Still time to catch Starlight Players’ Valentine adventure
EAST BAY AREA—It’s Valentine’s Day in San Francisco in the year 1935, and Detective Charlie Angel battles mob crime in the City by the Bay. But he needs your help infiltrating the Black Badger Band and the Sapphire Sisterhood in the latest interactive offering from Orinda Starlight Village Players.
“Valentine Mobsters, Molls and Mayhem” began Feb. 14 and continues at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through March 11.
Written and directed by Malcolm Cowler, the show allows attendees to become part of the rival mobs in order to get dirt on the gangsters and create a war to wipe out both gangs. The loosely scripted improv event encourages audience participation and detective skills of information gathering and problem solving.
I’ve attended several of the company’s previous shows, and they are a lot of fun. I’ve been honing my detective skills and sometimes even figure out who the murder is. Not sure I’ll be successful stopping these two gangs for Valentine’s Day, but I’ll give it a try.
The evening can be even more fun when a group of friends work together on all the clues and fun games.
The shows are free, but donations are encouraged. For more information, go to orsvp.org, call 925-528-9225 or email info@orsvp.org.
Diablo Ballet
From the upbeat rhythms of George Gershwin to the timeless romance of “Sleeping Beauty,” Diablo Ballet promises a diverse program in its “Balanchine & Beyond.”
Filmed at Diablo Ballet’s black box theater in early February, the show will stream into homes Feb. 19-21 and Feb. 26-28.
“I’m so pleased we are able to continue to perform for our dedicated audiences with safety protocols and procedures in place,” said artistic director Lauren Jonas.
The program features one of Balanchine’s most joyous ballets “Who Cares?” with music by Gershwin. Full of fast-stepping routines, it evokes the lively spirit of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The repertoire also includes Penny Saunders duet “Berceuse.” The duet explores the nuanced line between classical and contemporary dance. The virtual world premiere “Two One Self” follows Berceuse. Company dancer Michael Wells created it in collaboration with Derion Loman (recently seen on “America’s Got Talent” and “World of Dance”).
The program concludes with the wedding scene from “The Sleeping Beauty” featuring Princess Aurora and her handsome prince.
Tickets are $35 per household and can be purchased by calling 925-943-7469 or going online to lesherartscenter.org or diabloballet.org.
Improv for Good
The Campbell Theater in Martinez just finished two performances by Act II Improv group. Both shows of “Improv for Good” were via Zoom and include scenes created from audience suggestions using the “chat” feature. They raised money for Onstage Theatre Company, which performs at the Campbell. More events are planned. Check out campbelltheater.com so you don’t miss out.
Savannah Sipping Society
Theaters are doing a variety of creative things to keep viable during the pandemic. The Altarena Playhouse in Alameda has started a series of “A Life in the Arts” interviews with various artists. I’m honored to be a part of one highlighting the cast of “The Savannah Sipping Society” scheduled for a Zoom live event at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21.
Actors often have favorite shows, and this is certainly one of mine. I was fortunate to be able to “play” with a fabulous group of talented women both onstage and behind the scenes. They include actresses Kimberly Ridgeway, Julie Etzel and Lisa Appleyard, director Katina Letheule, stage manager Kristin Smith and assistant stage manager Daile Rosickly.
If anyone is interested in tuning in, let me know and I’ll send you the Zoom invite.
Sally Hogarty is well known around the Bay Area as a newspaper columnist, theatre critic and working actress. She is the editor of the Orinda News. Send comments to sallyhogarty@gmail.com