City Scene

Senior Correspondent

The San Francisco Ballet is among the world’s leading dance companies and presents approximately 100 performances annually under the guidance of Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson.

STAGE DIRECTIONS:

The home of the San Francisco Ballet is the 1932 War Memorial Opera House at 301 Van Ness Ave. at Grove Street, across from the rear facade of San Francisco City Hall. The Opera House is one of the last Beaux-Arts structures erected in the United States and has 3,146 seats plus 200 standing room places.

CURRENTLY RUNNING:

Helgi Tomasson’s grand-scale full-length production of Romeo and Juliet, based on William Shakespeare’s classic tale of star-crossed lovers and set to the score by Sergei Prokofiev. 2 hours and 30 minutes. Saturday May 1, 8 p.m.; Sunday May 2, 2 p.m.; Tuesday May 4, 8 p.m.; Wednesday May 5, 7:30p.m; Thursday May 6, 8 p.m.; Friday May 7, 8p.m.; Saturday May 8, 2 p.m.; Saturday May 8, 8p.m.; and, Sunday May 9, 2 p.m.

TICKETS:

The San Francisco Ballet Box Office may be reached at (415) 865-2000, Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.sfballet.org/performancestickets/buytickets.asp. Full-time college and university students can often purchase tickets for the same day’s performance for $10 to $20. Also, during the Repertory Season, military personnel and seniors 65 and older can often purchase tickets for the same day’s performance for $30. Call (415) 865-2000 or visit the Ballet Box Office in the Opera House from the time the box office opens until one hour before the performance to purchase discounted tickets for that day’s performance. Discounted tickets need to be purchased and picked up at least one hour before the performance starts. All rush tickets are subject to availability; please keep in mind that some performances sell out in advance. Seating selection is at the discretion of the box office.

GETTING THERE:

From the Peninsula, take Highway 101 north to the Ninth Street exit. At the end of the exit ramp, turn left onto Ninth Avenue. Continue northbound across Market Street onto Larkin Street. At the third traffic light turn left onto McAllister Street. The Civic Center garage is on McAllister Street between Larkin and Polk streets. Or, continue two blocks to Van Ness Avenue, turn left, and then make the first right onto Grove Street. The Performing Arts Garage is on Grove between Franklin and Gough streets. BART lines serve the "Civic Center” station three blocks away at Market and Eighth streets. Caltrain riders may call (800) 660-4287 for service information.

AN ASIDE:

Most of what is seen on stage evolved as Tomasson worked with the dancers. Referring to the balcony scene, he explains, "It’s an enormous thing in people’s expectations and minds, but on top of that, the dancers I work with influence me. Just who they are, how they react to that music and to each other—there has to be a connection between those two dancers. And there are times when you see something and think, ‘Yes, that would suit them very well if I did that.’”

THE CAST RECOMMENDS:

The Opera House Café, in the lower lobby of the Opera House, opens one and a half hours before each evening and Sunday matinee performance. Access to the Opera House Café is via the Opera House North Carriage Entrance. Nearby Hayes Valley is filled with restaurants, including Absinthe Brasserie and Bar, 398 Hayes St. and Hayes Street Grill, 320 Hayes St.

OH, AND DID YOU KNOW?:

Poorly done sword fighting can break a suspenseful mood quickly. For Romeo and Juliet Tomasson sought the talents of Martino Pistone, an experienced movie stunt man and stunt coordinator (The Mask of Zorro), swordsman, choreographer and actor. Together they created complex sword-fighting passages that require careful timing and hours of rehearsal with each combination of dancers.

SCENE AROUND: 

There can never be too many Peter Pans. While the 21st Century Peter with CGI technology begins his run on the Embarcadero, The Walt Disney Family Museum at the Presidio showcases the 1953 movie version as its May Film of the Month. 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. May 2 through May 31, (except Tuesdays and May 22).