Bay Area arts: 9 great shows to see this weekend

From great plays and musicals to eye-opening exhibits and amazing concerts, there is a lot to see and do in the Bay Area this weekend and beyond.

Here’s a partial roundup.

March Madness hits theaters

The always-compelling Men’s and Women’s NCAA basketball championships have become such a fixture on the American landscape that it’s no surprise to find a couple of hoops-related shows on Bay Area stages in March.

Center Repertory Company in Walnut Creek is presenting San Francisco native  Lauren Yee’s “The Great Leap,” a politically-themed play about about a University of San Francisco men’s basketball team playing an eventful exhibition game in China.

Details: Through April 7 at the Lesher Arts Center, Walnut Creek; $42-$70; lesherartscenter.org.

And this week, City Lights Theater Company in San Jose opens “King Liz,” Fernanda Coppel’s drama play about a high-powered Latina sports agent taking on a talented but volatile teen basketball star whose instability could derail both of their careers.

Directed by El Teatro Campesino member Kinan Valdez, making his City Lights Theater Company debut, and starring Damaris Divito, “King Liz” runs in previews today and Friday and opens Saturday.

Details: Through April 21; City Lights Theater, San Jose; $28-$67; cltc.org.

— Randy McMullen, Staff

Focus of women rock poster artists

With some notable and worthy exceptions, attention in the early days of rock and roll was largely paid to male artists. The same holds true, apparently, when it comes to the iconic rock concert posters that advertised shows at clubs and rock halls. Now the Haight Street Art Center in San Francisco is looking to change that. In the new exhibit “Women of Art Rock: 1965-2023,” the arts center is hosting what it calls “the largest exhibition of its kind devoted exclusively to rock and music posters designed by women.” And they have a lot to work with. The collection includes more than 200 posters, flyers and other works by some 50 female artists, many of whom have connections to the Bay Area. One such artist was the late Marin County Bonnie MacLean, whose trippy, iconic works advertised shows at the Fillmore auditorium through the ‘60s, especially during the summer of love.

Other artists represented include ‘60s mainstays such as Mari Tepper, Ruth Garbell, Gina Papen, Donna Herrick, Samantha Sirdofsky, Helen Hersh, and Catherine Weinstein, as well as ‘70s-’90s artists including Helena Rogers, Arlene Owseichik Lynn Porterfield and Tara McPherson. Besides shining a light on some wonderful yet sadly overlooked artists, the exhibit delivers a colorful look at the evolution of musical and artistic tastes through the decades.

Details: Through through April 14; 215 Haight St., San Francisco; hours are  noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays; free; haightstreetart.org.

— Bay City News Foundation     

Classical picks: McGegan, Chanticleer, SSV

Conductor Nicholas McGegan’s return to lead the Cantata Collective in three Bach masterworks; radiant vocals; and film music in concert top this weekend’s classical music calendar, which has delights for every audience.

“McGegan Conducts Bach”: The Cantata Collective welcomes early music specialist Nicholas McGegan, former music director of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, to lead a winning program this week featuring Bach’s “Magnificat,” “Easter Oratorio,” and “Concerto for Two Violins and Strings.” Soloists include soprano Nola Richardson, countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, and tenor Thomas Cooley.

Details: 7 p.m. today; First Congregational Church, Berkeley; $35-$95; cityboxoffice.com.

“Breathe Together, Sing Together”: If the title to Chanticleer’s latest program sounds like a recipe for inner peace, well that’s kind of the idea. The concert, described as “an evening of meditation and mindfulness,” finds the award-winning 12-man chorus, in their reliably silken blend, performing works that span Gregorian chants to contemporary compositions.

Details: 7:30 p.m. today at St. Marks Episcopal Church, Berkeley; 7:30 p.m. Friday at Mission Santa Clara; 7:30 p.m. Saturday at San Francisco Conservatory of Music; $25-$63; chanticleer.org.

“From Screen to Stage”: Symphony San Jose is off to the movies — sort of — with its latest program, conducted by film music specialist Sarah Hicks. The concert features the Violin Concerto by well-known film composer and songwriter Danny Elfman, with Sandy Cameron as soloist, along with Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1 and Korngold’s overture to the swashbuckling Errol Flynn film “The Sea Hawk.”

Details: 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday; California Theatre, San Jose; $55-$115; symphonysanjose.org.

— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent

Iconic Penn photos on display

Whether capturing the divine madness of San Francisco’s Summer of Love or stunning portraits of some of the world’s most famous and beautiful people, Irving Penn remains one of the most important and impactful photographers in history. And now an exhibit collecting some 175 of his works is on display at San Francisco’s de Young Museum.

Penn (1917-2009) was arguably best known for his six-decade association with Vogue magazine, during which he is credited with revolutionizing fashion and celebrity photography with works that feature simple composition that drew viewers into the complex emotions and expressions of his subjects, which ranged from models to actors and famous writers. Yet his career, running roughly from the 1930s to the early 2000’s, also included advertising work for clients ranging from General Foods to Clinique, American laborers at work, abstract nudes, American street life and eclectic visages of everything from wilting flowers to garbage and street signs.

His famous photos of the Summer of Love in San Francisco in 1967 came from a Look magazine commission.

Works from all these phases of Penn’s storied career can be seen at the de Young, with a special section devoted to the San Francisco images. In all, “Irving Penn,” as the exhibit is simply titled, is a great chance to view a great artist and an evocative cross-section of American history.

Details: Through July 21; de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco; hours are 9:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; admission is $12-$32; famsf.org.

— Randy McMullen, Staff

 Foodies’ fave comes to PBS

It is the rare documentarian who can turn a four-hour cinema-vérité culinary experience into a film that’s as appetizing and satisfying as the Michelin-starred meals it captures on camera. But at age 93, famed filmmaker Frederick Wiseman achieves that with “Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros.” The film follows the legendary French Troisgros family members as they go to farmers’ markets; talk to sommeliers, ranchers and customers; even gather employees to discuss customers’ dietary needs and restrictions while creating something miraculous in their Michelin three-star kitchen.

Wiseman’s 44th feature is another of his languidly paced immersive journeys. It requires a viewer’s patience, since the filmmaker favors long scenes crafted around exchanges or discussions and are seen through to their natural conclusion. It’s refreshing, even enlightening and meditative, to soak up what’s being said while watching what’s being done.

And you can do just that as “Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros” gets its TV premiere March 22 on PBS.

Details: 9 p.m.; available on KQED and other PBS affiliates; also available for streaming through April 20 on PBS.org

— Randy Myers, Correspondent

A Labor of love on stage

Larry Itliong might not be a household across much of America or the Bay Area, but he remains an iconic hero within the Filipino and farmworkers’ communities. The Philippine-born labor leader (1913-1977), who settled in Stockton after serving in World War II, was an influential early force in the movement to bring rights and better benefits to American farmworkers. He was instrumental in the pivotal Delano Grape Strike.

With an eye toward increasing awareness of Itliong, as well as celebrating their heritage, a group of writers and theater-makers are presenting “Larry the Musical: An American Journey” at the Brava Theater Center in San Francisco’s Mission District. The play consists of an entirely Filipino cast and creative team as it tells the story of the influential leader. The show incorporates a wide range musical styles, reflecting the melting-pot nature of Filipino culture. The musical is drawn from the book “The Life of Larry Itliong” by Dr. Dawn Mabalon and Gayle Romasanta; with the script written by Kevin Camia and Romasanta and music composed by Bryan Pangilinan and Sean Kana. “Larry the Musical” is in previews and opens Saturday.

Details: Through April 14; $25-$150; www.brava.org.

— Bay City News Foundation