San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
A look at big shows on way for S.A. in coming months.
From theater to concerts, big shows are back
San Antonio presenters and producers have spent the past year and a half figuring out how to stage events safely in the pandemic era, so they’re ready for the fall arts and entertainment season to get going.
Most groups resumed staging shows for live audiences earlier this year, playing to smaller houses to allow for social distancing and implementing additional safety measures both backstage and in the audience. With the delta variant and rising case numbers, all of those protocols will remain in place for the foreseeable future.
“Our audiences have been so wonderfully accepting of it,” said Anthony Runfola, artistic director of Magik Theatre, which resumed in-person shows in the spring. “I know it’s a pain, we know it is, but it’s been so wonderful to see folks who are just happy to be back at the theater and who are understanding of the protocols.”
The company will continue to offer some shows virtually — “Snow White” is available to stream now at magiktheatre.org, and “Charlotte’s Web” will be posted soon — but it also has planned a more standard inperson season.
The six-show season starts with an adaption of a 2014 picture book by Lois Brandt that seems even more timely in this era of growing food insecurity. “Maddi’s Fridge” is about a little girl named Sofia who learns that her friend Maddi isn’t getting enough to eat. Maddi swears her to secrecy, so Sofia has to figure out a way to get around that to
help her friend.
The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts is buzzing pretty much all the time now, which delights Vice President of Programming Aaron Zimmerman.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be at full capacity, with a full schedule,” Zimmerman said. “All of that feels like a shift in positive energy and mentality after what we’ve been going
through. I’m overjoyed as a whole.
“I’m just praying that with the variant, hopefully this is the worst of it we’re seeing.”
The Tobin Center requires patrons to wear masks upon entry and any time they’re away from their seats. Some touring artists may add additional requirements, Zimmerman said. For example, Herbie Hancock, who is playing there Tuesday, is requiring that ticket holders show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.
Zimmerman expects other artists to make similar requirements in the months ahead.
“There are options for everybody, we don’t care who you are, to be able to safely attend,” he said. “I think that the option of showing a (vaccination) card or a negative test, you’re doing your part to keep everybody safe.”
Besides bringing in touring artists, the Tobin Center is home to several local arts organizations, including Opera San Antonio. The company resumed live performances in May with a one-act staging of “Lucia di Lammermoor.”
“We’re really proud to be the first opera company in Texas that was able to return to indoor, live performances,” said E. Loren Meeker, the company’s general and artistic director. “It’s a real feather in our caps.”
Opera San Antonio is launching its 2021-22 season with another trimmed-down production. “Don Giovanni” clocks in at an intermission-free 90 minutes.
Meeker said she hopes the work will appeal to both operaphiles and newcomers looking for an accessible entry point.
“For the piece itself, we’ve maintained a fabulous dramatic arc including Mozart’s most glorious music,” she said.
She also hopes the company will be able to stage a full, grand opera by the spring. That’s her plan for “Rigoletto,” slated for May 5 and 7. But she is prepared to shift gears if that isn’t possible.
“It’s my job to continually monitor where we are and what we’re doing in terms of health,” she said. “We will continue to evaluate things as we go.”
Here’s a look at some of what Magik, the Tobin Center, Opera San Antonio and other arts groups have planned for the fall.
September
“As You Like It”: The Classic Theatre kicks off its 2021-22 season with Shakespeare’s romantic comedy. It follows Rosalind (Kacey Roye), a young woman banned from court who hides out in the forest in drag and winds up finding true love. Through Sept. 26, San Antonio Botanical Garden.
“Tick, Tick … Boom!”: The Public Theater of San Antonio’s first show for an in-person audience since the start of the pandemic is “Rent” creator Jonathan Larson’s autobiographical earlier musical about a young composer worried that he’s chosen the wrong career path. Through Oct. 17, The Public Theater of San Antonio.
Herbie Hancock: The music legend is spending his summer tour looking back at his six decades making music, as well as playing new material. Tuesday, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.
Paula Poundstone: The comedian, who made a memorable appearance at the San Antonio Book Festival in 2018, returns to the city. Those who come should be ready to play: Among her specialties is playful audience interaction. Thursday, Charline McCombs Empire Theatre.
“Maddi’s Fridge”: The play, adapted from Lois Brandt’s picture book, is about a child who discovers that a friend has no food at home and must find a way to help her. Donations to the San Antonio Food Bank will be accepted throughout the run. Friday-Oct. 30, Magik Theatre.
“Honky Tonk Hissy Fit”:
The folks at The Harlequin return to the fictional town of Doublewide, Texas — the setting for “A Doublewide, Texas, Christmas,” which the theater produced to very funny effect in 2019 — for this show. In the sequel, the tiny town draws unwanted attention from an Austinbased corporation. Friday-Oct. 2, The Harlequin.
HA Comedy Festival: The
Art of Comedy: The Latinx comedy festival will include all kinds of funny business, including stand-up, films and sketch. The finale, “Best of the Fest,” will be filmed for television. Those taking part include Paul Rodriguez, Lisa Alvarado, Danny Trejo and Carmen Lynch. Friday-Sept. 19, five downtown spots.
“My Fair Lady”: The Broadway in San Antonio series resumes after more than a year with the touring production of director Bartlett Sher’s acclaimed 2018 Lincoln Center staging. It had been slated to open the 2020-21 season, which was scrapped because of the pandemic. Sept. 21-26, Majestic Theatre.
Brother’s Osborne: TJ and John Osborne have named their “We’re Not for Everyone” tour after a song from their 2020 album, “Skeletons.” Fair enough, but the country duo is good for plenty of folks who have made hits of songs such as “Ain’t My Fault” and “Stay a Little Longer.” Sept. 25, John T. Floore Country Store.
“Vaqueros de la Cruz del Diablo: Contemporary Photography of the Northern Mexico Cowboy”: Werner Segarra spent 20 years photographing the lives of cowboys in Sonora, Mexico, creating intimate images that capture their work and home lives. The exhibit holds nearly 60 of Segarra’s photographs, as well as video and norteño music. Sept. 25-Jan. 24, Briscoe Western Art Museum.
Maluma: Colombian singer and rapper Maluma, one of the stars of the reggaeton revival that has pushed Latin music into the mainstream, is touring in support of his 2020 album,
“Papi Juancho.” In addition to songs such as “Parce” from that album, he’ll be playing hits like “Chantaje,” his collaboration with Shakira. Sept. 26, AT&T Center.
Squeeze: Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford were the Lennon and McCartney, or possibly Ray Davies, of New Wave, combining melodic invention with lyrical wit on albums such as “Argybargy” and “East Side Story.”
The band’s best-known songs include “Tempted” and “Pulling Mussels (From the Shell).” Fastball (“The Way”) opens. Sept. 27, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.
“Tableau”: The SOLI Chamber Ensemble kicks off its 202122 season with a program inspired by “Frida Kahlo’s Oasis,”
an installation at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. The evening includes the concert suite from composer Robert Xavier Rodriguez’s opera “Frida,” as well as Arturo Márquez’s “Zarabandeo.” Sept. 27, San Antonio Botanical Garden.
October
Tim Allen: Comedian and actor Allen has had one of the most successful stand-up-toscreen careers imaginable, with iconic movie roles in the “Toy Story” and “The Santa Clause” franchises, and a pair of longrunning sitcoms, “Home Improvement” and “Last Man Standing.” More power to him. Oct. 1, Majestic Theater.
Guadalupe Dance Company: The troupe will mark its
30th anniversary with an outdoor performance that will spotlight dances from the Mexican states of Guerrero, Jalisco, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tamaulipas and Veracruz. Mariachi Azteca de América will provide live music. Oct. 1, Plaza Guadalupe.
“Red Dot 2021”: Blue Star Contemporary is giving folks much more time this year to check out its annual exhibit and sale. The show, which features works by more than 100 San Antonio artists, will be up for three months. Oct. 7-Jan. 9, Blue Star Contemporary.
“Don Giovanni”: Opera San Antonio’s very first staging of a Mozart work is a trimmed-down version clocking in at just 90 minutes with no intermission. A gala dinner will follow the opening performance. Oct. 7 and 9, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.
Judas Priest: This could be the last hurrah for Rob Halford and Co. Judas Priest has been a favorite of San Antonio hardrock fans since KISS and KMAC were playing songs such as “Victim of Changes” and “The Ripper.” The band enjoyed its biggest mainstream success a few years later with albums such as “British Steel” and “Screaming for Vengeance.” Oct. 12, Freeman Coliseum.
Melissa Etheridge: “Yes I am,” Melissa Etheridge’s 1993 album, made her a rock star with songs such as “I’m the Only One” and “Come to My Window.” Her new album, “One Way Out,” revives songs from the years leading up that breakthrough, like the rough-andtumble rocker “As Cool As You Try,” which had never been recorded. Oct. 13, Tobin Center.
“40 Years, 40 Stories: Treasures and New Discoveries in
SAMA’s Collections:” The San Antonio Museum of Art is marking its 40th anniversary with an exhibit drawn from its collections, including recently restored works and recent acquisitions. Oct. 16-Jan. 2, San Antonio Museum of Art.
“A Night at the Castle”:
Ballet San Antonio presents an evening of famous moments from fairy tale ballets “Sleeping Beauty” and “Swan Lake.” Oct. 22-24, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.
“Divas of Eastwood”: This is a revival of the whiz-bang 2016 show digging into East Side history and the East Side’s place on the Chitlin’ Circuit, a segregation-era network of nightclubs at which African American performers played for African American audiences. This will sell out, so get tickets early. Oct. 23, Carver Community Cultural Center.
Mon Laferte: Chilean singer Mon Laferte has a restless musical intelligence. Click through her most popular songs on Spotify and you’ll be transported from country bar to ballroom to sock hop. She has dueted with Gwen Stefani on “The Voice” and recently covered Billy Eilish’s “Wish You Were Gay.” Oct. 23, Aztec Theatre.
“Man of the Flesh:” Teatro Audaz is producing native San Antonian Octavio Solis’ take on Don Juan. Oct. 28-Nov. 2, Cellar Theater, The Public Theater of
San Antonio.
Elton John: The Yellow Brick Road winds back around to San Antonio with an encore performance of Elton John’s farewell tour. The show, which played the AT&T Center in December 2018, is packed with hits, mostly from the pop superstar’s 1970s heyday, plus some surprises. Oct.
29, Alamodome.
San Antonio Symphony: The symphony launches its 2021-22 season with a program of works by Rachmaninoff, Haydn and John Adams featuring cellist Sterling Elliott and guest conductor Jeffrey Kahane. Oct. 9-30, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.
David Sedaris: Sedaris, always a treat to read and to listen to, is on a tour pegged to the
Oct. 5 release of “A Carnival of Snackery: Diaries 2003-2020.” The book is a follow-up to “Theft by Finding,” which covered 1977 to 2002. Oct. 30, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.
November
Japanese Breakfast: Singersongwriter Michelle Zauner, who records as Japanese Breakfast, added author to her résumé with the release in April of her acclaimed memoir, “Crying in H Mart.” A new album, “Jubilee,” followed in June. Nov. 1, Paper Tiger.
Hasan Minhaj: Comedian Minhaj brings his new one-man show, “The King’s Jester,” to town. He has won Peabody Awards for his Netflix series “Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj” and his comedy special “Homecoming King.” Nov. 4, Tobin Center.
Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin: The Latin heartthrobs’ 2020 tour was postponed due to the pandemic. They had been slated to play here Sept. 11, 2020. They’re planning to play their hits — “Bailando”! “Livin’ La
Vida Loca”! — as well as some new stuff. The headliners will be joined by up-and-comer Sebastian Yatra. Nov. 6, AT&T Center.
Luminaria: The annual free arts blowout returns for the first time since 2019. It will spotlight works by more than 50 artists from across the state, spread all over Hemisfair to give folks plenty of room for social distancing. Nov. 13, Hemisfair.
“Immersive van Gogh”: The international sensation, which is the brainchild of noted Italian digital artist Massimiliano Siccardi, is designed to give patrons the feeling of stepping into Vincent van Gogh’s post-Impressionist works. Nov. 18- Feb. 6, location TBA.
“Lightscape”: The San Antonio Botanical Garden is presenting the illuminated trail, which has sold out in Chicago and the U.K. The San Antonio installation will include established favorites, such as a cathedral made from 100,000 lights, as well as a new bluebonnet field. Nov. 19Jan. 2, San Antonio Botanical Garden.
“Eleven Reflections on September:” Writer and performer Andrea Assaf is creating this site-specific, multimedia piece exploring the experiences of Arab Americans since the 9/11 terror attacks. Assaf is collaborating with San Antonians on the work, which her nonprofit, Art2Action, Inc., is producing with the Carver Community Cultural Center. Nov. 20, Carver Community Cultural Center.
“Elf:” The musical is adapted from the Will Ferrell holiday movie about an over-size elf who learns he is actually human and heads to New York to connect with his birth father.