Mission Mission

[Photo by Why I Don't Skateboard via Bad Kids]

The fine folks over at PianoFight invited our theater reviewers, Katie & Brittany, to a shindig in the space their working to convert into a theater with a bar and restaurant, here’s what they had to say:

We love supporting local theater. Invite us to the latest theater thing opening up, and we’ll be there with bells on, if we can find our bells. We may not always like what we see, but we write this blog because we think theater is important, and everyone should see more of it. We just hope to direct you to the more of it that’s worth seeing, so you don’t have a bad experience and then never want to go again.

We’ve been super excited to hear about the development of PianoFight’s new theater venue opening up in the TL (hopefully) in March. “An 8,000 square foot creative playground containing two theaters, a full restaurant and bar plus cabaret stage, rehearsal space, office space, and a film studio. PianoFight will be a landmark entertainment venue, a creative meeting place, somewhere to have a drink, see a show, or create art at the spur of the moment…”

On Tuesday night they hosted their first party in the nearly-complete venue, to launch their final Kickstarter. Free booze, fun sketch comedy and a new SF theater venue? Of course we went.

Our First Reactions:

Brittany: It looks like it’s going to be really awesome, and it’s a lot more space than I expected. It will be really neat to see what ends up getting created here.

Katie: It looks like they still have a lot to build, but I think it’s going to be a cool space once it’s finished. I don’t know how they’re going to manage acoustically with the bar/restaurant right next the theater. Let’s hope it means there are going to be some rowdy fun shows.

The Drama Talk & Drinks: There was PBR on tap, and the wine flowed freely. Once this space is completed it seems like it has a lot of potential, not just as a place to see theater, but as a place to create. The PianoFight crew has a little over 30 days to raise the last $120k they need to finish construction. Check out their Kickstarter if you’re interested in supporting them. Afterall, who doesn’t want Californicorn swag, and another cool theater and art space in the city.

As anyone who has seen this happen at some point during their daily travels through the city (or past the Metreon) can attest, it never gets any less rad, as photographer Brandon vividly describes:

The pigeon was still alive while the hawk was eating it!

Indeed.  So, Pigeon, think about that while you sit on the stoop right outside my bedroom window that doesn’t open, endlessly cooing and cooing as you go about setting up your pigeon nest.

This hawk is coming for YOU!

[Hawk photo by Brandon T.]

I’ve been meaning to go to this place place for like a decade. Guess I better get in gear. Mission Local reports:

The small 15-person crowd moaned in disappointment at an open mic Sunday night when realtor Carol Luckenbach announced that owner Pascal Bokar put Savanna, the jazz bar and club located at 2937 Mission Street, up for sale for $1.74 million on Friday.

According to Luckenbach, Bokar didn’t feel like he was making enough money with the club and so he decided to sell.

In addition to working as a realtor, Luckenbach has been a regular performer at Savanna, which opened in 2005, for years.

“There aren’t that many [jazz clubs in San Francisco], so when any close, it’s sad,” said Benn Bacot, a jazz singer who was hosting Sunday’s open mic. He is known in the area as The Base of the Bay.

“Now we have six if we have that many. Most of them don’t cater to local talent. If it wasn’t for people like Pascal… local artists wouldn’t have a place to play. My audience isn’t going to pay $75 to hear me play,” Bacot said.

Bacot has been performing at Savanna on every third Friday of the month for the last five years.

Read on.

[Photo by Google Maps]

[via YMFY]

For a long time, photographer Joshua Cobos shot a roll of film just for us, every week. He picked the best 13 photos and we posted them here, and it was called “Bad Blood with Joshua Cobos.” Well, Joshua moved to Los Angeles a couple months back, but we figured that’s no reason for us to stop enjoying these peeks into his process — and L.A. is great! Here’s what Joshua has to say about this installment:

Since moving to L.A. I’ve been extremely busy assisting photographers, dodging celebrities and figuring out what’s going on with the music scene down here. It’s nice to be able to shoot a roll now and then for myself. With Bad Blood in mind, I chose a completely manual rangefinder (thanks Tanya) so I could meter the shots myself & one of the last rolls of AGFA Vista 100 I have. This week’s selections are a journal from the time Ashley & I moved here in August to two weeks ago when all the Christmas Tree lighting started. As always, I miss the bay.

Thanks, Joshua! Ten more shots after the jump:

(more…)

Katie & Brittany are back just in time to review a true holiday classic, Golden Girls Christmas episodes performed live and in drag. If you ask me, that Sophia below looks pretty amazing. Here’s their report:

Haul out the holly and tack up the tinsel, Christmas has come to the Mission. When we agreed to check out the opening weekend of The Golden Girls: The Christmas Episodes we had no idea what a following this show had. We arrived at the Victoria Theater to a line stretching almost to Mission Street of people hoping to snag a seat to the sold out show. Once inside the theater we were welcomed by a beautiful drag queen who offered us peach fizz shots. The merriness was palpable. The lights went down, the Golden Girls Theme song began, and the audience burst into song. We now know why everyone is going gaga for the Golden Girls.

Katie: If you like the Golden Girls you are going to fucking love this because those four drag queens nailed it! What an entertaining and fun show. The secondary actors should have been better, but what can you do.

Brittany: The ladies’ timing was remarkable. At first I was a little bit worried – were they going to honor the Golden Girls? Or were they going to make it too corny? I was pleasantly surprised that they found a perfect balance of the two. There were some missed opportunities, but overall a really fun night.

K: Yeah, it would have been great to actually see the commercials they played in between scenes and not just hear the audio. It would have been awesome if they were projected, or better yet if they had reenacted the commercials. That would have really upped the production value.

B: So true! They really captured the holiday spirit though, right down to the shopping frenzy. The audience was having a great time, it was full of Christmas sparkle.

K: And so much glitter, such great costumes. The gaudy Christmas sweaters and brooches, ahh so good.

B: At the end when the actresses came out to give the birthday people in the audience a lap dance the man sitting next to me turned to me and said “This is the strangest thing I have seen in my life”. I don’t know if I agree with that, but you sure don’t get to see a 90-year-old get a birthday lap dance from a drag queen dressed as Blanche everyday.

The Verdict: This is exactly how San Francisco brings in the holiday cheer. Drinking, drag queens, and reenacted Christmas specials from an ’80s TV show, what’s not to like? If you enjoy the Golden Girls you will definitely love this drag queen tribute.

The Drama Talk: The length was great. They did two episodes, with an intermission, in under two hours. This show is POPULAR, so be sure to get your tickets early, and get to the theater early. We were lucky and had seats Orchestra level. The balcony at The Victoria is steep, and far less comfortable, so get to the theater early to grab some seats and shots before the show.

The Drinks: The only way to cap off a night of drag queens in the Mission is with more drag queens, obviously. We headed over to Esta Noche for some post-show cocktails. We were not the only show-goers who thought this way, and there was quite the crowd who paid the $5 cover to keep the fun going. We got some margaritas and settled in for the 11:30pm drag show. Another successful evening of drama talk and drinks.

The Golden Girls: The Christmas Episodes shows at the Victoria Theater on 16th Street and Capp, and runs Thurs-Sun until December 22nd, so you only have two more weekends to check out this show. Tickets are $30 (involving a two part purchase with $15 going over Eventbrite and $15 at the door- don’t ask us why) and can be reserved online.

Sunny patio, heat lamp, and a Bloody Mary (not pictured) from what just might be the best bar in the city.

Ps. Don’t worry, Knockout! I still love you! I just wish you had a patio, too!

[via Westerday]

Good work, Doc’s Clock!

[via @termie]