterful oratorio in regards to the Outdated Testomony prophet; underneath conductor Leroy Kromm, the efficiency options bass-baritone Christian Pursell within the title function, together with soprano Marnie Breckenridge, tenor Arnold Geis, and mezzo-soprano Katherine Trimble Mills.
Particulars: 5 p.m. Saturday; United Methodist Church, Campbell; $35-$40, 12 and underneath free; sanjosesymphonicchoir.org.
— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent
‘Carols’ getting a brand new track
What the Dickens is occurring with “A Christmas Carol” within the Bay Space? For years, there have been two reliably glorious native productions of the play based mostly on Charles Dickens’ basic novel a couple of bitter, miserly outdated man getting a ghostly lesson on the thrill of revenue redistribution. A type of two productions, at American Conservatory Theater, is gone, changed by a “Carol”-themed comedy “A Whynot Christmas Carol,” penned by Obie-winning playwright Craig Lucas. It follows a small-town theater firm staging “A Christmas Carol” and encountering frequent setbacks. Firm creative director Pam MacKinnon is helming the brand new manufacturing, which runs by way of Dec. 24 at Toni Rembe Theater, 415 Geary St., San Francisco. Tickets are $25-$130 at www.act-sf.org.
In the meantime, Heart Repertory Firm in Walnut Creek has introduced that that is the ultimate yr for its long-running and broadly acclaimed “A Christmas Carol.” Subsequent yr will convey a special vacation manufacturing, though the corporate has not but mentioned what it will likely be. Heart Rep’s “Carol” runs Dec. 12-22 on the Lesher Heart for the Arts; 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. Tickets are $22-$79 at www.centerrep.org. And what are we Scrooge followers presupposed to do subsequent yr? Don’t fear, somebody will possible be staging the present someplace; and there’s at all times the superb animated model starring Mr. Magoo that’s obtainable on a number of streaming platforms.
— Bay Metropolis Information Basis
A Wylde time is assured
It’s time to bang your heads, pricey rock followers, as Zakk Wylde brings the King of the Monstours tour to the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on Sunday.
The supremely proficient rock guitarist, finest recognized for his time supporting Ozzy Osbourne in addition to for main his personal band, Black Label Society, is fronting his superior Black Sabbath tribute act — Zakk Sabbath — on this street present.
That implies that followers can count on to listen to some actually monumental covers of such nice Black Sabbath cuts as “Iron Man,” “War Pigs,” “The Wizard,” “Solitude” and “Sweet Leaf.” All of these are tunes featured on Zakk Sabbath’s newest assortment, “Greatest Riffs.”
What separates Zakk Sabbath from different Sabbath tribute acts is Wylde’s stellar guitar work: Only a few musicians not named Tony Iommi can deal with these legendary Sabbath guitar elements like Wylde can.
Accompanying Zakk Sabbath on the King of the Monstours are two different acclaimed tribute acts — Zoso (Led Zeppelin tribute) and The Iron Maidens (all-female Iron Maiden tribute).
Particulars: 7 p.m. Sunday; $39.50; axs.com.
— Jim Harrington, Workers
Celebrating the vacations
San Jose takes this complete Christmas enterprise fairly darned critically, with a trio of celebrations and sights that flip the town’s downtown into Yuletide Central. Chief among the many vacation sights is Christmas within the Park, which opens at 6 p.m. Friday with the lighting of the 50-foot Neighborhood Giving Tree, the annual centerpiece of the festivities. By Jan. 1 at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, 1 Paseo de San Antonio, the occasion will function greater than 40 reveals, dwell leisure, a set of timber embellished to the hilt, a blinding drive-through mild present, and extra. In the meantime, the close by Winter Wonderland attraction, additionally opening on Friday, serves up a sequence of enjoyable rides, a glittering carousel and a 60-foot ferris wheel, together with loads of meals stalls and presents and crafts distributors. And if ice skating is your factor, a festive rink is accessible at 120 S. Market Avenue within the Circle of Palms Plaza.
Admission to Christmas within the Park and Winter Wonderland is free, although the rides, drive-through mild present and skating are ticketed – the rides price $5 every, the drive-through mild present is $25-$30 and skating prices $21 for two hours. So guests can immerse themselves in quite a lot of enjoyable or simply stroll the grounds at no cost and benefit from the glittering spectacle of all of it.
Particulars: Extra data is accessible at christmasinthepark.com, www.winterwonderlandsj.com and www.sjdowntownice.com
Serving up ‘Waitress’
The 2007 movie “Waitress” is usually described in phrases like “charming” and “delightful,” prefer it was a Hallmark Channel rom-com that in some way escaped to the large display screen. But, there’s some critical stuff happening in Adrienne Shelly’s story a couple of waitress who hopes a pie contest can carry her out of an unsatisfying life outlined by a loveless, abusive marriage and unplanned being pregnant. Issues change, as they’re wont to do, when she meets a brand new obstetrician on the town and falls in love. In all, it’s truly a captivating story, partly as a result of it’s grounded in simply sufficient actuality and due to Shelly’s intelligent and insightful writing. Tragically, she was murdered in her New York Metropolis dwelling three months earlier than the movie’s premiere on the 2007 Sundance Movie Pageant.
A few decade later, the movie gave rise to “Waitress: The Musical” a stage present penned by the proficient songstress Sara Bareilles and producer/director/actor/screenwriter Jessie Nelson. The present debuted on Broadway in 2016 and had a profitable London run and nationwide tour earlier than returning to Broadway in 2021 with Bareilles within the lead function. The second Broadway run additionally produced a film of the musical. Now San Francisco Playhouse is taking over the musical in a manufacturing operating by way of Jan. 18. And sure, in fact, there’s a pie angle – the Playhouse will supply pies on the market from Three Babes Bakeshop in San Francisco.
Particulars: Performances at San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Publish St.; $35-$135; www.sfplayhouse.org
Slip-slidin’ away at Chabot
The Chabot House & Science Heart in Oakland launches a “Season of Winter Wonder” this weekend with an entire host of enjoyable occasions beginning Friday and operating right through Jan. 5. On the high of the listing for the sheer glee of it’s the Sock Skate that takes place each Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on two completely different rinks situated indoors on the highest stage adjoining to the Observatory. The surfaces are made from artificial ice tile (not chilly!) developed by scientists so hockey gamers might practice within the off season however now rising in style with the overall skating public. With the worth of admission to the Heart ($24 adults, $19 ages 2 to 12 and 65 and up, however free for members), skaters are invited to don their very own cozy socks or purchase a particular pair on web site and bladelessly glide throughout the 34-by-23-foot rink reserved for ages 6 and up or the 18-by-15-foot one for households with kids 5 and underneath. The world is embellished like an icy planet with projections and lighting designed to simulate snow and large-scale photograph backdrops and glowing planets suspended from the ceiling. There shall be recorded music to assist get you transferring. (We suggest Paul Simon!)
Join prematurely for 30-minute time slots as you buy your admission. Discover hyperlinks at chabotspace.org
— Bay Metropolis Information Basis
