The Met Opera comes to Larkspur, Gayle Skidmore debuts her album recorded in the Netherlands, 6th Street does a vaudeville-esque murder mystery and Tuareg rock meets Lebanese sound experiments.
The Lark Theater
Larkspur
The Lark Theater offers opera fans a sneak peak of the grand reopening during the Met Opera live broadcasting. Saturday, Oct. 9 kicks off the “Live from the Met” series with Modest Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, a pillar of Russian opera following the story of a tortured tsar plagued by dreams of success and paranoia, conducted by Sebastian Weigle. Oct. 23 features the second opera from Grammy Award–winning jazz musician and composer Terence Blanchard, Fire Shut Up in My Bones. This profound adaptation of Charles M. Blow’s moving memoir is the first opera by a Black composer to be presented on the Met stage. Recorded broadcasts of both operas will also be shown on two Wednesdays, Oct.13 and 27. Live broadcasts begin at 10:55am and encores (recorded broadcasts) at 6:30pm. The Lark Theater, 549 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur. Shows on Oct. 9, 13, 23 and 27. Tickets are $30 on Saturdays and $24 on Wednesdays, available for purchase at Larktheater.net or by calling the Box Office at 415.924.5111.
Toad in the Hole
Santa Rosa
Gayle Skidmore, ethereal singer-songwriter who splits her time between San Diego and the Netherlands and is known in Germany as Die Schutzpatronin der Gartenzwerge—the Patron Saint of Garden Gnomes—is coming to Santa Rosa’s own Toad in the Hole for a performance of her latest album, Hiraethean Echoes, recorded at the legendary Wisseloord Studios in the Netherlands. Having written over 2,500 songs since she began songwriting at the age of eight, classically trained pianist Gayle Skidmore has had the chance to play over 20 other instruments on her many independent albums. Nominated for seven San Diego Music Awards, Skidmore’s natural ability and innate passion for music made her music career inevitable, and her tumultuous life has given her plenty of inspiration for her enchanting indie-folk pop style. Her full-length albums come with self-illustrated coloring books which highlight her thoughtful lyrics. Don’t miss this show! Toad in the Hole, 116 5th St., Santa Rosa. Oct. 2 at 4:20pm. 707.544.8623. This event is open to the public.
6th Street Playhouse
Santa Rosa
This Friday, Oct. 1 get ready for the most fun you’ve ever had at the scene of a crime. Starring Ginger Beavers and Trevor Dorner and directed by Laura Downing-Lee, Murder for Two features a small-town policeman with detective dreams and a crime novelist killed at a surprise party. With the nearest detective hours away, our officer jumps in to solve the crime. But whodunnit? Did the novelist’s scene-stealing wife give him a big finish? Is his secret lover, the prima ballerina, the prime suspect? Or did the overly friendly town psychiatrist make a fatal frenemy? Suspects spill out of the woodwork, and laughs are guaranteed. This is the ideal blend of Agatha Christie-like intrigue, vaudeville, slapstick, great acting and a piano. Two actors. One piano. Thirteen suspects. The perfect blend of music, mayhem and murder. 6th Street Playhouse, 52 W. 6th St., Santa Rosa. Shows through Oct. 10 in the GK Hardt Theatre. Tickets $22–38. 707.523.4185. 6thstreetplayhouse.com
Lagunitas Brewery
Petaluma
This Monday, Oct. 4 Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma brings a killer show along with their usual killer beer selection. Bring your friends, furry or otherwise—and that applies to people and creatures—and vibe to Mdou Moctar with TALsounds. This is a new sound you don’t want to miss—Mdou, a prodigious Tuareg guitarist reforging Saharan music with contemporary rock using field recording, poetry and blasting noise, created his sounds on a guitar that he built and taught himself to play. TALsounds is the moniker of Natalie Chami, a Canadian-born Lebanese American who creates ambient sound experiments through her masterful synth work, operatic vocals and nuanced sculpting of mood and atmosphere. Chami’s music strikes a balance between the extremely personal and the selflessly transportive. She will tour with Mdou Moctar through 2021. Grab a beer and enjoy the show! Lagunitas Brewing Company, 1280 N. McDowell Blvd., Petaluma. Tickets are $10, start time is 4:20pm. Show is 21+. 707.778.8776. www.lagunitas.com
— Jane Vick
