Freebie of the week: San Francisco’s majestic Legion of Honor—it’s very pleasant even just walking around outside the museum—is free to all Bay Area residents on Saturday. But this coming Saturday, visitors can catch two classic movies in which it plays a supporting role. First up, at 11 a.m., is the more intriguing “Vertigo,” Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 classic psychological thriller. It stars James Stewart as a former police detective suffering from the titular severe fear of heights who’s pulled into a mystery about a missing woman. Hitchcock made cinema history by employing a special effect known as a “dolly zoom” to personify the effects of vertigo from Stewart’s perspective. The film shows the exterior of the Legion as well as an interior gallery in which a painting created for the film, “Portrait of Carlotta,” is observed in a key plot point. Then, at 2 p.m., it’s “The Wedding Planner,” a rom com starring Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey (for those who didn’t get enough of him in all those Super Bowl ads). The film has received moderately favorable reviews over the years although McConnaughey (who has appeared in approximately 14,000 romantic comedies) and J.Lo make an appealing on-screen couple, especially as they are seen strolling through the Legion’s courtyard. The mini-film festival is part of the Legion’s centennial celebration. Between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. patrons also can check out the museum’s plentiful offerings, including one that captures elements of its storied history. More information is at www.famsf.org.
“Songs From the Heart: A Valentine’s Day Special” is a unique singer-songwriter experience led by Sam Pond and taking place at The Faight Collective on Haight Street in San Francisco on Feb. 14, 2025. (Courtesy Sam Pond)
Up close and personal: The Bay Area offers no shortage of concerts of all sorts and genres timed to the Valentine’s Day weekend, but here’s one with a unique and intriguing premise. It’s titled “The Circle: Songs from the Heart,” and they aren’t kidding about the “circle” part. It involves four singer-songwriters who will assemble in a small circle with the audience seated around them, taking part in the songs and swapping stories. The set list will be decided kind of on the spot and will cover a wide array of genres—with the caveat being that they are all Valentine’s Day-themed. However, all emotional ranges, from joyous to jilted, are welcome. The concert is conceived by Bay Area singer-songwriter Sam Pond, who performs, along with Lizzie Waters, Rick Hardin and a guest artist to be revealed at showtime. “Songs From the Heart: A Valentine’s Day Special” is at 8 p.m. Friday at The Faight, a performance/art venue and collective in San Francisco’s lower Haight. Tickets are $23.18. Tickets and information are at ladybug-turtle-hhs9.squarespace.com.
The beat goes on: The ladies in this popular dance troupe are not just sophisticated, they’re syncopated as well. We’re talking about Syncopated Ladies, the Los Angeles tap-dance outfit known around the globe, particularly after their appearance on Season 11 of Fox-TV’s “So You Think You Can Dance.” Celebrity endorsements from the likes of Beyonce and Janet Jackson haven’t hurt either. The group was created by tapping superstar Chloe Arnold, who began performing when she was 6, turned pro when she was 10 (after joining Savion Glover’s dance crew) and had her own documentary on cable TV when she was 12. Besides her training with Glover, Arnold has also been a protege of famed performer Debbie Allen (known for her appearance on the film and TV versions of “Fame”). Now she’s leading her own troupe of talented tappers, who bring their tour to the Bankhead Theater in Livermore for a Valentine’s Day performance on Friday. Showtime is 8 p.m.; tickets are $70-$100; go to livermorearts.org.
A showcase for future stars: San Francisco Opera kicks off its long-running Schwabacher Recital Series at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Taube Atrium Theater with a program curated by renowned American tenor Nicholas Phan and featuring five enrollees in the prestigious Merola and Adler Fellow apprenticeship programs run by the Opera. Soprano Georgiana Adams, who has sung the roles of “La Bohéme’s” Musetta and Anna in Kevin Puts’ “Silent Night” during her training, is a participant, as is soprano Caroline Corrales, who has also sung as Musetta and as Moira in “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Joining them onstage, with accompaniment by Merola pianist and vocal coach Julian Grabarek, are Welsh tenor Thomas Kinch, who has performed as Don José in “Carmen” and Melot in “Tristan und Isolde” with the Opera, and baritone Samuel Kidd, who filled roles in “Carmen,” “Tristan” and “Un Ballo in Maschera.” The program Phan has put together includes works by Amy Beach, Vítězslava Kaprálová, Rebecca Clarke, Richard Strauss, George Butterworth, Alma Mahler, Claude Debussy and Kurt Weill. Tickets to hear these emerging stars of the opera world are a bargain at $30 for general admission. Find them at sfopera.com.
Swell fellow on the cello: World-renowned British cellist Steven Isserlis and his frequent collaborator, pianist Connie Shih, return for another recital for San Francisco Performances at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Herbst Theatre. Isserlis, who performs on a vintage 1726 Stradivarius on loan from the Royal Academy of Music, was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1998 in recognition for his contributions as a musician, author, occasional conductor and broadcaster. Shih, a household name in Canada for her many appearances on radio and TV, made her debut at age 9 playing a Mendelssohn concerto with the Seattle Symphony and is currently on the faculty at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg in Germany. On their program will be cello sonatas by Beethoven, Martinu and Grieg and Nadia Boulanger’s 3 Pieces for Cello and Piano. For a preview of the sensitivity of their collaborations, see check out this performance of Isserlis and Shih playing the Berceuse by Fauré. For tickets ($65-$85) and details, visit sfperformances.org.
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