It’s that time of year again! The 59th annual White Elephant Sale in Northern California returns to Oakland March 3 and 4, 2018. It will feature 19 departments in a 96,000 Square Foot Warehouse. Items include, furniture, artwork, household goods and china, sporting gear, fine jewelry, collectibles, tools, music, books, vintage and contemporary clothing. Continue reading »
How do you know if your charity of choice is effective? Ideally, 85 cents of every dollar raised should go directly to programs and services of the charitable organization. Review the organization’s administrative costs and make sure you’re comfortable with what they spend on operational expenses, salaries and fundraising. Continue reading »
Lady Bird is a thoughtful and engaging coming of age story that depicts the melodrama that occurs in some teenager’s lives. It shows a time when most adolescents are self-absorbed, yet still dependent on their relationships with their parents. As much as they think they have it figured out; they don’t at all. The film Lady Bird is actor and screenwriter Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut, and from what I saw this is certainly an entrance into what will one day be a well-versed filmography to look back upon. Continue reading »
Strange Ladies written by Susan Sobeloff and Directed by Jan Zvaifler couldn’t be more timely. As old issues are being brought to the forefront by the current administration, the play is a good reminder of how we’ve (women) have always been fighting for basic rights as human beings. Even though we’re half the world’s population! Continue reading »
The charming character of Winnie-the-Pooh gives way to warm, childhood memories, but the reality is the children’s classic was wrought with the lifeblood of the author. The film Goodbye Christopher Robin, directed by Simon Curtis, tells the true story of how the character and book by A.A. Milne came to fruition. What appears to be a heartfelt and loving story on the outside is actually a quite depressing and sad tale of post-traumatic stress syndrome and childhood abandonment. Continue reading »
Verdi’s La Traviata is currently playing at The San Francisco Opera. It was first performed by the San Francisco Opera during the Company’s second season in 1924. This rendition features three company debuts, Romanian soprano Aurelia Florian as Violetta Valéry, Brazilian tenor Atalla Ayan as Alfredo Germont and Polish baritone Artur Ruciński as Giorgio Germont. Continue reading »
Berkeley Playhouse opened their tenth season with Alan Menken’s musical comedy, Sister Act. The play is based on the hit 1992 film that featured Whoopi Goldberg as Deloris Van Cartier. There are slight differences between the two but the heart of the story is the same. Deloris witnesses a crime and needs to be placed into protective custody stat. Where’s the last place you’d look for a Disco Diva? A convent of course! Continue reading »
This year’s roster for Opera in the Park included sopranos Sarah Cambidge, Amina Edris, Aurelia Florian and Toni Marie Palmertree; mezzo-soprano Jill Grove; tenors Atalla Ayan, Brian Jagde, Pene Pati and Kyle van Schoonhoven; baritone Artur Ruciński; and bass-baritone Alfred Walker performing arias and duets by Puccini, Verdi, Wagner, Bellini, Beethoven and Gounod along with traditional songs including “This little light of mine” and “The house I live in.” Continue reading »
Producer Jeffrey Seller announced the first week of August that HAMILTON will return to San Francisco in early 2019. Information regarding engagement dates and how to purchase tickets will be announced at a later time. Continue reading »
The Central Works Rolling World Premiere of Winter by Julie Jensen and directed by Gary Graves, has been extended until August 20. The central theme of the play explores the polarizing topic of whether or not one has the right to die on their own terms. It was inspired by the chapter “Robeck, in Margaret Pabst Battin’s book, “Ending Life: Ethics & the Way We Die”. Continue reading »