Mark Morris Meets Sergei Prokofiev, or Love Is So Much More Fun To Make Than War

As was recently discovered by musicologist Simon Morrison, Prokofiev’s most famous ballet Romeo and Juliet, created in 1935 with the dramatist Sergei Radlov, used to have an anti-Shakespearean happy ending, seemingly suitable for the Soviet era optimistic views on human nature. Nevertheless, the original score was severely criticized by the cultural authorities and the premiere was delayed until five years later, when the audacious composer submitted to the pressure and restored the order. Mark Morris Dance Group performed Prokofiev’s original version for the first time last weekend at Cal Performances, opening the Dance series of the current season. Adding to the rebellious spirit of the piece, Morris cast Amber Darragh as Mercutio, and Julie Worden as Tybalt, and these two amazing dancers stole the show with their outstanding vigor, athletic perfection, acting talent and overall grace. Bravo, maestro Morris, you outdid yourself this time! (if that’s at all possible). With a genius ease, as he always does, Morris concludes the show with a scene of universal love and kisses exchanged by formerly bitter enemies, and after all, isn’t art all about it? Morris’s another return to his second home at Cal Performances in Berkeley couldn’t have been more pleasing. The Group is now embarking on a more than a yearlong national and international tour with the newly discovered happier version of the formerly saddest tragedy in the world. Long live love, comrades! To see the Mark Morris Dance Group tour schedule, visit http://markmorrisdancegroup.org/the_company. To see Cal Performances program, go to: www.calperformances.org. Photo: Gene Schiavone. Maile Okamura as Juliet and Noah Vinson as Romeo.

Nihilists and Aesthetes of the World Unite in Vera Wilde

A new ambitious production of Shotgun Players, directed by Maya Gurantz, combines composer Chris Jeffries’ original musical play with the company’s commendable ability to tackle the complex and the unfamiliar with youthful ease, bringing to the stage the most controversial fictional and historical situations. In the play, the genius of Oscar Wilde and his personal rebellion against the society, which simultaneously cuddled and oppressed him, is paralleled by the revolutionary fervor and extreme sense of justice of Very Zasulich—a Russian terrorist and the apostle of the nation-wide rebellion of the masses against tsarist oppression. Both historical figures who lived in very dissimilar worlds collided only once in Wilde’s play, “Vera, or the Nihilists,” but in Jeffries’ musical they are moving toward each other from different time perspectives—Vera forward, Wilde backwards—to meet each other at some fictitious point. A small, yet amazingly multitalented cast braves the complexities of the material with ardor. Sean Owens, who plays Oscar, bears an uncanny resemblance to the King of Paradox, if only by means of his superb acting. Danielle Levin, Edward Brauer and Tyler Kent, who each play too many roles to list, are excellent in each incarnation. Alexandra Creighton plays Vera. All actors sing, of course, accompanied by a live quartet of musicians. The only note of discontent slipped into the theater’s own notes on the play: “In today’s world this is still true—rather than honoring our revolutionaries, they are cast as villains, terrorists, or freaks.” Now, now, let’s watch our language, shall we? This critic cringes at comparisons drawn between young Russian nobles from a century back, who bombed the tsar’s carriage, and contemporary terrorists who bomb planes, trains, office buildings and school buses. (Kind of like if you are a Hillary supporter, you probably wouldn’t vote for Palin, although they are both women). Vera Wilde runs through October 26 at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley. Tickets $17-25, reservations strongly advised. Call 510-841-6500, or visit www.shotgunplayers.org

Ask Emma

Q: During our anniversary dinner, my husband toasted me for being a woman he never wanted to cheat on. His toast made me feel guilty. I wish I could say the same about my feelings for him, but... I did have affairs with other men in the second or third year of our marriage. Those were purely sexual relationships, and never lasted long. Now, after we’ve spent many years together, I wish I could be a good wife to my husband. However, the past is not easy to discard. Several times I tried to talk to him and confess about my past slips, and I never could go through with it. He is so trusting, so kind, so confident in our relationship, I don’t know how to handle this topic. What should I do?A: What you should do is keep your mouth shut. You are feeling guilty? Suffer. By confessing to your husband about past affairs you will only spread the suffering and impose your wrongdoings on an innocent man who deserves better. At least, that’s how he presents himself with flattering toasts and, I assume, other wonderful things he does for you, his dear wife. To repay his kindness and, dare I say, blindness, you can be as kind, loving and attentive to him as you possibly can, and that would suffice. Should you decide otherwise, before you open your Pandora’s box, think about all those other things you might also feel guilty for. You never bullied your siblings or childhood friends, never yelled at your mother, never been rude to a customer service rep? If you are not rushing in with apologies and confessions to those poor souls, please leave your husband in his blissful ignorance and carry on the guilt.

California Academy of Sciences Now Under the Living Roof

The last word in green architecture, the bastion of science, the fun link between nature’s eternal wonders and never ending educational process—California Academy of Sciences opens its new building free to the public this Saturday, September 27. A 155-year-old museum is a treasure trove of rare specimens, world-renowned collections and live animals, displayed side-by-side in more than a dozen exhibits. In its spacious transparent glass-faceted new home, awashed in sunlight and filled with fresh air, Academy is crowned with a unique roof, modeled after surrounding hills, covered with native grasses and succulents. It sports breath-taking views of the Golden Gate Park and close by neighborhoods, and attracts small birds and butterflies like a nature-made flowerbed. Plan a whole day visit if you go, because not to be missed stops include Claude, the albino alligator in The Swamp; a crew of small penguins watching people watching penguins in African Hall; Islands of Evolution; Rainforests of the World; thousands of tropical fish in Philippine Coral Reef, and an amazing journey from the Academy to the edge of Milky Way at Morrison Planetarium. California, as a world of its own, with its marine and coastal life, diversity of species and climate changes is extensively explored and covered in multiple displays and educational programs. To make your visit sustainable, two SF celebrity chefs opened their restaurants here. Loretta Keller (of COCO500) serves lunch and dinner at The Moss Room, and Charles Phan of The Slanted Door keeps his academycafe open for the whole day, and offers kid-friendly meals. The new Academy, designed by award-winning architect Renzo Piano, is located at 55 Concourse Drive in Golden Gate Park, SF, and can be reached at 415-379-8000 or http://www.calacademy.org/Photo by Yuri Krasov: Your correspondent knows these gorgeous animals were here first.

Russian Baritone Graces SF Opera in Challenging Yet Rewarding Role

Giuseppe Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” would not make the top ten in popularity polls, or pick a viewer’s curiosity with its convoluted and rather obscure story line. What makes it a major event in San Francisco Opera, though, is the pure magic of art, delivered by profoundly touching music and understated set serving as a velvet backdrop for the jewel of Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky. He shines in the title role—his voice, physique and acting skills creating a winning combination of amazing talent and natural good looks. The opera presents a challenge in that there is only one female part (sopranos Barbara Frittoli and Ana Maria Martinez on different dates) and the most action is packed in male duets of various characters, all connected through bloodline, murder, or desire for revenge, prevalent in the mid-fourteenth century Genoa’s world order. The cast braves this hard-to-perform piece with flying colors. Vitalij Kowaljow (a glorious bass, originally from Ukraine) in the role of Jacopo Fiesco, Marcus Haddock as Gabriele Adorno, Patrick Carfizzi as Paolo Albiani, and Kenneth Kellogg as Pietro all deliver great performances for the season opening. Conductor Donald Runnicles, original production by Elijah Moshinsky, director David Edwards. Simon Boccanegra runs through September 27 at the War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave., SF. www.sfopera.com Photo by Terrence McCarthy. Dmitri Hvorostovsky as Simon Boccanegra.

Eugene Onegin Delights Audiences at Opera San Jose

Opera Eugene Onegin—a genius combination of Tchaikovsky’s music and Pushkin’s poetry (libretto by K. Shilovsky)—presented by Opera San Jose in the palace-like California Theatre is the one not to be missed. Not only the vocal and musical talent is delightfully consistent, but also the physical appearance of the performers, the set, the light, and the costumes seem to be harmoniously brought together to deliver the magic of art. The story immerses the viewer into the notorious Russian drama about the triumph of honor over love, and the love lost in empty ambition, procrastination, and regret… On the opening night, Rebecca Davis sang Tatyana, Cybele Gouverneur—Olga, Daniel Cilli—Onegin, and Michael Daily—Lensky—all soloists showing significant dramatic engagement with their roles. Bryan Nies conducted. Stage director Peter Kozma, chorus master Alexander Katsman, choreographer Lise la Cour. Eugene Onegin runs through September 21 at California Theatre, 345 South First Street, San Jose. Call for tickets 408-437-4450 or order at www.operasj.org. Photo: Pat Kirk. Tatyana – Rebecca Davis.

Berkeley Rep Opens Season With Local Author’s Yellowjackets

A young playwright Itamar Moses—a product of Berkeley High, based the “Yellowjackets” on his own high school experiences, but this is not your regular coming of age story. The show, directed by Tony Taccone and presented by a talented cast (everyone plays two roles—a teenager and an adult), raises an evergreen question of racial and ethnic tensions in the realm of public education. Based on ignorance, prejudice and stereotyping, usually dragged to schools from families, those tensions manifest themselves through bullying, violence, and creeping moral pressure on one side, and complicity, struggle for compromise, and wishful thinking on the other. The playwright, who calls himself “firmly left of center, politically” and “pretty moderate” was quoted by Berkeley Rep literary manager, Madeleine Oldham, as saying “My sense of the political spectrum is that it’s actually a circle, in that if you go far enough to the left you land back on totalitarianism.” The play was commissioned by the theatre obviously for the benefit of local audiences, but its relevance exceeds the locale and encompasses school-related body of problems everywhere. “Yellowjackets” runs through October 12. Tickets start with $27, half-price for those under 30 y.o. Call 510-647-2949 or www.berkeleyrep.orgAmaya Alonso Hallifax and Ben Freeman star in the world premiere of Itamar Moses’ Yellowjackets at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Photo courtesy of www.kevinberne.com

San Francisco Fringe—A Marathon of Shows

There is no way anyone can see all 48 shows presented by the San Francisco Fringe Festival 2008, but one can try… From confessions of a leather bar chanteuse to real-life stories on what it means to be Jewish today, told in… the belly of a whale of all places, the festival encompasses all themes, all genres, all taboos. Unspoiled young (and not so young) performers usually meet you by the theatre entrance, where three to six shows are being presented back-to-back, or simultaneously on different stages, and use their charm and their perfected body language to hand you a little card about their production. Please come see our show! It’s an all-you-can-eat feast for the theatre junkies, so brave that Tenderloin desert at night, don’t be afraid, and come see the show. Any show. Sha Sha Higby presents her solo performance in The Iron Muffin/Glass Jungle II, clad in her famous self-made structural costume with multiple masks-faces. She moves on stage like a tropical fish in her war paint, or like a female shaman speaking in tongues. She tours internationally, so catch her here while you can. The festival ends this Sunday. See show times and venues at: http://www.sffringe.org/

A Girl Cut in Two—A Century-Old Story Told Anew

As the iconic 20th century filmmakers age, the theme of May-December romance inevitably marks their work. “A Girl Cut in Two” by Claude Chabrol is based on Evelyn Nesbit-Stanford White-Harry Thaw Gilded Age love triangle, but one does not have to be familiar with the historic reference to enjoy this well-directed and exquisitely performed French film. Ludivine Sagnier, best known for her roles in Francois Ozon’s “8 Women” and “Swimming Pool” plays the role of Gabrielle Deneige—a TV weather girl who becomes speedily promoted to a talk show host and gets noticed by the Canal+ producers. Not only her career picks up nicely, a young millionaire courts her and dreams only of marrying her—not bad for a daughter of a struggling single mother who works for a bookshop and does not have much life of her own. As it happens mostly in French movies, often based on amazing true stories, love conquers all, sometimes to the detriment of all involved. Mlle Deneige falls madly in love with an aged intellectual, and thus starts her road to the velvet hell of twisted romance and to her ultimate career change. After all is said and done, she becomes a girl cut in two—this time in an ironic physical mirroring of her moral dilemma. Opens September 12 at the Lumiere Theatre in SF and Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley. More info at: http://www.ifcfilms.com/

West Marin Limantour Beach

Photo by Yuri Krasov

Top: Jellyfish

Bottom: A seagull in the fog

Of Herbs and Grasses of West Marin

When tourists from Illinois ask why would anyone settle on a land that’s shaking, take them on a day trip to San Andreas Fault that happens to frame Point Reyes National Seashore. A higher truth will unfold among the fragrant meadows that feed California cows, surrounded by tan suede hills and roaring Pacific foam. Make them stop at Point Reyes Station, population 350. Where else can you sample Cowgirl Creamery cheeses wrapped in stinging nettles or rolled in local herbs; “the best oysters on Earth;” “the best organic espresso,” and feed your horse some organic hay—all in one place? Oh, you are still driving that old thing. It’s a shame. From Bear Valley Visitor Center in Olema (population 55) a marshy road leads to Limantour Beach—eerie in fog, pearly gray, covered with monstrous kelp and dead jelly fish, or crowded and shiny on a sunny day. From Inverness, following Sir Francis Drake Boulevard you can turn left to Drakes Bay Oyster Farm or right to Hearts Desire Beach on Tomales Bay, at the end of Pierce Point Road. The beach is swimmable, so go ahead, knock yourself out. If you continue to Point Reyes Lighthouse along the Boulevard brace yourself for strong winds, breath-taking vistas, and weekend crowds. The Seashore has something for everyone—wild life, hiking trails, swimming lakes, gourmet food, and countless art galleries, so living on a fault all of a sudden does not seem that bad at all. More info at: http://www.nps.gov/

Photo by Yuri Krasov