Petaluma
Pins & Needles
Labor Day weekend marks the launch of the Mercury Theater inaugural season with Pins and Needles, the Depression-era labor revue that became a Broadway sensation in 1937. First staged by members of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, the show’s satirical songs—like “Doin’ the Reactionary” and “Call It Unamerican”—still hit with uncanny resonance today. Presented without updates, the production preserves its original humor and bite, while adding Spanish translations by former San Francisco poet laureate Alejandro Murguía to honor today’s diverse labor movement. Runs Aug. 30–Sept. 14 at Mercury Theater (Cinnabar Theater building), 3333 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. Tickets $20–$35. Labor Day special: $10 for union members. More at mercurytheater.org.
Calistoga
Logic & Light
Sofie Contemporary Arts unveils Between Logic and Light: Material and Meaning in Abstraction, a group show exploring the intersection of form, process and perception. Guest-curated by Ray Beldner of Startup Arts, the exhibition features works in stone, sculpture, painting and collage by Arminee Chahbazian, Delbar Azari, Jamie Bruson, Fernando Carnauba, Cynthia Sumner and Beldner himself. On view through Nov. 2, the show invites viewers into a contemplative encounter with abstraction’s power to shape thought and memory. Now through Nov. 2 at Sofie Contemporary Arts, 1407 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga. Open Thurs–Sun, 12–6pm. More at sofiegallery.com.
San Rafael
Bat Stats
Fresh from winning the Audience Choice Award at DocLands, Bay Area filmmaker Kristin Tièche brings her feature documentary, The Invisible Mammal, to the Smith Rafael Film Center on Thursday, Sept. 4. The film follows a team of women scientists, including Dr. Winifred Frick and Corky Quirk, as they fight to save North America’s bats from white-nose syndrome, a deadly fungal disease pushing species like the little brown bat toward extinction. The screening will be followed by a live Q&A with Tièche and cast member Quirk, diving deeper into the science, the urgency and the surprising connections between bats and global health. 7pm, Thursday, Sept. 4, Smith Rafael Film Center, 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael. Details and tickets at rafaelfilm.cafilm.org.
Larkspur
Film Noir
Fatal attraction, double-crosses and shadows limned with cigarette smoke; Lark Theater rolls out a weekend of film noir classics Aug. 29–30. On screen: Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, Laura, Strangers on a Train, The Hitch-Hiker, The Big Heat and The Bad and the Beautiful. It’s a chance to see Hollywood’s darkest gems as they were meant to be seen—on the big screen. Showtimes 4 and 6:30pm, Friday, Aug. 29, and 4 and 6:30pm, Saturday, Aug. 30, at Lark Theater, 549 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur. Tickets $10–$15. More at larktheater.net.
