It’s a short week and maybe you need a rest from your three-day weekend, but if you’re still game to get out and about, consider these.
Tuesday, May 28
These noontime concerts are a gem within the gem of Old St. Mary’s Cathedral. Ease into your week after a long weekend with acclaimed musicians S.F. Opera cellist Victoria Ehrlich and keyboardist Amy Zanrosso performing a program of Igor Stravinsky: Suite Italienne and César Franck: Sonata for Cello and Piano in A Major, FWV8. Free admission.
“A day without laughter is a day wasted,” according to Charlie Chaplain, so get your yuks in at HellaFunny’s new Polk Street Comedy Blast at the legendary Mayes Oyster House in North Beach. Tickets free–$15.
Wednesday, May 29
Start your day or take a lunch break in the peace and quiet of the Japanese Tea Garden in a walking tour among the koi ponds and botanical masterpieces with S.F. City Guides and learn about the history of the garden. Free admission ($20 suggested donation).
Thursday, May 30
Claude misses you and Cal Academy needs your support. Lend it Thursdays at Nightlife, an after-hours themed event (tonight’s is exploring the nocturnal side of the creatures) for those 21 and up with live music, libations, and more, like almost 60,000 live animals, a four-story rainforest, a living coral reef, and so much more. Tickets $21.
Opening today is S.F. Opera’s The Magic Flute, Mozart’s two-act fairy tale with flying elephants and dancing dogs, and a princess rescue by a prince and bird catcher armed with magical instruments. This production takes inspiration from silent cinema, 1920s cabaret, early Hollywood animation, and Edward Gorey. Through June 30. Tickets from $26.
Friday, May 31
The highly acclaimed, Tony Award-winning The Lehman Trilogy has landed at ACT’s Toni Rembe Theater. It features a cast of three and tells the story of the German immigrant Lehman brothers from their arrival in New York to their subsequent founding of one largest investment banking companies in the U.S. and its subsequent collapse in 2008. Matinees available on weekends and Wednesdays. Through June 23. Tickets $25–$147.
These Candlelight Concerts by Fever, performed in unique venues from zoos to churches, have millions of rave reviews worldwide where in the midst of thousands of candles, classical musical ensembles perform tributes from Bach to the Beatles. Hear The Best of the Beatles on Strings at the Chan National Queer Arts Center, a stunning Art Deco gem in the Mission (and now the home of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus). Tickets $47–$80.
Saturday, June 1
The Marsh San Francisco has added more performances to the limited return engagement of Brian Copeland’s Not a Genuine Black Man, which premiered in 2004 and has now become the longest-running solo show in San Francisco theater history. In his show, the award-winning actor, comedian, author, playwright, and talk-show host describes his struggles growing up in one of the most racist suburbs in America. Saturdays at 3 p.m. through June 22. Tickets $25–$35 sliding scale; $50 and $100 reserved.
Let street fairs begin! The Union Street Festival is one of my favorites. Expect the usual lineup of live music, arts and crafts (over 160 vendors!), food trucks, cocktails, a waiters’ race, and new this year (or I missed last year), an interactive paint temple and an interactive space with whiskey and waffle samples (which I’ll be sure not to miss this year). Also, be sure to stop in at the Helpers Artisan Boutique, which displays the work of artists with developmental disabilities. From Gough to Fillmore streets through Sunday. Free admission.
Celebrate the first day of Pride Month at Pride in the Presidio at the Tunnel Tops with a bevy of activities like book giveaways, drag storytelling, a tea dance celebration, and lots more. Free admission.
Sunday, June 2
The 23rd S.F. Documentary Festival is currently underway at the Roxie Theater (also available virtually) through June 9. On the screen today is Bay Area Stories 2, a collection of four shorts: Driverless, which takes a critical look at robotaxis in the city; Ambassadors of Hope, about a group of Kenyans helping children in a slum; Carry Capacity, which depicts a discovery about human expression across the autism spectrum; and One Fighting Irishman, about an attorney who worked to restore citizenship for the Japanese Americans held at the Tule Lake Segregation Center during World War II. Tickets $17.
Enjoy your week, whatever you decide to do!
