Hot Picks 09.28.23

Thursday, Sept. 28-Sunday, Oct. 15

Roman Britain

Here’s a perfect recipe for an excellent night out at the theater: a love story, royalty/commoner relations, trickery, an invading army, an evil stepmother, the Roman Empire – all in The Bard’s hands. William Shakespeare wrote Cymbeline at the height of his success. Now, the story of big questions – love and war, life and death – comes to the outdoor stage courtesy of Pacific Repertory Theatre. It’s adapted and directed by PacRep’s Director-in-Residence Kenneth Kelleher, and features outstanding players including River Navaille as Imogen and Cassidy Brown as Iachimo. Join them in a grand adventure. [SR]

7:30pm Thursdays-Sundays, Sept. 28-Oct. 15. Outdoor Forest Theatre, Mountain View Avenue at Santa Rita Street, Carmel. $37/general admission; $22/general admission for two nights of previews, Sept. 28-29; $10-$27/seniors, students, teachers, military, children. 622-0100, pacrep.org.

Friday, Sept. 29

Get Creative

CreativeMornings Monterey Peninsula returns. This morning forum, dedicated to connecting creative people living in the area, is bringing in Eli Woolery, a product designer from Stanford University, and the co-host of Design Better Podcast. Woolery is an expert on “product, user interface and user experience design.” Don’t forget to come early for coffee and pastries, or consider staying after the presentation to network. CreativeMornings is an international initiative with hundreds local chapters around the world. “It’s a space where ideas can percolate and where we can question norms,” CreativeMornings MRY host Danny Bernstein wrote on the project’s website. “Our belief is rooted in the fact that everyone is inherently creative and that living a creative life requires courage, honesty, and community.” [AP]

8:30am Friday, Sept. 29. Wave Street Studios, 774 Wave St., Monterey. Free. 655-2010, creativemornings.com.

Friday, Sept. 29-Saturday, Oct. 28

Miles To Go

4000 Miles is the title of a play by contemporary American playwright Amy Herzog. The play, which ran off-Broadway in 2011, was a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Now, it’s coming to The Western Stage at Hartnell College. After suffering a major loss while on a cross-country bike trip, 21-year-old Leo seeks solace from his feisty 91-year-old grandmother Vera in her West Village apartment. Over the course of a single month, these unlikely roommates infuriate, bewilder, and ultimately reach each other. 4000 Miles looks at how two outsiders find their way in today’s world. The local cast includes Patricia Horsley, Elizabeth Lippa, Hannah Rebancos and Johnny Rome. The play is directed by Joyce Sherry. [AP]

7:30pm Sept. 29-30, Oct. 7, 13, 21, 27,-28; 2pm matinees Oct. 8, 14, 22, 28. The Studio Theater at Hartnell College Performing Arts Center (Building K), 411 Central Ave., Salinas. $28; $24 Seniors/Military/Teachers; $16 Students (Hartnell students free); $12 kids age 5-15; FLEX PASS: $145 for 6 tickets. 755-6816, westernstage.com.

Saturday, Sept. 30

Kids on Bikes

They say “it’s just like riding a bike” as if riding a bike is easy. Add in uneven surfaces like trails of dirt, sand and rock, and traveling on two pedal-powered wheels is even harder. But the folks in the Monterey Off Road Cycling Association (MORCA) want you to see that mountain biking doesn’t have to be intimidating; in fact, it can be a fun way to cruise through Fort Ord National Monument, covering a lot more ground than you otherwise could by walking or running. This event takes the intimidation factor out of off road cycling. Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day is open to all young beginner mountain bikers and their accompanying adults. Bring bike helmets and water bottles (to reduce trash) and, of course, a good attitude to try something new. A limited number of loaner bikes are available. Have fun out there. [SR]

10am-1pm Saturday, Sept. 30. Fort Ord National Monument, 15301 Watkins Gate Road, East Garrison. Free. morcamtb.org.

Oh Happy Day

Sixteen years ago, the Monterey Peninsula Gospel Community Choir directed by John L. Nash Jr. was born, bringing the joy of gospel music to the region and beyond. It’s an artform that once lived within Black churches but has extended beyond church walls into mainstream culture, with the likes of Marvin Gaye, Simon & Garfunkel, the Doobie Brothers and many other performers covering gospel works. Nash told the Weekly in 2019 that MPGCC is not religious: “It’s a community choir, so there is no church affiliation. But we definitely do sing gospel.” One of the enduring traditions of the choir is celebrating Gospel Music Heritage Month with a special concert each September. This year they are bringing special guests Terrence Kelly and the Oakland Interfaith Community Choir, James Mitchell and Lawrence K. Matthews, along with the MPGCC Touring Singers, who are recently back from a tour in London. Regardless of one’s spiritual leanings, expect to leave feeling uplifted and inspired. [PM]

4-6pm, Saturday, Sept. 30. Greater Victory Temple, 1620 Broadway Ave., Seaside. Free; donations accepted. mpgospelcc@aol.com, mpgcc.org.

Wolves, Man

The Rolling Stones. Kool and the Gang. Aerosmith. Bob Dylan. Joan Baez. Los Lobos. These are acts that are unique to the world of popular music because they span generations, relating to fans in their 20s as well as to those in their 90s and… Los Lobos? That’s right, the East L.A. band has been the steady undercurrent of American music since 1973 – that’s 50 years of recording albums like How will the Wolf Survive? and Kiko while reaping Grammy awards. Los Lobos drives genre pedantics mad, assuming everything from rock, blues and zydeco to cumbria and boleros into their infectious performances. It was Los Lobos that single-handedly… wait – how many guys are in the band?… that five – or six-handedly resurrected the great Ritchie Valens for a new set of fans. For all of the above, the band was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame, which to us beats the crap out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, because Laura Nyro. That’s enough said. We’ll let Los Lobos take it from here. [DF]

7:30pm Saturday, Sept. 30. Sunset Center, San Carlos Street and 9th Avenue, Carmel. $49-$89. 640-2048, sunsetcenter.org.

Sunday, Oct. 1

Band of Brothers

Swiss-raised brothers Alejandro and Estevan Gutiérrez have won plenty of fans with their Latin-influenced, guitar-driven instrumental grooves. Those fans include Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach, who invited the pair to Nashville to record and produce their most recent album as Hermanos Gutiérrez, 2022’s El Bueno y el Malo (which was released on Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound label). NorCal concert curator FolkYeah is now bringing the Hermanos to Big Sur, where their two shows at Henry Miller Library this weekend are already sold out. But hey, you can always try Craigslist or call in a favor – it’ll be worth it. [RM]

3pm and 7pm Sunday, Oct. 1. Henry Miller Memorial Library, 48603 Highway 1, Big Sur. $85-$125. 667-2574, henrymiller.org.

HOT PICKS by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier, Dave Faries, Kyarra Harris, Celia Jiménez, Pam Marino, Rey Mashayekhi, Agata Popęda, Sara Rubin and David Schmalz.