by
C.J. Prusi on April 11, 2019
Northside Theatre Company brings David Lindsay-Abaire’s latest Broadway production to life. The playwright’s 2007 Pulitzer-winning “Rabbit Hole” made Lindsay-Abaire a household name (so long as the household contains at least one theatre buff) with its tragicomic portrayal of a family’s loss. This production features Margie Walsh of Southie Boston, a down-on-her-luck lower-class lady looking for love—or at least a way to get by. Jonathan Williams directs the show, which runs through May 5. Continue reading »
by
C.J. Prusi on April 11, 2019
Driven from their homes by forces beyond their control, the working class are cloistered in tent cities—plagued by hunger, alcoholism and regularly harassed by local police. In many ways, the best banned book of 1939 resembles the Bay Area of 2019. Los Altos Stage Company presents Frank Galati’s adaptation of arguably the greatest of the Great American Novels—The Grapes of Wrath by Salinas author John Steinbeck. Follow the Joads as they flee their native Oklahoma and the devastation of the Dust Bowl in search of greener pastures out in California. Runs through May 5. Continue reading »
by
C.J. Prusi on April 11, 2019
Going to Havana? Nah nah nah, Havana’s coming here with Asere! Musicians and Dancers of the Havana Cuba All-Stars. Part of Hammer Theatre’s ongoing Music Without Borders series, the band and dancers come to town on their Asere!—roughly translated: “dude” or “friend”—tour. Join the son cubano 12-piece banda and six of Cuba’s most talented dancers. The group blends the richness of Cuba’s musical tradition with the fresh sounds of the contemporary Cuban music scene, immersing audiences in the sights and sounds of rumba, cha cha, salsa and more. Continue reading »
The future arrives in San Jose this week. Perfume, one of the biggest J-Pop bands in at least a generation, comes to the City National Civic in support of last year’s Future Pop. Massive, relentless and ever-expanding into new territories, Future Pop is the culmination of nearly 20 years of pushing pop music forward from the boundary-defying Hiroshima group. Continue reading »
I’m a sucker for competition. The uncertainty of who will be victorious between evenly matched opposing forces is what propels us, the common man, into overpaying for the Comcast Sports Package. It is even more exhilarating when you get to see that level of competitiveness in person, even if those competitors suck. As long as they’re both equally terrible, it’s compelling stuff. Take last week’s Saturday morning pick up basketball game, where five people are on each team. Two horrendous players destined to guard each other each saw an opportunity to discard the beta moniker. And it was on. “You can’t guard me!,” when actually, everyone could guard him easily. “I got him. Don’t help!” Yeah, we weren’t planning to. But at that point, we all knew this needed to happen, and so the game was theirs. When normally, either would barely touch the ball, we kept feeding them the rock. They were blinded by competition. And we were witness to it all.
I Saw You is an anonymous “man on the street” column. Email your rants and raves about co-workers or any badly behaving citizens to [email protected], or send to 380 S. First St, San Jose, 95113. Submissions should stick to about 100 words.
by
C.J. Prusi on April 4, 2019
This L.A.-based emcee has dropped eight albums since his 1997 debut, F’Real—including classics like Murs for President (2008) and Have a Nice Life (2015). The man is unstoppable, and still melancholy as hell. His last release, A Strange Journey into the Unimaginable (2018), runs the gamut from heartbreaking to hilarious, as he jumps from spitting about his stillborn son to a superhero pool party. In addition to the prominent place he holds in the world of underground hip-hop, he has also worked with some of the genre’s best-known luminaries, including Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg. Continue reading »
by
C.J. Prusi on April 4, 2019
Don’t you dare close your eyes—Broadway San Jose is bringing audiences to fictional, fantastical city of Agrabah, staging Disney’s musical adaptation of the 1992 animated classic Aladdin. With less than two months until the live-action film release, this is your chance to catch an early peek into the Cave of Wonders. The show celebrated five years on Broadway just last month and shares a producer with Disney’s biggest Broadway smash, The Lion King, which gets the live-action treatment this summer. The magic carpet ride runs through April 21. Continue reading »
by
Erika Rasmussen on April 4, 2019
There are some birthday parties you don’t want to miss. The Gardenia Society kicks off this inaugural event—a celebration of the late, great Billie Holiday—with live jazz and blues, plus visual art from watercolor painter James Gayles. Donations will be taken to benefit the Gardenia Society’s programs, which include scholarships and grants for performing artists, among other projects aimed at promoting the arts. Donors will also receive a year’s membership to the Gardenia Society. Continue reading »
by
Nick Veronin on April 4, 2019
With a career spanning three decades, Arsenio Hall needs no introduction. The comedian is best known for hosting The Arsenio Hall Show, which ran from 1989-1994—and was reprised from 2013-2014. The Cleveland-born comic got his start in stand-up in Chicago before moving to Los Angeles, where he made a few appearances on Soul Train and went on to star alongside Eddie Murphy in Coming To America. Hall is currently making the rounds on the stand-up circuit and comes to San Jose for two performances during a one-night special event this weekend. Continue reading »
by
C.J. Prusi on April 4, 2019
Picture The Moth with a hefty helping of science. That’s The Story Collider in a nutshell. In addition to its weekly podcast, TSC has been bringing true and personal tales of science to live audiences since 2010. Recent episodes feature stories about heredity and the open ocean. This weekend, The Story Collider comes to San Jose State University with stories from professors of computer science and physics, a geologist, a program analyst—even a chemist turned philosopher. Executive Director Liz Neeley and Artistic Director Erin Barker host this geektacular night of scientific storytelling. Continue reading »
