Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
For something different, sometimes maddeningly so, there's
CounterPULSE
(1310 Mission St., at 9th;
%
415/435-7552; www.counterpulse.org),
a space ded-
icated to helping local performers, dancers, and artists create and mount new, dar-
ing stuff. It's a fairly high-minded enterprise, with language thrown around that
includes “multidisciplinary,” “community-based art,” and other terms that tell
you the curators are smart people. You may not understand what you saw, but
you'll likely think it was something unrepeatable. Weekends are the busiest time
for shows, which are free to about $20, and on Wednesdays from September
through March, there's a free series of lectures that largely concern local issues and
history, from the Spanish era to the city's current Arab population.
Crowd-pleasing plays that you ought to know (like
Cabaret
and
Six Degrees of
Separation
), plus some premieres by worthy young playwrights (such as 2008
Pulitzer winner Tracy Letts), distinguish
SF Playhouse
(533 Sutter St., at Powell;
%
415/677-9596; www.sfplayhouse.org),
a 100-seat house that uses Equity per-
formers for a high standard. Tickets are usually $38, but if you catch productions
in their first few days, you can score the “preview” price of just $20.
The company's self-definition of “queer live theater” might put off some neo-
phytes, but in practice, what that really means for
Theatre Rhinoceros
(2926 16th
St.;
%
415/861-5079; www.therhino.org)
is that productions are about people on
the outside of American society, and that there may be swearing or adult themes.
One recent show, for example, was a docu-play about the last “wild Indian” alive
in America. The intimate space also presents solo shows and some premieres of
daring productions. Wednesday performances are cheapest ($15), and weekends
are $25. Students and seniors can secure $5 discounts.
COMEDY
San Francisco has long been a prime starting ground for live performance. Name
a major comic who became famous in the 1960s and 1970s, and you'll find his
gig history full of local cabarets and underground coffee bars. Steve Martin, Robin
Williams, and Ellen DeGeneres all got their starts by tearing down the house in
San Francisco, but that was a different time, when there was a still a comedy cir-
cuit that both performers and audiences could progressively visit over an evening.
Today, many of the great spaces are no longer in operation, but the city still hosts
more regular comedy nights and bricks-and-mortar clubs than any other place of
its population level. And the hippest names in comedy still make a point of pass-
ing through San Francisco on their tours.
Some of the hottest names—Sarah Silverman, Craig Ferguson, Tracy
Morgan—are drawn to
Cobb's Comedy Club
5
(915 Columbus Ave., at Lombard;
%
415/928-4320; www.cobbscomedy.com),
where there's probably not a bad seat
in the house. Cover is around $20 for most comics, although the bigger names
from TV command around $35, and there's a two-drink minimum. Owners
really pack them in for the most popular acts, so arrive up to an hour ahead.
Drinks, unfortunately, are far weaker than the lineup.
Comedy aficionados can catch recent, respected acts—Dom Irrera, Emo Philips,
Louis C.K.—and other traveling workhorses at
Punch Line San Francisco
55
(444 Battery St., at Washington;
%
415/397-7573; www.punchlinecomedyclub.
com).
It's even been known to unexpectedly host a legend, such as the time Dave
Chappelle showed up and did a multi-hour set on the fly. Admission is usually
