The Friend Center at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF) continues the 2008-09 season in the New Year with an expansive array of performing arts events, including participation in Evolve, the citywide celebration of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species publication. Also new are two films in the series Let the Games Begin, focusing on the world of sport in a tribute to the upcoming JCC Macabbi Games this summer.
Other highlights for 2009 include the appearance of renowned singer/songwriter Arlo Guthrie, veteran actor Ed Asner in The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial, Frank Ferrante with his portrayal of Groucho Marx, and dance performances by Lar Lubovitch Dance Company and Liz Lerman Dance Exchange.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN: Jewish Sports Films
Curated and co-presented by the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
Wondrous Oblivion (Mon., Feb. 2 at 7 pm)
Directed by Paul Morrison, this 2003 film is set in London, where 11-year-old David Wiseman strives in vain to play cricket. His life changes when a black Jamaican family moves in next door, and David's budding friendship with a newfound cricket mentor tests the bounds of tolerance and loyalty for the two boys.
The Year My Parents Went On Vacation (Mon., Feb. 23, 7 pm)
An Academy Award nominee, this film is part coming-of-age story, part political thriller, and part paean to soccer. Set in Brazil in the turbulent year 1970, young Mauro's left-wing militant parents are forced to go underground, leaving Mauro in the care of his Jewish grandfather's neighbor. In his new religiously diverse and colorful milieu, where everyone is transfixed by iconic soccer star Pelé and the World Cup championship, he must create an ersatz family.
JEWISH & WORLD MUSIC
The Sisters of Sheynville and Goucho, Canada's premier all-female swing-klezmer sextet makes its West Coast debut on Saturday, March 28 at 8:00 p.m. Inspired by the Barry Sisters of the 1930s and 1940s, this vintage band takes Yiddish swing to new heights with airtight three- and four-part harmonies. Gaucho plays hot "Gypsy Swing: in the style of legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt. Presented in association with the 24th Annual Jewish Music Festival.
ROOTS
Arlo Guthrie: The Lost World Tour (Sat. April 4 at 8 pm)
The eldest son of America's beloved folk music legend Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie grew up surrounded by musicians, all of whom were significant influences in his career, which exploded in 1967 with the release of "Alice's Restaurant." In addition to being an accomplished musician and singer/songwriter, he is a natural-born storyteller, who weaves hilarious and touching anecdotes into his performances. His "Lost World Tour" celebrates the first recording of new material in 12 years, and features his son Abe and the Burns Sisters.
NEW DIRECTIONS IN MUSIC
TIN HAT (Thurs. Feb 19 at 8 pm)
Formerly known as the Tin Hat Trio, the freewheeling chamber group is now a quartet known as Tin Hat. New members Ben Goldberg and Ara Anderson join forces with founding members Karla Kihlstedt and Mark Orton to add fresh colors and textures to the beloved ensemble's sound. Tin Hat will perform on Thursday, February 19 at 8 p.m.
Other Minds 14. (March 5 - 7)
The JCCSF hosts the annual Other Minds Festival of New Music, which this year will include microtonal legend Ben Johnston, whose music is performed by John Schneider and La Monte Young protégé Michael Harrison in collaboration with the Del Sol String Quartet; 26-year-old emerging talent Catherine Lamb (USA); Bent Sorensen (Denmark); and young Polish composers, Pawe Mykietyn and Pawe Szyma ski. Each concert will be preceded by a discussion with the composers and performers, hosted by Executive and Artistic Director, Charles Amirkhanian. All discussions begin at 7:15 followed by 8 pm performances.
Avishai Cohen Eastern Unit (Thurs. May 7 at 8 pm)
Internationally renowned jazz bassist/composer Avishai Cohen has been called "a jazz visionary of global proportions" by Downbeat. His Eastern Unit band was built around his celebrated Jazz Trio, and features musicians from Israel and the U.S. Cohen creates a fresh musical journey into the heritage and history of his native Israel for his latest project Sensitive Hours.
Rovaté 2009: Fissures, Futures (Fri. May 22 & Sat. May 23 at 8 pm)
Rova Saxophone Quartet returns for another groundbreaking collaboration, with Fissures, Futures (For Buckminster Fuller). Featuring the digital animation of artistic duo Semiconductor, Rovaté 2009 explores what happens when onscreen images are triggered by the sounds and actions of musicians, who include Rova, Lillevan, electronics genius Thomas Lehn, percussionist Kjell Nordesen, and string players Charlotte Hug, Lisle Ellis, Carla Kihlstedt and Joan Jeanrenaud.
THEATER
EVOLVE
Evolve is a San Francisco citywide celebration in which more than 20 local institutions are hosting performances, lectures and activities in celebration of the sesquicentennial of the publishing of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species.
The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial (Thurs. Jan. 22 at 8 pm)
The JCCSF Friend Center and L.A. Theatre Works present legendary stage and screen actor Ed Asner in The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial by Peter Goodchild. Based on original transcripts from the famous 1925 "Monkey Trial," (State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes) this staged radio play's subject remains relevant and controversial today.
Charles Darwin: Live and In Concert (Thurs. March 26 at 8 pm)
Noted anthropologist at the American Museum of Natural History, Richard Milner offers his one-man musical about the life and times of Charles Darwin. Hailed by critics as "the thinking person's musical," This witty blend of song, history and science and madness will delight audiences of all ages.
Other Theater:
2xMalamud: The Jewbird & The Magic Barrel Directed by Sheila Balter & Joel Mullennix
(Thurs. Feb 12 & Sat. Feb. 14 at 8 pm/Sun. Feb. 16 at 2 pm)
Traveling Jewish Theatre brings Bernard Malamud's most celebrated stories to the stage: The Magic Barrel centers on a hapless rabbinical student's encounter with a mysterious, herring-eating matchmaker, and The Jewbird is Malamud's darkly hilarious fable of assimilation and identity. The Jewbird was originally conceived in collaboration with the Word for Word Performing Arts Company, a program of The Z Space Studio.
Frank Ferrante in An Evening with Groucho (Sat. Feb. 28 at 5 & 8 pm)
Legendary comedian Groucho Marx is brought to life by Teatro ZinZanni audience favorite Frank Ferrante. Ferrante originated the title role in Groucho: A Life in Revue written by Groucho's son Arthur in New York, London and on PBS television. He earned New York's Theatre World Award, a NY Outer Critics Circle nomination and London's Laurence Olivier nomination for 'Comedy Performance of the Year.'
Nigerian Spam Scam Scan (Thurs. March 19 at 8 pm)
Actor Dean Cameron responded to a Nigerian e-mail scammer, posing as a lonely millionaire from Florida, and subsequently wove the experience into a hilarious multimedia comedy about a relationship built on misunderstanding, desperation and deception. Victor Isaac co-stars as the bewildered Nigerian con man.
DANCE
Lar Lubovitch Dance Company (Thurs. Jan. 15 at 8 pm)
As part of the 40th anniversary tour, the company presents a program featuring Men's Stories: A Concerto in Ruins and other dances. Hailed by the New York Times as "one of the best ten choreographers in the world," Lar Lubovitch has choreographed more than 100 works for his New York-based company.
Halau O Keikiali'i (Sat. Feb. 7 at 8 pm)
The JCCSF Art and Healing Program presents the leading San Francisco-based Hula group, in an evening of powerful dance, beautiful chant and exquisite costumes. The program shows how Hula lightens the spirit and brings balance into life, and highlights the role of the goddess Hi'Iaka, who heals disease.
Liz Lerman Dance Exchange (Sat/ April 18 at 8 pm & Sun April 19 at 7 pm)
Liz Lerman Dance Exchange presents Small Dances about Big Ideas on Commissioned by Harvard Law School for the 60th anniversary of the Nuremberg trials; the work uses movement, spoken word and documentary sound-scapes to focus on the aftermath of genocide and atrocities.
MARK CANTOR'S GIANTS OF JAZZ ON FILM
Cab Calloway and the Kings of the Cotton Club (Sat., April 11 at 8 p.m.)
An evening that celebrates Cab Calloway's 100th birthday with clips from the fabled Cotton Club of the 1920s and 1930s. Artists include Duke Ellington, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Lena Horne, and more.
FAMILY
New Pickle Circus (Sat. Jan. 24 at 5 pm and Sun. Jan. 25 at 11 am and 2 pm)
The clowns, acrobats, contortionists and other performers make another welcome return to the JCCSF for three performances. The Pickle Family veterans and Circus Center students have delighted audiences of all ages, and these shows sell out fast.
Trout Fishing in America (Sun. March 29 at 2 pm)
Grammy nominees bring an infectious mix of folk/pop and family music to Kanbar Hall. Described by the Los Angeles Times as "lyrically creative and musically sophisticated," the band draws on the wide-ranging influences of reggae, Latin, blues, jazz and classical music to create a unique sound of its own.
If You Give a Pig a Pancake and Other Storybooks (Sun. May 3 at 11 am and 2 pm) Following the wildly successful run of Seussical the Musical, Theatreworks USA presents a collection of mini-musicals based on children's storybooks, including Amazing Grace, Owen, Martha Speaks, Borreguita and the Coyote, Mater Man, Math Curse and Imogene's Antlers.
The JCCSF is the longest-serving Jewish Community Center on the West Coast, providing educational, social, cultural and recreational programs to the entire Bay Area since 1877. Open to people of all ages, all faiths and all backgrounds, the JCCSF provides quality experiences through a mix of formal and informal activities. The JCCSF is located at 3200 California Street (at Presidio), and since its grand opening in January 2004, it has welcomed over 5,000 individuals on a daily basis.
For tickets, call the JCCSF Box Office at 415/292-1233 or visit www.jccsf.org /arts
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