The Sacramento Ballet will revive its sensual story ballet, "Dracula," at the Community Center Theater just in time for Halloween. The Bee's Jim Carnes wouldn't miss it.
The rising young Oakland-born trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire explores a decade of music associated with jazz legend Miles Davis at Three Stages in Folsom. Critic Marcus Crowder recommends it.
A self-proclaimed "mad scientist," artist Clayton Bailey, makes surprising and delightful creations from clay and found objects, including his signature "exploding pots," whimsical robot sculptures and ray guns inspired by science fiction. Bee art correspondent Victoria Dalkey absolutely will review the show coming to the Crocker Art Museum.
You'll find these shows and more among the "don't miss" events on the list of fall picks from The Bee's critics. These recommendations will guide you to the best values for your hard-earned dollars.
In these uncertain economic times, are the arts optional? That depends on whether you view enriching your mind as optional.
If you see it as necessary, grab your favorite beverage, a red pen, a seat and this list.
For those weighing every expenditure, this list contains exhibitions and a music festival that can be enjoyed for free, theaters offering preview shows discounted to $10, and performances priced as low as $5 or $10.
Ready now?
Dance and music
"Dracula": Ron Cunningham's powerful dance is dark and dramatic - "spectacularly creepy," according to The Bee at its 2004 premiere. Also on the program will be "Serenade," considered America's first ballet masterpiece by George Balanchine, and "Second Before the Ground," Trey McIntyre's modern masterpiece, to music by the Kronos Quartet. Performances will be Oct. 22-23 and 27-28 at the Community Center Theater in Sacramento. Season tickets are now on sale. Individual tickets ($17-$68) will go on sale Sept. 6. Information: www.sacballet.org
"Song of the Earth": The Scottish Ballet will perform choreographer Kenneth MacMillan's classic only one time, on Oct. 19 at the Mondavi Center at UC Davis. The company, on its first national U.S. tour in 25 years, also will perform a new work by Finnish-born dancemaker Jorma Elo, who has been resident choreographer for the Boston Ballet since 2005. Single tickets ($30-$49 general, $15-$24.50 students) are on sale now. Information: www.mondaviarts.org
Staff Benda Bilili, a group of paraplegic street musicians from Kinshasa, Congo, is making its first U.S. tour and will appear Sept. 14 at Three Stages at Folsom Lake College. The musicians, most of whom use wheelchairs because of polio, sing songs of fragile beauty with raw power. One of their original songs is "Polio," which implores parents to get their children inoculated. Tickets are $17-$25 regular, $29 premium, and $12 for students with identification. Information: www.threestages.net
The fall arts season at California State University, Sacramento, kicks off Sept. 7 with "Dance House," a mix of dance styles featuring new original works created by students, select alumni and guest choreographers. The program will be presented Sept. 7-11 in Dancespace, Room 1010 of Solano Hall. Tickets ($5-$12) are available at the Sac State box office, (916) 278-4323.
Trey McIntyre Project will perform the choreographer's New Orleans-inspired "Ma Maison" and "The Sweeter End" on stage with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band providing live music Nov. 12 at the Mondavi Center. McIntyre's small dance troupe once included former Sacramento Ballet dancer Ilana Goldman and now features another former Sac Ballet dancer, Annali Rose. Tickets ($30-$49 general, $15-$24.50 for students with ID) are on sale now. Information: www.mondaviarts.org
Theater and jazz
The Miles Davis Experience, 1949-1959, a collaboration with Blue Note Records featuring Ambrose Akinmusire: Davis famously claimed he revolutionized jazz five times and two of those periods are included in the time-frame presented here. The show will be at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at Three Stages on the Folsom Lake College campus, 10 College Parkway, in Folsom. Tickets are $19-$39, $12 for students with ID. Information: (916) 608-6725, www.threestages.net
"The God of Carnage": The French playwright Yasmina Reza's latest hit, "The God of Carnage," premiered on Broadway in 2009 with a cast including James Gandolfini, Hope Davis, Jeff Daniels and Marcia Gay Harden. All four were nominated for Tony Awards, and this acerbic satire of modern manners won the Tony for best play. Look for the show on the B Street Theatre Mainstage, 2711 B St. Previews will be Sept. 17 at 5 p.m. and Sept. 18 at 2 p.m. Preview tickets are $10. It opens at 7 p.m. Sept. 18. Show times are 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 6. Tickets are $18-$30, $5 for student rush. Information: (916) 443-5300, bstreettheatre.org
"Superior Donuts": Capital Stage, the often provocative professional theater company formerly housed on the Delta King, will open its seventh season with Tracy Letts' "Superior Donuts" at a newly reconfigured space at 2215 J St. Letts creates work that digs into the American psyche whether it's the sprawling poetic family drama of his 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning "August: Osage County" or the urban comedy of "Superior Donuts." Previews begin Oct. 7, and the production opens Oct. 15. Tickets are $20-$32. Information: (916) 995-5464, www.capstage.org
Wayne Shorter: Wayne Shorter's compositions have always had a dark conjuring mystique whether in the venerable Art Blakey band, with the seminal electronic fusion group Weather Report, or as the lead writer of Miles Davis' influential mid-Sixties quintet. Shorter's band features pianist Danilo Perez, drummer Brian Blade and bassist John Pattituci. See them at 8 p.m. Oct. 1 at Jackson Hall in the Mondavi Center at UC Davis. Tickets are $17.50-$58. Information: (866) 754-2787, www.mondaviarts.org
"The Pillowman": The Irish playwright Martin McDonagh's best work may be his brooding fantasy "The Pillowman." Set in an unnamed totalitarian state, a fiction writer named Katurian goes through a series of interrogations about the content of his violent stories and a series of murders imitating the unpublished works. "The Pillowman" runs from Sept. 22 to Oct. 15 at the Big Idea Theatre, 1616 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento. Tickets are $10-$15. Information: (916) 960-3036, www.bigideatheatre.com
Visual art
"Clayton Bailey's World of Wonders" at the Crocker Art Museum features 180 works and ephemera encompassing Bailey's 50-year career as a self-proclaimed "mad scientist." The show will "document" Bailey's "scientific" discoveries made by his alter ego, Dr. George Gladstone. This laugh-filled show will be on view from Oct. 22 through Jan. 15 at the Crocker, 216 O St., Sacramento. Admission is $10; $8 for seniors 65-plus, military and college students; $5 for ages 7-17; and free to members and to children 6 and under. Every third Sunday of the month is "Pay What You Wish Sunday," courtesy of Bank of America. Information: (916) 808-7000, www.crockerartmuseum. org
"The Spirit of the Basket" at Sacramento State's University Library Gallery presents a stunningly beautiful look at the rich diversity of North American Indian basketry. Drawn from the collection of the California Indian Heritage Center, California State Parks, the show offers a chance to compare the weaving techniques and materials used by each culture. The exhibition will be up from Thursday through Nov. 19 at CSUS, 6000 J St., Sacramento. Admission: Free. Information: (916) 278-4189, www.al.csus.edu/sota/ulg/
"Masters of Venice: Renaissance Painters of Passion and Power From the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna" at the de Young Museum in San Francisco highlights 16th century Venetian paintings by artists of true genius, among them Giorgione, Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese. Inspired by the sensual beauties of nature, Venetian artists of the period produced poetic paintings with rich atmospheric effects and lustrous color. The show will be up at the de Young in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park from Oct. 29 to Feb. 12. This special exhibit is $10 daily. Museum admission is $10 for adults; $7, seniors 65-plus; $6, youths 13-17 and college students with ID; and free, children under 12. Museum admission is free on the first Tuesday of each month. Information: (415) 750-3600, deyoung.famsf.org
The dazzling world of India's legendary maharajas is explored in the Asian Art Museum's "Maharaja: The Splendor of India's Royal Courts." Featuring more than 170 treasures spanning three centuries, the exhibit brings the Patiala necklace, Cartier's largest single commission in history, and a silver horse-drawn carriage made for the Maharaja of Bhavnagar in 1915. The show will be up at the Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin St., San Francisco from Oct. 21 to April 8. Museum admission is $12; $8, seniors 65-plus; $7, youths ages 13-17 and college students with ID; and free for children 12 and under and active U.S. military. Museum admission is free on the first Sunday of each month. Adults, seniors 65-plus and college students with ID must pay a $5 surcharge for this special exhibit each day. Information: (415) 581-3500, www.asianart.org
"Richard Serra Drawing: A Retrospective" at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is the first critical overview of drawings by an artist who is best known for his monumental sculptural works. The presentation at SFMOMA will be augmented with 10 of the artist's earliest sculptures from the 1960s. Organized by The Menil Collection, the exhibition runs from Oct. 15 to Jan. 16 at SFMOMA, 151 Third St., San Francisco. Museum admission is $18 for adults; $12, seniors 62-plus; $11, students with current ID; and free for active U.S. military and children 12 and under. It is free on the first Tuesday of each month. Information: (415) 357-4000, www.sfmoma.org
Pop music
Lil Wayne at Sleep Train Amphitheatre;
Taylor Swift at Power Balance Pavilion: It will be the biggest single night of live entertainment in the Sacramento Valley in years. Two multiplatinum recording artists will perform locally on Sept. 3: Taylor Swift, confessional darling of the country-rock world and dater of Hollywood's most eligible bachelors, at Power Balance Pavilion, and Lil Wayne, the indefatigable rapper who has done his time in the business and behind bars, at Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Wheatland. Lil Wayne: 7 p.m., Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 2677 Forty Mile Road. $42.60-$144.25. www.livenation.com. Taylor Swift: 7 p.m., Power Balance Pavilion, One Sports Parkway, Sacramento. Sold out.
Ke$ha and LMFAO: Party-pop mistress Ke$ha, the musical and sartorial embodiment of the walk of shame, brings a knowing wink to everything she does. The "Blow" singer combines abundant charisma with a trailer-and-Red Bull aesthetic to produce a truly escapist live show. In other words, she's fun. With "Party Rock Anthem" dudes LMFAO opening, the concert is shaping up to be the ultimate mindless night out. 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13, UC Davis Pavilion, One Shields Ave., Davis. $39.50. (530) 752-1915, (800) 225-2277, www.tickets.com
Play Like a Girl (June and Jean Millington): Sisters and McClatchy High School graduates June and Jean Millington played Sacramento high school dances before forming Fanny, the pioneering 1960s and '70s all-women rock group. The sisters' "Play Like a Girl" CD and tour feature June on guitar and Jean on bass, just as in the Fanny days. The Palms is convenient to Jean Millington's Davis home. June Millington will make the trip from Massachusetts, where she co-founded a school of rock for girls. 8 p.m. Oct. 1. The Palms, 13 Main St., Winters. Price to be announced (530) 795-1825. www.junemillington.com
Cake: Nineties alternative rock lives! Sacramento's Cake went independent with its 2011 "Showroom of Compassion" CD and scored big with critics for a musically accomplished, only semi-ironic sound. Lead singer John McCrea, late of Oakland, and trumpet players Vince DiFiore and guitarist Gabe Nelson, still of Sacramento, will meet in between with two shows at UC Davis. 8 p.m. Oct. 6 and 7, Freeborn Hall at UC Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis. $37 advance, $42 day of show. (530) 752-1915, (800) 225-2277, www.tickets.com
Foo Fighters
Nineties alternative rock lives! Dave Grohl's post-Nirvana project still is thriving 16 years in. Foo Fighters' 2011 guitar attack hits harder than it did in the '90s, but the melodic, instantly catchy choruses remain. From Nirvana to now, Grohl always has recognized the value of a dramatic buildup to an irresistible hook. 7 p.m. Oct. 20. Power Balance Pavilion, One Sports Parkway, Sacramento. $37.20-$48.45. www.ticketmaster.com, (800) 745-3000
Music
"Heart of a Soldier": The decade anniversary of 9/11 is here, and the San Francisco Opera is marking it with a work commissioned from Christopher Theofanidis. Directed by Francesca Zambello (who got rave reviews for her Ring Cycle production this summer), "Heart of a Soldier" intimately mines the life of Vietnam vet Rick Rescorla, a security officer working for Morgan Stanley, who lost his life on 9/11 after ushering thousands out of the doomed South Tower. See it Sept. 9-30 at the War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave., in San Francisco. Tickets are $24-$263. Information: (415) 864-3330; www.sfopera.org
Return to Forever IV, with Zappa Plays Zappa: The seminal jazz and rock fusion ensemble of the 1970s is back and will perform at Mondavi in a unique concert that shares a bill with Dweezil Zappa's exploration of father Frank Zappa's music. Dubbed "RTF IV" the Return to Forever lineup consists of core members pianist Chick Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White. Mahavishnu Orchestra alum and violin virtuoso Jean-Luc Ponty and Australian guitarist Frank Gambale will join the mix.The show will be at 8 p.m., Sept. 21, at Jackson Hall in the Mondavi Center at UC Davis. Tickets are $55-$95. Information: (530) 754-2787, www.mondaviarts.org
So Percussion Ensemble, "Different Directions: A John Cage Celebration": It's only fitting that So Percussion makes its Mondavi debut with the music of John Cage. After all, Cage taught at UC Davis in the 1960s. But most fitting is the fact that this 11-year-old ensemble has earned a stellar reputation for its expansive and innovative performances and recordings of the standard and new percussion ensemble repertoire. The event is at 8 p.m. Oct. 29 and 2 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Studio Theatre in the Mondavi Center at UC Davis. Tickets are $37 each. Information: (530) 754-2787, www.mondaviarts.org
Festival of New American Music: This gem of a festival brings world-class contemporary music and master musicians to the city. This year, noted composer Martin Bresnick is the keynote speaker and invited performers include the Zephyrus Duo, the Left Coast Ensemble, the Iridium Saxophone Quartet, the Wet Ink ensemble and the city's own Citywater, among others. Best of all, every performance is free. The music begins Nov. 3 and ends Nov. 13. Many performances will be at Capistrano Hall, 6000 J St., Sacramento. Information: (916) 278-5155, www. csus.edu/music
Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra, 75th Birthday Celebration: Seeing Eddie Palmieri smile and command the piano for salsa and Latin jazz music is always a joyous and singular musical event. Palmieri is touring to celebrate his 75th birthday, and he has scheduled a rare area stop at Three Stages as part of a 32-city tour. The performance begins at 7 p.m. Dec. 5 on Stage One of Three Stages at Folsom Lake College. Tickets are $19-$39. Information: (916) 608-6888; www.threestages.net
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