On Tap: ‘Phantom Returns’ to Antioch with legendary actor D’Ambrosio
ANTIOCH
El Campanil Theatre at 2 p.m. June 9 will present “The Phantom Returns” starring Franc D’Ambrosio, a masterful performer combining an impeccable voice, signature storytelling and unmatched charisma that brings audiences around the world to their feet.
Best-known for his impressive portrayal of the lead role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony Award-winning musical “The Phantom of the Opera,” D’Ambrosio performed as the famed masked man more than 2,100 times.
Affectionately known as the “Iron Man of the Mask,” he held the title of “The World’s Longest-Running Phantom” for more than a decade, bringing more than 5 million theater-goers to their feet in a 6½-year run.
That distinction just scratches the surface of an illustrious career spanning decades, though, including D’Ambrosio’s emotional portrayal of the opera-singing Anthony Corleone, son of Al Pacino and Diane Keaton’s characters in the seven-time Academy Award-nominated film “Godfather III.”
He also has released three successful solo CDs, one of which has the unique distinction as the chosen soundtrack for Barry Manilow’s daily workout. In addition to his one-man shows, he is also currently touring the world with “The Four Phantoms In Concert.”
Visit elcampaniltheatre.com online for tickets, which are $32 for general admission, $29 for seniors and $15 for youths. The theater is at 602 W. Second St. in Antioch.
— El Campanil Theatre
ORINDA
Foreign comedy film ‘Bon Jour Switzerland’ opens Friday
For at least one week starting Friday at the Orinda Theatre, the International Film Showcase will screen the Swiss film “Bon Jour Switzerland,” a wacky comedy poking fun at the multilingual Swiss.
A national referendum leaves the country with French as the only national language, catalyzing a crisis among the German and Italian speakers. The film will also open May 18 at the Jarvis Conservatory in Napa. Visit internationalshowcase.org/?p=651 for more details online.
— International Film Showcase
Gallery’s ‘Ekphrasis Exhibition’ to be displayed until June 28
The Lamorinda Arts Alliance, Lamorinda Arts Council and California Writers Club, Mount Diablo Branch, have collaborated to present “Ekphrasis Exhibition” in the Orinda Library’s art gallery from April 29 through June 28.
The exhibit’s organizers say “ekphrasis” is a Greek word defined as writing that describes, explains or is inspired by another art form, a literary device that began with Plato and Aristotle, and that beautiful things happen when the arts intertwine.
The arts groups, along with the writers club branch, developed this creative project as an exhibition of fine artworks that inspire literary works, which will be on display to be enjoyed by the public, art and literary enthusiasts and collectors.
Visitors to the exhibit will be immersed in the inspired works of more than 90 talented visual artists and authors showcased in a diverse range of literary expressions, including prose/flash in fiction, nonfiction, memoir, essay and poetic forms. The visual artwork is in mixed media, glasswork, sculpture, paintings, photography and porcelain.
The library’s art gallery at 26 Orinda Way in Orinda is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is closed on Sundays. For more information, visit laa4art.org online.
— Lamorinda Arts Council
ANTIOCH
Foreigner, Journey tribute band to play Campanil May 25
El Campanil Theatre will present Forejour, a tribute to the music of Foreigner and Journey, at 7 p.m. May 25 in the Antioch theater at 602 W. Second St.
Forejour pays tribute to the music of 1980s mega bands, recreating the soundtrack of a generation with stunning accuracy. Their multimedia show transports audiences back to the heyday of MTV as the band performs the live soundtrack to cherished videos on-screen.
The group’s setlist includes the 20th century’s most downloaded song, “Don’t Stop Believin,’ ” as well as power ballads such as Foreigner’s “I Want To Know What Love Is” and Journey’s “Faithfully.” For tickets or more information, visit elcampaniltheatre.com online or call 925-757-9500.
— El Campanil Theatre
WALNUT CREEK
Venue showing area photographers’ work through May 23
Nine East Bay photographers, including two who have previously shown at San Francisco’s de Young Museum, are being featured now through May 23 in an exhibit at Walnut Creek’s Del Valle Education Center.
The exhibit, a wide-ranging collection of photographic genres and styles, is the culmination of an advanced photography workshop led by longtime Acalanes Adult Education photography instructor Bill Helsel. The photographers are Jeff Heyman, Westeigh (no last name), Jonathan Bitz, Kimberley Enright, Rob Hamner, Rich London, Sunyo Suhaimi, Robin Sullivan and Rosemary Wheeler. Also on display are paintings and drawings by students in several Acalanes Adult Education art classes.
Heyman and Westeigh had landscapes exhibited as part of The de Young Open, held last year at the de Young Museum. In the exhibit, Heyman juxtaposes clouds, land and water, while Grant explores “Echoes of Absence.” Both are a series of black-and-white photographs.
The exhibit can be viewed from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Del Valle center at 1963 Tice Valley Blvd. in Walnut Creek. See the photographers and their work online at heymanfoto.smugmug.com/Exhibits/Advanced-Photography-Exhibit.
— Del Valle Educational Center
Bedford Gallery exhibiting Native American art until June
Beford Gallery continues its “Re-discovering Native American” art exhibit through May 31 in the gallery at 1601 Civic Drive. The exhibit provides a platform for Native Americans to share their stories in their own voices, challenging historical accounts that often overlook and misrepresent their perspectives.
The collection from 19 artists includes landscape and portrait photographs, offering a glimpse into the lives of community activists and leaders who walk “the red road,” a symbolic expression in many Native communities for living purposefully on a path of positive change.
General admission is $5. For more information, go to bedfordgallery.com online.
— Bedford Gallery
MORAGA
Gallery showing ‘Moving Energy’ exhibit until early June
A vibrant exhibit, “Moving Energy,” is on display now at the Moraga Art Gallery, 432 Center St. in the Rheem Shopping Center.
Intensely colorful, eye-opening, motion-filled acrylic paintings by Irene Needoba and high-impact photos of nature by Lucy Beck explode with colors and surprising shapes. Photographer John Brown, the featured guest artist, focuses on the natural world in all its guises: the wilderness and the nature of people, animals, cities and communities.
Also on view until the exhibit ends in early June are a variety of one-of-a-kind works by more than 20 local painters, ceramicists, jewelry makers, photographers, print-makers, woodworkers and others.
Open from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, the gallery invites art fans of all ages to come in, browse and linger a while. For more details online, visit moragaartgallery.com or call 925-376-5407.
— Moraga Art Gallery
DANVILLE
See ‘California, Places & People’ at Village Theatre Art Gallery
The Village Theatre Art Gallery is hosting “California, Places & People,” an exhibition through June 21 from the California Watercolor Association. Thirty-seven artists from the association have selected paintings of favorite places they have visited in California or people they have seen in the Golden State for the display.
The show also includes abstract watercolor works inspired by a person or place in California. This exhibition supports the watercolor association’s mission to create, foster and sustain artistic growth and interest in water media.
The Village Theatre Art Gallery is at 233 Front St., Danville. For more information, including hours and artists, visit danville.ca.gov/arts.
— Village Theatre Art Gallery
LAFAYETTE
Town Hall’s ‘New Voices’ series to present ‘Lucía Fuentes’
J. Lynn Jackson’s “Lucía Fuentes” will run June 14-22 at Lafayette’s Town Hall Theatre. The play is the seventh and final installment of the theater’s “New Voices” series and will feature Jackson’s adventurous crime piece. Katja Rivera will direct.
A heinous crime in Mexico triggers global indignation. To honor the victims and their legacy of peace and justice, spiritual guru Hernán Espinoza walks Japan’s Shikoku pilgrimage path. A Buddhist nun who guides Shikoku pilgrims has a vital interest in Hernán’s journey yet senses she must test his intentions.
When lured to a dangerous shortcut, Hernán suffers a breakdown. Not knowing whether he is alive or dead, a man or a woman, a saint or a sinner, in Japan or not, he continues to the end, which, on the circular Shikoku path, is also the beginning.
“From the very first page, I was swept away by J. Lynn Jackson’s epic adventure, ‘Lucia Fuentes’ ” said artistic director Richard Perez. “Hernán, our intrepid protagonist, and his journey into a realm where the ordinary meets the extraordinary, reminded me that each of us carries within us the potential for heroic journeys and personal growth.”
“New Voices” series readings are $20, although there are pay-what-you-can tickets (subject to availability) at the door for all performances. The series is a first for Town Hall Theatre and has now transitioned to the SNAP (Spotlight on New American Plays) Festival.
The newly imagined SNAP Festival is a dynamic platform dedicated to showcasing emerging voices in American Theatre. Town Hall Theatre is at 3535 School St. For more information, visit townhalltheatre.com online or call 925-283-1557.
Town Hall Theatre announces shows for 2024-25 season
Town Hall Theatre has announced its 2024-25 season with the theme “Family: Born into and Chosen!” and featuring an unforgettable journey in which the intricate theme of family takes center stage.
In a world sometimes characterized by division, the troupe will delve into the complexities of family dynamics, exploring the profound connections that bind us together.
“While families may be diverse and complex, our stories reveal universal truths that remind us of our shared humanity,” said Richard Perez, Town Hall’s new artistic director. “Through the lens of equity and inclusion, we celebrate the richness of our differences while embracing the common threads that make us more similar than different.”
First up from Aug. 24 through Sept. 14 will be Eric Pfeffinger’s “Human Error.” Next will be Dec. 7-21 with “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then Some) by Michael Carleton, James Fitzgerald and Jon Alvarez. After that will be the 2025 SNAP Festival of plays March 7-23, 2025, followed June 7-28, 2025, by Sam Shepard’s “True West.”
For ticket subscriptions, go online to townhalltheatre.com/subscriptions. For more information, contact the box office at boxoffice@townhalltheatre.com or 925-283-1557.
— Town Hall Theatre
Submit area arts-and-entertainment On Tap items to Judith Prieve at jprieve@bayareanewsgroup.com.