Best Shows To See On Valentine's Day Weekend 2013 In The South Bay
The Second City
Montalvo Arts Center
15400 Montalvo Road
Saratoga, CA 95070
(408) 961-5800
www.montalvoarts.org
Date: Feb. 16
Second City, Chicago's famed improv troop, boasts alumni such as Joan Rivers, Dan Akroyd, Mike Myers and Amy Sedaris. Now the group brings its "Laughing Matters" show, featuring some of the best sketches and improv from its long history to the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga. If you want to laugh your Valentine's weekend away, this is a great choice. Tickets for the Saturday, February 16 performance start at $40, and an optional "Martini Madness" pre-show cocktail party can be added for only $30.
Promises, Promises
South Bay Musical Theatre
Saratoga Civic Theater
13777 Fruitvale Ave.
Saratoga, CA 95070
(408) 266-4734
www.southbaymt.com
Dates: Feb. 14-16
Nothing says love more than musical theater. The musical "Promises, Promises" is a romantic romp based on the classic film "The Apartment." The songs in "Promises, Promises" are written by famed musical theatre composers Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The story, set in the 1960s, centers around Chuck Baxter, who quickly finds himself - and his apartment - taken advantage of by his bosses for romantic interludes, which threatens his budding office romance with a coworker. Tickets are $26 for Thursday night shows and $33 for Friday through Sunday shows. Performances on Valentine's week are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m.
Related: Best Bets For Live Music On Valentine's Day In San Francisco
Imperial Fizz
Hoover Theater
1635 Park Ave.
San Jose, CA 95126
(408) 493-0783
www.renegadetheatre.com
Dates: Feb. 14-23
Renegade Theatre Experiment bills itself as "the South Bay's voice for alternative theatre," and February's upcoming show fits right in. Written by Brian Parks, "Imperial Fizz" is a play based in the 1930s, but its surreally comic plot is very contemporary. Held at San Jose's historic Hoover Theater, the February performances will be the play's North American premiere. If you and your partner like to think and be challenged, this would be an unexpected Valentine's Day choice. Tickets for performances are $25 plus a $2.50 service fee (senior and student discounts available).
The Flying Karamazov Brothers
San Jose Repertory Theatre
101 Paseo de San Antonio
San Jose, CA 95113
(408) 367-7255
www.sjrep.com
Dates: Feb. 15-24
Want a Valentine's weekend that's a little quirky, a little funny and a little ooh and aah? You may have heard of the Flying Karamazov Brothers, but have you seen them live? The Brothers got their start nearly 40 years ago in Santa Cruz, and have been entertaining audiences ever since. This show, titled "Forty Years of Wandering, Juggling, and Cheap Tricks," will tell the tale of this unique group of singers, jugglers and entertainers. Tickets start at around $50, depending on your chosen seats.
Red
San Jose Stage Company
490 S. 1st. St.
San Jose, CA 95113
(408) 283-7142
www.thestage.org
Dates: Feb. 6 through March 3
Perhaps you'd like to think this Valentine's Day. Perhaps you're looking for a V-Day choice that's unexpected. Why not opt for the Tony Award-winning play "Red," written by John Logan? Red is the story of modern painter Mark Rothko, set amongst the art world of the 1950s. Tickets start at $15 depending on the chosen date.
Related: Best Romantic Trips For Valentine's Day in The Bay Area
Laura Tarwater-Scharp is a freelance writer, editor and historian. Originally from the Midwest, she has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for over a decade. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
