Freebie of the week: The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s ongoing Free First Thursdays program (the first Thursday of each month) creates a great opportunity to check out one of largest exhibits the museum has ever hosted, “Ruth Asawa: Retrospective,” which is on view through Sept. 2. The collection devoted to the famed San Francisco artist (1926-2013), best known for her looped-wire sculptures and abstract creations, features more than 300 works displayed in a dozen gallery rooms. She also had a talent for painting and creating prints of flowers, fruit, vegetables and other objects of nature. In an essay included in the exhibit, Asawa’s granddaughter Lilli Lanier recalls her grandmother inviting her for artwork and dinner: “Come over tomorrow. We’re going to draw eggplants. And then we’re going to eat them.” Asawa’s philosophy seemed to be that everyday items and people were the rightful heroes of the art world: “An artist is an ordinary person who can take ordinary things and make them special,” she once said. However, one of her most famous works is the mermaid fountain she created at Ghirardelli Square. The exhibition, which also re-creates a room from Asawa’s longtime Noe Valley House, can be seen for free on May 1. Hours on Thursdays are noon to 8 p.m.; the museum is at 151 Third St. More information is at www.sfmoma.org.
More than Riverdance: The folks behind the fun interactive Great Dickens Christmas Fair and the original Renaissance Pleasure Faire are serving up the Marin Irish Festival this weekend in San Rafael. The celebration of Irish heritage offers storytelling, music and dance performances on six stages, as well as children’s activities, vendors selling handmade and rare goods, and food and beverage trucks serving corned beef and cabbage, fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, authentic Guinness, ales and local hard ciders. New this year is a feis (pronounced “fesh”), a sanctioned Irish dance competition (in partnership with the Jackie Flynn Irish Dance Academy) featuring performers of all ages vying for the “Champion of Champions” title. Other performers include the Black Brothers and The Black Irish Band; there also will be a seisiúin (Irish music session) inside the Bearded Goose Pub, where musicians of all skill levels are invited to play in a communal setting. If that’s not enough, there’s also a sheep-herding demonstrations presented by the Redwood Empire Sheep Dog Association. The activities happen from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in Lagoon Park on the Marin County Fairgrounds. Tickets are $30 for adults, $15 for children ages 5 to 11 at marinirishfestival.com.
Can’t take your eyes off: The Palo Alto Players have a hit on their hands with the modern musical classic “Jersey Boys.” And due to popular demand, the troupe is adding a performance to the show’s run, which must end on May 4. The Tony Award winner, with a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice; music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe, of course, tells the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. It cleverly goes behind the scenes, exposing the secrets of the singers’ 40-year friendship and how they worked their way from the streets of New Jersey to pop music stardom. All the hit tunes, from “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Dawn” and “My Eyes Adored You” to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” are there, too! The cast features James M. Jones as Valli, Andrew Cope as Gaudio, Tyler Savin as Tommy DeVito, Justin Kerekes as Nick Massi, and Danny Martin as Crewe. Director Doug Santana calls it “Shakespeare meets the Sopranos…at a live rock concert.” Performances are at Lucie Stern Theater, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto; tickets are $35-$63 at paplayers.org.
A closing act: San Francisco Performances, joined by the Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts, brings SFP’s very first guitarist-in-residence (from many years ago!) back to the Herbst Theatre stage on Saturday to close its current season. Manuel Barrueco, whose inimitable style the New York Times said, “would undoubtedly have made Segovia smile,” emigrated to the United States from his native Cuba in 1967 as a political refugee; he has gone on to win countless accolades and performance gigs with major orchestras all over the world. His recital program will incorporate Bach’s Suite in D Major, with his own transcription; Ponce’s Sonata Clásica “Hommage à Fernando Sor”; two “Tango Etudes” by Piazzolla, the No. 2 in C Major and the No. 3 in A minor; Villa-Lobos’ Chôros No. 1 and Prelude No.1; and Turina’s Sonata for Guitar. The performance is at 7:30 p.m. Find tickets, $55-$75, at sfperformances.org. Watch him at a guitar festival in 2018 here:
A season opener: Johann Sebastian Bach’s mighty Mass in B minor requires a massive assemblage of powerful forces to pull off successfully, and the San Francisco Choral Society, opening its 36th season, is up to the task. Under the baton of artistic director Robert Geary, who has been at the helm for 30 years, the ensemble collaborates with the Orchestra of Cantata Collective and vocal soloists Michele Kennedy soprano; Heidi Waterman, mezzo-soprano; Shauna Fallihie, mezzo-soprano; Michael Jankosky, tenor; and Wilford Kelly bass-baritone, to perform Bach’s late-in-life masterpiece, considered one of his finest works, at 7 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday at Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco. Tickets, $40-$60, are available through sfchoral.org or through cityboxoffice.com, and there is an option for a livestream performance for the Sunday concert for $40 through the same contacts.
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