ART
BigPicture 2017
Catch wild animals in their natural habitats at Cal Academy’s fourth annual BigPicture exhibit, featuring this year’s very best of nature and conservation photography. You’ve never seen bugs look this good.
California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Dr (415-379-8000, calacademy.org). Through Oct 29.
“Jewish Folktales Retold: Artist as Maggid”
Sixteen artists were called upon by the CJM to reinterpret Jewish folktales. The result is a fascinating look at Hebrew traditions in the modern age.
Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St (415-655-7800, thecjm.org). Through Jan 28.
“Louise Bourgeois Spiders”
Just in time for Halloween, dozens of massive, darkly compelling arachnids fill SFMOMA’s sculpture gallery.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third St (415-357-4000, sfmoma.org). Through Sept 4.
“Nature’s Gift: Human, Friends & the Unknown”
The rainbow trend heads to Oakland in the form of this glowing, larger-than-life sculpture from LA-based art group FriendsWithYou.
Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St, Oakland (510-318-8400, museumca.org). Through Jan 21.
“Teotihuacan: City of Water, City of Fire”
Mexico’s ancient pyramids at Teotihuacan finally reveal their hidden treasures in this major exhibit showcasing more than 200 discoveries from the historic site. Many of the findings are on display for the first time, including jewel-eyed skull statues and necklaces of human teeth.
De Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr (415-750-3600, deyoung.famsf.org). Through Feb 11.
“Klimt and Rodin: An Artistic Encounter”
Dozens of Gustav Klint paintings will be shown on the West Coast for the first time in this landmark exhibit at the Legion of Honor. Klimt's paintings are presented in dialogue with the museum's extensive Auguste Rodin collection.
Legion of Honor, 100 34th Ave (415-750-3600, legionofhonor.famsf.org). Oct 14–Jan 28.
“Philippine Art: Collecting Art, Collecting Memories”
The Asian Art Museum celebrates 25 recent acquisitions with an exhibit on Filipino history. Indigenous carvings, Christian devotional statues from the Spanish colonial period, postwar landscape paintings and contemporary works combine to tell the rich history of the island nation.
Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin St (415-581-3500, asianart.org). Nov 3–Feb 4.
Question Bridge: Black Males
More than 160 black males in cities across the United States (including Oakland) reflect on the African-American experience in this series of moving videos, woven together to simulate face-to-face conversations between the participants.
Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St, Oakland (510-318-8400, museumca.org). Through Feb 25.
“Metamorphosis & Migration: Days of the Dead”
The Day of the Dead is celebrated at OMCA with a look at the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly. In Mexico, the return of the Monarchs every fall symbolizes the returning souls of loved ones who have passed away. This show combines ofrendas (ritual altars to memorialize the dead) and artworks inspired by the butterfly to examine themes like tradition and transformation.
Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St, Oakland (510-318-8400, museumca.org). Oct 18–Jan 14.
“Alexander Calder: Scaling Up”
The Calder gallery at SFMOMA is getting a new show. The second exhibit takes a close-up look at the small-scale models that mark the beginning of some of the artist’s largest and most famous works.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third St (415-357-4000, sfmoma.org). Oct 21–Aug 9.
“Couture Korea”
Koreans may be widely known for their pop music prowess, but this exhibit displays their superstar designers. It also examines the important influence of fashion on the country’s history.
Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin St (415-581-3500, asianart.org). Nov 3–Feb 4.
Global Lives Project
This collaborative video project traverses the globe to capture 24 hours in the lives of people around the world. Catch screenings from the large digital library at the BAMPFA every Friday this winter.
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2155 Center St, Berkeley (510-642-0808, bampfa.org). Nov 3–Dec 22: Fri at 5pm.
Sabbath: The 2017 Dorothy Saxe Invitational
Fifty-seven contemporary artists each create a three-dimensional work depicting one of Judaism’s most important traditions, the day of rest.
Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St (415-655-7800, thecjm.org). Nov 12–Feb 25.
“Take Root: Oakland Grows Food”
In the food-rich Bay Area, this exhibit puts Oakland under the miscroscope, where a new generation of urban farmers are attempting to break ground.
◊ Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St, Oakland (510-318-8400, museumca.org). Dec 16–Jan 13.
THEATER/ DANCE
Imaginary Comforts, or the Story of the Ghost of the Dead Rabbit
Daniel Handler’s outlandish new comedy involves a death, a rabbi, a rabbit ghost and lots of chaos. But this ghost story is for adults.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St (510-647-2949, berkeleyrep.org). Oct 5–Nov 19: Tue, Thu, Fri at 8pm; Wed at 7pm; Sat at 2,8pm; Sun at 2,7pm. $30–$97.
San Francisco Trolley Dances
For more than a decade, this monthly dance performance inspired by the city’s culture, history and architecture, has engaged audiences along a different Muni route every year. This fall’s route is the N-Judah, beginning in SoMa and traveling all the way to Golden Gate Park.
1453 Mission St (epiphanydance.org/trolley-dances). Oct 21 at 11am, Oct 22 at 2:45pm; free.
Aladdin
Adults and kids alike will love this Broadway rendition of the 1992 animated film that starred San Francisco’s favorite comedian, Robin Williams. One lamp and three wishes make the possibilities infinite during this magic carpet ride.
SHN Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Taylor St (888-746-1799, shnsf.com). Nov 1–Jan 7. $70–$275.
The Royale
Inspired by the real-life experiences of Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight world champion, the Bay Area premiere of The Royale recounts the boxer’s time in the ring and his social battles during the Jim Crow era.
Aurora Theater, 2081 Addison St, Berkeley (510-843-4822, auroratheatre.org). Nov 3–Dec 2: Tue–Wed at 7pm; Thu–Sat at 8pm; Sun at 2, 7pm. $33–$65.
Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets
This musical-theater masterpiece by Tom Waits, Robert Wilson and William S. Burroughs is a fairy tale for adults about how fear and self-doubt can lead people to sell their integrity for a shortcut to their hopes and dreams.
Shotgun Players, 1901 Ashby Ave, Berkeley (510-841-6500, shotgunplayers.org). Nov 9–Dec 31: Wed–Thu at 7pm; Fri–Sat at 8pm; Sun at 5pm. $30–$40.
Festival of Latin American Contemporary Choreographers
The fourth annual dance festival departs from traditional and folkloric dance forms and puts forth culturally nuanced and politically charged multimedia performances from more than 30 Latino and indigenous choreographers from the United States and Latin America.
Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St (800-838-3006, flaccdanza.org). Nov 10–11 at 8pm, Nov 12 at 6pm; $18–$25.
Refuse the Hour
Amid spinning dancers, megaphoned singers, multi-instrumentalists, incessant animations and a lone physicist, world-renowned South African artist William Kentridge delves into a fantastical exploration of time in this multimedia chamber opera.
Geary Theater, 405 Geary St (415-749-2228, act-sf.org). Nov 10 at 8pm, Nov 11 at 2, 8pm; $30–$120.
Watch on the Rhine
Set just before the start of World War II, Lillian Hellman’s play is a timely examination of moral obligation, sacrifice and what it means to be American.
◊ Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St (510-647–2949, berkeleyrep.org). Nov 17–Dec 3: Tue, Thu, Fri at 8pm; Wed at 7pm; Sat at 2, 8pm; Sun at 2, 7pm. $30–$97.
Bright Star
Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Broadway musical is set in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and tells a sweeping tale of love and redemption.
The Curran Theater, 445 Geary St (415-358-1220, sfcurran.com). Nov 28–Dec 17 at TBA times; $TBA.
The Nutcracker
The San Francisco Ballet staged the country’s first complete production of The Nutcracker in 1944. This critically acclaimed ballet is set in early-20th-century San Francisco and features a pastel backdrop of the iconic Painted Ladies.
War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave (415-865-2000, sfballet.org/nutcracker). Dec 13–30: Tue–Sun at 2, 7pm; $25–$189.
A Christmas Carol
Check your “humbugs” at the door. Charles Dickens’s cautionary ghost tale is a holiday tradition for families who delight in the story of the miserly Scrooge who is scared straight one Christmas Eve. This production from A.C.T. even includes original songs!
Geary Theater, 405 Geary St (415-749-2228, act-sf.org). Dec 1–24: Wed at 2, 7pm; Thu–Fri at 7pm; Sat at 2, 7pm; Sun at 1, 5:30pm. $15–$110.
The Birthday Party
Set in a quiet seaside town in England, two mysterious newcomers arrive at a beat-up boarding house in this classic drama by Harold Pinter.
Geary Theater, 405 Geary St (415-749-2228, act-sf.org). Jan 10–Feb 4: Tue–Fri at 8pm; Sat at 2, 8pm; Sun at 2pm. $30–$120.