JhanThong BanBua

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JhanThong BanBua

Culinary treasure: Hidden near the Gold Coin Motel, JhanThong BanBua is one of the North Bay’s best-kept secrets.

Spice of Life

JhanThong BanBua: delicate, exotic Thai cuisine

By Paula Harris

DRIVING along Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa, it’s easy to spot the sign for JhanThong BanBua, a Thai restaurant kinda halfway between the junior college and the courthouse. But maybe you’ve never visited. The place does look a little daunting from the outside, since the restaurant shares a parking lot with the beat-up-looking Gold Coin Motel (tonight an open door affords a view of a closet-sized room with painted brick walls and three people sprawled on a bed with a lot of beer bottles). But ignore the interesting local color and make your way to the restaurant; the aroma of spices should lead you.

Inside is a pastel and gold oasis where lovely women in long slim skirts bring platters of fragrant delights to your glass-topped table.

The waiting area (the restaurant also does a booming to-go business) has comfy seating and a pile of books, including many for children, which is a nice touch. The place is filled with kitschy artifacts and an abundance of gilt, yet there are interesting odds and ends. A lighted display cabinet showcases Thai currency, carvings, and masks. Atop it is a small altar with electric lights on either end. Customers and staff alike are mesmerized by a large illuminated aquarium in one corner, which is home to several oversized goldfish. The ambiance is comfortable in a harmonious and therapeutic way. It’s a good place to chill out on a Friday night, although the restaurant can get busy.

But it’s the food that keeps us coming back.

Begin with a selection from the dizzying array of unusual appetizers, such as deep-fried vegetarian balls (don’t snicker) of yellow beans, cilantro, green onion, and yellow curry served with red chili cucumber sauce ($5); steamed tapioca stuffed with chicken, daikon, peanuts, and cilantro and served with salad leaves ($5); or a butt-kicking spicy green papaya salad with crushed peanuts and lime dressing ($6).

Both the deep-fried vegetarian spring rolls ($5) and the crispy curry rolls ($5) filled with chicken, potato, onion ,and yellow curry are terrific–slender, greaseless, and crisply addictive, with a light red chili-and-cucumber dipping sauce on the side.

But for a sheer punch of dazzling flavor, try the Meaing Lao ($6). It’s sophistication on a lettuce leaf. Small squares of iceberg lettuce are piled with marinated turnip, onion, garlic, ginger, cilantro, roasted peanuts, bits of crispy rice cake, and tiny pieces of fresh lime. You roll up the leaf into a parcel that’s packed with intense flavors.

The selection of curries (all with a choice of meat, seafood, or veggies) are consistently good. For instance, the Pad Gang Panang ($8.25), selected with butterfly shrimp and buttery scallops, comes with a thick sauce enriched with coconut milk and seasoned with red curry paste, sweet basil, and kaffir lime leaves. You can request the level of fire.

Other winners are the spicy eggplant with black bean sauce and sweet basil and carrots ($8.25), which is a beautiful, vibrant dish–all deep purple, green, and orange. So often an eggplant dish like this is swimming in the oil absorbed by the frying eggplant. Not so here: hefty chunks with a soft melt-in-the-mouth consistency in a greaseless piquant sauce. The tasty Pad Thai ($7.25) is multitextured with slippery noodles topped with crunchy bean sprouts and shredded cabbage, plus a pile of ground peanuts, a fresh lime wedge, and fresh cilantro for extra pizzazz.

Dessert choices are poor, with only ice cream ($3) or Kawniew Moon ($3.50) on offer. The latter is sweet sticky rice, best served with fresh mangoes in season.

All wines on the list range from $15 to $26 a bottle and are also available by the glass. A Domaine St. George chardonnay is a good bet for $15. Other beverages include Thai iced coffee and a selection of beers, including Thailand’s Singha.

Rarely can you find a restaurant that not only is consistently good year after year, but actually gets better. But this has been our experience at JhangThong BanBua. So take your appetite, ignore the rundown motel, and settle back for a Thai feast.

JhanThong BanBua Address: 2400 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa; 707/528-8048 Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner, 5 p.m. to around 10 p.m.; closed Sundays Food: Sophisticated Thai cuisine Service: Competent and friendly Ambiance: Tranquil but can get crowded Price: Inexpensive to moderate Wine list: Reasonably priced selections, all offered by bottle or glass Overall: 3 1/2 stars (out of 4)

From the July 19-25, 2001 issue of the Northern California Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

Dark Star Orchestra

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Dark Star Orchestra

Dead Again

Dark Star resurrect Grateful Dead

By Scott Cooper

THE DARK Star Orchestra is a cover band that takes requests. But unlike cover bands that keep you entertained while you drown your sorrows at the neighborhood bar, this Chicago outfit covers only the Grateful Dead and takes requests only for specific shows, not specific songs.

“We re-create Grateful Dead shows in their entirety,” says Dark Star Orchestra keyboardist Scott Larned, “which means we take a set list from a given day, and we perform that exact set list song for song, and we shoot for sounding like the band did in that particular era.”

The Dark Star Orchestra–which performs this week at the Mystic Theatre in Petaluma–waits until after the final encore to tell the audience which show the group re-created that night, a choice that has differed over of the course of the band’s three-year, 500-plus performance career.

“That was part of the excitement at the original show,” says Larned, who is responsible for picking the particular show. “We see people that bring [the Grateful Dead reference encyclopedia] Deadbase to the show, and by the third song they’re showing all their friends they’ve figured out what show it is.”

Sounds like reason enough to go on tour. In fact, the band’s shows have started to attract the peripheral scene that became infamous at later-year Dead shows–do they still qualify as “Deadheads” or would something like “Starchildren” be more apropos?

“It’s pretty funny,” Larned says. “All of a sudden there’ll be a big vending scene. Last weekend we closed out our show and there was a big drum circle outside. Stuff that makes you really feel like you’re back in the day.”

Notice that Larned says “back in the day” and not “back in 1984.” Since the Dead were a 30-year institution, the Dark Star Orchestra has to jump around from the rootsy yet jazzy early ’70s to the bluesy yet tight ’80s and the downright bad ’90s.

“If it’s a ’73 show, we have one drummer and we have [singer] Donna [Godchaux]. If it’s an ’80s show, I bring the Hammond organ and sing the Brent [Mydland] tunes. We really shoot for celebrating each of the different of the eras that the Dead went through.”

ASIDE FROM the responsibility of picking the show, Larned still has the biggest challenge in the group. While the band’s bass player has to know the idiosyncrasies of only one person (Phil Lesh), keyboardist Larned has to cover three (Mydland, Keith Godchaux, and Vince Welnick), depending on which era they’re re-creating. “It’s an interesting study in three guys who had three totally different piano styles and played completely different roles in the band,” he says.

This summer, Sonoma County resident Welnick will join the band for some shows, when Larned will have to learn a fourth role: that of Bruce Hornsby, who played many shows in the early ’90s when the Dead used two keyboard players. If and when the band decides to pick a show from the late ’60s, Larned will have to learn how to play two more keyboard parts as well: those of Pigpen and Tom Constanten.”

After months on the road being other persons, Larned admits the Dark Star members occasionally get the itch to be themselves. “Sometimes you’re on tour and you’ve been doing Dead tunes every night for a couple weeks. You get that feeling, ‘God, I just don’t want to go out and be Brent tonight.’

“But that’s what we do,” Larned says. “That’s easy to get out of once you start thinking about it.”

The Dark Star Orchestra performs Saturday, July 21, at 8 p.m., at the Mystic Theatre, 23 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 707/765-2121.

From the July 19-25, 2001 issue of the Northern California Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

Gardening Resources

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Gardening Resources

[ Insider’s Guide Index ]

Can you dig it?

Where to get help plotting your own organic veggie garden

THE ECONOMIC outlook may look grim, yet your grocery bills show no sign of slacking off. In fact, they loom larger every week. Hey, maybe it’s all those organic veggies you’ve become addicted to. They taste great and are more healthful and nutritious than their pesticide-doused counterparts, but they do cost more. Ever dreamed of raising your own veggie garden, filled with seasonal crops that can go from earth to kitchen with one tug or clip of the garden shears? Sure, but maybe you have a deadly black thumb instead of a green one, or maybe you simply have no clue where to begin. How many hours of direct sunlight do the veggies need each day? Where would be the best location? Is an eastern or western exposure best? Do you need a raised bed? What should you grow, and how? Fret not. Several North Bay organizations are on hand to nurture.–P.H.

The Occidental Arts and Ecology Center

The OAEC is a nonprofit educational center and biodiversity farm. You may request a tour, or have a consultant work with you. In addition, a residential course titled “Planting Your Winter Garden: An Organic Gardening Intensive” will be offered Aug. 17-19. It will cover garden design and planning, crop selection, harvesting, cooking, and more. The $325 fee includes instruction, accommodations, and meals. Also, the OAEC offers a five-day residential training program for local schoolteachers and parents (of kids from preschool to high school) who are interested in creating and maintaining a school garden. 15290 Coleman Valley Road, Occidental. 707/874-1557.

Sonoma Master Gardeners

It’s kind of like the turkey help-line for harried cooks at Thanksgiving. Knowledgeable gardeners open up their help-line and are available to answer your cultivation questions between 9 a.m. and noon, Monday-Friday. For free tips, catch up to their members at local farmers’ markets, or call 707/565-2608.

Master Gardeners of Marin

If you have a diseased tomato plant or other sickly specimen in Marin County, take it into the Master Gardeners of Marin’s county office, which is part of the UC Coop Extension. Volunteers will check it out and give you advice. 1682 Novato Blvd., Novato. 415/499-4204.

Planting Earth Activation

Craig Litwin and his band of volunteer gardeners run PEA, a local group dedicated to local food production and seed saving to prevent heirloom varieties from becoming extinct. In the past, PEA has planted organic gardens, free of charge, for those wanting to set an environmental example. The only two stipulations are that the gardens must be grown without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides, and that the owners agree to give back 25 percent of the harvest for seed saving. PEA has already planted more than 50 gardens, most of them in Sebastopol and a few in Santa Rosa. The plantings take place once a month, but have proved so popular that the organization now offers more in the way of consultations instead. 707/829-7069.

[ Insider’s Guide Index | ]

From the July 19-25, 2001 issue of the Northern California Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

Political Groups at Farmers’ Markets

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Political Groups at Farmers’ Markets

To Market, to Market

Does political controversy belong at the farmers’ market?

by Tara Treasurefield

“WE TRIED for years to keep people like that out, but the city of Petaluma says that it’s a public place so we cannot tell them that they cannot be there,” says Erica Burnsgaler, who manages the Petaluma Farmers’ Market. No, “people like that” don’t have a contagious disease. They represent political and issue-oriented groups, and Burnsgaler would like to exclude them from the farmers’ market.

Burnsgaler isn’t alone. If you come to the Tuesday evening Sonoma Farmers’ Market, you may notice a red and gold sign propped up on the strip of grass in the center of the Plaza. The sign reads, “The farmers’ market takes no position on the issues presented in this area.” Market manager Hilda Swartz places it at the end of a row of tables set up by apolitical nonprofit groups, to mark the end of the area that has the Sonoma Farmers’ Market’s seal of approval.

Not everyone is charmed by that demarcation. “I don’t think that segregating certain groups at the farmers’ market is a good idea,” says Sonoma Mayor Ken Brown. “As long as everyone obeys the normal societal rules of interaction, I prefer to see people treated equally and blended together in typical melting-pot fashion. That’s how I view democracy.”

But the distaste of some markets for groups with a political tinge didn’t spring up out of nowhere. Swartz says, “We get complaints from customers who think we’re taking a particular side, that we’re either Green or Republican.”

Downtown San Rafael Farmers’ Market Festival manager Bridget Moran says that she has received complaints of a different sort. “Most of the people who have something to sell, whether it’s a product or an idea, are respectful. But some are in your face, pushy, and that can drive customers away,” she says.

Paul Wirtz, chairman of the Sonoma Farmers’ Market board of directors, says that there have also been a few instances of aggressive, disrespectful behavior at the Sonoma Farmers’ Market.

FOR THE PAST four weeks, Sonoma No Spray–which opposes the use of pesticides to control the glassy-winged sharpshooter, a vineyard pest–has been the only group on the unapproved side of the “takes no position” sign, which Swartz optimistically places at the outer edge of the Plaza to force No Sprayers to the sidewalk. The No Sprayers keep moving the sign, and their table, back toward the music, the fun, and the people who may want to hear their message.

All the back and forth may seem a bit odd to onlookers, but as Zen master Koben Chino once said, “We are all just kids.”

Like it or not, people in the U.S. of A. have the right to share their views in public places, including farmers’ markets and privately owned shopping malls. Knowing this, market managers reserve special areas for political and issue-oriented groups, and don’t charge them to be there. At the San Rafael and Santa Rosa farmers’ markets, political groups that can afford to pay can use the area reserved for vendors and nonprofit corporations. In Santa Rosa, the reverse is also true: nonprofit corporations that can’t afford to pay can use the Free Expression Area.

Burnsgaler allows the unwanted groups in Petaluma to set up tables in a specified area if they put up a sign saying that the farmers’ market does not endorse their views. “They’re also free to walk around and pass out literature,” she says.

But Paula Downing, who manages the Sebastopol Farmers’ Market, actually welcomes thought-provoking discussion at the market. She says, “I think the world is really in bad shape, and the farmers’ market is a way to educate people on what you can do to stop the way the world is going. The farmers’ market is one way; local shopping is another. They go together. Anybody who has ever asked me locally if they can be at the market, I always say yes. I’ve never had any problem with people saying, ‘Oh, God, why do you let these people in here?’ ”

Santa Rosa Farmers’ Market manager Tracy Pugh says, “The market is a community event, and we’re allowing the community to speak. That doesn’t mean we’re supporting one group over another. We’re just trying to represent what’s in the community.”

With the exception of B Street, which is reserved for farmers and their customers, people can also walk up and down the streets passing out flyers, though Pugh discourages it. “Most of the flyers wind up on the ground and create work for market staff,” she says. As for complaints, “There are always people who come up and ask, ‘Why do you have Krispy Kreme Donuts here?’ ”

Tara Treasurefield writes about environmental, public health, and free-speech issues. She sometimes sits at the No Spray table at the Sonoma Farmers’ Market.

From the July 19-25, 2001 issue of the Northern California Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

‘American Cuisine’

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‘American Cuisine’

Sugar & Spice

‘American Cuisine’ proves sweet & tasty

THE FIRST THING to note about American Cuisine is that its opening moments really sizzle. And bubble. And hiss. And chop. And sauté. And pour. And percolate.

Before we see a single image on screen in this light and fluffy romantic comedy from Beaches screenwriter Jean-Yves Pitoun, the director serves up an evocative medley of culinary kitchen clamor that has us salivating deliriously in anticipation of all that food.

That the first image we see–the face of a baby, messily devouring a creamy mass of mashed potatoes–is just the first surprise in what turns out to be a whole menu of them.

The baby, we learn, is the kid who will grow up to be Loran Collins (Jason Lee), a Navy cook who dreams of becoming a great chef in the tradition of his hero, French master chef and restaurateur Louis Boyer.

After Loran is bounced from the Navy for decking the senior officer who slandered his salmon and baked peaches, a fortunate coincidence presents him with the chance of a lifetime: a position in the kitchen of Boyer’s four-star restaurant in France. Faster than you can say, “How much will you give me for my motorcycle?” Loran has sold his Goldwing to buy a ticket overseas, where he meets his first disappointment.

Boyer thought Loran was a woman’s name. Believing he must maintain an equal number of male and female chefs in his kitchen, the flamboyant, impossibly temperamental Boyer (Eddy Mitchell) fires Loran on the spot. The great chef, it turns out, suffers from “paranoid narcissistic dementia.” Apparently, he has a brain tumor he refuses to have looked at, owing to his hatred of doctors. This has led to Boyer’s recent rash of bizarre behavior: publicly assaulting food critics (the only people he hates more than doctors), locking himself in the fish freezer, and appearing in the kitchen stark naked (well, he’s wearing an apron).

Boyer, who winds up forming an unlikely bond with the brash American, eventually gives Loran a chance, allowing him to work for room and board–just until he can be properly replaced by a woman. The kitchen scenes are among the film’s best, as Loran’s alternately competitive and seductive fellow cooks scamper like caffeinated dancers–with knives–to satisfy the customers’ appetites.

Of course, Loran quickly falls for Boyer’s daughter (the beautiful Irene Jacob), who resents the newcomer’s growing bond with her father. Meanwhile, as Boyer’s shenanigans grow more severe, Loran ends up becoming the great chef’s favorite personal project, leading to a number of sharply funny culture clashes.

When Boyer looks to Loran for help after starting a fish-market fistfight, the chef tells him, “You must know what to do. Crazy things happen to Americans all the time.”

While Mitchell is endearingly outlandish, and Jacob is tough and adorable, it is Jason Lee who is the real eye-opener here. A longtime staple of Kevin Smith movies (he’s been in all of them: Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma), Lee also played the skate-boarding billionaire in Lawrence Kasdan’s little-seen Mumford. American Cuisine marks his first role as a romantic lead, and he handles the job with charm and a remarkable amount of presence.

Like a great big serving of salmon and baked peaches, American Cuisine is both unexpected and satisfying.

‘American Cuisine’ opens Friday, July 20, at the Rafael Film Center, 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael. For details, see , or call 415/454-1222.

From the July 19-25, 2001 issue of the Northern California Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

North Bay Ghosts

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North Bay Ghosts

[ Insider’s Guide Index ]

Where to find the free spirit(s) of the North Bay

THE TRUTH, as they say, is out there. It’s also right here–in our very own North Bay backyards, on our streets, in our houses. Have you noticed anything bumping in the night lately? Heard any strange sounds or voices? Felt any eerie vibrations as you window shopped, washed the dishes, walked the dog?

Well, if you have, don’t worry. It may just be your new dead neighbors.

Consider these facts: According to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of new arrivals in Marine, Sonoma, and Napa counties has risen dramatically since 1990, with populations in each county increasing by 7.5 percent, 12.2 percent, and 18.1 percent, respectively. Of course, these numbers refer only to the number of people now living in the North Bay. Figures on the number of dead people currently residing here are not quite so easy to calculate. But it stands to reason that if living-and-breathing people like being here, then dead folks might enjoy it as well.

This, perhaps, is why paranormal experts have detected a growing number of spirits throughout the North Bay. Victoria Bullis, a professional spiritualist and ghost counselor from Berkeley, determined years ago that the North Bay ghost populations were rising–particularly in Sonoma County, which proves consistent with the demographics for living people.

“What the living appreciate, the dead appreciate as well,” Bullis affirms. Like many of us, it seems, what a ghost is looking for in a home is location, location, location. “Ghosts are coming in from all over,” she says. “It’s a regular ghost carnival around here.” The newcomers, she says, are as likely to be hanging out in your car or near your office desk as they are to be camped out in your attic. They wander around. They visit one another. They hitchhike. They go sightseeing. They people-watch.

They enjoy their surroundings, perhaps even more than we do.

For those interested in making the acquaintance of these ethereal neighbors, the best bet is to hook up with veteran Petaluma newspaperman Bill Soberanes at one of his Halloween seances at the Phoenix Theatre or visit one of the established, old-time haunts, where the ghosts are all settled in a ready to entertain. To help you, here are four of the North Bay’s best-known haunted locations:

For years, beachcombing visitors at Marin’s Muir Beach have reported an old woman in a flowing white dress, walking with a black dog, who paddles along the surf before vanishing among the rocks. She usually appears in the early to late mornings, on foggy days.

The Cavanagh Inn in downtown Petaluma features a lovely Victorian house, with lovely Victorian furnishings–and the lovely Victorian spirit of one Adelaide Cavanagh, who tends to flirt with male guests and dance loudly across the wooden floor, and likes to open and shut the closet in the Magnolia Room.

It used to be a women’s prison, and some of those women never left. Now it’s the home of Bartholomew Park Winery in Sonoma. The one-time penitentiary is a popular tourist spot and the home of several mysterious hymn-singing ghosts whose disembodied voices are often heard, sweetly harmonizing through the echoey halls.

Wineries, evidently, are as popular among ghosts as they are among the living. Geyser Peak Winery in Geyserville boasts a resident prankster named Rosie, a nocturnal who flits through the winery’s office building, flushing toilets and flipping on lights late at night. Reportedly, many employees avoid working past dark, which surely makes Rosie light up with mischievous glee.–D.T.

[ Insider’s Guide Index | ]

From the July 19-25, 2001 issue of the Northern California Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

Kenneth Cleaver

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Consumer Correspondent

Apple Computer, Inc. I Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014

Dear Apple:

Today is the second day of the rest of my life. Yesterday my iMac arrived. The iMac is a remarkably attractive computer. Its transparent CPU dome looks like something out of a candy store. Stunning as it looks alone, when paired with its user one’s eyes are drawn to a startling incongruity.

A headpiece, or iHat, made of the same plastic that houses the CPU would provide an aesthetic balance while serving to further integrate the CPU with the mind of its user. The iHat should come equipped with built-in headphones and horse blinders. Both devices could serve to prevent distraction from the outside world. Since Apple has been encouraging me to think differently, I thought you’d be delighted by my efforts.

If it is not too much of an imposition, I should like a prototype iHat: it would be really fun to sport mine before they’re all the rage. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely, Kenneth H. Cleaver

Dear Kenneth H. Cleaver:

Thank you for your correspondence [about the iHat]. It is Apple’s policy not to accept unsolicited ideas concerning products, produce enhancements, processes, materials, advertising, promotions, or marketing plans (all hereinafter “IDEAS”) from sources outside the Company. Our policy may be viewed at http://www.apple.com/legal/default.html#unsolicited.

In this regard, all IDEAS submitted to Apple are forwarded to my office. I keep such IDEAS in my locked files.

We hope that you understand that this policy is necessary to prevent claims that Apple appropriated unfairly unsolicited IDEAS submitted to the Company.

We do appreciate your interest and support of Apple Computer, Inc.

Very truly yours,

Albert P. Cefajo Director of Patent, Trademark & Copyright APPLE COMPUTER, INC.

From the July 19-25, 2001 issue of the Northern California Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

North Bay Farmers’ Markets

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North Bay Farmers’ Markets

[ Insider’s Guide Index ]

Your one-stop shopping guide to North Bay farmer’s markets

THE ADVENT of the summer season heralds not only ‘squito bites, sand, and Sno-Cones, but also that particularly magical time when local produce growers showcase their flourishing yields. It’s a great al fresco supermarket as they set up stands in parks and parking lots around the North Bay. Take the kids and an old woven basket and troll the stalls in search of the perfect peach, the freshest rosemary, the ripest tomatoes, the sweetest raspberries, and the tenderest spinach.

The character of the farmers’ markets can differ as much as the produce offered. Some local markets excel at being community gathering places, where the kids can suck on a honey stick from the local beekeeper, kick off their sandals, and run to live music, and the adults can gape at outdoor art shows, attend cooking demonstrations, or get free gardening tips. And many farmers are becoming savvy about the value of the personal touch and the old-fashioned social exchange (that’s sincere interaction as opposed to the perky salutation of an insincere, coat-hanger grinning checker who’ll be fired if she ignores you). These days growers are likely to offer customers recipes, information, and the occasional anecdote.

Don’t take a list; just let your senses guide you. Here’s what’s going on locally, according to the latest information from the California Federation of Certified Farmers’ Markets.–P.H.

Sonoma County

Cloverdale
Downtown Plaza
Saturdays, 7 a.m. to noon, June-October
707/894-4470

Healdsburg
West Plaza parking lot at North and Vine streets
Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon, May-December;
and the Plaza
Tuesdays, 4 to 6 p.m., June-October
707/431-1956

Petaluma
Walnut Park, Fourth and D streets
Saturdays, 2 to 5 p.m., May-October
707/762-0344

Santa Rosa
Oakmont, bank parking lot, White Oak and Oakmont drives
Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon, year-round
707/538-7023

Original Farmers’ Market, Santa Rosa
Veterans Bldg., 1351 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa
Saturdays and Wednesdays, 8:30 a.m. to noon, year-round
707/522-8629

Wednesday Night Market
Fourth and B streets, Wednesdays, 5 to 8:30 p.m., May 31-Sept. 6
707/524-2123

Sebastopol
New Town Plaza, Petaluma Avenue at McKinley Street
Sundays, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., May-November
707/522-9305

Sonoma Valley
Depot Museum parking lot,
First and Spain streets; Fridays, 9 a.m. to noon, year-round
and Sonoma Plaza at Napa Street;
Tuesdays, 5 to 8:30 p.m., April-October
707/538-7023

Marin County

Novato
Sherman and Grant streets
Tuesdays, 4 to 8 p.m., May-November
800/897-FARM

Pt. Reyes Station
Toby’s Feed Barn, 15479 State Route 1
Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., May-October
415/633-9153

San Rafael
Civic Center, Hwy. 101 and San Pedro Road
Sundays and Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., year-round
800/897-FARM

Napa County

Calistoga
In front of the Sharpsteen Museum, 1311 Washington St.
Saturdays, 8 to 11 a.m., summer months
707/942-4769

Napa
First and Main streets
Thursdays, 4 to 8 p.m., May-September;
and West and Pearl streets
Tuesdays, 7:30 to noon, May-October
707/252-7142

St. Helena
Hwy. 29 and Grayson-Crane Park
Fridays, 7:30 to 11:30 a.m., May-October
707/265-8602

Yountville
Compadres Bar & Grill parking lot,
6538 Washington St.
Wednesdays, 4 to 8 p.m.; year-round
707/257-8481

[ Insider’s Guide Index | ]

From the July 19-25, 2001 issue of the Northern California Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

San Francisco Mime Troupe

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San Francisco Mime Troupe

Bad blood: Victor Tomas and Velina Brown confront a corporate bloodsucker in the San Francisco Mime Troupe’s ‘1600 Transylvania Avenue.’

Wordplay

S.F. Mime Troupe is anything but silent

By Patrick Sullivan

“THE LAST president may have felt the nation’s pain, but this president promises to be responsible for it,” proclaims a guy on stage doing a remarkably effective Bush impersonation. Ten minutes later, another character is calling the goofy G.W. impersonator the “idiot son of a pencil-necked criminal.”

If Bush-bashing is a sport, this is the Olympics. And the large crowd gathered under cloudy skies in this Berkeley park–mostly graying boomers and their offspring–is eating it right up.

But this production has more to offer than politics. Even little kids who wouldn’t know a tax-cut proposal from a strategic defense initiative start paying attention when a giant vampire bat swoops down on the stage and starts sucking the blood out of a hapless journalist–some poor bastard named Renfield who asked too many tough questions during a song-and-dance version of a White House press conference.

Welcome to 1600 Transylvania Avenue, the first musical melodrama about corporate bloodsuckers taking over the White House. Naturally, it’s a production of the San Francisco Mime Troupe, currently celebrating its 40th season of radical public theater performances in the Bay Area.

But wait a minute. Mimes? Doing musicals?

“We are a mime troupe, but we’re just not a silent mime troupe,” explains Andrew Sullivan, a 13-year company veteran who is the principal writer and director of 1600 Transylvania Avenue.

It’s not the first time Sullivan, 40, has had to explain this. And it won’t be the last in a nation that stubbornly associates the word mime with the white-faced antics of Marcel Marceau and his countless imitators.

“There are different forms of mime, and in the ancient form of mime, actually you can talk,” Sullivan continues, going on to explain that the troupe derives inspiration from the tradition of commedia dell’arte, a humorous but socially conscious form of popular theater that flourished in Europe from the 16th through the 18th century.

So you won’t see San Francisco Mime Troupe actors pawing at pretend walls or drinking invisible glasses of water. But you will see them sing, dance, and sometimes suck a little blood as they stage high-energy musicals about hot-button political issues ranging from racial stereotypes to public health care.

And as you might guess from the red star that hangs over the stage, these folks have a definite point of view.

Of course, if the mime label is tough to overcome, a reputation for political theater might be even worse. When a political agenda intersects with the stage in America, bad things often happen–like deadly dullness. But that’s one rap that has never stuck to the San Francisco Mime Troupe.

Over four decades of existence, the company has built a solid reputation for innovative, entertaining theater. Along the way, the troupe has picked up three Obie Awards and a Tony Award.

Of course, it was hard to be boring back in the troupe’s early days, when company founder R. G. Davis was getting busted by the cops for staging “obscene” performances in public parks and a young Bill Graham had to organize a benefit concert to raise bail money.

These days, the cops can’t be counted on to liven up the scene. But that’s OK, because the troupe doesn’t do dull. The company’s time-tested formula of musical comedy plus slapstick plus politics has become increasingly popular. Sullivan says the first weekend of 1600 Transylvania Avenue was the best-attended opener since the troupe has kept records.

What’s the secret to this success?

“I think one of the problems that happens a lot in political theater is that they try to give you all of the facts and get you to change your mind during the course of the show,” Sullivan says. “What we’re trying to do is get people to open their minds up to possibilities.”

That’s not the only criticism Sullivan levels at the way theater tends to tackle social issues.

“A lot of political theater is really just satire,” he says. “They make fun of events without having a point of view, which I think actually disheartens people. If you feel like your government has taken this big swing in a direction toward oppression, it’s not really that funny.”

Which is not to say that humor isn’t a big part of the troupe’s productions.

“The comedy comes from how the characters react in the circumstance and kind of pushing it to a ridiculous point,” Sullivan explains. “But we want to make sure the audience understands the import of what’s going on.”

But while mixing serious politics with slapstick humor might seem only natural in a world full of Bill Clintons and Trent Lotts, it’s not always easy. Sullivan labored mightily over the script for 1600 Transylvania Avenue, staying up writing until the early morning and then working in the troupe’s usual collaborative fashion with the actors.

That collaborative process helps ensure that the actors’ hearts are in their performances–and it shows in the current production. Amos Glick is deeply hilarious as the president, a malapropism-spouting corporate bloodsucker who comes off like a retarded version of the Count from Sesame Street. Anastasia Coon is excellent in the role of Lucy Morgan, a good-hearted entrepreneur transformed into a vampishly seductive minion of evil. And Velina Brown puts her excellent singing voice to good effect in the role of Shamina Jones, the play’s intrepid heroine.

MOST TROUPE members, like Sullivan, are in it because they believe in the troupe’s socially conscious mission. They certainly aren’t doing it for money. Back in the 1960s, actors were paid 50 cents for each performance. The money is a little better today, but most members of the company take outside work to survive, and escalating rents have even forced a couple to live outside of San Francisco–a social problem that the troupe scrutinized in last year’s City for Sale.

“We don’t pay nearly as much as Web Van. But then again, we’re still in business,” Sullivan notes with a laugh.

And the troupe has no problem attracting new talent. One up-and-coming collaborator is Petaluma resident Jason Sherbundy, formerly associated with both the Cinnabar Theater and the Savoy Swingers. Sherbundy serves as musical director on 1600 Transylvania Avenue.

The troupe itself often has to scramble for money. They’re lucky enough to own a warehouse in the Mission District, which kept them from being burned by the red-hot rental market. But the company used to have an ambitious touring schedule that took it across the country and even around the world. Sullivan says the dramatic cutbacks in federal funding for the arts have had a serious impact on the company’s ability to find colleges and other venues that will sponsor them.

But the San Francisco Mime Troupe seems to be able to increasingly count on audience members to open their wallets and support the show.

Sullivan says more donations were collected at this season’s opening weekend than ever before.

“They know the danger the arts are in, and I think they appreciate what we do,” Sullivan says. “As time goes on, they appreciate it more and more.”

The San Francisco Mime Troupe performs on July 29 at 8 p.m. at New College, 99 Sixth St., Santa Rosa; $12 (707/568-2605); and on Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the Sebastiani Theatre, 476 First St. E., Sonoma; $12 (707/996-9756).

From the July 19-25, 2001 issue of the Northern California Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

Health Resources

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Health Resources

[ Insider’s Guide Index ]

Healthy Choice

How to put your health back in your own hands

BOOMERS with bad backs. Bad feet. Big butts. Fat guts. Heads that ache. A depressed mental state. Sore shoulders. Achy knees. Another soy lattacino with a double shot of decaf espresso, please. “My prostrate is swollen like a Firestone radial.” “God, I’m blind as a bat.” “Wha? Sorry, I didn’t catch that.” “Jesus, my gums are bleeding like crazy.” “What the . . . can you feel this lump!?” Hot flashes. Cool libidos. Stuffy sinuses. Migraines from hell. Tingling sensations in your extremities. Insomnia. Insomnia. Insomnia. Didn’t hurt yesterday? Yeah, middle age is hell to pay. Just remember, when it comes to the great evil corporate healthcare machine, that Orwellian axiom applies: Ignorance is strength. It’s time to get smart.–G.C.

Redwood Health Library
314 Western Ave., Petaluma, 707/778-9114
Empowering you with information, that’s their motto. And thanks to an impressive reference library, a professional medical reference librarian, and a cordial staff of volunteers, this one-of-a-kind service lives up to its pledge. Don’t expect any medical advice, but if you want to brush up on the latest research, get the information you need to make an informed decision about treatment of a medical condition, or look into nutrition or alternative medicine, the Redwood Health Library can help with medical databases, reference materials, health books (including children’s health books), videotapes, audiotapes, pamphlets, medical journals, and Internet access. Men’s health issues; women’s health issues; kid’s health issues–it’s all here. Memberships are available, but services are free. And the library–a community service of the Petaluma Health Care District–recently expanded its hours to Tuesdays-Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (open Wednesday till 8 p.m.).

Northern California Center for Well Being
350 College Ave., Suite 101, Santa Rosa, 707/575-6043
This nonprofit resource center offers a broad range of health classes, from gaining control of asthma to living with diabetes, to helping overweight children, to understanding about hepatitis C. Meditation, nutrition, spiritual wellness–it’s all here, in low-cost, easy-to-understand workshops taught by healthcare professionals in a relaxed and supportive setting (courses are offered throughout Sonoma and Mendocino counties). Mondays-Fridays, 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m.

Farmacopia
95 Montgomery Drive, Suite 90, Santa Rosa, 707/528-4372
Modeled after a European herbal pharmacy, this 3-year-old business combines the clinical approach of a traditional pharmacy with the alternative-healing aesthetic. Trained herbalists are on staff. One of the owners is a neurologist, so the business has access to high-quality herbal products unavailable to many others. And the staff works closely with local physicians. Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Integrative Medical Clinic of Santa Rosa
175 Concourse Blvd. Santa Rosa, 707/566-9193

[ Insider’s Guide Index | ]

From the July 19-25, 2001 issue of the Northern California Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

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