Bevy of pianists coming to Crowden Music Center this weekend
The free-but-ticketed “celebration of extraordinary piano performances” runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Arts
Top Stories
Reviewed: ‘About Endlessness’ and ‘The Fever’
‘About Endlessness’ is narrated by a nameless, omniscient goddess detailing some of the things she’s observed; in ‘The Fever,’ an unseen jungle creature stalks victims.
‘Forever young!’ describes California poet laureate, teacher, blues man Al Young
Writer Andrew Tonkovich describes how he and his family hung out with the former California poet laureate at Saul’s Deli and soaked in his tales and insights.
Books
A year after his unexpected death, a new book from Richard Sala, the ‘cartooning master of the macabre’
Four richly illustrated novellas in a new collection showcase Sala’s unmistakable style that mixed humor, horror and mystery.
Book review: Walter Isaacson’s ‘The Code Breaker’ looks at how CRISPR may change the world
UC Berkeley Professor Jennifer Doudna won the Nobel Prize for her part in unlocking the secrets of CRISPR.
Music
To survive the pandemic, this band performed at the Oakland zoo and at a nudist resort
Dirty Cello performs Saturday as part of the Back Room’s mostly outdoor spring concert series.
Plunging in with Zoe FitzGerald Carter’s ‘Waterlines’
On Friday, the Berkeley musician celebrates the release of her second album, a beguiling set of songs exploring stylistic territory beyond her Americana comfort zone.
Berkeley rapper Clyde Shankle: Support systems are more important than ever during pandemic
The South Berkeley rapper talks about the local music scene, his influences and what he’s working on next.
Movies
Reviewed: ‘The Virtuoso’ and ‘Four Good Days’
‘The Virtuoso’ is well-mounted and suspenseful despite Anthony Hopkins’ botched American accent; Glenn Close, Mila Kunis shine in ‘Four Good Days’
Reviewed: ‘I’m Fine (Thanks For Asking)’
The often harsh realities of pandemic life balanced with a bracing shot of old-fashioned California ‘can-do’ optimism result in a prize-worthy movie. Screen it before Sunday.
‘Never in our wildest dreams’: The documentary ‘Crip Camp’ nominated for an Oscar
‘Crip Camp’ shows how a summer camp in upstate New York galvanized a generation of activists and influenced Berkeley’s disability rights movement.
Reviewed: Highlights from the San Francisco International Film Festival
A well-deserved and clear-eyed tribute to a one-of-a-kind punk rock pioneer, a journey back to the ‘video nasty’ era and an impressive debut feature with a nod to Aki Kaurismäki.
Recent stories
Free from Berkeley Rep: ‘The Waves in Quarantine,’ six short, evocative films
The six-part series is patterned after the 1990 musical adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s 1931 experimental novel, ‘The Waves.’
BAMPFA reopens to the public
The Cal community and frontline workers can attend free preview days this Friday and Saturday.
The Ivy Room resumes live music with outdoor concert series
The Tiny Towns concert series opens May 21 with a sold-out show by John Doe and special guest Jason White.
Sponsored
Living a life without regrets: Dr. Irvin Yalom on love, death and meaning
Legendary psychotherapist Dr. Irvin Yalom talks with Joyce Carol Oates at the upcoming Bay Area Book Festival about issues explored in his new memoir, “A Matter of Life and Death.”
Sponsored
Dave ‘Davey D’ Cook, the ‘hardest working man in hip-hop,’ passes the baton to a new generation
Davey D will appear live May 2 in a free Bay Area Book Festival conversation with Jeff Chang about their co-authored YA version of Chang’s hip-hop classic, ‘Can’t Stop Won’t Stop.’
The Sit List: 5 events to celebrate the Earth and more in Berkeley
This week: Celebrate the 51st anniversary of Earth Day with a week of fun activities about green living and more.
Remembering Al Young, a California poet laureate, musician, teacher
Young died at 81, two years after suffering a stroke.
Oakland Theater Project’s one-person ‘The Waste Land’ is brilliant
Lisa Ramirez shines in this production that takes place in a parking lot in downtown Oakland. Yes, a parking lot! Or you can stream it.
The Sit List: 5 artistic and activist events for the spring
This week, learn about police reform; buy plants from a garden club; read a novel about the 1906 quake; get to know flowers and their pollinator friends; or watch ‘The Waste Land.’
Four creative and exciting local theater productions to check out in April
Aurora Theatre Company, Those Women Productions, Oakland Theatre Project and TheatreFirst are working hard to stimulate and educate us, despite the challenges of the pandemic.
Aurora Theatre’s audio play is a powerful adaptation of Toni Morrison’s ‘The Bluest Eye’
Set in 1940 in Morrison’s hometown of Lorain, Ohio, the story revolves around Pecola Breedlove, a lonely 11-year-old-Black girl who is shamed by what she is told is her ugliness.
