San Diego’s Top Weekend Arts Events: From ‘Fiddler’ To The Fair

Speaker 1: 00:00 This is KPBS mid day edition. I'm Maureen Cavanagh get ready for Krispy Kreme cheeseburgers and mini donuts. The San Diego County Fair opens today. Also. This weekend is a new fiddler on the roof and a look at music through the lens of autism here with details as KPBS arts editor, Nita Garren and Nina. Welcome. Hello. There's a new fiddler on the roof in town. What's different about it? Speaker 2: 00:26 Okay, purists are really worried. Um, they're afraid it's going to be different. And I'm here to say it's not that different. It's still the same story and you get the songs where they need to be. The main difference is that in the very beginning and at the very end, there's a framing device that really brings home the idea that the Jewish experience was a struggle then and continues to be today. But I'm not going to tell you what that device is because it's really, really powerful if you see it in person. Speaker 1: 00:53 When this version first opened on Broadway in 2016 there was a lot of talk about the choreography. Why is that? Speaker 2: 00:59 Yeah, that's the main reason to go see it. So the original version was done by Jerome Robbins, who's a ballet dancer, um, and worked on Broadway. This version is buy whole fish Schachter and he really wasn't a Broadway person and he made the dance way more gritty, more of the, um, Israeli folk dancing element in there. And it's just authentic. Like you really do think that the people living in the Stedelijk in 1905 would move like this. Speaker 1: 01:26 Can you remind us what fiddler on the roof is about? I mean, there's more to it than if I were a rich man, right? Speaker 2: 01:32 Yeah. I mean it's about family and tradition and that's why people love it so much. The basic story is about the poor Milkman Tevya who's trying to hold together these traditions in the face of a lot of change and he has to deal with that through his oldest daughters. We're going to listen to a song from the show, but you wanted to tell us why you're picking this particular song. Yeah, I'm picking Tevyes dream because I grew up with fiddler on the roof. It was part of my childhood. I loved this musical, but this part to me was so scary. I had nightmares about it. And this version that's touring does the most creative and kind of funny version. Speaker 1: 02:10 This is Tevye. His dream from the 2016 Broadway cast of fiddler on the roof Speaker 3: 02:15 from beyond the [inaudible]. What is this about the bottom Mary in my husband. Would you do this to your friends and neighbors? Have you know, consideration for a woman's feeling. [inaudible] Golden Barbie log ins to what total stranger. How can you let them talk and take my place and my house cabby, my keys and my clothes pants. Speaker 2: 02:59 Fiddler on the roof plays through Sunday at the civic theater. Well, it's that time of year, Nina. The San Diego County Fair starts this afternoon. Now I know you focus on the arts and we will get to that, but first can we discuss the fair food? Yeah, I'll start with the healthy option. This year's theme is based on the yellow brick road. So there's going to be a lot of green things and there's an over the rainbow summer salad, so I'm just going to tell you that that's available. Um, but also this year you get deep fried creme Brulee. You have pizza on a waffle. Um, another new thing is a buffalo chicken Shimmy Chonga with flaming hot cheeto dust. Of course you can still get your Krispy Kreme cheeseburgers or um, a fried chicken sandwich with Krispy Kreme donuts topped with fruity pebbles and pizza and a waffle doesn't sound, I know none of it sounds that bad. Okay, so now let's get to the fair concerts. What are some highlights? There's a lot of country pop and Latin music. Um, and also your classics that you always get at the fair. Neil Sedaka, Toby Keith, smokey Robinson. There's going to be, um, the violinist who also dances, Lindsey sterling and the pop star pit bull. Um, some of the concerts are free with admission and then some you have to pay. All the details are online. Let's listen to some smokey Robinson. This is cruising Speaker 3: 04:25 [inaudible]. Speaker 2: 04:48 Now there are also some popular festivals and events coming up at the fair this year. There's a festival or event pretty much every day. Yeah, some of the more popular ones or the Wine Festival, the Gospel Festival. There's also an Lgbtq art show. There's beer tastings, film festivals. There's really so much happening. It's almost overwhelming, but it's all laid out very nicely on their website. The San Diego County Fair opens today, runs through July 4th the mainly Mozart Festival begins this weekend with an event called music and the mind tell us about that. So this is an event that's going to Cather musicians, researchers, doctors, therapists, and they're going to explore the role that music plays in the brain. And the main draw is that autism advocate temple Grandin will be part of panels and she's going to be delivering a keynote address. You mentioned Temple Grandin, but there's also going to be a performance by Derek power of a cine. Who is he? He's a British musician who happens to be related to Camilla Parker Bowles. He is blind and he also has autism, but he's a music savant. And he can remember every song ever heard and he Speaker 1: 05:58 can play them and he can also switch to play them in the style of the composer. Speaker 3: 06:03 [inaudible] Speaker 1: 06:26 mainly Mozart's music and the mind happens this weekend at venues throughout the county. And you can find more arts events and kpbs.org/. Arts I've been speaking with KPBS arts editor, Nina Garrett. Nina, thanks. Thanks. Have a good weekend.