The American Conservatory Theater (www.act-sfbay.org) season culminates in June with the world premiere of a uniquely San Francisco movement and theater event four years in the making.
The Tosca Project brings together world-renowned dancers and acclaimed actors for a notably San Francisco production. Photo courtesy of The American Conservatory Theater
By Paul Duclos
Published: June, 2010
Created and staged by director Carey Perloff and San Francisco Ballet choreographer Val Caniparoli, The Tosca Project brings together world-renowned dancers from San Francisco Ballet, including prima ballerina Sabina Allemann and Pascal Molat, with such acclaimed actors as The Overcoat’s Peter Anderson.
“The Tosca Project is a celebration of North Beach’s legendary Tosca Café as a metaphor for all those magical bars around the world in which the ghosts of a million encounters remain present in the air,” says Perloff. “This beautiful, emotionally vivid and magical piece is a unique collaboration between some of the best Bay Area artists and the city we love, offered as a valentine to our extraordinary audience.”
According to theater spokesmen, this original fusion of movement and theater “imagines a world in which love, betrayal, and hope emerge from the shadows and disappear with a clink of the glass.”
Anyone who has had the privilege of shooting pool, smoking, and chatting up the establishment’s inimitable owner, Jeanette Etheridge, during the wee hours of the night here can attest to the genuine romance of the place. Steeped in the history of our City, and loosely structured around the themes of Puccini’s Tosca, A.C.T.’s new work also features an eclectic musical score ranging from Hendrix to Stravinsky—neither of whom, I might add, are featured on the joint’s jukebox.
All That Jazz
Night owls seeking more than the simulacrum of bar life may wish to take in a session of the Jazz Mafia (www.jazzmafia.com) this month at Coda in San Franisco (www.codalive.com). While the loosely confederated Mafia holds forth at a number of jazz venues, this is the ideal club noir experience. The entire ensemble is made up of several smaller bands, including the Realistic Orchestra and Shotgun Wedding Quintet. Bay Crossing readers may remember when they held forth at at another Mission District hotspot—Bruno’s—a few years ago.
Adam Theis, who has been awarded the prestigious Gerbode-Hewlett Foundation “Emerging Composers” grant, is the driving force behind the Mafia.
Local Guitar Virtuoso
Finally, another local composer/musician to check out is my military school acquaintance Henry Kaiser. Widely recognized as one of the most creative and innovative guitarists, improvisers and producers in the fields of rock, jazz and experimental music, Kaiser is one of the most extensively recorded as well, having appeared on more than 140 different albums.
A restless collaborator who constantly seeks the most diverse and personally challenging contexts for his music, Kaiser not only produces and contributes to a staggering number of recorded projects, he also performs frequently throughout the Bay Area. (You can also read about our Palo Alto barracks experience on his blog: www.henrykaiser.net).
I last saw him play at the Great American Music Hall (www.musichallsf.com) some years back, bringing new life to that esteemed venue. Evidence of Kaiser’s exceptional musical breadth and versatility can be found in a partial list of the extraordinary artists with whom he has recorded and/or performed: Herbie Hancock, Richard Thompson, David Lindley, Bob Weir, and the ROVA Sax Quartet.
