American-born John Neumeier has been transforming the story ballet since he was appointed chief choreographer of the Hamburg Ballet more than 40 years ago, at the tender age of 31.
San Francisco audiences went wild for his weird and wonderful The Little Mermaid, which exposed the dark psychology of jealousy, revenge, and tragedy in Hans Christian Andersen's tale. Hamburg Ballet's most recent appearance in the Bay Area was only a year ago with Neumeier's Nijinsky, about the tempestuous life of the legendary dancer whose jumps were said to defy gravity, whose ballets were so scandalous that audiences rioted at the premiere of his Rite of Spring, and who died in an asylum, tormented by visions and voices.
This week, the Hamburg Ballet returns to San Francisco with lighter fare and a sweeter look on love with its very limited engagement of Neumeier's 1977 A Midsummer Night's Dream, based on the play by William Shakespeare. As a story that contains love juice, the transformation of men into asses, mistaken identities, love triangles, arranged marriage, elopement, and more, to the music of Felix Mendelssohn, György Ligeti, and traditional barrel organ, Midsummer is a ballet for lovers and dreamers of every ilk.
Neumeier granted SF Weekly an exclusive interview on February 9.
San Francisco is clearly one of the world's richest cities in terms of diversity -- and white people really like it.
Oh this was a fun week for San Franciscan watchers! Not only did the gang go to the Folsom Street Fair, the Urban Flowers shop on 18th Street was invaded by Scott Bakula, and Dom and his character ate at Orphan Andy's. If HBO was smart they would've let the bearded, kilt-wearing waiter who works there be on camera.
We are halfway through the season, and the plots are gelling: Paddy (Jonathan Groff) is screwed up about dating, relationships, and love. Augustin (Frankie J. Alvarez) has a boyfriend but wants to take sexual risks and become a rent boy. And Dom (Murray Bartlett) wants to open his own restaurant and has been hitting up Lynn (Bakula) for some start-up cash.
We live close to possibly the most 1970s diner in all of San Francisco: Hamburger Haven; rust orange and brown are alive and well inside this Richmond District spot. So we weren't too surprised when we received a filming notice at our home informing tenants that The Diary, a movie set in 1976, would be taking over this restaurant on Tuesday (and that if we have a car on 9th Avenue, we best be moving it).
See Also: Kristen Wiig and Alexander Skarsgard Film Diary of a Teenage Girl in San Francisco
We'll bring you updates of tomorrow's filming (and if we spot Kristen Wiig and Alexander Skarsgard in some lovely poly-blends). And, since we love Hamburger Haven -- they boast a very nice wait staff and decent diner fare -- we suggest you visit them sometime, and check out this very '70s spot.
The Marina. It often gets a bad rep, and on certain days it can be somewhat justified. There's nothing like getting shoved off the sidewalk by a group of guys -- four bros wide -- charging down the street in their Sperrys and button down shirts, shouting drunkenly to one another about yesterday's game, and how much they miss those UCSB days.
But there's another group of Marina guys, and they're showing off the kinder side of the men that call this place home. The annual Mr. Marina contest is coming up in March, a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, where contestants vie for the chance to be crowned Mr. Marina for the year.
We had a chance to talk with one contestant Charlie Walker about why he agreed to take on this endeavor, and had him share some details on why the Marina isn't that bad after all.
See also: Mr. Marina @ Ruby Skye (photos from the 2013 competition)
