The Last Ship, Starring Sting, Docks in San Francisco
February 20 through March 22

The Last Ship tells the story of Gideon, a prodigal son returning home after 17 years at sea to find that the local shipyard his town was built around is closing and Meg, the love he left behind, has moved on. Tensions flare and picket lines are drawn as foreman Jackie White (Sting) rallies the workers to take over the shipyard and build one last ship in the face of the gathering storm. A love story, a tale of family and friendship, and a passionate homage to the shipbuilding community Sting grew up in, this “thrilling and stirring musical” (The Guardian) features a Tony-nominated original score by Sting including some of his best-loved songs “Island of Souls,” “All This Time” and “When We Dance.”

Completely re-imagined since its Broadway debut in 2014, The Last Ship has thrilled audiences across the United Kingdom and Canada and has been described as “uplifting, intimate, heart-breaking and universal,” (The Stage). If you are a fan and admirer of Sting as I am, look for me among the show’s attendees in the stunning Golden Gate Theater. Built in the 1920s, this former vaudeville house and movie theater was restored and reopened a few years back as a leading-edge performing arts venue. This magnificent 2,200-seat theater has been on the National Register of Historic Places since April 1986. Two magnificent things to see: The Last Ship and the Golden Gate Theater’s stunning setting.

Tickets and Information
Prices start at $90
888-746-1799
broadwaysf.com
Golden Gate Theatre
1 Taylor Street in San Francisco

Photo courtesy of Jamie Travezan

Smuin’s Dancers Pirouette, Kick, and Tap in Mountain View
February 27 through March 1

Experience a transcendent evening of dance, paying tribute to Michael Smuin–the exceptionally talented dancer, choreographer, and artistic director who left an unforgettable legacy of combining beautiful dance and impressive music. Relish the beauty of Johnny Cash’s music in “The Man in Black,” followed by the witty and playful staging of “Take Five,” and a dramatic “Carmina Burana” for a dazzling evening with Smuin Contemporary Ballet.

Smuin Contemporary Ballet continues its 26th season with Dance Series 1, a stunning program featuring three extraordinary works by established and rising choreographers. Choreographed by James Kudelka, the former artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada, “The Man in Black” is a powerful piece: an ode to American working-class grit featuring complex choreography influenced by popular country-western dance styles—including line, square, swing, and step dancing. Superbly creative, “The Man in Black” was called “beguiling” by the San Francisco Chronicle and “deeply touching and poignant” by Canada’s National Post. Also on the bill: former Smuin Contemporary Ballet artist Rex Wheeler’s “Take Five” is a delightfully whimsical work set to the jazzy beat of Dave Brubeck. Michael Smuin’s “unforgettable” “Carmina Burana” is set to the sensual Carl Orff score and rounds out this spectacular program. Absolutely, definitely not to be missed!

Tickets and Information
Prices range from $25 to $79
650-903-6000
smuinballet.org
Mountain View Center for Performing Arts
500 Castro Street in Mountain View

Photos courtesy of Chris Hardy

Japanese Baking Workshop with Baking Expert Eri Combs
February 29 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Learn how to make your very own Japanese bakery favorites from scratch in the ongoing series of Japanese Bread Baking workshops offered by the well known baking chef Eri Combs. On the workshop’s menu are Sweet Potato Rolls, Mocha Buns, Cinnamon Rolls and something that looks like a Japanese style Challah. With my countless dining visits to the Japanese restaurants I have never seen a bread basket. Have you? It will certainly be very interesting to learn to bake these delicacies from Chef Combs.

Eri is a baking instructor and also a mother of 3 children. She teaches cooking at a private school, and sells bread once a week. “I started baking bread when I was a little girl, I learned while baking together with my mom. After I came to America, I started selling Japanese bread such as An-pan, cream-pan, melon-pan, or curry-pan. My most famous bread is ‘whipped cream an-pan’; it’s made with Japanese and American techniques and also my favorite bread to make.” We hope you enjoy both the great baked Japanese treats you make with Eri, as well as her expert instructions!

Tickets and Information
Price: $75
415-567-5505
jcccnc.org
programsevents@jcccnc.org
Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California
1840 Sutter Street in San Francisco

Photos courtesy of JCCCNC

Crossing the Caspian: Persia and Europe, 1500–1700
Now Through April 26

Crossing the Caspian explores the golden age of artistic exchange between the Safavid Empire of Persia and Europe. Featuring prints, drawings, miniature paintings, rare books and maps, as well as objects of porcelain and silk, this exhibition examines the opening of new geographic, diplomatic, and mercantile routes between Persia and Europe in the seventeenth century. The pieces assembled here include works by artists from Antwerp, Amsterdam, Paris, Hollstein, Qazvin, Isfahan, and Shiraz. Together, the works represent the process of coming to know a foreign culture through the medium of visual art.

Tickets and Information
Free admission
650-723-4177
museum.stanford.edu
Cantor Arts Museum
328 Lomita Drive at Stanford

Photo courtesy of Cantor Arts Museum

Lina Broydo immigrated from Russia, then the Soviet Union, to Israel where she was educated and got married. After working at the University in Birmingham, England, she and her husband immigrated to the United States. She lives in Los Altos Hills, CA and writes about travel, art, style, entertainment, and sports. She hardly cooks or bakes, with no borsch or piroshky on her home cooking menu. Therefore, she makes reservations and enjoys dining out, mostly sushi.