Mission Mission

The Speakeasy has added a new show on Friday nights that “welcomes audiences to the immersive, Prohibition-era world of The Speakeasy with a mix of lighthearted cabaret acts and interactive scenes.” It’s called A NIGHT AT THE PALACE and was created to be a less structured theatrical experience and more of a party. We were intrigued and knew we needed to see how this new spin would feel after seeing the full Speakeasy show. So we headed to North Beach to meet a someone on a corner, tell them our secret line, and get escorted to a secret underground location for some drama talk and drinks.

Brittany: I had so much fun!

Katie: What an incredible night out. There really isn’t anything like it in San Francisco.

B: I’ve really never seen anything like it anywhere. The line between audience and performer, the show and reality, is so blurred. You just lose yourself in this other world.

K: This was my first time seeing this new space and it is SO cool! The decor and the costumes were on point, but I think the main thing that really made me feel transported back in time was that there is a no phone rule. There was no point where I looked around and I saw screens, which never happens anymore. People were captivated by the show, or the pleasure of each other’s company, and not distracted by their phones.

B: It is great to be able to fully unplug and just have a really fun time with friends. I also still can’t believe how committed audience members are to dressing for the show. People wear the most amazing costumes, and it’s great that everyone just dives-in and has fun.

K: I know this is a new thing they are trying, having an option to just come and enjoy the show and party. I appreciate that. You could sit in the cabaret and watch the show and when you felt like it you could get up and go to the bar and casino room. I didn’t have the feeling like I was missing out on something that was happening in the other rooms since there weren’t multiple storylines happening around us.

B: I think this could also be a great way to get introduced into the full show, since it introduces you to the characters, but without any of the drama. It lets you explore the space in a much more laid back way too. Besides, who doesn’t love a night of delicious drinks, dressing up, and entertaining characters.

The Verdict: So much fun! It’s both entertaining and stimulating without being overwhelming.

The Drama Talk: The first time we went to Speakeasy we were a bit overwhelmed. So many plots, so many secret rooms, so many actors all around you. We loved it, but it was hard not to have FOMO knowing that some cool story was happening in the other room that we were probably missing. A Night at the Place maintains all the fun and magic of the original Speakeasy show while making it a lot more lighthearted. The cabaret acts were great, we had a bunch of fun conversations with actors trying to sell us on their bootlegged gin, and we still got the feeling of stepping into another era. While not all of the secret rooms are operational on this night (the office and the dressing room which both allow audience members to eavesdrop on different storylines are not used during A Night at the Palace) you get to stay later and dance the night away in the cabaret, which was really a highlight. This would be a great special outing for a group of friends, or an awesome way to introduce out of town guests to the magic of San Francisco.

The Drinks: Are strong, delicious and plenty! You will be able to order drinks from your table in the cabaret or you can go into the bar area and order. Make sure to give them your credit card info beforehand (before noon the day you’re scheduled to see the show) to make ordering food and drink easy.

A Night At the Palace runs Friday nights through September 1st at a secret venue near Chinatown and North Beach (Ticket buyers will receive a text or email the day of the event with directions on how to obtain the address). Tickets are $25-$85 depending on the time of entry you choose. Tickets and more info are on their website.

Local Livejournal user Honey Jets tells us about a busy night out in a 2-block area of the Mission:

Elisa and Jane met me at Jono’s place at about 5:30. I put my shoes on while we watched Jojo’s video on Vimeo, and then we headed toward the Make-Out Room. Jane had to wait in line for a while to get her hand stamp, so Elisa and I walked around trying to figure out where to eat. Elisa didn’t want anything greasy or fried or containing dairy, so Wes Burger was out, Mission Chinese was out, Escape from New York was out, and F.O.B. Kitchen was out. We settled on Mateo’s. Jess met us there. I ran into Amy and a friend on my way to the salsa bar and we talked about meeting at Doc’s Clock after. On our way out of Mateo’s we ran into Omar and a friend, and we caught up for about half a block. At Make-Out Room Jonathan Richman was pretty good, and we ran into Joe. During the break, Joe and I talked outside about how he, me, Jess and Will had all been in Nashville recently. I told my “P.G. band” story, and he told me a cool story about how English people are different from Americans. After the encore, Jess and I headed for the New Mission. At the bar we ran into Mike and chatted for a minute, mostly about how good he is at his job. Upstairs we waved at Dave and Atousa who were in the row in front of us. Wild Beasts was as gnarly as promised, if not gnarlier. Terror Tuesday rules. After the movie we said bye to Mike, and then to Jess who went home to go to sleep. We joined up with Dave’s friend Brendan and went to Doc’s. Kevin was there already and we talked for a minute about how the new Doc’s is pretty good. Dave and company had gotten a table, so I joined them and we talked about the movie, at length. Dave and Atousa bickered a little (in a cute way) about fried chicken, we talked about plans for Friday, and then I strolled home, and ‘grammed an arty photo of the median on Guerrero in the moonlight.

I think it’s supposed to be a throwback to posts like this and this from July 2011, which in turn were I think some kind of homage to our dear departed Janebook.

Read on for a brief epilogue about the following morning. (And do go to all those restaurants, and do check out Amy’s blog about the Mission and Omar’s cookies and Mike’s Terror Tuesday lineup and new Doc’s Clock.)

[via Melissa]

Hold onto your hats, Twin Peaks nuts! Get a load of this:

The Music Of Twin Peaks & Beyond performed by The Red Room Orchestra, which includes:

• Marc Capelle
• Tom Ayres (Persephone’s Bees)
• DJ Angel Baby (Shannon Shaw of Shannon & The Clams)
• Karina Denike (NOFX, Dancehall Crashers )
• Allyson Baker (Dirty Ghosts)
• Mark Etizel
• Toby Dammit (Nick Cave, Iggy Pop, Swans, Residents)
• Tom Griesser
• Todd Roper (Cake)
• Sami Perez (The She’s)
• Karla Milosevich (The Helen Lundy Trio)
• Danielle Salomon
• DJ Blue Rose (Meg Low)
• & more TBA

It’s a superstar lineup of some of the best in the Bay Area and beyond, all centered around the show that many of us hold near and dear to our hearts.

The night also includes a Twin Peaks Costume Party and Audrey Dance Contest (DJ’d by Shannon from the Clams), and anyone in a Twin Peaks costume will be given an entry discount.

RSVP and invite your friends here, and get advance tickets here.

BONUS GAME: One of these “related posts” is actually related to the TV show! Find it!!!

Here’s the view from the park back in 2008 (from a post where I was sort of complaining about how that lone high rise was blocking our view of the bridge’s westernmost tower):

You can see the Bay Bridge!

Also in 2008, some bloggers at Curbed SF made an prediction about how the SF skyline would evolve:

Now, basically a decade later, they’re pretty much dead right. Here’s the view today:

No bridge.

[Top photo by Moncrief Speaks]

2001.

[via Spike]

[Photo and headline by Alia]

This Thursday at Pops Bar, DJ Zero One takes you on a journey through post-punk, new wave, and synth-pop jams at Hang The DJ. Hang the DJ also broadcasts every Saturday 2-4pm at our favorite local mission district radio station, BFF.fm. The Queen is Dead but long live new wave music! Come out and dance with us this Thursday.

Check out this week’s full entertainment line up at Pops Bar:

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Local artist Steve MacDonald aka Ramblin Worker says:

#sanfrancisco is getting so crazy! I look out my window & I really thought it was the #deathstar

[Link]

Almost as good as Market Street in the 1950s, covered in neon!

[via Found Photos]

BONUS: Cliff House long before that, looking very different…

[via Nika]