Friday, Nov. 24
Zucchini Magic
Zucchini’s Tricks and Things, which claims the title of the oldest magic shop in California, has a new owner in Will Roberts, who invites the audience to come in for new shows. Séance Cannery Row is a mesmerizing journey into the supernatural, where the past intertwines with the present, and the spirits of Cannery Row find solace in the presence of the living. Meet at Zucchini’s before 8pm, where a brief ghost tour of Cannery Row will take place leading into the sèance. Roberts is an award-winning actor, film and television weapons expert, cowboy, author, reporter, dancer, and holder of two Guinness World Records. [AP]
8pm Friday, Nov. 24 (and then Saturdays and Sundays until Dec. 23). 711 Cannery Row, Suite H, Monterey. $35. 760-8291, zucchinismagicshop.com.
Friday, Nov. 24 – Sunday, Nov. 26
Art of the Crafts
With the arrival of Thanksgiving comes the advent of the holiday shopping season – there’s Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday and Craft Fair… Weekend? There are many local examples of this, and in this case it is the Big Sur Grange’s annual Harvest Craft Fair, which takes place Friday-Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. During the weekend the grange hall and surrounding area will be filled with artists selling handmade crafts, jewelry, fine art, food and more. It’s a great place to connect with creative people, see neighbors and maybe even get started on that holiday shopping list. [TCL]
2-5pm Friday, Nov. 24 (pre-show), 10am-5pm Saturday, Nov. 25 and 10am-4pm Sunday, Nov. 26. Big Sur Grange Hall, Highway 1, Big Sur. bigsurgrangeharvestfair@gmail.com.
Saturday, Nov. 25
Here Comes the Sunn
Simply pronounced “sun,” drone metal band Sunn O))) have been at it for more than 20 years, becoming leaders of a genre characterized by heavy, brooding, atmospheric soundscapes that prioritize mood over melody. They’re also exceptionally loud – it’s still metal, after all – with distorted, sludging guitars that threaten to drown one’s capacity to hear oneself think (or hear anything else, for that matter). In other words, they’re a one-of-a-kind live experience if you’re into ambient, esoteric rock music that challenges conventions, and their stage presentation – the band stands draped in hooded robes as a dense fog envelopes them and the audience – only adds to the mysterious, disorienting nature of the spectacle. The Seattle veterans come to Monterey’s Golden State Theatre this week to put on a show quite unlike any other. [RM]
8pm (doors open at 7pm) Saturday, Nov. 25. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $35-$65; VIP packages available. 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com.
Saturday, Nov. 25-Sunday, Nov. 26
A Tradition to Dance For
The San Francisco Ballet was the first in the United States to perform the entire Nutcracker Ballet in 1944 and the first company to make the ballet, which is about a girl named Clara who travels on Christmas Eve with her Nutcracker prince to the Land of Sweets, an annual holiday tradition. The practice spread across the country to other ballet companies over time, and now it’s hard to imagine a holiday season without a performance of the beloved ballet. Some contend the reason for the enduring tradition in the U.S. is because famed choreographer George Balanchine included dozens of children from his School of American Ballet in his rendition for the New York Ballet, created in 1954. (Balanchine was also involved in the S.F. Ballet’s 1944 performance.) Other companies followed suit and today, thousands of children across the country take part every year in Nutcracker performances. Jeanne Robinson Dance Arts based in Salinas continues the tradition, featuring the school’s own students, offering a family-friendly performance Thanksgiving weekend. It’s the perfect way to kick off the holiday season. [PM]
2pm and 7pm Saturday, Nov. 25 and 2pm Sunday, Nov. 26. Sherwood Hall, 940 N. Main St., Salinas. $30; $15/children ages 11 and under. 422-2719, jeannerobinsondancearts.com.
Seeing Red
Do you know the most famous reindeer of all? Of course you do, thanks to the 1960s television classic. Well, did you know that the story is no longer confined to 65 inches of digital screen? If you attended last year’s presentation of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Musical presented by PacRep Theatre, you do. If not, you’re in luck. PacRep and the Garner-Whitt School of Dramatic Arts have teamed up to bring it back to the Outdoor Forest Theater stage. It’s the familiar tale of a reindeer – shunned, and banned from all the reindeer games – Clarice, Yukon Cornelius, Santa, the abominable Bumble and the storm that almost canceled Christmas, with all the holiday songs (sing along!). Bundle up, but be prepared to have your heart warmed and your faith restored that – eventually, given a terrifying monster and a devastating storm – outcasts and misfits will be welcomed by others. [DF]
3pm Saturdays and Sundays, Nov. 25-Dec. 17. Outdoor Forest Theater, Mountain View Avenue and Santa Rita Street, Carmel. $27; $17/students; $10/children. 622-0100, pacrep.org.
Tuesday, Nov. 28
Deep Dive
At up to nearly 100 feet in length and weighing in at about 200,000 pounds, blue whales are the biggest animals on Earth. They dive as deep as 1,000 feet or more, and can hold their breath for 30-plus minutes. Every year, they pass along our local coast during their seasonal migration between waters off Mexico and Alaska, and perhaps, if you’re one to look out at the sea with binoculars, you may have seen their whale spouts, which can rise to 40 feet in the air. They are a majestic species in every respect, but they have come under threat from humans over the last century, whether through hunting, ship collisions, noise pollution or fishing gear entanglements. Folks from the nonprofit Save the Whales give a talk at Monterey Public Library, oriented toward youth ages 9 and up, about all the things that make these creatures so magnificent, and why they’re so essential to our ecosystem. [DS]
5-6pm Tuesday, Nov. 28. Monterey Public Library, 625 Pacific Street, Monterey. Free, but registration is required as seating is limited. Register at montereypl.libcal.com/event/11516203
Wednesday, Nov. 29
Welcome to the Breuniverse
If you’ve put eyes on a screen in the past three decades, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Jim Breuer. The stand-up comedian/actor/radio host got his start in television on Uptown Comedy Club, then from 1995-98 Saturday Night Live, where roles included Goat Boy (host of the fictional MTV show Hey, Remember the ’80s?). He went on to host a real show on the real MTV, The Jim Breuer Show, in 1998. He’s guest starred on sitcoms like Home Improvement and appeared in Pizza Hut television commercials and in 2002, premiered his Comedy Central special Hardcore. All of this resume is past history leading up to Breuer’s present, which includes hosting the Breuniverse podcast – and still touring with his stand-up act, which he brings to Golden State Theatre this week. [SR]
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