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Theater
There are two ways to phrase something: the way a regular person would, and the way David Mamet would. One of the prominent playwrights of our era, he has carved an entire career out of writing conversations the way he wishes they were as opposed to how they actually are. With his propensity for answering questions with more questions, characters repeating what another has just said, and the inevitable appearance of expletive-laden monologues, one can take a clear stand with Mamet; you either love him or hate him. More
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Theater
For more than 200 years, readers and audiences have followed the exploits and scheming of the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont with a combination of horror and titillation. How could two people, aristocratic Libertines from the 18th Century, be so vain and controlling? They use their social standings and mental fortitude to the disadvantage of any and all of the wholesome women and men around them. The whole thing is just so wicked tat it's delicious. More
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Theater
Translating the most basic stuff of life into theatre and transforming the mundane 9-5 grind into a dramatic spectacle can be quite a challenge, especially when drawing inspiration from non-dramatic sources. Admirers of sociologist Barbara Ehrenreich's groundbreaking book, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, might find playwright Joan Holden's theatre adaptation akin to a Reader's Digest abridged version. But for those of us who are unfamiliar with the book, the staged version is compelling enough to make many of us pick up the celebrated original. More
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Theater
The definition for "oratrix" in Webster's 1913 Dictionary is as follows: \Or-a-trix\, n. A woman plaintiff, or complainant, in equity pleading. The accordingly named all-women Seattle enclave of slam performers, storytelling enthusiasts, and queer poets, one-ups its unassuming connotations in more than a few ways. Taking their cue instead from the original Latin word for "she who speaks", Or-a-Trix combines political parable with wrenchingly personal narrative, fusing themes of race, class, sex, and gender in seamless and inventive ways. More
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Theater
It's a dog eat dog world
Titles, although frequently useful, rarely illuminate the content of a play. For every deeply resonant title like Long Day's Journey Into Night, there are a dozen generic Cats or The Shape of Things. Top Dog/Underdog, on the other hand, captures the spirit and action of the play perfectly. From the time when Booth (Larry Gilliard, Jr.) is joined onstage by his brother, Lincoln (Harold Perrineau), they circle each other, vying for the advantage. More
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Theater
Golden Anniversary
If you graduated from high school, chances are very good that you've had at least one encounter with Samuel Beckett's sparse, riddling play Waiting for Godot. This year Godot, which many who know of such things call one of the most influential plays of the twentieth-century turns fifty, and to celebrate the A.C.T. has decided to revive the old goat once again. Carey Perloff, the A.C.T.'s artistic director, sits at the helm as the director of the production. More
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Theater
Despite the prevalent East Coast/West Coast rivalry in mainstream rap music, hip hop dancers from both coasts will congregate this weekend for some serious poppin', lockin' and breakin' at the San Francisco Hip Hop DanceFest, which runs Nov. 21 to Nov. 23 at the Palace of Fine Arts.
Now in its fifth year, the San Francisco Hip Hop DanceFest has always been known for its boisterous support of young, talented performers. The energy of the event is celebratory yet competitive - dancers begin with a sassy freestyle jam in which they individually show off their moves ... More
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Theater
Back in 1995, choreographer Michael Smuin decided he wanted to create a holiday ballet for his spectators without resorting to another hackneyed reproduction of the Nutcracker. "I went into a creative gestation period, pondering the situation. When I emerged, the result was the Christmas Ballet - hopefully, a breath of fresh air in the sugar-plum-perfumed days of December!" Smuin quips. Now, his Christmas Ballet performances are old hat in San Francisco, but in the best way imaginable. Lauded as the Bay Area's most popular and sold-out ballet performance of the year, the Smuin Ballet's holiday festivities draw crowds from near and far... More
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Theater
The most rudimentary function of the Circus is to make googly-eyed children of us all. As we ooh and aah over the lithe, pixie-like performers, hold our breaths for death-defying feats, and split our sides laughing at preposterously zany antics, it's easy to recognize the appeal. The Circus is that most primeval playground of wonder, mixing up the ethereal and exotic with the familiar and favorite accoutrements of childhood. Montreal, Quebec's septuplet of performers, Les 7 Doigts de la Main (or more simply, 7 Fingers) hold the trump cards in their delightful restoration of that dormant sense of possibility…with a decidedly grown-up twist. More
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Theater
It's an airplane, it's a piece of furniture, it's a telephone - no, it's... well, we don't know exactly. The work in the Gregory Lind Gallery's new exhibit "Closer Than You Think" marks the collusive terrain of timeless fantasy, implied shapes, distorted topographies and optical illusions. This is the kind of art that brings to mind the scientific paradox of observation and calculation- an image is constantly in flux and the mere act of translating it from brain to canvas, canvas to spectator, indicates its appetite for change and motion. More
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