Martin Pakledinaz News

San Francisco Ballet has announced Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson’s farewell season in 2022, celebrating Tomasson’s remarkable 37-year tenure leading the Company.

We may be in the doldrums of winter right now – with nippy temperatures, dark skies and some much-needed rain – but January also means that San Francisco Ballet (SFB) is back in season for the next several months and, to me, that signifies all’s right with the world. SFB is kicking off its 2021 digital season exactly where it left off last March, when the remainder of its 2020 season was abruptly cancelled for obvious reasons. The company presented an enchanting new production of George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream only to have the curtain come down on opening night to the news that the just-ended performance would be its last for the season.

San Francisco Ballet (SF Ballet) launches the 2021 Digital Season on January 21 with George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream, filmed on stage at the War Memorial Opera House in March of 2020.

If your spirits could use an extra little lift, and frankly whose couldn’t these days(?!), San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker Online may be just the tonic you need. In this most unsettling of holiday seasons when so many of us are feeling a bit unmoored and longing in vain for the festivities of years gone by, it is like a breath of fresh air to be able to reconnect with a cherished holiday tradition and perhaps even experience it in a new way. While in-person performances remain on hold, San Francisco Ballet (SFB) has made its Nutcracker Online available for streaming through December 31st. The presentation consists largely of a beautifully-produced video of its popular annual production from 2007, plus some added bells and whistles to make the experience more interactive and appeal to a wide variety of ages and differing levels of knowledge of classical ballet. Kids of all ages can enjoy learning some of the dance moves, and many folks may be surprised to learn about SFB’s extensive history with this ballet, dating all the way back to Christmas Eve 1944 when SFB presented the first full-length Nutcracker ever performed in the U.S.

The presentations, filmed live in high-definition at the War Memorial Opera House, will be viewable on demand for free with registration at sfopera.com on the first streaming date starting at 10 am (PDT) and expiring at 11:59 pm the following day.

Opening night of San Francisco Ballet's triumphant production of George Balanchine's a?oeA Midsummer Night's Dreama?? was both a thrilling and heartbreaking occasion. Thrilling because SFB gave a masterful performance of this Balanchine classic that has gone missing from its repertoire for far too long. Heartbreaking because mere moments after the final curtain came down, a notice was issued that all subsequent performances of a?oeMidsummer'sa?? scheduled run had been cancelled due the Mayor's efforts to prevent the spread of the corona virus. Of course, health concerns must take precedence, but it was still incredibly sad to think that others would not be able to experience this glorious production, at least for the time being. I also couldn't help feeling for the dancers and artistic staff who had clearly poured their hearts and souls into this huge endeavor. In the meantime, though, let's not let current events dim the glowing memories of opening night.

San Francisco Ballet (SF Ballet) presents George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream, a tale of love, magic, and revelry that's fun for the entire family, on March 6a?"15 at the War Memorial Opera House. The full-length ballet includes some of Shakespeare's best-known characters, including Titania, Oberon, Puck, and donkey-headed Bottoma?"providing more than 100 roles in all, including 14 leading parts and a cast of 25 children. 

On the afternoon of February 2nd, 2020, a nearly sold-out audience for a performance of Pacific Northwest Ballet's “Cinderella” proved that diehard dancegoers and eager young ballet students will show up in full force even though plenty of other people decide to opt for watching Superbowl Sunday's football game.

The Atlanta Opera has announced its 41st season. True to the vision of Tomer Zvulun, the company's Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director, the 2020-21 lineup boasts major new productions of three critically important works: Das Rheingold, one of the most iconic in the canon; The Sound of Music, one of the best-loved classics of musical theater; and The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, one of contemporary opera's most palpable hits, now receiving its Southeast premiere. Together with the Atlanta premiere of As One, Steve Jobs is one of two topical and much talked-about new operas in Atlanta's award-winning Discoveries series, which breaks down barriers between artists and their audience by providing intimate, immersive experiences in nontraditional spaces.

THE HARD NUT at the Paramount Theatre is a mix of comedy and dancing spectacle. The Mark Morris Dance Company presents their version of the Nutcracker and the Mouseking with the aim to make classical ballet accessible to the masses.

Riverside Theatre, led by Producing Artistic Director/CEO Allen D. Cornell and Managing Director/COO Jon R. Moses, is proud to present the exuberant Broadway hit musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie. Sponsored by Bill & Laura Frick and Judy & Bill Schneebeck and presented by Riverside Theatre's Patron Producers Group, Thoroughly Modern Millie performs on the Stark Stage from January 7-26, 2020.

Everything's coming up roses this week because the original production of the legendary musical GYPSY is celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of its opening night! To celebrate, we're looking back at the opening night of Broadway's most recent revival in 2008 starring Patti LuPone in the iconic role of Mama Rose. Check out the video to see our chat with LuPone, Laura Benanti, Boyd Gaines, and more!

Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson and San Francisco Ballet today announced programming for the 2020 Repertory Season. Building on a heritage of commissioning groundbreaking dance from today's top choreographers, uncovering new choreographic talent, staging modern classics, and preserving the works that make up the canon of classic ballet, the 2020 Season places SF Ballet at the forefront of innovation and preeminence. Highlights include two new SF Ballet commissions by Cathy Marston and Trey McIntyre, and a co-commission with American Ballet Theatre of a work by Alexei Ratmansky; as well as works by George Balanchine, David Dawson, Harald Lander, Edwaard Liang, Benjamin Millepied, Mark Morris, Liam Scarlett, Helgi Tomasson, and Stanton Welch. The Season's three story ballets include Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Wheeldon's Cinderella, and Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet.

Newsday Reports that protestors took to the streets outside Huntington High School in Long Island to protest the production of Thoroughly Modern Millie taking place inside, which they say is 'racist against Chinese-Americans.'

On this day, we salute the life and art of Theoni V. Aldredge, the costume designer of the original stage version of 'La Cage aux Folles' and 'Annie' on Broadway who passed away on this day in 2011.

With a mix of new and traditional takes on opera, Seattle Opera unveils a 2019/20 Season that offers something for everyone. Audiences will experience new-to-Seattle productions of Rigoletto, Cinderella, and Eugene Onegin; the company premiere of Charlie Parker's Yardbird; and the return of a beloved classic, La boh me.

At a press conference held May 31 in the lobby of the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) announced 237 nominations for the 39th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards, which recognize excellence in the performing arts in Toronto.

The Tony Awards Administration Committee has announced that they will present the 2018 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre to three outstanding contributors to the Broadway industry - New York Times' culture photographer Sara Krulwich, costume beader, Bessie Nelson, and the Ernest Winzer Cleaners.

Once in a while, you come across a stage show that, on paper, may not have had the buzz that other high-profile shows may have had initially, but then you see it … and it just completely surprises you in the best possible way. That pretty much sums up my recent experience with the oh-so delightful NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT, Musical Theatre West's buoyant and sublime new regional production of the 10-time Tony Award-nominated 2012 musical comedy now on stage at the Richard and Karen Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts in Long Beach, CA through April 22. An irresistibly silly and infectiously tuneful stage show that will have you smiling from start to finish, this roaring 20's throwback with modern sensibilities provides lots of zany antics, lots of witty one-liners, and lots of spectacular song-and-dance showstoppers that will have you wondering---where has this show been all my life?