Steam punkers, Edward Gorey fans, ballroom dancers, cat lovers, eccentrics, literrati, Goths, humorists and lovers of the macabre: it's time to rejoice!
This weekend marks the arrival of one of our great San Francisco institutions: The Edwardian Ball. (That's "Edwardian" as in Edward Gorey, as well as the turn of the 20th century. Don't worry if you are confused. In this instance, categories get well mixed.)
Co-produced by the musical group Rosin Coven and the circus performance ensemble the Vau de Vire Society, the Ball is an extravaganza like no other.
The premise? Create a theatrical environment inspired by a story by Edward Gorey. (In this edition, that would be "The Iron Tonic".)
Asked to describe the result, producer Mike Gaines says "It is a world of art...mostly created by the spectators themselves. ... The Ball involves a cross pollination of a wide pallete of art from fashion designers to music to theatre to circus..."
Circus? That's right. A major feature of the ball includes the performance of circus arts by the Vau de Vire Society.
This is something more than Great Great Grandma's ballroom dancing.
The event encompasses four floors of the spectacular Regency Ballroom which is a former Masonic Temple and lives up to the name. One entire floor is given over to a Museum of Wonders: "The Edwardian Odditorium". At another level is a piano lounge. Elsewhere is a fully staged theatrical performance. Around every corner can be found vignette performances of all sorts. Musicians are everywhere. The basement is given over to a vendors' bazaar. And, there is, indeed, a grand ballroom where dancing reigns.
Many attendees describe The Edwardian Ball as the highlight of their year.
The Edwardian Ball occurs this Friday and Saturday night, January 20th and 21st at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. For further information, click here.
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Find more coverage of the Bay area theatre scene at TheatreStorm.
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