San Diego's Top Weekend Arts Events: Tap, Cellos And Dinosaurs

Kaye PBS is supported by the law firm of Mintz working with startups and growing companies. Mintz legal services can help clients raise capital secure space and protect intellectual property to achieve strategic goals. Moore admits dot.com myths built on excellence driven by change. It's always a good weekend when there's tap dancing and dinosaurs involved from a tap dancing musical to Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park K PBS arts editor Nina Garen brings us the details. Hi Nina. Hello. So San Diego musical theater just opened. Crazy for you tell us about that show. This is a romantic comedy that set to the music by George and Ira Gershwin. It's written by Ken Ludwig who is known for his comedic style and it's about a man who wants to be in the theater but his rich family sends him to dead rock Nevada to foreclose on the theater. And of course that leads to romance and putting on a show and it's always about the music too so what songs will people hear and crazy for you because it's George and Ira Gershwin. It's songs that people already know so it's Embraceable You. I Got Rhythm. Someone to Watch Over Me and they can't take that away from me. So classics nice so let's take a listen to a song from crazy for you. This is I got rhythm. I got Grandma. Anything I got. Green. Pasture. So you saw the local production what did you think. Well I loved it it's one of my favorite shows I've seen so far in twenty nineteen I know it's not that many shows yet but the dancing is just phenomenal. It's a show that is set in the 30s so it's all about being old fashion and the grandeur of it and the choreography is by Jill Gorey and she's known for some really really wonderful choreographic pieces in theater in San Diego and the cast has a lot of familiar faces that you've seen at San Diego musical theater. And I just I can't say enough good things about it. Crazy for you runs at San Diego musical theater through March 3rd. So a group called two cellos is coming to town. Who are they. These are two classically trained Croatian cellists. And what they do is they combine classical music with rock songs that you know and I understand that they became popular thanks to Michael Jackson. Yes. So they do this version of Smooth Criminal that people really love. And they've also done AC DC and Nirvana and the police. They do just a little bit of everything. But it was Michael Jackson that kind of like put them on the map. OK well let's listen to two cellos version of Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal. That is amazing. So are these live shows more like chamber music or a rock concert. Well it is two guys sitting there with cellos and chairs but they do use projections and lights and sometimes they bring a full band and they're playing in an arena. So it has to have like a big rock n roll vibe. So you will get that when you see them perform live. But they they are amazing classical musicians so they can do Bach and they do for Waldie and they just do a little bit of everything and it's pretty fun to see. Wow. Well two cellos performed Sunday at pitch conga arena formerly known as the San Diego Sports Arena. And finally there is a screening of Jurassic Park and an unlikely Avenue or venue rather right. Yeah the San Diego Symphony is going to be showing this 1993 movie on a big screen while the orchestra performs live. And we all know that Jurassic Park is the movie about a dinosaur theme park that goes very wrong. And this has memorable music doesn't it. Yeah. The scores by John Williams and he basically does music for all the movies like Harry Potter and Star Wars E.T. and jaws. He's so good at using music to create a mood. He did study at Juilliard. So he truly knows music and how to work with all parts of orchestras and choral groups. So let's take a listen to John Williams is Theme from Jurassic Park. It really is an unforgettable piece in The San Diego Symphony has been doing more events like this lately haven't they. Yeah they're doing the whole Harry Potter franchise and they've also done romantic movies like Love Actually. I also went to see them do the Wizard of Oz. So they just do kind of like a whole array. It's a great way to bring more audiences in because you know you're watching a movie but you're seeing classical music performed live and you see it all come together. And I think they're realizing that this brings in different kinds of audiences than usual. Yeah wow I mean Harry Potter Wizard of Oz. I mean what are those events like. It is a lot like going to the movies only in this beautiful in this beautiful venue. But the music does become its own character because you're watching the movie but you also want to watch these live musicians. And often they'll be intermissions so the musicians can take a break because they're playing for you know hours at a time. Wow. So Jurassic Park in concert happened Saturday at Jacob's Music Center for many more weekend events. Check out PBS dot org backslash arts. I've been speaking with K PBS arts editor Nina Garrett. Nina thanks thanks. Have a good weekend. You too. And let's close the show today with more from two cellos. THIS IS SMOOTH CRIMINAL. Version is produced by Marissa Cabrera and Brooke Ruth arts segment producers are Bethke Armando and Nina Guerin midday Edition's senior producer is Megan Burke our executive producer is now Lea Walsh Rebecca Chacon and Emily John Koski are the technical directors. Emily also arranged our theme music which is composed by the artist catching flies. Stay with us for a PBS roundtable coming up right after the break. I'm Jake Hindman. Have a great weekend everyone.