There are a lot of great live shows in the Bay Area to catch this weekend and beyond. Here’s a partial rundown. “In the Heights” often seems relegated in theater discussions to being “that Lin-Manuel Miranda musical that ‘Hamilton,'” a designation which unfairly overlooks many of its wonderful attributes. First off, the
music and choreography are beautiful and exhilarating and practically guaranteed to put you in great mood. The show immerses viewers in a vibrant Dominican
American neighborhood in northern Manhattan for a three-day stretch with a fascinating cast of characters and storylines. And while it is not given credit, as “Hamilton” was, of rewriting the rules of the contemporary theater, it was groundbreaking in its own ways. Opening a decade before “Hamilton,” “In the Heights” featured a primarily Latin cast and score heavy on Latin and hip-hop songs — aspects that were certainly forward-looking in their time. But the main thing is the show is tremendously entertaining, and you can see for yourself in Walnut Creek, where Center Repertory Company is staging the Tony Award-winning show at the Dean Lesher Center for the Arts. The production is helmed by Nicholas C. Avila, with musical direction by Nick Perez and choreographed by Sara Templeton. Through June 24; 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek; $45-$70; 925-943-7469, . Fellow devotees of the Latin American Songbook, Venezuelan-born pianist Edward Simon, the longest serving member of the SFJAZZ Collective, and Mexican jazz vocalist Magos Herrera, just released the gorgeous collaboration “Femininas,” an album celebrating the music of epochal
Women songwriters. They perform June 8 at Kuumbwa Jazz Center and June 9 at SFJAZZ’s Joe Henderson Lab, ranging across Latin America to interpret beloved pieces by composers such as Chile’s Violeta Parra, Brazil’s Rosa Passos, Peru’s Chabuca Granda, and Cuba’s Marta Valdes (all filtered through a deeply informed jazz sensibility). With bassist Rueben Rogers and drummer Adam Cruz, Simon’s trio is among the best on the scene, and the addition of Venezuelan percussionist Luisito Quintero only raises the bar. Based in
New York City since 2008, Herrera hasn’t performed often in the Bay Area, though last month she livened up Sonoma State’s Weill Hall with the adventurous string quartet Brooklyn Rider singing Latin American standards and settings for Spanish-language poetry. Simon also performs duo June 18 at Blue Note Napa with SJJAZZ Collective vibraphonist Warren Wolf. 7 p.m. June 8 at Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz; $42; ; 7:30 & 9 p.m. June 9; SFJAZZ Center, San Francisco; $30; . With San Francisco Opera’s summer season productions of Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly” and Richard Strauss’s “Die Frau ohne Schatten” (The Woman without a Shadow) already up and running, the company is set to unveil its third opera of the series — “El ultimo sueño de Frida y Diego” (The Last Dream of Frida and Diego), by Bay Area composer Gabriela Lena Frank and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz. With Alfredo Daza and Daniela Mack in the title roles of husband-and-wife artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, this dazzling, dreamlike new opera examines the enduring power of art and love on the Day of the Dead in 1957 — three years after Kahlo’s passing. Frank, a Berkeley native known for her incorporating sounds from her Latin heritage in her works, has had her more than 25 compositions performed by the San Francisco Symphony, Houston Symphony, Chanticleer and the
China String Quartet, among others, and has collaborated with artists ranging from Yo-Yo Ma to Wu Man. She is a member of the Silk Road Project. June 13-30, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco; $26-$410; . Many Nations One Land, the day-long festival devoted to Native American culture, is back for its second year, and it’s brought a ton of stuff with it. For music, the free event has booked Oakland’s The Bobby Young Project (whose namesake guitarist played with John Lee Hooker) and Native American hip-hop artists C-Log, Stewie G and — hailing from the Apsaalooké (Crow) Nation — Rezcoast Grizz. There’s also a country-western
Singer and a flute-and-storytelling performance. Demonstrations include beadwork and corn-husk dolls, and there’s a Native artisan market with locally made jewelry, accessories and clothing. For grub, expect Indigenous food tastings and more. The host for this year’s fest is Oakland stand-up comedian Jackie Keliiaa, who says this “event is so fun. It’s local and it’s summer (well, almost) and it’s educational – it’s just a perfect Saturday outing and so ‘Bay Area.’” Noon-5 p.m. Saturday; La Escuelita Elementary School, 1050 2nd Ave., Oakland; free; 510-936-1770