This week on Open Air, KALW’s radio magazine for the Bay Area performing arts, host David Latulippe talks with actors Katie Brayben and Vincent Randazzo about the world-premiere of the musical A Walk on the Moon, at A.C.T’s Theater's Geary Theater through July 1.
A Walk on the Moon is set in the summer of 1969, when crowds are protesting the Vietnam War, and Apollo 11 is on its way to put a man on the moon. Meanwhile, at a resort near Woodstock, NY, Jewish housewife Pearl Kantrowitz (Brayben) is trying to balance her rebellious teenage daughter, her overworked television repairman husband, and her daily mah-jongg game.
Conductor Ming Luke stops by to discuss the upcoming concerts by the Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra (BCCO), this weekend at Hertz Hall, on the UC Berkeley Campus, of St. Paul, by Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847). This large scale oratorio is set for full orchestra, symphonic chorus and four vocal soloists. Two of them, soprano YoonGeong Lee and tenor Derek Jackenheimer are joining the conversation.
From the Pear Theatre in Mountain View, we meet with cast members of the company’s 16th season finale: Oh Coward!, a witty two-act musical revue with music and lyrics by English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer Noël Coward (1899 - 1973). Co-directors Diane Tasca and Betsy Kruse Craig are joined in the KALW studio by pianist Brad Arington and actor/singer Mike Rhone to discuss the production, which runs through July 15.
Plus, we hear from Peter Stein, senior programmer for Frameline42, San Francisco’s International LGBTQ Film Festival, about the closing weekend of the festival. Frameline is the world’s longest-running and largest showcase of queer cinema, which features films from 39 countries, including Brazil, Japan, Lebanon, Norway, Paraguay, Kosovo, South Africa, and Malaysia. 52% of this year’s films are directed by women. The lineup includes 153 narratives, documentaries, episodics, and short films, with 25 world premieres between them.
Open Air with host David Latulippe; heard live on Thursday, June 21 at 1pm. Listen now or anytime…