SF had this Opera in the Park event, and it was such a lovely experience. We went to the one in…read moreConcord, and it was so much fun, relaxing, well organized, and just a great time overall. Can't wait to see an opera at the Opera House next!

Recently attended the SF Opera World Premiere The Monkey King by Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang…read more Love everything about it--from staging and set designs, lighting, costumes, choreography to all the talented casts. Hurry, you can still see it as it runs until November 30. Having grew up reading The Monkey King, this Opera spoke to me. So excited to have this timeless story come alive in operatic form, such an amazing experience in that the monkey king is a smart, rebellious, powerful being and he learns through his adventures to harness power and balance it with wisdom, humility and responsibility. Very aspirational and yet familiar. Some Chinese Opera (Northern and Southern) nuances incorporated into this Western-style opera. Beautiful and provoking. Looking forward to the next event.

My husband and I attended The Nutcracker in December, and unfortunately the experience was so…read moreunpleasant that we have no interest in returning to the San Francisco Ballet. We were seated in the second row of the orchestra, directly behind a group in the first row who whispered, turned around, pointed, and moved almost constantly throughout the performance. Their level of fidgeting was honestly bizarre and impossible to ignore. They also had a very young child with them who repeatedly made noise and turned around during the show. It was so distracting that I barely remember the performance itself. What I remember is the group sitting in front of us. We wanted to say something during the show, but there was no usher visibly monitoring our section. We also did not feel comfortable confronting strangers directly in a dark theater and potentially escalating the situation. This is exactly why ushers should be present and attentive during a performance, rather than placing the burden on patrons to police one another. When we spoke with a manager afterward, we were told that we could have reported the issue during intermission and possibly been moved. That response was frustrating. By intermission, half the performance had already been ruined, and it did not seem fair that we would be the ones expected to leave the seats we selected and paid for while the disruptive patrons remained in place. We contacted the Ballet multiple times afterward. Initially, the response felt dismissive. We were then offered tickets for one specific date in February, which was not practical because we live in Santa Cruz and could not simply travel to San Francisco on a randomly selected day. Eventually, we were offered tickets to a spring program, but the most logical and appropriate resolution would have been replacement tickets for the following Nutcracker season, since that was the experience that had been ruined. What made this especially disappointing was not only the behavior of the patrons, but the way the Ballet handled the complaint afterward. A sincere apology and a straightforward effort to replace the experience would have gone a long way. Instead, the process felt unnecessarily difficult and left my husband unwilling to do business with the San Francisco Ballet again. For an organization charging premium prices for a formal live performance, I expected better audience monitoring and much better customer service.

Came here to see the SF Ballet performance of The Nutcracker and this venue is beautiful. You can…read moretell it is so old, and has so much history. The details are everything. We sat in orchestra seating (second to last row, perfect middle section) and had great acoustics. It was a little far for seeing stage details, so maybe being binoculars. Overall, it was cool to have an eye level view of the whole stage. Bathroom lines can get long during intermission, but they move so fast. There are a ton of restrooms and line waiters don't realize it. No food inside the theatre, but drinks with lids are okay! Would love to come back here!

Grand Lake Theatre is an Oakland gem that I hope stays for a very long time! With its timeless…read morebeauty, the old wooden architecture pulls you out of the modern world and transports you into the past. It's easy to buy your tickets online to then scan and redeem at the door. The concession stand is located right in front where you walk in. Price-wise, I would say it's slightly cheaper than your average movie theatre and you can also take advantage of their matinee hours. I watched The Odyssey in theatre 1 and had a great time! The seats are very comfortable and since the screen is flat and in a fixed position, you can sit anywhere you'd like to still get a good angle and view. The audience was also very respectful and I had no issues with noises. Quick note that the restrooms are located right up the stairs and there are plenty of stalls. I'm looking forward to visiting again!

Saw Sinners here a year ago, great experience, friendly and helpful staff, and great atmosphere…read more But I went to see an early screening of Steven Spielberg's "Disclosure Day" on June 20th. Movie started at 4:00pm, something was iffy with the audio, so they had to go through testing, which delayed the start of the movie. First 30 minutes of the movie, everything was going fine. Audio was kinda quiet, but not too bad. And then, as soon as the movie was escalating, and transitioning right into a big car chase set piece, the audio cut out. For a whole 5 minutes, there was no audio. We tried to get help, but every employee outside of the auditorium shrugged and said "someone is probably working on it" PROBABLY???? WHAT???? Not helpful at ALL. Completely incompetent idiots. We tried to get SOMEONE to notify the person in charge of the projector but they stared at us with no help. After that 5 minutes, the audio came back... for 4 seconds. For another 7 minutes, the audio just kept cutting IN AND OUT AND IN AND OUT. We ended up just leaving and getting a refund. I'm guessing the audio remained screwed up because there were about 50-60 other people in that theater who walked out in complete frustration. I even saw someone throw their drink onto the carpet. People walked past me saying "fucking shit show" and "can't fucking believe this" and it was in fact a complete shit show. I would be surprised if they just cancelled the screening after 90% of the crowd left. I'm surprised there are no reviews talking about this disaster considering the amount of people who were in that theater. I don't know what the employees were doing, I don't know if they were high or something, but holy shit were they incompetent. Someone needs to be fired over this whole thing considering the amount of refunds that needed to be processed that day. And it really REALLY hurts to say all of this, because the experience I had with this place a year ago watching Sinners was phenomenal. As a recommendation, they have to be more careful with who they hire. And they should tell their employees that when there is a persistent issue, that they should actually fucking do something or NOTIFY someone about it. Not just stand, stare and say "someone is PROBABLY fixing it." Rant over. At least the popcorn is delicious.

I had no idea there even was a Berkeley Opera until I read this article in the newspaper:…read more http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_14419420?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com I grew up w/ opera on the radio. My mother listened to the Met every Saturday morning. I've seen several over the years and enjoyed them but am not what I would call an opera buff. Alan has never been to an opera, but when he read the article we agreed we wanted to see Berkeley Opera's production of "Don Giovanni". Having the production at the new Performing Arts Theatre at El Cerrito High made it really convenient. We bought tickets for today's production. We arrived and I sat and watched people gather while Alan stood in line to get our tickets. It was a very diverse audience w/ a lot of grey haired folks, a surprisingly large number of youngsters, plus a good number of the middle aged too. We were seated upstairs in the first row of the balcony. The seats were comfortable and leg room was adequate. There was a screen for Supertitles which was cool, although it did interfere a bit w/ our view of the Commendatore's statue at the end. The temperature in the balcony was uncomfortably warm in the beginning but they were able to address that and it became much more comfortable once they did. The production was fantastic. The voices were excellent, as was the orchestra. The staging was bare-bones, but was effective. We were very impressed w/ the quality. The opera was lively, moving and accessible. Not only was the singing first rate, but the acting was as well. We both enjoyed it, although Alan was unable to sit through three hours and decided to leave at intermission after an hour and three quarters, but that had to do w/ him rather than the production. He came back to pick me up afterward. I'm attaching the newspaper review of the production for more detail, although I disagree w/ the reviewer's statement that the costumes were tawdry. I thought they were just fine. http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_14449670?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com&nclick_check=1

I doubt that you have been missing my West Edge Opera review. I first posted it on 8/8/2010. The…read morereview has been happily dozing away in the innards of the vast Yelp network. (There are several other reviews for the opera, all of which are quite good.) Should you have been looking for it last week, however, you would not have been able to find it. It was removed as a violation of Terms of Service. (A TOS for those of you who know Yelp.) So...to dispel the mystery about the contents of this review, I am reposting it in entirety. I have no connect to West Edge Opera, enjoyed the performance, gave it five stars. Nothing more simple. Here it is: This afternoon we saw the final performance of Richard Wagner's Legend of the RIng. It was adapted by David Seaman into a three hour performance. It was stupendous. Let me break down the stars: 1) We walked to the new El Cerrito Performing Arts Theatre. One big hurrah for having this state of the art theater so close to our house that we will never, ever, have to worry about parking. 2) The stars. That is, the performing stars. Fresh from productions in Seattle, San Francisco, The Met, and various European cities...these opera singers are just that. Opera SIngers. Not namby-pamby wannabe choristers, these folks resonate, project, slide effortlessly up and down the scale. In a word, they made the show. 3) The sets. Amazingly projected computerized scenery with clearly visible visual subtitles. The whole production was simple, amazing and very, very professional. 4) The orchestra. HIdden away from sight, their music was beautifully played with nary a false sound. Very professional 5) Mark Streshinsky's lecture before the performance. Funny, articulate, informative. And professionally delivered. And local, he's an ECHS grad. Did I mention professional? He is... The sum total: Five stars and then some. Catch the opera for next season. You'll enjoy it, even if you've never been to the opera before. Oh, and the price. We sat in the balcony. Great seats, no straining to hear or see. $25 bucks. We are so proud that they've moved to El Cerrito and hope the company stays here forever!

Beautiful Theater on San Francisco Pier Across From Alcatraz…read more SITREP I was lucky to catch the exceptional, the eclectic, the very eccentric dark musical-dance production "SHADOW DANCE" at the Cowell Theater, and .... *MIND BLOWN* ARIELLAH DARKER STILL www.ariellah.com The yearly production of Shadow Dance is the creative brain child of Ariellah Darker Still, a talented and mystical fusion belly-dancer based in Oakland, California. Taught by the legendery belly dancer Rachel Brice (a collaborator with the industrial rock Nine Inch Nails), Ariellah has carved a niche into the belly dancing realm that traverses into even darker realms still of Dark mystical arts, the fears that convulse the human mind, and the angelic & demonic figures that warp our spiritual dimensions. SHADOWDANCE This mystic view of our earthly dimension is interpreted by her and her collaborators by the artistic expressions of DANCE and MUSIC. SHADOWDANCE is culmination these wondrous & haunting expressions and is a showcase of all these talented performance artists. COWELL THEATER The expansive realm of the Cowell Theater is a perfect venue for Shadow Dance. The spacious stage is a wonderful playground for all the performers. * Aerial artists on silk fabric to Suspension artists chained to piercings on penetrating their back, all rely on the dependable cables extending from the ceiling of the stage's heights; * Various configurations of different dance troupes find more than ample space on which to dance on this suspended stage; SEATING Very traditional old-school theater-style seats. Flip-up. People have to squeeze by forcing you to stand up. No cup holders. Not roomy. Primitive. In this day & age of amphitheater-style seating, or reclining seating in the IMAX and/or XD theaters, the seating here is at most very basic. LAVATORY Very contemporary and modern. There are two different bathrooms, very roomy, complete with many stalls - both unisex, shared by all. PARKING Limited and Pricy. You need to pay for your spots. We saw tow trucks towing cars away that did not pay obviously pay for their spots at the machines. THE LOWDOWN A very solid theater for enjoying a great performance. Just know the rules for everything else having to do with this theater.

More than 20 years ago, I worked as a stagehand and also attended a couple of shows in this…read moretheatre. I really enjoyed the location and found the house to be comfortable and intimate. But it's been more than 20 years, so I don't know the current situation.

Festival Opera has been around since the early 90's and just seems to get better with age…read more Past performances include: La Boheme, Tosca, Aida, Candide, Madame Butterfly, etc. Performers are young up and coming opera singers with companies from San Francisco to Europe and beyond. They come to Festival Opera for summer stock performances that are truly amazing. On hot summer nights there is nothing better than watching "Opera In The Park" under the stars with a chilled glass of Chardonnay in hand. Otherwise you can catch a show at the Regional Center. Check out Festival Opera season information http://www.festivalopera.org/

I can't say enough good things about this company, its musical director or any of the founding…read moremembers. They bring emerging world-class singers to the sleepy little city of Walnut Creek and create some spectacular moments on stage. David Miller of Il Divo fame even got his start right there at the Lesher (among other more renown places!). I haven't been to a production in a few seasons, but I've never been disappointed! Some of my favorite productions were Werther, Barber of Seville and Don Giovanni and many more!

I'd never been to a Berkeley Repertory show until this year. I'm surprised because I'm such a big…read moretheatre nerd. I was served an ad on Instagram for Arthur Miller's All My Sons in March 2026. It stars Jimmy Smits (of Star Wars and the West Wing fame! That's my President Santos and Bail Organa!) and his wife Wanda DeJesus. Such big names! I took my mom to a weekday matinee. It was a packed house and skewed older (hey, it was a weekday.) The theatre was clean and intimate. There was no bad seat in there! They did have a young person's discount if you're under 35 which was nice (if you're under 35.) Maybe if Berkeley built more housing, the city would be more welcoming and inclusive to young people and there wouldn't be that discount. Bathrooms were clean. After the show (which was a tearjerker), there was a Postshow Discussion with a docent (a UC Berkeley grad student.) It was fun discussing the show with other attendees who stayed. It was like a book club! Intimate and inclusive, and then there was a surprise--Jimmy Smits and Wanda DeJesus came to listen and contribute to the conversation! (And then do autographs and photographs.) Berkeley Repertory is a community hub. I appreciate their shows and the discussions they evoke (and the space they provide to have said discussions.) The SF Chronicle raved about All My Sons and I could not rave about it more either! Time to reread Arthur Miller and also support local theatre!

Go Woke, Go Broke! The Rep used to be an inventive theatre…read morecompany. Several performances were taken on the road, and even to Broadway (NY). However, the talented Managing Director Susie Medak stepped down in August 2022. Her replacement has decided to go woke! The theatre openly acknowledged its "institutional practices, culture, and policies" required deep interrogation. Now you got such plays as a 3 hour struggle session drama where generations of an Armenian family argue about whether they are 'white'. Plays are no longer chosen on the basis of merit. Its bad. Its a struggle session.

Attended Slam Town's Ekpyrotica at the Continental Club this past weekend, and had an enjoyable…read moreexperience. The listed ticket time was 8:00 to 11-ish, but in reality it was more like 8:45-11:20pm (doors opened around 8:00pm, and the entry line went quick). The place wasn't too crowded, and though there was a bit of seating against the walls, it was mostly standing room for viewing of the show. Beware, the action takes place both inside and outside the ring, so be ready to move if you're on the first level and the wrestlers end up battling it out and rolling around on the floor or against the pillars, or on the merchandise table (like they did this past FrIday). We watched from upstairs, and didn't miss a thing... they had a large screen for closeup views of all the shenanigans happening in and around the ring, too. There were quite a few matches throughout the night, including characters like Cereal Man, Prisoner 420, and my bf's fave, Bart-Man, doing their thing. I was a big fan of the MonsterTown tag team, all of the creatures dressed in comical costumes and putting on even funnier moves against their rivals, especially the three-headed giraffe and mummy. Lots of props used throughout the show, including ladders, full-size doors (for the dramatic illusion of slamming opponents into these and breaking them), and fake weapons...... oh, but THIS IS REAL... and the dynamic chants from the crowd will remind you all night. Commentary by the "news anchor" host helped guide the storyline with a bit of humor, but I've experienced better and more entertaining announcers outside of Slam Town. Apparently this underground wrestling show is a lot tamer now (in April 2026) than it used to be, back when it was known primarily as "Hoodslam", but we still had a good time. The next Slam Town event is happening on May 22nd at Drake's in Oakland.

fun hyphy vibes in a quiet neighborhood AND hotboys for food?! it can't get better than this!read more

SF's best kept secret for classy musical performances. From what I've seen on their website,…read morevirtually all of their performances are free to the public. Tickets are easy to reserve online and I like that it's open seating so I can decide where I want to sit. San Francisco Conservatory of Music is also in a convenient location if you're taking public transit (the Civic Center Bart station and Van Ness bus stops are right there). The venue itself is beautiful, comfortable, and well maintained. I attended a Sunday afternoon performance that was 1 part opera, and 1 part symphony orchestra performance. It was a wonderful experience. Highly recommend!

I am very exciting to come to this beautiful conservatory, long glass window, golden decor, two…read morelevel tall. Very clean inside, comfortable seat

Needs better ventilation. Extremely stuffy air when it's a busy and popular show with lots of…read morepeople in this theater. When on the floor level, person in front of you might block you view if they happen to be tall (welp you can't control that) or fidget a lot. Wish the seats were better set up Amazing how quickly you can get out of this place even at a really packed show. Ushers are great and helpful

My friend treated me and my daughter to see Dracula Ballet here and it was amazing!…read more This old venue near Civic Center is so ornate and unique. People working here were friendly helpful and polite. You could smell the popcorn inside with well-dressed people buying wine at the concession stands, which can be brought inside while sitting on the red velvet seats. On the mezzanine level, two tall guys sat in front of me, blocking the view of center stage. At intermission, I asked the couple in front of me to switch seats so I could see a bit better. However, I noticed the girl in front then couldn't see, because there was a tall bald guy in front of her! Short people should always get the front rows, lol! Well, the music could be heard by everyone and from what I could see, the ballet was striking as it was beautiful.