To borrow a phrase from the Go-Go’s 1980s heyday, “What a bummer.”
A COVID-19 resurgence among its cast forced City Lights Theater Company in San Jose to cancel this weekend’s final performances of its summer musical, “Head Over Heels.” The show, effervescing with the music of the iconic ’80s band, was also City Lights’ last show of the season, so there goes that.
City Lights Executive Artistic Director Lisa Mallette says keeping the cast, staff and audiences healthy comes first, but it has to be quite frustrating every time COVID — less deadly but still disruptive — shows up at the theater. City Lights cancelled previous performances in the run because of COVID, and San Jose Stage Company also cancelled the opening weekend of “Sweet Charity” in June for the same reason.
“This virus is still dealing financial and emotional blows to arts organizations — and to any group that gathers people together in community. Theaters all over the country have had to cancel shows this summer,” Mallette said. “It’s painful to lose performances for any show, but this one is particularly hard, with such a beautiful cast and story, and with such a timely message of love and pride.”
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She said City Lights is actively working on an expanded understudy program that will begin with its next show, the first of the 2025-26 season, “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors,” in September. There’s no cure for COVID, but there are two easy remedies for helping any of our local theater companies survive their financial maladies: Buy tickets and donate money if you can.
FRONT YARD FESTIVAL: There were precious few silver linings to the COVID pandemic, but one of them in San Jose was PorchFest, an outdoor music festival that allowed residents in San Jose’s Naglee Park neighborhood to enjoy live music in a safer environment — outdoors, with bands playing on temporary stages in front of people’s homes.
The late Chris Esparza started it in 2020, and Annie Hermes of Messenger Events took the baton to keep it going — growing it into its sixth year as a great free music festival that really spotlights local talent. Eight bands will play three sets apiece between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday in front of different homes in the neighborhood just east of downtown.
One of the musicians playing this Saturday in the neighborhood just east of downtown is Jon Gibson, who grew up in San Jose and was a Blue-Eyed Soul singer before switching to Christian music in the late 1980s. He’ll perform a combination of music by artists including Stevie Wonder and Bill Withers, along with some of his Christian hits during his three sets in front of 53 S. 13th St.
Other acts include Ren Geisick, Noah and the Arkiteks, Sofrito and the El Camino Revival Band. The full schedule is available www.nagleepark.org/porch.html.
SWEET SUPPLY: Retired San Jose State political science professor Larry Gerston moved to the San Diego area in the spring but flew back to Los Gatos for a quick visit recently. The most important reason, Gerston says, was to pick up “a refill of my Vitamin I prescription.”
Every morning Gerston enjoys one-fifth of a slice of chocolate chip pound cake from Los Gatos’ Icing on the Cake. He was down to his last slice, so he came north for his fix: Two cakes with 10 pre-wrapped slices each, about a three-month supply.
Gerston says when he was going through security at San Jose Mineta Airport, five TSA agents gathered to debate what kind of cake was in his bag. He told them the answer, but didn’t offer any slices. “Some possessions are just too valuable to give away, especially to the government!” Gerston quipped.
