The late (and great) Steve Silver has left his mark in San Francisco.
But sadly, his incredible and outrageous “Beach Blanket Babylon,” a fixture at Club Fugazi in San Francisco’s North Beach for decades, is shutting down New Year’s Eve after an incredible and inspired 45-year run.
In comparison, Broadway’s longest-running show, “The Phantom of the Opera,” has been running for 30 years.
“Beach Blanket” has been my go-to, must-see show every time I’m in San Francisco. The last time was five years ago. Sure, the city by the bay is noted for its Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, the San Francisco 49ers and the Golden State Warriors.
For me, “Beach Blanket” is the heart and soul of the city. Maybe that’s why Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco, too. Sorry to see this one go.
Why? It’s been the West Coast version of Gerard Alessandrini’s New York “Forbidden Broadway,” which has staged, erratic limited runs off Broadway since 1982.
You’re a nobody unless you make it into Silver’s “Beach” and Alessandrini’s “Forbidden.” Both are parallel paradises for parody and spoof, but for inclusion, you pretty much have to be a household name. While “Beach” has announced its finale for Dec. 31, “Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation,” just closed a run in New York’s Upper West Side, but will reopen in January at the off-Broadway York Theatre. Over the decades, I’ve seen six or seven “Beach” shows and perhaps seven or eight “Forbidden” shows.
The San Francisco show, which perennially updated trending notables, has been an explosive tableau of hats, hair and hilarity, celebrating celebrity-hood via tributes and putdowns.
It’s the city’s gotta-see tradition, with equal parts lovefest and laughfest, in the quaint Club Fugazi. Residents and visitors alike convene to cheer and applaud a roster of politicos, too, depicted in a panorama of revelry and roasts.
At my last peek, Barack and Michelle Obama (Phillip Percy Williams and Renee Lubin) pranced to “Barack Around the Clock.” Bill and Hillary Clinton (Paulino Duran and Caitlin McGinty) were passe already, outshadowed by Donald Trump (Derek Lux) as the possible new POTUS — with wife Melania (Jacqui Arslan) — promising to make America great again.
Created by Silver, the show has continued on with his widow Jo Schuman Silver carrying the torch, never losing the touch of exaggeration and overstatement to the max, matched by flamboyant costumes.
But “BBB” has been mostly about the chapeaux (and coiffures, too). Sia (Caitlin McGinty) was bewigged in a drooping blonde wig, Oprah Winfrey (Lubin) had a haystack-tall wig. A longtime favorite, King Louis XIV (Curt Branom) boasted twin peaks of radiating hot pink hair with flamboyant threads and very limp wrists.
Some puns were visual, like when Russia’s Vladimir Putin sang “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” going bonkers for Ritz Crackers. Kim Kardashian (Arslan) literally was the butt of a somewhat cruel joke — with oversized hips. Bruce Jenner, now Caitlyn (Stephen Brennan), was immortalized in that iconic Vanity Fair cover pose, and sang “I’m a Woman” in a voice both high and low.
Adele, Barbra Streisand, Beyonce, Michael Jackson, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Queen Elizabeth and Kim Jong Un were targets, along with Mr. Peanuts, Princess Leia, Darth Vader. Yeah, may the farce be with you.
Silly? Of course. But underlying the skewering was a streak of adoration; if you were a notable, you were certified star fodder.
The signature hat, a panorama of the San Francisco skyline, was “worn” by Tammy Nelson, and dotted with miniatures of the Chinatown gate, the Golden Gate Bridge, the cable cars, the TransAmerica tower, Ghirardelli Square and the AT&T stadium. The creation was so humongous, it spanned nearly the whole width of the stage, with the pyramid tower growing by the inch before your eyes. The architectural wonder was supported on Nelson’s shoulders, with help from braces on wheels. I was privileged to visit backstage on an earlier visit, when Silver allowed me to peek beneath the San Francisco panorama, and the contraption was rigged with supportive pipes and wheels so the wearer didn’t have to carry the full burden of the mega hat/costume.
Amazingly, a cast of 10 pumped out the impersonations and caricatures with lightning-force accuracy.
Club Fugazi is located at 678 Green St. (aka Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd.). Shows are at 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays, 6 and 9 p.m. Saturdays, 2 and 5 p.m. Sundays. Reservations: 415-421-4222, beachblanketbabylon.com. …
And that’s “Show Biz.”
Wayne Harada is a veteran entertainment columnist. Reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com.
