Page 51 - 2022-2023 Travel Guide to California

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San Diego’s venerable La Jolla Playhouse
has seen 33 of its productions move to
Broadway, earning 38 Tony Awards. The Old
Globe Theatre presents the plays of Shake-
speare (of course), as well as works by
acclaimed national playwrights and an
annual Christmas production penned by a
late-local resident: Dr. Seuss.
Other excellent California theaters
include the South Coast Repertory in Costa
Mesa and the Sacramento Theatre Com-
pany. Finally, the state hosts at least five
major Fringe Festivals.
Symphonies, Opera & Ballet
Frank Owen Gehry designed the Walt Disney
Concert Hall, home of the renowned Los
Angeles Philharmonic, to be one of the most
acoustically perfect performance spaces
on Earth. California’s other preeminent
orchestra is the San Francisco Symphony,
directed by the legendary Esa-Pekka
Salonen, at home in Louise M. Davies Sym-
phony Hall. San Diego, Sacramento,
Oakland, Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara all
support superb orchestras as well.
Opera still maintains a huge following in
California, with many companies across
the state. The San Francisco Opera and Los
Angeles Opera are two of the largest in
North America, with global reputations.
Kudos as well to the Long Beach Opera, now
in its fourth decade.
Ballet in the Golden State has an equally
impressive pedigree. The San Francisco
Ballet, founded in 1933, was the first profes-
sional ballet company in the country. The
California Ballet Company in San Diego,
largest in the region, has a stellar inter-
national reputation. Founded in 2004, the
Los Angeles Ballet is a relative newcomer
to the scene, while the reinvigorated
Oakland Ballet is now in its 55th season.
Jazz & Blues
Here’s a quick sampler of the state’s best
jazz and blues clubs. Oakland offers the leg-
endary Yoshi’s in Jack London Square and
Geoffrey’s Inner Circle downtown. In San
Francisco, don’t miss the SFJAZZ Center
and, for blues, try The Saloon and Club
Deluxe. In Santa Cruz, it’s all happening at
the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, and in Sacra-
mento (for blues), Torch Club. In LA, find
hot offerings at the Jazz Bakery, along with
The Baked Potato and the Catalina Jazz Club.
LOUISE M. DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL,
San Francisco, left; Jackie Greene
performs at The Catalyst in Santa Cruz,
below; San Francisco Ballet, Stern Grove
Festival, opposite bottom.
Rock ’n’ Roll ’n’ More
From the Doors to the Dead, California has
long been Ground Zero for great live music.
In San Francisco, check out what’s on at
The Fillmore, The Warfield, The Inde-
pendent and Great American Music Hall.
Some of the best venues in the East Bay
include the Fox Theatre and the glorious
Paramount Theatre in Oakland, as well as
Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage and The Greek
Theatre. In Marin County, the reincarnated
Sweetwater Music Hall often hosts well-
known artists.
Looking to rock it in LA? Check out the
Troubadour, the Roxy and Whisky a Go Go,
an LA institution since 1964. Some other
legendary California venues include the
Catalyst in Santa Cruz, the Casbah and Brick
by Brick in San Diego.
2022-23 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 49