Stage Fog: Your Pre-Halloween Party
Hey, the party's not till Monday, so check out some crazy characters hitting SF stages this weekend. Sure, go ahead and dress up: They've got bandits, Hollywood stars, a boy that looks like a bat (the animal, in case you were actually watching the World Series and got confused), and of course, the Halloween staple Judy Garland herself.
The Ballad of Pancho & Lucy at Intersection for the Arts
Long before gentrification was the Mission District's biggest crime story, a Latino Bonnie and Clyde made headlines, robbing bars and nightclubs until they were caught. Words of advice: Cabs are ineffective getaway cars. San Francisco playwright Octavio Solis departs radically from his brutally poetic work to immortalize the couple in this new musical comedy. Yeah, we can't quite imagine a musical comedy on Intersection for the Arts' stage either, but damn are we looking forward to it. With some of resident company Campo Santo's best actors, live music composed by Beth Custer and movement by the astounding Erika Chong Shuch, this musical is our best bet for the week. What's more, Intersection hosts a Ballad of Pancho & Lucy Bar Crawl on November 9, which sold out so fast they added new dates: November 6, 13 and 20. Drink in some of the Mission's best ungentrified bars and enjoy the show. Reserve soon because shows at Intersection always sell out.
Playing October 26 through November 21
Matt & Ben at Off-Market Theatre
From a gun-slinging hetero couple to Hollywood's most closeted gay friends. Or are they? Gay, we mean. We're talking about Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in this surprise hit of the 2002 New York International Fringe Festival, which finally makes its way to San Francisco courtesy of Unidentified Theatre Company. No, it doesn't actually star Matt and Ben--a couple of chicks play the boys instead. Seriously. Find out what happened before Good Will Hunting, before J-Lo and Gwyneth and before they took their moms to the Oscars.
Playing October 27 through December 3
Bat Boy: The Musical at the Victoria Theatre
Just in time for Halloween, Ray of Light Theatre brings us an unlikely hit musical ripped from the tabloids. A half-human, half-bat discovered in the caves of West Virginia struggles to find a place in society. For those of us who missed TheatreWorks' production on the Peninsula in 2003 (which was supposed to move to San Francisco but didn't, dammit) here's our chance to catch this unlikely love story.
Playing October 27 through November 6
Gaytino! at Brava Theater Center
What to do when your father is a legendary classic composer and as his son all you want to do is lip-sync Ethel Mermen and Judy Garland? Create a solo show, of course. Reminiscent of Marga Gomez's solo show about her theatrical family, Gaytino! features Danny Guerrero, an actor-turned-agent-turned-actor again, who takes us on a 50-year journey from Cesar Chavez to Stephen Sondheim that crisscrosses the continent and cultural boundaries.
Playing October 28 through 30
Photo: The Ballad of Pancho & Lucy at Intersection for the Arts.