Mission Mission

Golden Thread Productions has been on the DT&D radar for a while, but bad timing has stopped us from reviewing one of their shows…until now. They’re wrapping up their 20th season with a West-Coast premiere of Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat by Egyptian-American playwright Yussef El Guindi, so off we went to Thick House theater in Potrero Hill for a night of Drama Talk and Drinks.

James Asher as Gamal (left) and Kunal Prasad as Mohsen (right)

Katie: Wow. What a great story. A good set, good lighting, good acting, and good writing that was deep but also funny. It’s cool to have a theater company focused on stories from the Middle East. I feel like this play offered a well rounded and balanced perspective that often doesn’t get onstage.

Brittany: I agree. It was refreshing to have a show give voice to so many nuanced and authentic perspectives, while still being entertaining. It would be easy for a play that’s dealing with frustration about the way Arab-Americans are represented in American media to get preachy or pedantic. This play stuck to good storytelling and somehow avoided that. I thought that it was a really honest play.

K: I loved the actress who played Noor (Denmo Ibrahim). She was so authentic and in the moment. It was great to watch her find so many discoveries in all her lines. There were moments when she was onstage and I forgot I was watching a play.

B: I loved her too. I also really liked the character of the Sheikh’s son, Hani (Salim Razawi). His monologue emails back from visiting his family in Egypt were really lovely. Overall a pretty strong cast.

K: There just isn’t a reason not to see this show.

B: And it’s cool that it’s Golden Threads 20th anniversary. It’s entertaining, and engaging…

K: It’s unpredictable.

B: It isn’t a perspective you necessarily get to hear a lot either. People should absolutely go see it.

The Verdict: Go see it! It’s a smart, refreshing, and all around engaging night at the theater.

The Drama Talk: This is Golden Thread Productions 20th anniversary year. They are the first American theatre company who is dedicated to focusing on the Middle East and producing “passionate and provocative plays… that celebrate the multiplicity of its perspectives and identities.” Our Enemies does just that. By focusing on three intersecting storylines the show shares the struggle of the Arab American community as it tries to define itself. Families fight and sometimes those who are most like us can be the most frustrating. The heartfelt and multidimensional characters in this play show us how we can sometimes be our own worst enemies.

The Drinks: As is often the case when we go to a show at the Thick House, we decided to head up the hill to Blooms Saloon for great city views and cheap drinks. If you’re looking for a nearby place to get into the spirit of the play though, consider hitting up Pera before the show for some awesome Turkish food. They close too early to be a good post-show option.

Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat runs through November 20th at Thick House. Tickets are $34 for general admission and $24 for students and seniors and can be purchased on their website.Tickets are also available on Goldstar on select nights for $17.

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It’s almost over!

Check your ballot status here (if you’re in SF) or here (if you’re elsewhere in CA).

Just check out this intense performance of the tearjerker “How Did I Get Through the Day?” from his latest album:

Tickets and info here.

No big red bus lane!

See what’s playing at the New Mission right now here.

[via Drafthouse SF on Instagram]

Dammmmmmmmn how good does that look??? Chef Deborah tells us about her special event tonight:

Nusantara is a contemporary Indonesian term for the Indonesian archipelago. Taken from an oath by Gajah Mada in 1336, Nusantara means “outer islands”. Based on the Majapahit concept of state includes; East Java, Madura, Bali, South Sumatra, Singapore, East Timor and Southern Thailand.

The food that I will represent speaks of those countries and how much we influence each other.

Dinner will be held at The Tradesman in the Mission district, a contemporary yet elegant space.

Tickets and more info here.

Every Monday and Friday 8pm to Close, you can catch Chelsea slinging drinks at Pops Bar. This motobike loving bartender is also the host of Moto Mondays: a night for Bikes, Booze and Babes now every Monday at Pops. Come in and kick back the Monday blues with some motorcycle and mayhem shop talk. Get on her good side and buy a round of her favorites: Cazadores & Tecate!

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

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The Lion King was my favorite movie as a kid. I’ll admit, I even performed it in the back yard with my brother and sister. So when the stage musical version hit Broadway in 1997 I desperately wanted to see it, but it wasn’t until this week that I got the chance. Not only was it a musical of my favorite Disney movie but it was being directed by my favorite director Julie Taymor, who was the first woman to win a Tony for Best Direction. Brittany couldn’t make it so I had my star back up guest reviewer, Garrett, attend with me.

 

Katie: Ooohhhh, good one.

G: It was a bit jarring to experience sound and technical difficulties so severe that they had to stop the show, but after I got over that the show was great.

K: I’ve never experienced that level of technical difficulties at a professional musical. A first for me for sure.

G: I thought the show was incredible though, especially the costumes. What I didn’t love were the filler songs. The songs that were not in the movie that they added to fill out the show. It was fun to see the characters from the movie that I loved so much.

K: This show really had me at the opening number, so many actors in elaborate animal costumes killing the “circle of life”. But there was such a high in the first 30 mins, and then with the disruption of the technical difficulties, I never really got that high back. It was still an amazing piece of theater, but I might have gone in with too high of expectations.

The Verdict: While there were some technical difficulties in the production we say, this is still a must-see for anyone who loved the Lion King movie. The nostalgia is so worth it. It’s like watching the movie but better.

The Drama Talk: The costumes, set design and the amazing original songs make this show special. It’s no mystery why it won Tony awards for best costumes and set design. However, not every part of this adaptation of the film is award winning. The added filler songs were mediocre and due to sound issues it was sometimes hard to understand who was speaking and what exactly they were saying. Also, the stage version really loses momentum in the second act. Luckily the first act makes the whole show worth it.

The Drinks: We headed to our go-to post Orpheum spot with good cocktails Dirty Water. There we had plenty of space to have a drink and take a long walk down The Lion King memory lane.

It’s the final American Tripps (the “Berlin-style” ping pong night) event of the year! What to expect:

☠ Super special guest DJs Wam Bam Ashleyanne (who deejayed our first-ever Halloween party at the Secret Alley in 2011) and Tristes Tropiques (who deejayed our third-ever party ever, also at the Secret Alley in 2011)!
☠ Lots of booze and candy!
☠ Costume contest at 11pm!
☠ Berlin-style ping pong action all night!
☠ Blood ‘n’ gore on all the TV screens!
☠ Best shrimp tacos in town, right across the street!
☠ Resident DJs Beauregard & Nutzeffekt!

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

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Five nights in a row!! Whatdowedo??!??

Thursday: Halloween Costume Dance Karaoke (w/ DJ Purple) @ Slate!

Friday: Black Lips, Prince, Harold Ray Live, and Warren Zevon (kinda) @ some place in Oakland!

Saturday: Smithfits (w/ costume contest) @ The Knockout!

Sunday: Nobunny (special Halloween show) @ Hemlock!

Monday: American Tripps (w/ DJs Wam Bam Ashleyanne & Tristes Tropiques) @ Pop’s!

via GIPHY

[via WesBurger on Instagram]