Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Love Never Dies,” two Italian operas, and Oakland Symphony make my list of 10 cool things going on in SF Bay Area arts scene.
1 “Love Never Dies”: Andrew Lloyd Webber at first declined to call this musical a sequel to “Phantom of the Opera” even though the Phantom is in it, as is his beloved soprano Christine Daaé. Webber’s point is that he feels you don’t need to have seen “The Phantom” to enjoy “Love Never Dies,” but that seems moot anyway — everybody has seen “The Phantom,” haven’t they? In any event, the sequel/not-sequel sets the action in Coney Island, N.Y. and has been robustly retooled after it didn’t exactly wow critics in its 2010 London opening. The touring production lands in San Jose next week.
Details: Presented by Broadway San Jose; March 13-18; San Jose Center for the Performing Arts; $48-$153 (subject to change); broadwaysanjose.com.
2 Italian opera!: Works by two Italian composers are being presented this weekend and beyond. Island City Opera Company in Alameda is serving up Vincenzo Bellini’s bel campo work “La Sonnambula” (the sleepwalker), while Livermore Valley Opera offers Verdi’s explosive “Un Ballo in Maschera” (The Masked Ball), inspired by the real-life assassination of Sweden’s King Gustav III.
Details: “La Sonnambula,” March 7-18 at Elks Ballroom, Alameda; $10-$60; www.islandcityopera.org; “Un Ballo in Maschera,” March 10-18 at Bankhead Theater, Livermore; $32-$90; lvpac.org, livermorevalleyopera.com.
3 Oakland Symphony, Mixtape Vol. 2: The Michael Morgan-led orchestra’s premiere Mixtape concert — featuring works selected by Oakland comedian/author W. Kamau Bell — was a hit, and here comes the follow-up. The program has been picked by Oakland poet Prentice Powell, and symphony musicians will be joined by Tony! Toni! Tone! singer Dwayne Wiggins, singer-songwriter Lalin St. Juste and others.
Details: 8 p.m. March 9; The UpTown, Oakland; $15-$20; www.oaklandsymphony.org
4 Soulskin Dance Company: The Bay Area troupe that specializes in ideas-driven works marks its fifth season with “To Command,” which reflects on our obsession with dystopian societies and addiction to technology.
Details: 8 p.m. March 9-10, 5:30 p.m. March 11; Dance Mission Theatre, San Francisco; $20; www.soulskindance.org.
5 Dancing With the Stars Live: Mirrorball champ Jordan Fisher and third-place finisher Frankie Muniz join the cast of professional dancers in this touring offshoot of the hit TV show, which lands at San Jose’s City National Civic March 9.
Details: 7:30 p.m.; $49.95-$79.95; sanjosetheaters.org.
6 Omar Sosa: The Cuban pianist and composer is touring with Senegalese kora player and percussionist Seckou Keita join to support their gorgeous and transcendent album “Transparent Water.” The tour lands at two Bay Area clubs beginning this week.
Details: Four shows March 9-10 at Yoshi’s, Oakland; $29-$75; www.yoshis.com; 7 p.m. March 12 at Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz; $30-$35; www.kuumbwajazz.org.
7 T Sisters: I’m a fan of this Oakland Americana group featuring sisters Erika, Rachel and Chloe and their sharp musicianship and heavenly harmonies. They come to the Great American Music Hall March 9 on a bill with the terrific Bay Area singer-songwriter Megan Slankard.
Details: 8:30 p.m.; $19-$24; www.slimspresents.com.
8 The Bridge Players: This piano quartet made up of musicians with Symphony Silicon Valley and Oakland Symphony, among other organizations, comes to Trianon Theatre in San Jose on March 11 to perform works by Brahms, Faure and Jay Sydeman.
Details: Presented by San Jose Chamber Music Society; 7 p.m.; $15-$49; www.sjchambermusic.org.
9 College Notes: The a cappella show featuring talented groups from UC Berkeley, Stanford, Berklee College of Music (its team is named Pitch Slapped, which alone should qualify the singers eternal fame and fortune) and more returns to the Lesher Arts Center in Walnut Creek this weekend.
Details: 8 p.m. March 9-10; $40; www.lesherartscenter.org.
10 Little Faith: This soul/R&B/gospel outfit is made of Los Angeles sessions musicians and singers who’ve worked with everyone from Natalie Cole and Etta James to Miley Cyrus. They’ll be raising the rafters this weekend at Armando’s club in Martinez.
Details: 8 p.m. March 10; $15; armandosmartinez.com.
Contact Randy McMullen at rmcmullen@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow him on Twitter.com/randymac57.
