From a hit Broadway musical about Michael Jackson to Masako Miki’s one-of-a-kind art and arguably the most controversial performer in popular music right now, there is a lot to see and do in the Bay Area this weekend.
Here’s a partial roundup.
Theater picks: ‘MJ,’ ‘Home’
Here are two productions Bay Area theater fans should know about.
“MJ”: If you are going to create a jukebox musical, it’s hard to find a better catalogue of songs than those created and popularized by Michael Jackson. Created by award-winning theater-makers Christopher Wheeldon and Lynn Nottage, the show features such top Jackson singles as “Beat It” and “Billie Jean,” several Jackson 5 songs and other hits of the era. And while the show touches on Jackson’s difficult childhood, it largely stays away from the late performer’s larger controversies. Jordan Markus stars in the title role in the cast that includes Fremont native Kristin Stokes. The musical, which opened on Broadway in 2022, is at Broadway San Jose for a short run.
Details: Through Aug. 3; San Jose Center for the Performing Arts; 2½ hours with 1 intermission; tickets start at $59; broadwaysanjose.com.
“Home: A Palestinian Woman’s Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness”: Hend Ayoub’s hyper-topical solo show, commissioned by SF Playhouse through its Sandbox Series of new plays, is a poignant, humorous and heartbreaking account of her childhood in Israel and pursuit of an acting career in Israel, Egypt, and New York. It’s playing at the Z Space in San Francisco through Aug. 16.
Details: $40; www.sfplayhouse.org.
— Randy McMullen, Staff
The exhibit “Midnight March” by Californian-Japanese artist Masako Miki runs until Dec. 7, 2025, at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco. (Nicholas Lea Bruno/Courtesy ICA SF)
Delightfully fuzzy art
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It’s hard to find artwork more eminently huggable than Masako Miki’s furry creations. Part 1970s lounge furniture, part “Monsters, Inc.” character design, the ungainly-yet-cute bloboids beg for a pat on the head – or at least whatever anatomy takes the place of “head” in these odd guys.
But please, be respectable and do not actually touch the art in “Night Parades,” a fun exhibit running until December at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco. A Japanese-born artist who’s lived for decades in California (now Berkeley), Miki has colonized the space with her largest presentation ever, encompassing both paintings and sculptures crafted from felt and lurking in a near-dark environment.
“I hope that my works generate the kind of curiosity and empathy that enables us to come together,” she says. Indeed, you might find yourself strangely stirred by these humping shapes. As the museum’s curators write: “’Midnight March’ helps us understand deeper aspects of Miki’s ‘othered’ figures and recognize difference as a positive force, even as we are unsettled by it.”
Details: Through Dec. 7; hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday and Friday through Sunday, open until 7 p.m. Thursday; 345 Montgomery St., San Francisco; free, icasf.org
— John Metcalfe, Staff
Love him or hate him
For a guy described by NPR as music’s “elephant in the room,” Morgan Wallen has got some amazing stats.
For starters, all four of his studio albums — 2018’s “If I Know Me,” 2021’s “Dangerous: The Double Album,” 2023’s “One Thing at a Time” and this year’s “I’m the Problem” — have hit No. 1 on the country charts, with the latter three also notching the top spot on the overall Billboard 200.
Those first three releases are all multiplatinum affairs, with “One Thing at a Time” in pole position with more than seven millions copies sold. And we certainly expect “I’m the Problem” to join the party once the album — which was just released in May — has spent a little more time on shelves.
Wallen has scored 20-plus Top 10 country singles — four of which went on to hit No. 1 on the overall Billboard Hot 100. And, of course, he puts up numbers in the live arena like nobody’s business.
In other words, despite his knack for creating controversy — see: the N-word debacle, the chair-throwing incident, allegations of ignoring COVID protocols — expect huge crowds to turn out to see Wallen during his two-night stand, Aug. 1-2 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. The two shows are part of Wallen’s massive I’m the Problem Tour — which supports the album of the same name. The great Miranda Lambert serves as main support on Night 1 and the ever-popular Brooks & Dunn take that same spot on Night 2.
Details: Showtime is 6 p.m. for both shows; tickets start at $88; ticketmaster.com.
— Jim Harrington, Staff
Classical picks: ‘Dolores,’ more Cabrillo
West Edge Opera’s 2025 summer season starts with “Dolores,” an opera based on the life and work of Dolores Huerta, the iconic labor leader and activist known for her grit and tenacity. This new work, commissioned from the company’s Aperture Program, is by composer Nicolás Lell Benavides and librettist Marella Martin, and stars soprano Kelly Guerra in the title role. (See full story on Page 5)
Still to come: the season continues with Charpentier’s rarely performed “David and Jonathan,” and wraps with Berg’s harrowing masterpiece, “Wozzeck.”
Details: “Dolores” runs Aug. 2-17; Oakland Scottish Rite Center, Oakland; $10-$170; westedgeopera.org.
Meanwhile, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music continues this week and through Aug. 10; The Aug. 1 lineup features works by John Corigliano (“Phantasmagoria,” “Three Hallucinations”), Nina Shekhar (“Lumina”) and Missy Mazzoli: (“Procession,” a West Coast premiere with violinist Jennifer Koh as featured soloist). Also check the schedule for free open rehearsals.
Details: Through Aug. 10; Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium; tickets $24-up; some events free; 831-420-5260; Cabrillomusic.org.
— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent
Freebie of the week
You can find all kinds of musicians playing all kinds of music at the free community concerts that enliven the Bay Area during the summer. On July 31, one of the world’s finest fiddler/violinists will be on hand in San Mateo, performing a form of roots music that might just have you busting a move or two. He’s Tom Rigney, an Alameda native and son of a professional baseball player and manager, whose take on Cajun and Zydeco music is a joy to behold. He’s been a busy part of the Bay Area music scene for some 50 years, fronting such bands as Back in the Saddle, The Sun Dogs and now Flambeau.
The acclaimed Cajun/swing outfit is revered for its impressive and passionate performances and for delivering tunes that will put a smile on your face and perhaps a spring in your step. Tom Rigney and Flambeau has released close to a dozen albums over the years, the latest being “Let the Four Winds Blow.” He writes much of his band’s music, although his concert setlist has been known to include a Cajun classic or two. Tom Rigney and Flambeau perform for free from 6 to 8 p.m. July 31 as part of the San Mateo Central Park Music Series, 50 E. 5th Ave. A wide variety of food vendors on hand as well as purveyors of beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages. More information is here.
— Bay City News Foundation
Mike Epps branches out
Mike Epps has said that performing comedy saved his life, after he endured a rough and impoverished childhood in Indiana. But standup isn’t the only game he’s into these days. He’s made steady strides in the world of acting, starring or appearing in a variety of big- and small-screen comedies and dramas. He currently produces and stars in the sitcom “The UpShaws,” with Wanda Sykes and Kim Fields (available on Netflix), which is based on his early years. He’s also been in films ranging from “Next Friday” and “Friday After Next” (with Ice Cube), to 2012’s “Sparkle,” a Supremes-inspired film also starring Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston (his first dramatic role); and the provocative dark comedies “Meet the Blacks” and “The House Next Door: Meet the Blacks 2.” Epps, who kicked off his comedy career in the Def Comedy Jam Tour, is hardly turning his back on standup, however. He’s bringing his current tour to San Jose Improv for five performances Aug. 1-3. Tickets are $61.53 (including service charges); go to improv.com/sanjose.
— Bay City News Foundation
Third World in Berkeley
It was some five decades ago that Third World, an upstart reggae band, joined the Wailers, an already-well-established band, as the opening acts for the Jackson Five at the Jamaica National Stadium in Kingston. The Wailers were already well on the way to becoming global superstars, but Third World, until then, had been playing mainly small clubs and hotels. The stadium gig helped Third World get signed to a major label (Island Records) and land a European tour, and while the band never achieved the same level of fame as The Wailers, they are still going today and are bringing their latest tour to the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley on Aug. 2.
The band has seen a number of personnel changes and frequently broadens its traditional Jamaican sound with elements of soul, funk, rock, dancehall and disco. As bassist Richard Daley once put it, “we took roots reggae music and put branches on top of it.” The band’s most recent album, “More Work To Be Done,” was produced by Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and nominated for a Grammy for best reggae album. The band has released more than two dozen studio and live albums in all and received nine Grammy nominations. Music at The Freight starts at 8 p.m.; a portion of the venue will be open for dancing. Tickets are $42-$44; go to thefreight.org.
— Bay City News Foundation
The genius of G&S
“We sail the ocean blue, and our saucy ship’s a beauty; We’re sober men and true, and attentive to our duty.” Catchy, no? Just begs to be sung loud and lustily. And so it is, as the merry opening, sung by the crew, to “H.M.S. Pinafore,” the first big hit that W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan had back in 1878 that is now being brought to the stage by The Lamplighters at three Bay Area theaters, debuting first at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek at 2 p.m. Aug. 2. Lowly sailor Ralph Rackstraw loves Josephine, the Captain’s daughter, but her loftier social status is a problem – that gets comically and happily resolved. The production stars Max Ary as Rackstraw, Syona Ayyankeril as Josephine, Carly Ozard as Sir Joseph Porter, Tony De Louisia as Captain Corcoran ad Sarah Szeibel as Buttercup. It repeats at 8 p.m. Aug. 2 and 3 p.m. Aug. 3 in Walnut Creek before moving to the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts for 2 p.m. performances on Aug. 9 and 10 and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco for 2 p.m. Aug. 16 and 8 p.m. Aug. 17 shows. Tickets, $35-$95, are available at lamplighters.org.
— Bay City News Foundation
