Culture Soup: Theater, Fighting Ships, Opera, and a Duck

GELFAND’S WORLD-This is about fun things that will happen this month down in the port. But first, a little reminiscing. Back in the 70's, there was a cafe in the Los Feliz district run by a man named Alberto Sarno. He hired a piano player and sang operatic arias to his customers. Eventually, the Caffe Dell' Opera became a place where other would-be opera singers lined up to give it a try. People who loved music would drop in for coffee and a song. Sarno's has long since departed, but San Pedro has now picked up the slack. We have our own version of Sarno's each first Thursday of the month, along with paintings and theater and lots of food. 

And that leads me to the unlikely named replacement for the onetime Sarno's Caffe dell Opera. It's called Mishi's Strudel, and it's at 309 W. 7th in San Pedro. Mishi's started as a place for coffee and freshly cooked pastries. It has a European look and feel to it, which isn't surprising considering that Mishi himself, like so many other San Pedrans, comes from the Old World. On First Thursdays, Mishi's has a piano player, and singers come around to do tunes from Phantom of the Opera and the musical theater, as well as their favorite arias from Verdi and Puccini. Figure the performance starting around 8 PM. Definitely a must see. 

And though we're talking about the flourishing art and music scene in San Pedro  on First Thursdays, we will also get to talk about fighting ships -- real ones -- and the latest theatrical openings. 

San Pedro First Thursday started as an art walk, that is, an evening when the local art galleries stayed open. It's gradually morphed into the original artwalk plus food truck fiesta plus musical event. On any given First Thursday, I can usually count at least a dozen performances and mini-concerts going on all at once. Luckily they aren't all in the same place. 

Most events are concentrated in the traditional business section, along 6th and 7th Streets just east of Pacific Avenue -- in brief, a few blocks past the end of the Harbor Freeway, and downhill a couple of blocks. If you drive into the water, you've gone too far. 

A good place to start is the Croatian Cultural Center, at 510 W 7th St, right on the corner of Pacific and 7th. This month, there will be a photography exhibit called "What we censor, what we don't." It looks to be provocative. There will also be music and food. 

Further downhill along 7th, there are a number of galleries, restaurants, and bars. First Thursday also draws a large collection of food trucks. Each has its own specialty, ranging from grilled cheese (I'm told it's the most popular) to Belgian waffles, Asian fusion, and lobster. 

Gallery hopping is available all along 7th and 6th Streets. But there is also The Loft  a few blocks north, on the corner of 4th and Mesa. It is an old commercial building going back to the steamship days, and later converted to artist's lofts and a central gallery. 

There is also the Whale and Ale, the English pub and restaurant where all the San Pedro insiders hang out. Owner Andrew Silber has hosted most of the elected officials in the area, as well as a real live Knight of the British realm. 

Speaking of knights, it would be folly to ignore the new production by our friends at the theater company known as TE San Pedro Rep. They are putting the finishing touches on their homegrown version of The Lady of Shalott, a story out of the Arthurian legends involving Lancelot and a love triangle. This version derives from a Tennyson poem. Director Aaron Ganz has created something that combines theater, ballet, and tragedy. As always, this group limits the number of tickets available for each performance, because the intimate spaces available to them make this a necessity. The opening performance is actually one night later than First Thursday. One caution: This group is becoming a must see, and has been selling out a little early in each run. What I've seen in rehearsal suggests that this will be a compelling piece. 

One show that will be running on First Thursday is the San Pedro Theatre Club production of Man of La Mancha. The Theatre Club is also a fairly intimate space, albeit built out in a more traditional style. You can also get a drink there. Owner James Blackman is the winner of numerous awards for his musical productions. 

San Pedro, being a port town, also gets to host Navy Day. This year it will be August 9 and 10. There will be U.S. Navy ships to tour, but make sure to get your reservations online.  If you miss out on Navy Day, you can tour the Battleship Iowa almost any other day of the year. 

And if you miss all of the above, feel free to see the world's largest rubber duck at the Tall Ships Festival running August 20-24. There will also be some tall ships. The duck will lead the ships into port on August 20.

 

(Bob Gelfand writes on culture and politics for City Watch. He can be reached at [email protected]) 

-cw

 

 

 

CityWatch

Vol 12 Issue 63

Pub: Aug 5, 2014