Best of Marin 2017: Arts & Culture

-
0
Best of Marin 2017: Arts & Culture

There are so many fun, cultural things to do on any given day in Marin that it’s hard to know exactly what to say “yes” to when your friends invite you to join them. You could catch a film that goes on to win an Oscar, hear an author speak about his or her latest book, check out what artists have been up to when they display their work in a park or hear Phil Lesh play a set at sunset. In the arts and culture realm, Marin is teeming with energy and creativity. We are spoiled. Very, very spoiled.—M.O.

Hallelujah

New York Times-bestselling author Anne Lamott is a writer of contradictions. For instance, her nonfiction works—including essays and memoirs—are deeply personal, though they are universally relatable. Another case in point, her honest and wondrous writing is biting in its humor, though Lamott largely aims the sights on herself, injecting self-deprecating laughs in her stories of struggles and triumphs.

And in keeping with her trademark turnabouts, Marin’s Best Author went high when society went low last year. Lamott’s new book, Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy, is a breath of fresh literary air. With a caring and understanding tone, Lamott takes on the overwhelming negativity in today’s political and international culture head-on, and gets hands-on in finding humor and hope in between the headlines. Known across the country as “the people’s author,” she is also a sought-after writing instructor whose workshop sessions always sell out instantly. Lamott is a longtime staple of Marin, and she matches her words with action, supporting women’s rights, gay rights and environmental causes.

Barclayagency.com/site/speaker/anne-lamott.

Hell Yeah

On a national scale, music critics and country rock aficionados still consider Danny Click & the Hell Yeahs! to be an under-the-radar sensation. Locally, Marin’s Best Band is pinging on all of the radars, with praise coming from fans and peers alike. The tall drink of water with a striking mane of snow-white hair past his shoulders and a sly, ever-present grin on his face is rarely seen without a guitar in tow, rocking festivals and performing intimate sets throughout Northern California since moving here from Austin, Texas, more than a decade ago.

Whether he’s supporting international acts like Australia’s Kasey Chambers or headlining Marin’s top venues, Click and his band make the most of their stage time with a joyful exuberance and celebratory atmosphere. On record, Click’s acclaimed releases under his own name have each spent weeks on Americana charts. His latest album, 2015’s Holding Up the Sun, is his most wide-reaching album yet, full of lush melodies and searing guitar work.

Dannyclick.com.

Gala That Gets It

Outdoor dining may have an Italian name, alfresco, but it was made for Marin. Aside from the region’s bounty of agricultural acreage and diverse culinary destinations, it’s also a perfect spot to take your lunch baskets and dinner plates outside and enjoy your meal among the elements.

Founded four years ago, Marin Alfresco is a gala that gets it. Hosted by the Osher Marin JCC, Marin’s Best Charity Event sits under the umbrella of the sky and boasts the Bay Area’s best chefs and wineries coming together in the great outdoors for a fresh and scrumptious dining experience among the stars to benefit scholarship programs at the JCC.

Taking advantage of an expansive campus setting, Marin Alfresco often begins in the Plaza J courtyard, where live bands set the mood and tastings excite the appetite. From there, a meal in a field pairs with silent auction action and lively dance music.

Normally, Marin Alfresco takes place at the end of May, though perhaps due to this year’s record-setting wet season, 2017’s incarnation is currently set for next October. The good news is that there is plenty of time to get your finances in order. Keep your eyes peeled for tickets to the always sold-out extravaganza.

Osher Marin JCC, 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael; 415.444.8000.

Dance, Dance, Dance

In the immortal words of Gloria Estefan, “Get on your feet, get up and make it happen,” at Love2Dance. Located in Novato, Marin’s Best Dance Studio is the place to go for an encouraging atmosphere where you can move to the rhythm with positive, affirming instructors and all-skill level classes for all ages.

Have a toddler who loves to tango? Love2Dance hosts Little Feet courses that let children ages 2-5 explore their world with movement and creativity. For school-age children and adults, Love2Dance breaks down the class schedule by genre, with hip-hop, jazz, tap, ballet and musical theater categories, among others. Once you’ve got the moves down, you can become a part of the show, as Love2 Dance holds two showcase performances each year at the Marin Center. The studio’s upcoming performances include “Paint the Stage” with Little Feet dancers delighting onstage on May 21, and “Color the World with Dance,” featuring participants in a globe-spanning repertoire of works on May 28.

Love2Dance also offers special master classes from professionals in the world of Broadway and Hollywood, and the studio even sponsors trips to Disneyland. What’s not to love about that?

830 Sweetser Ave., Ste. A, Novato; 415.898.3933.

Support Team

There are a ton of extremely talented music makers in Marin, as evidenced by the venues pumping out live tunes every day of the week, and the array of festivals that dot the calendar and landscape throughout the year. But, what’s less obvious is the army of engineers and production providers who make the music heard. One such audio entrepreneur is Renegade Productions, run out of San Rafael by audiophile Jake Hammerslag.

Often accomplishing behind-the-scenes magic, Marin’s Best Production is a team of dedicated professionals. Renegade Productions provides rehearsal space and studios for local bands along Hwy 101 (where noise complaints are few and far between), though the production company also takes the show on the road and offers a lifetime of experience and expertise as event coordinators. With a warehouse packed with the best gear in the business, Renegade can power a PA for your party or assemble a stage for your soiree. Get Jake on the phone for more information about what Renegade can do for you.

101 Joseph Ct., San Rafael; 415.250.3617.

Iconic Style

This isn’t the first time that we’ve sung the praises of Tom Killion. In fact, we’ve long fawned over Marin’s Best Visual Artist,  known for his spectacular woodblock prints depicting North Bay coastlines in vivid color and detail. As recently as 2015, when his collaboration with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gary Snyder, California’s Wild Edge: The Coast in Prints, Poetry and History, was released by HeyDay books, we’ve compared Killion to Picasso and Banksy for his iconic and instantly recognizable style.

And with each new breathtaking print, the artist continues to wow us with his imaginative landscapes. The 2017 Marin Cultural Treasure Award winner is currently wrapping up a solo show of his most well-regarded prints of Marin County locations at the Bartolini Gallery in Marin Center’s Exhibit Hall, closing on April 28. The next best chance to see Killion’s work is at his home studio during the Point Reyes Memorial Day Weekend Open Studios event May 27-29. Visitors can purchase Killion’s prints, books, posters and more, while viewing rare and out-of-print pieces and getting a glimpse of the artist’s printmaking process.

Tomkillion.com.

—Charlie Swanson

The full list of Best of Marin 2017 Arts & Culture winners:

Best Art Festival
Sausalito Art Festival
Sausalitoartfestival.org.

Best Art Gallery
Art Works Downtown
1337 Fourth St., San Rafael.
415.451.8119.

Best Author
Anne Lamott
Barclayagency.com/site/speaker/anne-lamott.

Best Ballet Company
Marin Ballet
100 Elm St., San Rafael.
415.453.6705.

Best Band
Danny Click & the Hell Yeahs!
Dannyclick.com.

Best Charity Event
Marin Alfresco
Osher Marin JCC, 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael.
415.444.8000.

Best Curator
Donna Seager and Suzanne Gray, Seager Gray Gallery
108 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley.
415.384.8288.

Best Dance Studio
Love2Dance
830 Sweetser Ave., Ste. A, Novato.
415.898.3933.

Best Festival
Fairfax Festival
Fairfaxfestival.com.

Best Film Festival
Mill Valley Film Festival
Mvff.com.

Best Filmmaker
George Lucas
Lucasfilm.com.

Best Media Personality: TV, Radio & Print
Rick Clark, KWMR FM 90.5 Pt. Reyes, 89.9 Bolinas, 92.3 The Valley Point Reyes Station
Kwmr.org.

Best Movie Theater
Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center
1118 Fourth St., San Rafael
415.454.1222.

Best Museum
Marin Museum of Contemporary Art
500 Palm Drive, Novato.
415.506.0137.

Best Music Festival
Fairfax Festival
Fairfaxfestival.com.

Best Music Venue
Sweetwater Music Hall
19 Corte Madera Ave., Mill Valley.
415.388.3850.

Best Outdoor Art Event
Sausalito Art Festival
Sausalitoartfestival.org.

Best Outdoor Music Festival
Fairfax Festival
Fairfaxfestival.com.

Best Outdoor Music Venue
Rancho Nicasio Bar & Restaurant
1 Old Rancheria Road, Nicasio.
415.662.2219.

Best Performing Artist
Phil Lesh
Phillesh.net.

Best Performing Arts Center
Marin Center
10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael.
415.473.6400.

Best Performing Dance Company
Love2Dance
830 Sweetser Ave., Ste. A, Novato.
415.898.3933.

Best Place to Dance
Rancho Nicasio Bar & Restaurant
1 Old Rancheria Road, Nicasio.
415.662.2219.

Best Production
Renegade Productions
101 Joseph Court, San Rafael.
415.250.3617.

Best Theater Company
Marin Theatre Company
Marintheatre.org.

Best Visual Artist
Tom Killion
Tomkillion.com.

Editor’s Note: Best of Marin 2017

-
0
Editor’s Note: Best of Marin 2017

Here at the Pacific Sun, it’s the most fun time of the year. Best of Marin season means discovering what our loyal readers love about this county—from its hardworking people to its beautiful places, putting together a big, colorful paper to honor it all and then sharing it with you.

This year our theme is Carnival, because, well, who doesn’t love a party? And with winners in categories that include Arts & Culture, Beauty, Health & Wellness, Everyday, Family, Fitness & Recreation, Food & Drink, Home Improvement and Romance, there’s a lot to celebrate.

We hope that after you flip through the pages of this issue, you feel as grateful as we do to be able to live, work and play here. So enjoy, and thanks for yet another entertaining Best of Marin. The party is just getting started. Don’t forget your feathers and mask.—Molly Oleson, Editor

Hero & Zero: A Rescued Pooch & A Drunk Driver

-
0
Hero & Zero: A Rescued Pooch & A Drunk Driver

By Nikki Silverstein

Hero: Most feared that Yoda, a beautiful yellow Labrador retriever, had drowned after the boat he was on capsized in Tomales Bay on April 6. Two friends and two dogs had been on the boat during the tragic accident in which one man died. The other man and one of the dogs were rescued soon after the boat

Three days after a boating tragedy, Marin County firefighters rescued a missing pooch named Yoda.

overturned. That left only Yoda. Three days after the tragedy, Marin County firefighters involved in a training exercise noticed a yellow dog on a remote rocky shore north of Dillon Beach. The firefighters rescued the missing pooch and brought him to the Tomales Fire Station, where he was warmed by the fireplace and ate a hearty meal. Yoda, unharmed from his ordeal, was returned to his grateful family.

Zero: When you drink and drive, you’re stupid. Drink, drive and hit a car, you’re a menace. Drink, drive and just happen to run smack into a Marin County Sheriff patrol vehicle head-on, well, you’re a stupid menace in a big heap of trouble. Justin Satterfield, 34, of Mill Valley, hit the jackpot in the wee hours of the morning last Sunday when he allegedly crossed into the opposite lane while he attempted to round a curve on Shoreline Highway, which put him straight into the deputy’s path and caused the head-on collision. Fortunately, the deputy’s injuries were minor and Satterfield wasn’t hurt, not physically anyway; however, he was arrested and booked on suspicion of a felony DUI. Goodness gracious. Call Uber next time you drink.

Free Will Astrology

-
0
Free Will Astrology

By Rob Brezsny

ARIES (March 21-April 19): After George Washington was elected as the first president of the United States, he had to move from his home in Virginia to New York City, which at the time was the center of the American government. But there was a problem: He didn’t have enough cash on hand to pay for his long-distance relocation, so he was forced to scrape up a loan. Fortunately, he was resourceful and persistent in doing so. The money arrived in time for him to attend his own inauguration. I urge you to be like Washington in the coming weeks, Aries. Do whatever’s necessary to get the funds you need to finance your life’s next chapter.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Fantasize about sipping pear nectar and listening to cello music and inhaling the aroma of musky amber and caressing velvet, cashmere, and silk. Imagine how it would feel to be healed by inspiring memories and sweet awakenings and shimmering delights and delicious epiphanies. I expect experiences like these to be extra available in the coming weeks. But they won’t necessarily come to you freely and easily. You will have to expend effort to ensure they actually occur. So be alert for them. Seek them out. Track them down.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Contagion may work in your favor, but it could also undermine you. On the one hand, your enthusiasm is likely to ripple out and inspire people whose help you could use. On the other hand, you might be more sensitive than usual to the obnoxious vibes of manipulators. But now that I’ve revealed this useful tip, let’s hope you will be able to maximize the positive kind of contagion and neutralize the negative. Here’s one suggestion that may help: Visualize yourself to be surrounded by a golden force field that projects your good ideas far and wide even as it prevents the disagreeable stuff from leaking in.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): A reader named Kris X sent me a rebuke. “You’re not a guru or a shaman,” he sneered. “Your horoscopes are too filled with the slippery stench of poetry to be useful for spiritual seekers.” Here’s my response: “Thank you, sir! I don’t consider myself a guru or shaman, either. It’s not my mission to be an all-knowing authority who hands down foolproof advice. Rather, I’m an apprentice to the Muse of Curiosity. I like to wrestle with useful, beautiful paradoxes. My goal is to be a joyful rebel stirring up benevolent trouble, to be a cheerleader for the creative imagination.” So now I ask you, my fellow Cancerian: How do you avoid getting trapped in molds that people pressure you to fit inside? Are you skilled at being yourself even if that’s different from what’s expected of you? What are the soulful roles you choose to embody despite the fact that almost no one understands them? Now is a good time to meditate on these matters.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In the coming weeks, there will be helpers whose actions will nudge you—sometimes inadvertently—toward a higher level of professionalism. You will find it natural to wield more power and you will be more effective in offering your unique gifts. Now maybe you imagine you have already been performing at the peak of your ability, but I bet you will discover—with a mix of alarm and excitement—that you can become even more excellent. Be greater, Leo! Do better! Live stronger! (P.S. As you ascend to this new level of competence, I advise you to be humbly aware of your weaknesses and immaturities. As your clout rises, you can’t afford to indulge in self-delusions.)

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I love to see you Virgos flirt with the uncharted and the uncanny and the indescribable. I get thrills and chills whenever I watch your fine mind trying to make sense of the fabulous and the foreign and the unfathomable. What other sign can cozy up to exotic wonders and explore forbidden zones with as much no-nonsense pragmatism as you? If anyone can capture greased lightning in a bottle or get a hold of magic beans that actually work, you can.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): A friend told me about a trick used by his grandmother, a farmer. When her brooding hens stopped laying eggs, she would put them in pillowcases that she then hung from a clothesline in a stiff breeze. After the hens got blown around for a while, she returned them to their cozy digs. The experience didn’t hurt them, and she swore it put them back on track with their egg-laying. I’m not comfortable with this strategy. It’s too extreme for an animal-lover like myself. (And I’m glad I don’t have to deal with recalcitrant hens.) But maybe it’s an apt metaphor or poetic prod for your use right now. What could you do to stimulate your own creative production?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Now would be an excellent time to add deft new nuances to the ways you kiss, lick, hug, snuggle, caress and fondle. Is there a worthy adventurer who will help you experiment with these activities? If not, use your pillow, your own body, a realistic life-size robot, or your imagination. This exercise will be a good warm-up for your other assignment, which is to upgrade your intimacy skills. How might you do that? Hone and refine your abilities to get close to people. Listen deeper, collaborate stronger, compromise smarter and give more. Do you have any other ideas?

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “If I had nine hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first six sharpening my ax,” said Abraham Lincoln, one of America’s most productive presidents. I know you Sagittarians are more renowned for your bold, improvisational actions than your careful planning and strategic preparation, but I think the coming weeks will be a time when you can and should adopt Lincoln’s approach. The readier you are, the freer you’ll be to apply your skills effectively and wield your power precisely.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Zoologists say that cannibalizing offspring is common in the animal kingdom, even among species that care tenderly for their young. So when critters eat their kids, it’s definitely “natural.” But I trust that in the coming weeks, you won’t devour your own children. Nor, I hope, will you engage in any behavior that metaphorically resembles such an act. I suspect that you may be at a low ebb in your relationship with some creation or handiwork or influence that you generated out of love. But please don’t abolish it, dissolve it or abandon it. Just the opposite. In fact, intensify your efforts to nurture it.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Your astrological house of communication will be the scene of substantial clamor and ruckus in the coming weeks. A bit of the hubbub will be flashy but empty. But much of it should be pretty interesting, and some of it will even be useful. To get the best possible results, be patient and objective rather than jumpy and reactive. Try to find the deep codes buried inside the mixed messages. Discern the hidden meanings lurking within the tall tales and reckless gossip. If you can deal calmly with the turbulent flow, you will give your social circle a valuable gift.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The best oracular advice you’ll get in the coming days probably won’t arise from your dreams or an astrological reading or a session with a psychic, but rather by way of seemingly random signals, like an overheard conversation or a sign on the side of a bus or a scrap of paper you find lying on the ground. And I bet the most useful relationship guidance you receive won’t be from an expert, but maybe from a blog you stumble upon or a barista at a café or one of your old journal entries. Be alert for other ways this theme is operating, as well. The usual sources may not have useful info about their specialties. Your assignment is to gather up accidental inspiration and unlikely teachings.

Homework: At least 30 percent of everything you and I know is more than half-wrong. Are you brave enough to admit it? Describe your ignorance at FreeWillastrology.com.

Advice Goddess

-
0
Advice Goddess

By Amy Alkon

Q: I’m a man in my mid-30s, and I’m dating a woman I really love. We match each other on so many levels, and I thought we had a really great thing. But, recently, she seems to want more than I can give. Specifically, she’s prodding me to say, “I love you” repeatedly throughout the day, and she blows up at me for not doing it enough. Though I do love her, the required affirmations feel hollow. But I am trying. Yesterday she called, and I told her, “I’ve been thinking about you all day.” She got super angry and said, “Then you should have called to tell me that!” WTH?! Where’s the line between being present for someone and being phony just to quell their unfounded insecurity?—Besieged

A: Understandably, if your relationship is patterned on a movie, you’d like it to be Love Actually, not Judgment at Nuremberg.

Sure, things are looking bleak at the moment. In fact, the best thing about your relationship right now probably seems like the right to a speedy trial. However, you may be able to change that—get back to the “really great thing” you two had—by understanding the possible evolutionary roots to your girlfriend’s morphing into LOVEMEEEE!zilla.

It turns out that perceiving things accurately isn’t always in our best interest. In fact, evolutionary psychologist Martie Haselton explains that we seem to have evolved to make protective errors in judgment—either underperceiving or overperceiving depending on which error would be the “least costly” to our mating and survival interests.

For example, Haselton explains that men are prone to err on the side of overestimating women’s interest in them. Evolutionarily, it’s costlier for a man to miss an opportunity to pass on his genes than, say, to get jeered by his buddies after he hits on some model. Man: “Yerrr pritty!” Model: “Um, you’re missing most of your teeth.”

Women, however, err on the side of underestimating a man’s willingness to stick around. This helps keep them from getting duped by cads posing as wannabe dads. And, as Haselton points out, a woman’s expressions of “commitment skepticism” may come with a fringe benefit—“more frequent displays of commitment” (like flowers, prezzies, mooshywooshy talk) from a man “who truly (is) committed.”

Unfortunately, your girlfriend’s expressing her “commitment skepticism” in exactly the wrong way—by trying to berate you into being more loving.

Because our brain’s “fight or flight” circuitry is also calibrated to protectively overreact, a verbal attack kicks off the same physiological responses as a physical one. Adrenaline surges. Your heart beats faster. And blood flow gets shunted away from systems not needed to fight back or bolt—like digestion and higher reasoning. This makes sense, because you don’t need algebra to keep a tiger from getting close enough for you to notice his need for Crest Whitestrips.

Of course, you understand that your girlfriend is a lady looking for your love, not a tiger looking to turn you into a late lunch. However, once that fight-or-flight train leaves the station, it keeps building momentum. So, though the problem between you might seem to start with your girlfriend, consider what psychologist Brooke C. Feeney calls “the dependency paradox.” Feeney’s research suggests that continually responding to your romantic partner’s bids for comforting (like expressions of neediness) with actual comforting seems to alleviate their need for so much of it.

This isn’t to say that you should make like a meth-jacked parrot and start squawking, “Awwk! I love you!” until—thunk!—you beak-plant on the newspapers lining your cage. Instead, start by asking your girlfriend why she feels a need for this daily stream of “affirmations. Next, explain the science, including Feeney’s finding. Then, pledge to be more expressive in general (holding her, telling her you love her), but explain that you feel insincere punctuating every text and conversation with robo I-love-yous. As for her part, point out that if, instead of going off on you, she’d express her fears, it would put you in a position to reassure her. Ultimately, if you’re yelling, “I love you! … I love you!” it should be because she’s running to catch a plane—not because you just can’t take another weekend chained to the radiator.

This Week in the Pacific Sun

-
0
This Week in the Pacific Sun

This week in the Pacific Sun, our cover story, ‘No Go,’ is about Marin County’s rejection of all 10 applications for legal, brick-and-mortar cannabis dispensaries. On top of that, we’ve got a piece on ICE and cannabis, a roundup of food & drink parties and classes, a story about the importance of the Science March on April 22, a review of ‘Needles and Opium‘ and an interview with acclaimed composer Kitaro. All that and more on stands and online today!

Film: Chez Pagnol

-
0
Film: Chez Pagnol

By Richard von Busack

In between the wars in Marseille, young Marius (Pierre Fresnay) is torn between his lover Fanny (Orane Demazis) and his desire to go to sea. The temptation is worse because he lives near the old port, where tall ships sometimes still enter in full sail. When he impregnates Fanny right before finally shipping out, the disgrace rattles the cozy harborside community of fishwives, barkeeps and loungers. Key among them is Marius’ wise but temperamental old dad, Cesar (Raimu). That’s when the well-off Panisse (Fernand Charpin) steps in …

Marcel Pagnol’s trilogy is screening on three subsequent Sundays at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center: Marius (directed by Alexander Korda, 1931), Fanny (directed by Marc Allégret 1932) and César (directed by Pagnol, 1936). The thread can be picked up anywhere, since each piece of this trilogy stands alone. Now after a 4K restoration, the monuments of the town, the Le Pharo lighthouse and the Canebiere are more lambent than ever.    

They’re sometimes quaint, as when a tiny trolley, stuffed with passengers and bedecked with tin Pernod signs, slams to a halt because some loafers are playing boules on the tracks. And they’re sometimes very comic. The tang of life in this trilogy was keen enough to inspire Alice Waters to name her restaurant after Mr. Panisse. These French films had more salt and grit than the Hollywood films of the time; the trilogy is as warm as summer, as fragrant as lavender fields and as prickly as the mistral.

Marcel Pagnol’s ‘Marseille Trilogy’ plays April 23, 30 and May 7; Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center, 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael; 415/454.1222.

Music: Universal Music

-
0
Music: Universal Music

By Charlie Swanson

A founding figure in the new age musical movement, internationally acclaimed composer Kitaro masterfully merges traditional Japanese harmonics and modern electronics for a meditative listening experience that radiates inner peace.

“For me, peace comes from the creative process,” says the Japanese-born artist, who has called Sonoma County home for 10 years. This month, he unveils two very different musical projects: Performing the stunning visual concert “Kojiki and The Universe,” on Thursday, April 20, at the Marin Center in San Rafael, and releasing the new album in his ongoing series, Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai, Vol. 5, on Friday, April 21.

This week’s debut of “Kojiki and the Universe” won’t be the first time Kitaro’s music has been matched with visuals. But this will be Kitaro’s first foray into incorporating original visuals to complement his music, rather than the other way around.

“Kojiki and the Universe” immerses audiences in a visual journey to the stars, featuring time-lapse and real-time footage of distant galaxies and astronomical phenomenon provided by NASA and Kyoto University.

“Ever since I was child I have been very interested in space and the universe. I looked to the stars and wondered what was out there,” Kitaro says. “Now I have an opportunity to explore and work with space by creating sound waves through it.

“It brings me peace to know that my music is a source of enjoyment and relaxation for my fans,” he continues, “which I hope brings them peace.”

Kitaro, Thursday, April 20, Marin Center Showcase Theater, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael; 8pm; $55–$75; $200 VIP; 415/473.6800.

Theater: Needles and Spins

-
0
Theater: Needles and Spins

By Charles Brousse

There was a time, not so long ago, when I would attend every iteration of Cirque du Soleil that came to San Francisco. The productions were awe-inspiring, a marvel of colorful costumes, evocative music, unbelievable acrobatic skills and, above all, technological wonders that made the whole thing seem magical.

Entranced as I was, however, I became increasingly aware that something was missing. That “something” was human content, a narrative featuring real people that would bind the spectacle together and give it warmth instead of just being an eye and ear-pleasing show—a gaudy performance wrapping around a void. When that didn’t happen, I stopped going.

I mention this because Robert Lepage, the renowned French Canadian writer/director, whose Needles and Opium occupies A.C.T.’s Geary Theater stage (or at least a portion thereof) for one more weekend, has a resume that includes major roles in developing two of Cirque’s past projects (2004 and 2010) and echoes of that experience are evident throughout the current production. Instead of a grand-scale, multi-event circus, however, he has compressed his playing area into a smallish three-sided cube, standing upright on one corner to provide sloping walls, and a floor and ceiling that change orientation as it rotates. Within that small chamber, Lepage and his expert crew from his multidisciplinary production company, Ex Machina, are absolute masters.

Windows and doors appear and disappear. Lights, sound and projections shift to allow the play’s two actors, attached to safety lines, to exist in two different worlds, Paris and New York, with an occasional detour into the starry cosmos, where they are reminiscent of astronauts engaging in spacewalks. Whether intended as an opium dream, an excursion into virtual reality, or simply a demonstration of what technology can now do, the effect is spellbinding.

At least it was for awhile. About midway through the 90-minute, no-intermission performance I began to have the same uncomfortable feeling that I had with Cirque du Soleil. Was there something human underneath the razzle dazzle? Actually, Lepage does supply a storyline of sorts, but it’s so anemic and cliche ridden that it might have been better to present the show as an abstract performance piece.

Although the title suggests otherwise, Needles and Opium has relatively little to do with either one, or addiction in general. The idea came to Lepage when he stayed in Paris at the Hotel Louisiane in late 1989, researching famed jazz trumpeter Miles Davis for a documentary film and trying to overcome  depression over a  romantic breakup. After hearing that the room he occupied was where Davis and French singer/actress Juliette Greco had a brief but torrid love affair 40 years earlier, which ended unhappily, Lepage also learned that about the same time the brilliant, multi-talented French artist, writer and filmmaker Jean Cocteau journeyed to New York to help him overcome the sorrow he still felt after the sudden death of his young lover a few years earlier. Since Cocteau and Davis never met, those events have no relationship beyond the fact that the two chose to visit each other’s country at roughly the same time, and both turned to opium to relieve their respective heartbreak.

True to his aesthetic, Lepage doesn’t bother to flesh out the foregoing scenario and the actors seem to have been chosen more for their ability to perform on all angles of a moving

“stage” than to convey any impression of being real people. A silent Wellesley Robertson III mainly strikes poses with his trumpet as Davis. Olivier Normand slips and slides around the rotating cube while delivering lines from Cocteau’s “Letter,” or extolling the virtues of opium. Normand is also Lepage’s despairing surrogate (here named “Robert”) who bookends the show and eventually floats off into the starlit heavens like a 21st century Mary Poppins.

In a program note, Shannon Stockwell sums up the challenge for viewers rather nicely. “For LePage,” she writes, “the spectacle is the substance. Form is content. Content is form.”

As the old saying goes, “You pays yer money and you takes yer choice.”

NOW PLAYING: Needles and Opium runs through Sunday, April 23 at A.C.T.’s Geary Theater, 415 Geary Street, San Francisco; 415/749.2228; act-sf.org.

Home & Garden: Science Marches On

-
0
Home & Garden: Science Marches On

By Annie Spiegelman, the Dirt Diva

Out of the swamp and smack into a cesspool. It seems every day is alt-day with the new, wildcard administration in the White House. Policymakers and an assortment of fake, farcical and fanatical news organizations keep spewing alternative facts on a plethora of important issues but they’re hitting especially hard on science. You know, that class in high school you never showed up for? Seems like evidence seekers, critical thinkers and fact-checkers are so yesterday!

When scientists continue to be doubted, disregarded, insulted and silenced, it’s impossible to remain silent or apolitical any longer. Vital scientific research is under attack by wealthy extremists who have made their fortunes in industries that continue to poison humanity, pollute our environment and squander our natural resources. Pick your poison: Oil, coal, fracking, chemical pesticides, factory farming. It’s all fine with Trump. Funding for basic scientific research, environmental protections and public health are all in jeopardy while the EPA’s authority is deteriorating as fast as the Arctic ice cap.

Am I freaking out? Well, yes. Where are my people!? The ones that conclude, by scientific method, that my hypothesis “we’re all doomed,” is true or not.

This Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, 2017, the scientific community will march in Washington, D.C. and around the globe. There will be upward of 400 sister marches across the earth, including in San Francisco, where citizens from all walks of life, along with formal scientists, will march in support of science. Bill Nye, the Science Guy, will serve as honorary co-chair along with official partner The Planetary Society, a nonprofit organization with more than 50,000 members that promotes the exploration of space through education, advocacy and innovative projects.

“We march to celebrate science,” Nye says. “We unite as a diverse, nonpartisan group to call for science that upholds the common good and for political leaders and policymakers to enact evidence-based policies in the public interest.”

Why is this march so essential? Scientific data shows 2016 as being the warmest year on record since modern record-keeping began in 1880. In 2012, Trump tweeted, “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.” Last month, the president invited a group of coal miners and coal industry executives to be present at the signing of a sweeping executive order to curb climate regulations at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He said that this order will be “putting American jobs above addressing climate change,” and “putting an end to the war on coal.” He also said, “We are going to put our coal miners back to work.” Due to the growth of natural gas, renewable power, outside suppliers and mine mechanization, coal mining jobs have gone from 250,000 in 1980 to 53,000 today.

Could it get any worse? Why, yes it can. Last month Trump’s “terrific” new EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, reversed the Obama administration’s effort to ban a pesticide linked to nervous system damage in kids. Chlorpyrifos, manufactured by Dow Chemical (trade name Lorsban) has been banned from consumer products and residential use nationwide but is still widely used on farms. A recent UC Berkeley study showed that 7-year-old children in the Salinas Valley who were exposed to high levels of the pesticide, while still in the womb, had slightly lower IQ scores than their classmates.

“EPA turned a blind-eye to extensive scientific evidence and peer reviews documenting serious harm to children and their developing brains, including increased risk of learning disabilities, reductions in IQ, developmental delay, autism, and ADHD,” said Miriam Rotkin-Ellman, senior scientist at the Natural Resource Defense Council in a Pesticide Action Network news release.

“Today’s decision means children across the country will continue to be exposed to unsafe pesticide residues in their food and drinking water.”

Tom Steyer, president of the Bay Area’s NexGen Climate, believes that these latest environmental actions are an assault on American values and “endanger the health, safety and prosperity of every American.”

“Trump is deliberately destroying programs that create jobs and safeguards that protect our air and water, all for the sake of allowing corporate polluters to profit at our expense,” Steyer said in a statement.

This is why we all need to stop playing mind-numbing games on the internet and become informed citizens of science. If we want clean air, water and food, we have to fight powerful biotech, pesticide companies and now—the head of the EPA, who has sued the EPA 14 times in the past. Yes, it’s disgraceful and shameful, but it’s just the way it is. This is why we need to march.

March for Science, Saturday, April 22; marchforsciencesf.com.

Best of Marin 2017: Arts & Culture

There are so many fun, cultural things to do on any given day in Marin that it’s hard to know exactly what to say “yes” to when your friends invite you to join them. You could catch a film that goes on to win an Oscar, hear an author speak about his or her latest book, check out what...
Read more

Editor’s Note: Best of Marin 2017

Here at the Pacific Sun, it’s the most fun time of the year. Best of Marin season means discovering what our loyal readers love about this county—from its hardworking people to its beautiful places, putting together a big, colorful paper to honor it all and then sharing it with you. This year our theme is Carnival, because, well, who doesn’t...
Read more

Hero & Zero: A Rescued Pooch & A Drunk Driver

hero and zero
By Nikki Silverstein Hero: Most feared that Yoda, a beautiful yellow Labrador retriever, had drowned after the boat he was on capsized in Tomales Bay on April 6. Two friends and two dogs had been on the boat during the tragic accident in which one man died. The other man and one of the dogs were rescued soon after the...
Read more

Free Will Astrology

By Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): After George Washington was elected as the first president of the United States, he had to move from his home in Virginia to New York City, which at the time was the center of the American government. But there was a problem: He didn’t have enough cash on hand to pay for his...
Read more

Advice Goddess

advice goddess
By Amy Alkon Q: I'm a man in my mid-30s, and I'm dating a woman I really love. We match each other on so many levels, and I thought we had a really great thing. But, recently, she seems to want more than I can give. Specifically, she’s prodding me to say, “I love you” repeatedly throughout the day, and...
Read more

This Week in the Pacific Sun

This week in the Pacific Sun, our cover story, 'No Go,' is about Marin County's rejection of all 10 applications for legal, brick-and-mortar cannabis dispensaries. On top of that, we've got a piece on ICE and cannabis, a roundup of food & drink parties and classes, a story about the importance of the Science March on April 22, a...
Read more

Film: Chez Pagnol

By Richard von Busack In between the wars in Marseille, young Marius (Pierre Fresnay) is torn between his lover Fanny (Orane Demazis) and his desire to go to sea. The temptation is worse because he lives near the old port, where tall ships sometimes still enter in full sail. When he impregnates Fanny right before finally shipping out, the disgrace...
Read more

Music: Universal Music

By Charlie Swanson A founding figure in the new age musical movement, internationally acclaimed composer Kitaro masterfully merges traditional Japanese harmonics and modern electronics for a meditative listening experience that radiates inner peace. “For me, peace comes from the creative process,” says the Japanese-born artist, who has called Sonoma County home for 10 years. This month, he unveils two very different...
Read more

Theater: Needles and Spins

By Charles Brousse There was a time, not so long ago, when I would attend every iteration of Cirque du Soleil that came to San Francisco. The productions were awe-inspiring, a marvel of colorful costumes, evocative music, unbelievable acrobatic skills and, above all, technological wonders that made the whole thing seem magical. Entranced as I was, however, I became increasingly aware...
Read more

Home & Garden: Science Marches On

By Annie Spiegelman, the Dirt Diva Out of the swamp and smack into a cesspool. It seems every day is alt-day with the new, wildcard administration in the White House. Policymakers and an assortment of fake, farcical and fanatical news organizations keep spewing alternative facts on a plethora of important issues but they’re hitting especially hard on science. You know,...
Read more
1...437438439...597Page 438 of 597
3,002FansLike
3,850FollowersFollow
Pacific Sun cover
CURRENT ISSUE & ARCHIVES
Pacific Sun cover
Pacific Sun cover
CURRENT ISSUE & ARCHIVES
E-Newsletters Contact Us Submit a Letter Find a Paper Distribute Us Subscribe
win free stuff
Features Local News News Upfront
Arts Culture Food & Drink Movies Music Theater
Astrology Books Columns Editor's Note Heros & Zeros Letters Look Opinion Rolling Papers Spirit Trivia Cafe
Arts & Culture Beauty, Health & Wellness Cannabis Everyday Services Family Products & Services Food & Drink Home Improvement Recreation Romance Readers' Picks 2021 Writers' Picks 2021 Readers' Picks 2020 Writers' Picks 2020
All Upcoming Events Today's Events Submit an Event Promote Your Event

FOLLOW US

Copyright © Weeklys All rights reserved.

ADVERTISING
Advertise
Legal Notices
Obituaries
Writing An Obituary
Submit an Obituary

COMPANY INFO
Job Opportunities
Privacy Policy

Support Your Local Newspaper