San Francisco Ballet is back in the Opera House, looking strong, with two very different yet captivating programs of premieres and repertory works by choreographers Helgi Tomasson, Cathy Marston, William Forsythe, George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.

Zaccho Dance Theatre's long-delayed site-specific performance installation brings an aerial, ethereal new breath to the spiritual haven of Grace Cathedral.

After reading 'Unprotected,' Porter's frank, blunt, raw memoir, no one can ever accuse him of dissembling on a 30-year rocky circuitous journey to reach his current level of fame.

There are sparkling bits of beauty bobbing on the surface, and treasures that one hopes will eventually be salvaged, in 'Swept Away,' an earnest, engrossing new musical with songs by the Avett Brothers now in its world premiere at Berkeley Rep.

The ins & outs and ups & downs of scheduling changes for arts and nightlife events are certainly keeping us on our toes, but we'll try to keep up with happenings around the Bay Area this week. If you're making plans, call ahead or check venues' websites.

'I Still Think About You,' a dark film noir-styled podcast done as a dramatic reading, is the new work of 'Boys in the Band' actor Brian Hutchison, with several of his actor friends in supporting roles.

If you've ever listened to a Karen Mason album or been fortunate enough to attend one of her concerts, (or saw her on Broadway), you will be blown away by her interpretive skills, and the ease with which she makes even the best-known songs all her own.

Dancer Joshua Thake's life journey has brought him from rural Massachusetts to some of the world's most revered stages as a member of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, the celebrated all-male drag ballet troupe.

This is your arts and nightlife captain; please stand by as we navigate through abrupt closings, postponements —and even a few openings— around the Bay Area this week.

San Francisco stages are now hosting two of the more unorthodox musicals to hit big on Broadway in recent years, one subtle and poetic ('The Band's Visit'), the other boisterous and participatory ('Freestyle Love Supreme').

It's one step forward and two steps back in the local arts scene as theater companies close their doors yet again, a comedy festival is postponed, and the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus gets funding from Amazon.

James Magruder is a funny guy. His wonderfully wicked sense of humor comes through in his plays, and in his new novel, 'Vamp Until Ready.'

We've got live theater and comedy, art exhibits in a diverse array of genres, plus movies, dance concerts or music shows in-person and online.

In Robert Sokol's May 14, 2009 interview with the late Joan Rivers, the celebrated comedian talked of her career and threw in plenty of timely jokes, which were very much of that age.