Six degrees of separation

It was a weekend of connections, both old and new, for us. We had another one of our getaway weekends in San Francisco. Friday night we checked into a hotel at Van Ness and Geary. We had dinner at an Arabic fusion, small plate restaurant called Saha on Sutter Street. We have eaten there a half dozen times and love it. We had another excellent meal before heading down Sutter Street to see a play.
One of our favorite small theatre companies in the City is San Francisco Playhouse. It is only four years old and plays in a 100 seat space. Although it has small budgets and casts both professional and community actors, the productions are compelling and strong. Their current production is John Guare’s 1990 play, “Six Degrees of Separation”. The play is based on a real event that happened in the 1980s. A young African-American man gained access to the homes of upper-class New Yorkers by posing as the son of actor Sidney Poitier. The show is a witty, biting commentary on what drives people: the desire for money, fame, social standing, and, for a few, a desire for meaningful human connection.
I was just about to sit down in my seat in the theatre, when the person in the row behind me tapped me on the shoulder. It was my old college roommate and his wife. I have not seen them for probably 15 years. It was good to reconnect.
Saturday afternoon we took BART to Berkeley for lunch and a show. Our favorite place to eat before a matinee is Triple Rock Brewery & Alehouse. Love the grilled chicken sandwich with a beer. We then saw a fantastic production of another ensemble piece at Berkeley Rep, George Bernard Shaw’s “Heartbreak House”. It is a masterfully comic condemnation about smart, sophisticated but apathetic generation that is hopelessly adrift in a nation at war. Hmmm. Even though the play was written in 1919, it is timelier today. I always forget how wonderful a playwright Shaw was. He is not produced enough by local theatre companies.

Saturday evening we were back in San Francisco for the annual Horizons Foundation’s Gala. We dressed up in our tuxes, danced to the swinging sounds of Montclair Women's Big Band, listened (and chatted) to jazz vocalist Paula West, and bid and won a piece of art work at the silent auction. Horizons Foundation serves the LGBT community by making grants, strengthening organizations and leadership, and increasing philanthropic giving in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Sunday we spent walking around the Castro Street Fair with 80,000 other fiends. This was the first time we’ve been to it. We bought a print from a local artist, Fernando Reyes. We watched and heard the Blue Angles fly overhead. But the biggest thrill of the day was when we were stopped on the street by a guy that said “you’re GuyDads!” This was the first time we have been recognized from our blog. A shout out to [Huntington]. I have read and enjoyed his blog for years. It is simple [no fancy graphics or layout] but sincere and honest peek at living in the City.

TIP: Half-price tickets for many select performances are often available on Goldstar Events. Areas include San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose, San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, Washington DC, Boston, and Chicago.