EXTRA PERKS AVAILABLE
Enjoy breakfast, upgrades, & more

Want to take advantage of Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits, including a space available room upgrade, complimentary breakfast, a hotel credit, and more? Contact Ford ([email protected]) for more details. He may even be able to help if you already have a stay booked.

During our recent trip to California (where I also reviewed Alila Marea Encinitas), we spent a night at the new Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero. The hotel has breathtaking views (it’s the highest hotel in San Francisco) and extremely friendly service, though the hotel hasn’t quite reached its full potential yet.

Booking the Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero

For our date, the nightly rate at the Four Seasons was around $420 when booking in advance, though pricing does vary considerably (closer to our stay, the rate was roughly $600). The best way to book any Four Seasons hotel is through a Preferred Partner travel advisor. When booking through Preferred Partner you pay the same rate you’ll find directly on Four Seasons’ website, but you’ll receive extra perks, including the following:

• A room upgrade, subject to availability
• Complimentary daily breakfast
• A hotel credit to use during your stay

Four Seasons Preferred Partner is generally combinable with promotions being offered directly through Four Seasons, like a third or fourth night free offer. Note that booking Four Seasons properties through Preferred Partner is better than booking through programs like Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts. Why?

• With Preferred Partner you have the option of room service breakfast in place of restaurant breakfast (though that’s a moot point at this hotel, since currently only room service breakfast is available
• Upgrades are prioritized for Preferred Partner bookings, given that it’s Four Seasons’ own proprietary program (and the value of an upgrade at a hotel can be significant)
• You can combine Preferred Partner perks with virtually any rate on Four Seasons’ website (other programs don’t allow you to stack promotions in the same way)

You can’t beat getting all of these extra perks just for booking through an eligible travel advisor. Ford is of course more than happy to help anyone book Four Seasons properties through Preferred Partner, and can be reached at [email protected] He doesn’t charge any booking fees for Four Seasons properties.

Full disclosure — Ford got a travel agent rate here. To be honest, it wasn’t that much cheaper than the best published rate if you were to factor in the $100 food & beverage credit we would have gotten through Preferred Partner.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero location

The Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero is located in the 345 California Center building, at 222 Sansome Street. The hotel takes up the top floors of the 48-story building, making it the highest hotel in San Francisco. It’s so awesome to have a hotel that occupies the top floors of a high-rise, rather than the bottom floors (the latter seems to be most common nowadays).

The hotel has a great location, as far as I’m concerned. It’s just a few blocks to the Ferry Building, and a few blocks to Chinatown. Interestingly the hotel is also quite close to the Four Seasons San Francisco (the one that doesn’t have the Embarcadero branding).

Four Seasons San Francisco in 345 California Center

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero history

There’s an interesting backstory to this hotel, in case the building and views sound familiar. This was originally the Mandarin Oriental San Francisco, which opened back in 1986. Then in 2015 the hotel was sold, and it was rebranded as the Loews Regency San Francisco. Then the hotel was sold again in 2019, at which point it closed for renovations and was rebranded as the Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero.

The Four Seasons is the hotel’s third brand. The Four Seasons finally opened in October 2020, but then closed again in December 2020, given the lack of demand due to coronavirus. The hotel then finally reopened in May 2021, and has been open ever since. I don’t envy operating a hotel in San Francisco right now, given that the city was so dependent on conventions and business travel, and that’s something that hasn’t recovered all that much yet.

The other interesting element here is that Four Seasons is doing a full renovation of the hotel, and that’s still a work in progress. While the hotel will eventually have 155 rooms, only 40% of those rooms are currently operational, as the rest are still being renovated. Fortunately they’re doing this floor-by-floor, and we didn’t notice any noise issues.

It’s also worth noting that the hotel doesn’t yet have a restaurant or spa, but rather the only amenities are in-room dining and a gym. That should change soon, and I’ll talk more about that below.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero lobby & check-in

The Four Seasons has an entrance off Sansome Street. When we arrived at the hotel we were promptly welcomed by the friendly bellmen, and directed to the front desk.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero entrance

Reception was located just inside the lobby, and our check-in process was quick and friendly. Four Seasons consistently has phenomenal employees, and this hotel was no exception.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero reception

There’s not a whole lot to the lobby as of now, aside from some Christmas decorations — it’s just a small space. There’s an area to the side of the lobby that will eventually become the hotel’s signature restaurant, but it’s not yet operational.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero lobbyFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero lobbyFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero lobby

The elevators are located at the end of the hallway. One thing I love about this hotel is that you can take a single elevator from the ground floor all the way to your room. Many hotels with guest rooms at the top of a building require you to take two sets of elevators, so it’s awesome to be on a high floor while only having to take a single elevator ride (and the elevators here are fast).

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero elevators

Guest rooms at the Four Seasons are on floors 36 through 48, though I believe only the top several floors are operational as of now.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suite

We were assigned room 4714, a corner suite on the 47th floor.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero elevators

The single coolest thing about the Four Seasons Embarcadero is the views, and what enhances that is that each hotel floor has a glass “bridge” that connects the two sides of the building.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero glass bridge

How unreal are these views?!?! I’m going to go out on a limb and say that these might just be the best views from a hotel hallway anywhere in the world…

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero views

If you go to the 48th floor, there’s even an “EYE SPY” feature, where you can scan a QR code and then identify various landmarks in the city.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero EYE SPY feature

Our room was located at the end of a hallway, and it had two sets of doors, so that presumably the two rooms next to each other could be turned into one room if needed.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero hallway

The corner suites at the Four Seasons Embarcadero are 575 square feet, so they’re more junior suites than full suites (the “real” suites are marketed as being one-bedroom suites). It goes without saying that the second we stepped into the room, our eyes were immediately drawn outside to the views.

Anyway, the room as such was beautifully appointed, as you’d expect from Four Seasons.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suiteFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suite

The room had a signature Four Seasons bed, which I consider to be the best hotel bed out there.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suite

The living area featured a lounger chaise, a chair, a dining table with a chair, and a wall-mounted TV. The room primarily had hardwood floors, and then there was a nice carpet in the living room area. Waiting on the dining table was a welcome amenity, consisting of some fresh fruit and popcorn.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suiteFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suiteFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suite

Back towards the entrance was the minibar area, which had a Nespresso coffee machine and a tea kettle.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suiteFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suiteFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suite

Interestingly there was no stocked minibar, but rather just a mini-fridge. However, we were given a sheet at check-in explaining that the minibar could be stocked on request, and this was part of the property’s policy of minimizing the number of people entering rooms.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suite

The bathroom was back towards the entrance, and featured a sink, a soaking tub, a walk-in shower, and a toilet.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suite bathroomFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suite bathroomFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suite shower

Toiletries were from CODAGE Paris — this was my first time using these toiletries, and I quite liked them.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero toiletries

Of course the highlight of the room was the views in every direction. Simply amazing.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suite viewsFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suite views

Ford and I both usually sleep best when a room is really dark, but in this case we couldn’t help but keep the curtains open, because it seemed like a shame not to with views like this. In the morning we were treated to an incredible sunrise.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suite viewsFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero corner suite views

The views were even better from the glass bridge down the hallway.

Four Seasons Embarcadero views

It goes without saying that the pièce de résistance of our room (and the hotel in general) is the view, but even beyond that the room was beautifully and functionally appointed.

However, I didn’t get the sense that this was a “no expenses spared” renovation, as we’ve seen at some other Four Seasons properties. I imagine a hotel being renovated during the pandemic doesn’t exactly help with that, especially in a market like San Francisco, which is recovering slowly.

For example, the curtains and blinds in the room were manual, rather than electric. Furthermore, while the bathroom was beautiful, it didn’t have double sinks and the toilet wasn’t partitioned off, etc. (in fairness, making major changes to bathrooms and plumbing in buildings like this can be very costly).

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero room service breakfast

Currently the only food available at the Four Seasons Embarcadero is through in-room dining. You can find the hotel’s breakfast menu here, and find the hotel’s all-day dining menu here. Breakfast is served from 6AM until 11:30AM, and we had an excellent room service breakfast, which is also included with Four Seasons Preferred Partner.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero breakfastFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero breakfast

We ordered a berry parfait to share.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero breakfast

Then I had the avocado toast with poached eggs.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero breakfast

Ford had the two scrambled eggs with breakfast potatoes and turkey bacon.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero breakfast

As is standard at Four Seasons properties, there was also complimentary coffee in the lobby in the morning, which is a feature I love.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero complimentary coffee

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero gym

Four Seasons properties consistently have very good gyms, and this property is no exception. The hotel’s gym is located on the third floor, and it features a great selection of cardio and weight equipment. The gym is open 24/7, and you’re asked at check-in if you plan to use it. In the event that you do, your vaccine card is checked, in line with current guidelines in San Francisco.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero gymFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero gymFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero gymFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero gymFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero gymFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero gymFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero gym

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero service

With the limited services being offered by the hotel at the moment, admittedly interactions with staff were fairly limited. However, every employee we interacted with was friendly, from the bellmen, to the front desk agents, to the in-room dining staff.

Because of how few rooms are in operation right now, this really does feel like a boutique hotel. For example, some of the staff welcomed us back by name after returning to the hotel, which is always a nice touch. That’s one benefit of so few rooms being in operation right now.

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero restaurant & spa plans

The Four Seasons Embarcadero is still a work in progress, so what can we expect in the future? The Four Seasons is supposed to open a ground floor signature restaurant in 2022. There are no details yet on what kind of a restaurant it will be or who the chef is behind it, though hopefully we learn more soon.

Currently the restaurant section next to the lobby is just roped off. Below are some pictures of what the space looks like, though note that it still has the old decor from when the hotel was a Loews, so expect the decor to change completely.

Four Seasons San Francisco Embarcadero restaurant

While not open yet, it’s expected that the Four Seasons Embarcadero will have a Sky Deck on the 40th floor. The building has some outdoor space there, so we’ll see what exactly the hotel chooses to do with it, and whether it’s just used for events, or if it eventually turns into a bar. Suffice to say this could be an incredible space (below are a couple of pictures from Four Seasons’ website that give you a sense of this potential venue).

Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero Sky DeckFour Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero Sky Deck

Furthermore, both the Mandarin Oriental and Loews had a spa, located on the third floor, near the gym. While no official plans have been announced yet, it’s my understanding that a spa is under consideration, and could be opened here.

Bottom line

The Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero is one of Four Seasons’ newest properties in the United States, and there’s a lot to like about the hotel. I feel confident saying that the Four Seasons has the best views from any hotel in San Francisco, and some of the best views from any city hotel in the United States. That’s something really special. On top of that, the hotel has newly renovated rooms, friendly service, a good gym, and a solid in-room dining menu.

That being said, this hotel is still a work in progress — a signature restaurant should be opening soon, and we may also see a spa and amazing outdoor space on the 40th floor at some point in the future. Admittedly those are amenities that some people value greatly, so this hotel isn’t for everyone for the time being.

For now I’d recommend staying at the Four Seasons Embarcadero if you care a lot about views and an intimate-feeling property. Meanwhile if you’re someone who likes a lively hotel with a popular restaurant & bar, this isn’t the place to stay… for now.

This stay was a good reminder of how uneven the travel recovery is in the United States. While hotels in Florida are busier than pre-coronavirus, San Francisco hotels still really seem to be struggling.

What do you make of the Four Seasons Embarcadero?

EXTRA PERKS AVAILABLE
Enjoy breakfast, upgrades, & more

Want to take advantage of Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits, including a space available room upgrade, complimentary breakfast, a hotel credit, and more? Contact Ford ([email protected]) for more details. He may even be able to help if you already have a stay booked.

Read Four Seasons reviews: Athens, Boston, Cap-Ferrat, Denver, Desroches Island, Hualalai, Lanai, Los Cabos, Madrid, Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, Maui, Miami, Napa Valley, Oahu at Ko Olina, Paris, San Francisco at Embarcadero, Seychelles, and Surfside

Learn about Four Seasons deals & offers: Anguilla, Athens, Atlanta, Austin, Bahamas, Bora Bora, Boston, Cap-Ferrat, Costa Rica, Dubai, Fort Lauderdale, Hawaii, Jackson Hole, London, Los Cabos, Maldives, New York, Napa Valley, New Orleans, Orlando, Palm Beach, Paris, Philadelphia, Punta Mita, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Seattle, Sicily, and Vail

Learn about Four Seasons basics: Four Seasons Preferred Partner, Four Seasons Private Retreats, Four Seasons Private Jet, Four Seasons travel agents, Four Seasons loyalty program, and maximizing value at Four Seasons

The post Evaluate: 4 Seasons San Francisco At Embarcadero appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

“Poupelle of Chimney Town” manages to do something most people would tell you is impossible: Feel empathy for a pile of smelly trash. It’s a fitting feat for a film that encourages you to keep believing in your dreams even if everyone else believes them or tells you you’re wrong.

Based on a picture book by Akihiro Nishino, who also wrote the screenplay, “Poupelle of Chimney Town” is set in a city with so many chimneys that a thick layer of dark smoke hangs between it and the sky above. The authorities have convinced all residents that there is nothing beyond the smoke — or outside the city limits — and those who believe otherwise are persecuted as heretics.

But Lubicchi (voiced in English by Antonio Raul Corbo) — a young chimney sweep who recently lost his father — believes in the existence of stars and dreams of being able to see them one day. After he befriends a sentient, anthropomorphic pile of garbage that he names Poupelle (Tony Hale), he becomes intent on proving it.

There’s a rustic charm to the stylized 3DCG animation, particularly in Lubicchi’s design and movements. There’s also a playfulness in the way the film toggles with perspective in depicting the dense, smoky, steampunkish town, and in sequences that are reminiscent of video games. Director Yusuke Hirota even throws in a lively, Halloween-themed musical number that likely will appeal to kids.

The strength of Nishino’s adaptation is in its heart. “Poupelle” takes big emotional swings in depicting Lubicchi’s relationship with his father and his new friendship with Poupelle. And Poupelle is an endearing amalgam of the Tin Man and Scarecrow from “The Wizard of Oz.”

Less effective is the film’s attempt to channel story time, which for anyone but the youngest viewers will make parts of the narrative feel repetitive.

The film also takes aim at engaging with larger themes in both subtle (the perils of pollution) and overt (stifling oppression) ways. The most intriguing — if underdeveloped — is the critique of capital and centralized banking presented within the late exposition surrounding the origin story of Lubicchi’s smoky town.

But those shortfalls do not distract from “Poupelle’s” most resonant messages. Even in a world where people would rather stifle imagination, it’s important to keep looking up. “Poupelle” serves as a good reminder for viewers of all ages to not let their fears — or those of others — keep them from pursuing their dreams.

‘Poupelle of Chimney Town’

In Japanese with subtitled English and dubbed English versions

Rated: PG for violence, some action and thematic elements

Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Playing: Regal LA Live, downtown Los Angeles

The post ‘Poupelle of Chimney City’ evaluation: Dare to dream appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

The Giants witnessed the departures of several key players this offseason, but made some targeted free agent strikes and filled their rotation with pitchers on short-term deals. The team is banking on veteran depth and a few new diamonds in the rough to recreate last year’s miraculous run to the postseason.

Major League Signings

Options Exercised

Trades and Claims

Extensions

• Signed 1B/OF Darin Ruf to a two-year, $6.25MM extension (deal also includes a $3.5MM option for 2024)

Notable Minor League Signings

• Alex Blandino, Matt Carasiti, Cody Carroll, Raynel Espinal, Luis González, Wei-Chieh Huang, Mauricio Llovera, Carlos Martinez, Luis Ortiz, Corey Oswalt, Taylor Williams

Notable Losses

• Caleb Baragar, Kris Bryant, Tyler Chatwood, Johnny Cueto, Alex Dickerson, Kevin Gausman, Jay Jackson, Scott Kazmir, Buster Posey, Jose Quintana, Donovan Solano, Tony Watson

After winning a franchise-record 107 games that even the most optimistic prognosticators didn’t see coming, the Giants entered this offseason with a straightforward goal: do it again. Any team would be hard-pressed to collect triple-digit win totals in back-to-back seasons, but San Francisco finds themselves in a uniquely odd spot to attempt the feat. In their last full season in 2019 the team won only 77 games and ended 29 games back of first place, and yet when they fielded almost the exact same veteran core two years later they tacked on 30 wins and eked out a division title over the Dodgers, who again won 106 games. Career years from the Giants’ veteran roster made all the difference in 2021, but until the 2022 season is in the books it’s impossible to say if this was a perfect storm or the new normal moving forward. 

Complicating the team’s hope of this being the new normal is that one of their most counted upon veterans retired at the onset of the offseason. Long-time catcher Buster Posey hung up his spikes after a dozen seasons in the league, a decision that has more than just sentimental ramifications for the club. In his 2021 comeback campaign, Posey slugged at a rate not seen since his age-25 MVP season in 2012. The 34-year-old’s production served as a final feather in the cap of the future Hall-of-Famer’s career, but 113 games of a .304/.390/.499 (140 OPS+) slash line will be hard to replace from an organizational perspective. Joey Bart is the heir apparent to San Francisco’s catching throne and a former second overall pick but will have a tough act to follow, particularly considering he had just 35 games of big league experience heading into 2022.

While Posey’s departure caught many by surprise, for reasons ranging from his elite play to the fact that the team held a $22MM club option over his services for 2022, he wasn’t the only retirement party recipient this winter. Left-handed reliever Tony Watson, who spent three and a half of the last four seasons by the Bay, also called it a career after shoulder issues dashed his 2022 ambitions. The 36-year-old reliever was no lock to return to the club even if his health permitted, but it’s worth remembering that in a lights out bullpen last season it was Watson who was the least hittable. 

A pair of retirement decisions were out of the Giants’ control, but they struck early and often to keep some of their top 2021 talents in the fold. On November 7 the team exercised a trio of very affordable club options to keep infielder Wilmer Flores, left-handed reliever Jose Alvarez, and right-handed reliever Jay Jackson under team control. Alvarez racked up ground balls en route to a career season, and should team with fellow lefties Jake McGee and Jarlin Garcia to minimize the blow of Watson’s exit. Jackson, interestingly, was flipped to the Braves for cash or a PTBNL shortly after his option was picked up. Flores, meanwhile, was the consummate utility infielder last season, backing up first, second, and third base while posting a 111 OPS+ across 139 games. His easy retainment proves all the more valuable considering the team’s corner infielders, Evan Longoria and Brandon Belt, have racked up a fair bit of IL time in their careers.

Speaking of Belt, the “Captain” forewent an extended trip into free agency after the team issued him an $18.4MM qualifying offer. He’ll continue to man first base at a high level when healthy enough to take the field, though the universal DH may help keep the longest-tenured Giant fresher than he’s been in years past. Keeping Belt around through his age-34 season carries some risk, as he’s endured heel, oblique, knee, and finger injuries the past couple of seasons. Despite those injury concerns, however, Belt is enough of a force at the plate— he hit a team-leading 29 home runs in just 97 games last season— that his upside far outweighs the risk of a single year pact. Belt is currently on the IL after testing positive for COVID.

Belt wasn’t the only captain to have his Giants tenure extended, as the team’s official skipper, manager Gabe Kapler, received a 2-year extension through 2024. The reigning NL Manager of the Year was an integral part of the club’s surprising division title and was credited, along with his fellow coaches, for helping so many of the club’s players reach unexpected heights in 2022. Keeping Kapler atop the coaching pyramid will help keep the coaching staff’s messaging consistent, an important note considering the team lost last year’s hitting coach Donnie Ecker to a bench coach role with the Rangers, denied the Mets a chance to do the same with pitching coach Andrew Bailey, and saw their minor league hitting coordinator Michael Brdar leave for the rival Padres’ hitting coach role.

Several of the team’s reunions had to wait a bit longer, as qualifying offers were not offered to outgoing starters Alex Wood, Anthony DeSclafani, Johnny Cueto, or Kevin Gausman (who was ineligible after accepting a QO in 2020). President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi made it clear in October that he had interest in re-signing all four pitchers, acknowledging that he and his staff would have to offer multi-year deals to do so. Offering expensive contracts of length hasn’t been Zaidi’s M.O. since taking over the club’s front office in November 2018, as evidenced by the modest one-year deals initially used to sign Gausman, Wood, and DeSclafani. However, with a payroll sitting under $100MM after Belt’s QO decision and the team’s competitive window emphatically flung open, the Giants likely felt they could curb their conservative spending to an extent.

Within a few days of Belt’s new contract the Giants began to make good on their rotation plans, as they re-signed Wood and DeSclafani to respective two and three-year deals, at annual rates of roughly $12MM. Those represent fairly sizable commitments to two early-30’s pitchers with checkered injury histories, but if either is able to maintain their mid-3.00 FIPs moving forward then the innings they do provide should be worth it— and may even be a bargain— for the big market club.

Fast forward to December and the team struck a similar deal with free agent starter Alex Cobb, at two years and $20MM (plus a $10MM club option). The 34-year-old Cobb was hardly the paradigm of a dependable starter during his time in Baltimore, pitching to a 5.10 ERA across 210 innings from 2018-2020, but he turned a corner after being traded to the Angels. A wrist injury wiped out a good chunk of Cobb’s summer, but when he was healthy he missed bats at the highest level of his career and posted a slate of sub-4.00 run prevention metrics. What’s more, Cobb entered spring training throwing harder than ever before, which he maintained into his three regular season starts. Health will remain a concern for Cobb, but that’s true of most pitchers following this year’s goofy ramp-up period. Otherwise, this deal is quite similar to the short-term pacts for Wood, DeSclafani, and Gausman, all of which worked out swimmingly so far for the club.

The Cobb addition has upside, but it surely disappointed some fans to see his signing occur on the same week that Kevin Gausman signed a $110MM deal with the Blue Jays. Gausman, after all, had already established his upside in the Giants’ rotation and was coming off a sixth place Cy Young finish in a very competitive NL field. Though the Giants were presumptive favorites to re-sign the right-hander after two successful seasons with the club, they ultimately never made an offer to retain the All-Star. 

Being connected to top free agent talent was a rather prominent theme for the Giants, as their payroll sat under half of their previous $200MM heights entering the offseason. As the non-signing of Gausman demonstrated, however, the Zaidi-led front office likes to spread its money around to limit the impact of any single deal going south. The industry belief during the lockout was that the Giants were unlikely to go to nine figures to sign a free agent, which helps explain the lack of a Gausman reunion and several other non-signings this winter. Other high profile targets of the Giants included Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Robbie Ray, Seiya Suzuki, Trevor Story, Starling Marte, Steven Matz, and Marcus Stroman, yet they all eluded the team and netted a contract greater than the ones doled out by San Francisco this offseason.

Another free agent who priced themselves out of the Giant’s comfort zone was Kris Bryant, who landed a massive seven-year, $182MM contract with the Rockies. The size of the former MVP’s contract was a shock, but Bryant’s time in San Francisco was thought to be a layover from the moment of his trade deadline acquisition. Accordingly, his non-signing with the Giants was not a surprise, and the front office prepped fans for that outcome before the offseason was even underway. A lack of movement on the Bryant front isn’t the most exciting outcome for a team who certainly could’ve afforded him, but the Giants have veteran incumbents, like Wilmer Flores, and low-cost alternatives, like outfielder Heliot Ramos, to offer cover at every position Bryant would’ve been signed to play.

San Francisco drew a line on contracts it was willing to give out once the free agent market re-opened back in March, but that didn’t preclude them from handing out contracts altogether. Free agent Joc Pederson was signed to a one year $6MM contract— one thirtieth of Bryant’s deal— to roam the outfield corners in a platoon capacity. The team also handed out its biggest contract of the offseason to left-handed starter Carlos Rodon, a two-year $44MM accord with an opt-out clause that becomes available to Rodon if he pitches 110 innings in 2022.

The Rodon signing seems particularly obvious in hindsight, as the lefty’s effectiveness when healthy is undeniable. That “when healthy” caveat though is what drove his contract demands into the short-term sphere that the Giants like to dabble in, at an annual rate that matches departing ace Kevin Gausman’s contract no less. Should Rodon continue his run of 2021 dominance into 2022, then he’s a lock to head back into free agency after the season. As the Giants have shown with many of their recent starters, they have no problems with one-year pitcher commitments, and may even bring Rodon back if his market isn’t overly competitive.  Through his first four starts of the season, Rodon has dominated to the tune of a 1.17 ERA and 43.2 K%. 

An added complication in Rodon’s future with the team is his status as a potential qualifying offer candidate. The lefty didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the White Sox, meaning the Giants are eligible to offer one at the end of Rodon’s contract if the qualifying offer system isn’t done away with entirely by July 25 of this year. Regardless of the Giants’ ultimate interest in retaining Rodon long-term, they’ll have him atop their rotation for 2022 as they try to repeat or better the 3.25 ERA posted by last year’s starting staff.

The club’s pitching staff is high in upside, but requires depth as all rotations do. A hallmark of least season’s 107-win club was the emergence of unexpected contributors, and the Giants added some candidates who can fit that bill in their pursuit of more pitching depth. In March, right-hander Jakob Junis was brought aboard for a $1.75MM contract, with left-hander Matthew Boyd joining the team days later on a $5.2MM pact. Junis hasn’t been a particularly effective source of innings since 2018, but he comes with an extra year of team control via arbitration if the team wants it, and given the Giants’ ability to revitalize pitching careers they very well might. Boyd on the other hand has appeared on the verge of breaking out for years, though his end of year numbers always seem to lag behind his evident promise. He’ll likely be recovering from left flexor surgery until the summer, but could follow Gausman’s track and put it all together once he’s healthy and pitching for the Giants.

The Giants went thrift shopping all winter, but some moves that may pay the biggest dividends can come via the minor league contracts they handed out. Longtime Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez joined the club on an incentive-laden minor league deal, and could be a valuable depth option once he’s fully recovered from last year’s thumb ligament issues. Joe Palumbo is another potential hidden gem unearthed by the club. The 27-year-old left-hander ranked among the Rangers’ most promising farm hands through last year, but injury woes sent him to waivers where he was ultimately claimed (and later retained on a minor league deal) by the Giants. Both pitchers increase the team’s depth on minor league contracts with lighter values than departing starter Johnny Cueto’s minor league deal with the White Sox.

Outfielder and Triple-A masher Austin Dean is yet another quiet waiver claim-turned-minor league signee who can make a splash for a San Francisco team that is likely to mix and match its active roster throughout the season. A March trade with the Phillies landed the Giants Luke Williams, a speedy plays-anywhere type who can be stashed on the bench or in the upper minors of a system whose best prospects haven’t reached Double-A. The team’s ongoing habit of accruing as many near-big league options as possible can clearly bear fruit, as evidenced by the two-year $6.25MM extension awarded to slugger Darin Ruf, himself a minor league signee in 2020. 

All told, the Giants signed four legitimate starters to fill their rotation and stockpiled enough depth to cover for the departures of several star players, yet there’s still the faintest whiff of the club being too bashful given its available resources. The team certainly deserves the benefit of the doubt given last year’s tour de force performance, and should have plenty of funds earmarked for trade deadline acquisitions. Time will tell if this winter’s moves were enough to make playoff baseball the new normal in San Francisco, something that will be no small feat given the efforts of all four division rivals.

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By Daniel Lazare

After premiering at the New York Film Festival in 1979, this powerful documentary about one of the most dramatic periods in American labor history has been newly restored.

The Wobblies (1979), directed by Stewart Bird and Deborah Shaffer.

[Screens across the country for International Workers’ Day (May 1). Cities include: New York, Los Angeles, Washington, DC,  Seattle, San Francisco, Detroit, Cleveland, Denver, Austin, Park City, Omaha, Portland, and others.]

Looking for a way to celebrate May Day now that mass demonstrations no longer seem to be in style? The Wobblies might be a good place to start. Directed by Stewart Bird and Deborah Shaffer, it’s been given a full 4k restoration more than 40 years after it came out, and it’s opening up across the country just in time for International Workers’ Day. Although some might be inclined to dismiss it as an exercise in leftwing nostalgia – I confess I was part of that group – it’s in fact a powerful look at one of the most dramatic periods in American labor history. It features people like Roger Baldwin, a leftwing firebrand in his day who went on to found the American Civil Liberties Union, and a dozen or so lesser-known souls declaiming passionately about events in their youth.

The story they tell is about a vast upwelling of class conflict that is now largely forgotten. It takes us back more than a century to the days when America was the economic wonder of the world, an industrial colossus outproducing Britain, France, and Germany combined. To run its mines and mills, it was bringing in 15 million people a year, mostly from southern and eastern Europe. But considering that the country had nothing by way of welfare, unemployment insurance, labor law, or workplace regulations, immigrants who could barely speak English were at the mercy of one of the most rapacious business classes the world had ever seen. A coal-mine owner summed up the prevailing attitude in 1902 when he declared that “the rights and interests of the laboring men will be protected and cared for – not by the labor agitators, but by the Christian men to whom God in his infinite wisdom has given control of the property interests of this country.”

With God on the side of the bosses, whispering the word “strike” was blasphemous.

It was into this breach that the Industrial Workers of the World, better known as the Wobblies, stepped in 1905. In contrast to the frankly racist American Federation of Labor, a collection of elite craft unions run by the cigar-chomping Samuel Gompers, the IWW organized entire industries from the bottom up without regard to color, ethnicity, or gender. “The working class and the employing class have nothing in common,” the Wobbly constitution declared. “…Between these two classes a struggle must go on until all the toilers come together on the political, as well as on the industrial field, and take and hold that which they produce by their labor through an economic organization of the working class.” All the toilets, that is, not merely those who were white, male, native-born, and in possession of certain high-value skills.

Mass strikes erupted from the textile mills of Massachusetts to the logging camps of the Pacific Northwest. The times were not gentle. The Wobblies shows police cracking heads and blasting away with guns. One nonagenarian recounts an astonishing incident in Bisbee, Arizona, in July 1917 when the local sheriff deputized a mob of 2,000 vigilantes at the behest of the Phelps Dodge Corporation, loaded more than a thousand striking copper miners onto a freight train, transported them 200 miles into neighboring New Mexico, and then dumped them off in the middle of the desert. “There were machinegun,” the woman – unidentified, unfortunately – recalls in an Italian accent undiminished by age. “They were gonna shoot if anybody gonna jump from train.”

“1,270-some men,” she adds, “in boxcars – boxcars – like cattle! And then they take them down … to Columbus, New Mexico, without water, without anything.”

“Conditions became worse and worse,” recalls a veteran of an IWW strike in Paterson, New Jersey, the center at the time of the US silk industry. “And there was only one thing to do. You either had to just stop living or become a rebel. And that is when the IWW came in.”

“Agitators, a bunch of agitators are in Paterson,” another woman says. “Agitators! I used to get mad. I said, ‘they’re not agitating us, they just telling us the truth.’”

When 300 Wobblies took the ferry from Seattle to the town of Everett, 30 miles up the Washington coast, to support a strike by local lumber workers, hundreds of vigilantes met them at the dock and opened fire. At least five were killed. “I don’t know how many they shot,” another ex-Wobbly recounts. “Nobody knows. Lots of them went overboard, some jumped, some fell…it was terrible.”

That was in 1916. The next year saw worse as the US entered the war and newspaper headlines blared that the Wobblies were in league with the Kaiser. Repression was massive. The Russian Revolution meanwhile ended up splitting the IWW from within. After all, the Wobbly preamble, true to the union’s anarcho-syndicalist roots, had called on workers to avoid “affiliation with any political party.” Yet the Bolsheviks were a vanguard party par excellence. Lumber camps resounded with debate. “They had terrific arguments in the bunkhouses,” a veteran remembers. “The chairman, he’d get up and open the meeting and … he’d say, ‘Gather round here, fellow workers, we’ve got a goddamn revolution to talk about.’” The next year, 101 Wobblies received sentences of up to 20 years each after being found guilty of preventing the draft, encouraging desertion, and labor intimidation in a mass trial in federal court in Chicago. Membership recovered in the early ’20s, but the overall trajectory was clearly downwards.

The Wobblies is moving and intense, so it’s good to have it back after all these years. But the restoration is not without its poignant side. It would be easy to say that the movie is a reminder that such struggles are never-ending and that we’re all indebted to an earlier generation of rebels for putting their lives on the line. But decades later, we’re left with the uneasy feeling that despite such efforts, conditions have gotten worse, ie more atomized, more commodified, more fractious, and more discouraged. It’s not merely that today’s conditions are more complicated, but that society is losing ground. The Wobblies is not a feel-good movie, and that’s entirely to its credit.

Daniel Lazare is the author of The Frozen Republic and other books about the US Constitution and US policy. He has written for a wide variety of publications including Harper’s and the London Review of Books. He currently writes regularly for the Weekly Worker, a socialist newspaper in London.

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Lclockdown was, among other things, a sudden collective experiment in volume control. Sound waves from the regular rush-hour thrum of cities usually penetrate more than a kilometer below the Earth’s surface. When Covid-19 forced humans inside, seismologists noticed the muzak of their subterranean instruments was quieted. The ancient rock of our planet came nearer to the silence that it had known for nearly all of the first 4bn years of its existence. And the relative stillness was felt on the surface, too. People noticed voices from beyond the human world a little more readily, and those voices felt less need to shout to be heard. Scientists in San Francisco discovered that the city’s sparrows reverted to softer and lower pitched songs of a kind not heard since the invention of the freeway.

Biology professor David George Haskell’s often wonderful book is all about listening to those kinds of lost frequencies. It is a sort of rigorous scientific update on that 1960s imperative to “tune in and turn on”: a reminder that the narrow aural spectrum on which most of us operate, and the ways in which human life is led, blocks out the planet’s great , orchestral richness. Haskell’s previous acclaimed book, The Forest Unseen, was a thrillingly curious investigation of the life of one square meter of ancient Tennessee woodland. This new volume gives you the experience of closing your eyes in such a space and having your senses flooded with the background cacophony.

David George Haskell.

It took our sun a good while, Haskell argues, to work out the means of filling the planet with sound. Eventually it discovered the cymbal crash of life. A microphone in a muted laboratory can pick up the sounds of colonies of bacteria. When these are amplified and played back to the bacterial cultures they grow at an accelerated rate, detecting the noise through cell walls. No one knows how or why. Bacteria had this ultimate chill-out playlist to itself for nearly 2bn years. The first sea creatures were voiceless. The evolutionary quirk that set life on the road to hearing was a “tiny wiggly hair”, a cilium on a cell membrane that allowed organisms to “hear” eddies and changes in water flow that might help them to locate food. Haskell traces, beautifully and brilliantly, the stages from that development to the wonders of human and animal hearing – all the infinite serial interactions between communication and reception. “When we marvel at springtime birdsong, or the vigor of chorusing insects and frogs on a summer evening,” he writes, “we are immersed in the wondrous legacy of the ciliary hair.”

Crickets and their ancient relatives were among the prime movers in this evolutionary soundscape. Immersing himself in the mechanics and music of insect song, Haskell transports his reader to imagine the first instruments and notation: he examines the fossil tracery of prototype grasshopper wings, preserved in Permian rock, which clearly reveal the shift from a flat surface to one with an unusual ridge, the gene genie mutation that allowed the insect to create and amplify its sawing sound. Such discoveries lead Haskell to all sorts of places: the development of echolocation, the “hearing feet” of certain species, the insatiable human need to recreate and delight in Caliban’s isle “full of noises”, and the ways in which technology – from antler -horn pipes to reed instruments to digital soundtracks – has often advanced in creating through rhythm and music.

The calls of whales and dolphins can get lost in the ‘sonic fog’ of ships’ engines. Mating and distress calls go unheard

The earliest ears of all species were on high alert for novelty – just like teenagers hungry for the newest beats. Some corners of the animal world are richer with this kind of innovation than others. Humpback whales, Haskell writes, concentrate their hit factory in “an innovation zone” off the coast of Australia, where new calls are developed and tested. Once established, the latest humpback songs will have spread throughout the oceans within a few months. Tragically, evidence suggests, this natural wonder has met with brutal interference in recent years: the calls of whales and dolphins can get lost in the “sonic fog” produced by container ships’ engines. Mating and distress calls go unheard. And oil prospectors’ sonic surveys, producing underwater decibel explosions every minute, are thought to have forced whales – enormously sensitive hearing creatures – out of the ocean to escape the torture.

Human noise pollution is everywhere on land and Haskell’s investigation into natural sound often takes on the tone of a valedictory lament. He goes in search of wild places – forests at dawn, riverbanks at evening – where the diversity of bird and insect noise is at its overwhelming richest, and contrasts them with the eerie silent springs of pesticide-scoured agrarian landscapes. The ambition to tell the history of our planet through description of sound is given a profound urgency by these chapters. Meanwhile, the sense of what is being lost is revealed in how even the thesaurus of Haskell’s descriptive language struggles to keep up with the nuance and variety of the musical world. You often sense him, as he attempts to convey in words what he is hearing, in the position of Keats: no match for the nightingale.

Sounds Wild and Broken by David George Haskell is published by Faber (£20). To support the Guardian and Observer order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply

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On Saturday, April 9, 2022, San Francisco Performances presented renowned German baritone Matthias Goerne and notable prize-winning young Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho in an extraordinary concert.

The performance was like being at a mountain retreat on a distant planet, drinking distilled ambrosia while hearing rare melodies in an exotic language. Clapping nearly seemed irrelevant; how do we applaud such a spring of profound beauty, a new planetary view, and distinctive lifeblood, that we only suspected existed? And, how do we then walk out, aware that to sustain such dimension of meaning we need to enlarge our own capacity? The evening was like learning to breathe again.

Pfitzner’s Romanticism

Goerne began with six songs by German Romantic composer Hans Pfitzner, one of many composers who experienced minimal recognition because of Hitler’s musical authoritarianism. From “Sehnsucht (Longing),” to “Nachts (Nights)” Goerne sang with the marvelous resonance for which he is celebrated. Each crescendo filled the hall, and each articulation of tone was rich and amply textured. Cho, who showed himself a consummate accompanist from the get-go, followed with a progression of powerful chords that supported the sound, adding what seemed like the foundation of a remarkable house. The palette of tones remained lyric, yet full of meaning, with one line after another intensifying the power of the themes of love, beauty and the loss that followed it. Goerne sang with perfect conviction throughout, his whole body arcing as he reached into the depths and exemplified them.

The highlight of the six Pfitzner pieces, “An die Mark (To the mark),” aptly embodies the Romantic cri de coeur, “That everything is just a dream and painful…This country is my homeland and I am its child (All is dream and full of pain, and I must die… This land is my home and I am its child).” The musical line was firm with conviction, and I never lost track of what he sang.

“Wasserfahrt (Waterfall),” followed, the bass arpeggios establishing their dramatic ground before thinning out to delicate pianissimi. With Heine’s poem, “The sinking sun shines so beautifully,” Pfitzner heightened the conflict: “Soon flows between my heart and your eyes the wide sea (Soon flows between my heart and your eyes the wide sea). Cho and Goerne presented a perfect union of words and music that were so completely in tune with each other they seemed to be two and, at the same time, one.

The final lieder, “Nachts (Nights),” followed suit, and I continued to feel as if I were overhearing an intimate conversation shared openly, a stance characteristic of much Romantic music and poetry. Cho played its luxurious opening as if inside the piano keys themselves, delivering the chromatic chords with exquisite finesse, while Goerne sang from deep within his body, his arms lifting and falling and his body bending as well. The forte chords rose and fell with complete mastery, with the legato as meticulous as the lyric upper register. Vocalist and pianist completed their lines in their own time, yet completely in unison.

Wagner’s “Wesendonck”

Wagner’s “Wesendonck Lieder” followed, offering the perfumed beauty of the music and text that distilled Pfitzner’s dense textures. Goerne and Cho detailed Wesendonck and Wagner’s masterpiece with both weight and a translucent film. It was as if the sublime moments were occurring then and there and for the first time. “Der Engel (Angel)” lifted the curtain to the angel in the room, while a later selection, “Träume,” showered us with the beauty of the dream. Both showed how much finesse could come from power and sublimity from depth.

The highlight of the cycle was “In the Hothouse.” The redolent jungle atmosphere was dense and thick. Goerne’s tones were luxuriant while he proffered the down-to-earth aspect of the question the speaker asks, “Tell me why you are complaining? (Tell me, why do you lament?)” Goerne evinced more vocal sensuousness as he proceeded; the elision of spaces between the words contributing to the power of vowels gliding into each other, creating a flowing stream, while maintaining distinctness. The powerful and heightened forte on “Glanze (Shine),” climaxed that process, pulling even more beauty and richness out of the somnolent state of being. The finale returned the audience to the opening melodic line, increasing the poignancy of the whole scene, and was velvety and languorous.

The artists’ parallel process reminded me of how human beings can transcend their own limits if they pay attention. This idea reappeared in “Schmerzen (Agonies),” with its fortissimo phrases and powerful octaves. The song’s conclusion, with its quiet decrescendo, created a moving suspension throughout the hall.

The Finale: Strauss

The final third of the performance featured music by Richard Strauss, with the luxuriousness of his song emphasized and easily accessible. “Traum durch diedämmerung,” lyrical in its chromatic ascent and descent but with an almost folk-like melody, set the stage. The song’s text was at once human yet divine; “I do not walk quickly, I do not hurry, a soft, velvet ribbon draws me…” Once again, the lyrical caress of Goerne’s every word and Cho’s gentle touch on the keyboard created a seamless dream.

“Rest, my soul! (Rest my soul!),” a classic Strauss song, was a gorgeous poem that announced the connection of nature to the human soul, with the storms and the rages now connected to the possibility of peace and calm. “Your storms went wild, raging and trembling like the surf when it swells! (Your storms were wild, you raged, and you quivered, like the breakers, when they surge!)” But as the poet urged rest “… and forget what threatens you! (… and forget what threatens you),” the musicians performed at a perfectly harmonized lento pace. The text remained a quiet and restrained admonition that moved from the purely lyrical into an acknowledgment of how one might consciously live.

Strauss’s “Im Abentrot (At Sunset)” concluded with that same view. The texture of the piano, lush trills, declarative chords, dispensation of truths, and Goerne’s plaintive “How tired we are of traveling—is this perchance death?),” if a bit too slow at moments, wrapped a spell around the audience, one which was not easily forgotten.

After a friend asked me to ensure the memorial for his eventual death featured this beautiful song of Strauss’, I realized that what I had savored of the song until then gave me a deeper appreciation of the piece. Strauss’ captivating song resonated as I left the hall. Somber, haunting, and eloquent, standing as a tribute to life, its rapture, and its pain. Surrounded by serious beauty, the rapture of the evening transcended even its more sober aspects. Indeed, exquisite musical art helps deepen all we value.

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Federal regulators have threatened to pull critical funding from San Francisco’s Laguna Honda Hospital after two patients overdosed at the facility last year, a dramatic measure that could force the hospital to shut down.

Officials with San Francisco’s health department, which runs Laguna Honda, said Wednesday that the hospital had fallen out of regulatory compliance, putting its funding from Medicare and Medicaid in jeopardy. Laguna Honda, one of the largest skilled nursing facilities in the country, is run by the city and cares for more than 700 patients, including people with dementia, drug addiction and other complex medical needs, who live on the hospital’s campus.

The hospital has until April 14 to remedy a number of issues identified by state health officials — including the presence of contraband found on Laguna Honda’s campus — in order to stave off a potential financial calamity that could displace hundreds of medically fragile patients.

State officials said they were working with Laguna Honda to bring the hospital into compliance and avoid closure.

“There’s a commitment from (Department of Public Health) and the city to keep Laguna Honda open,” Roland Pickens, director of the San Francisco Health Network, told The Chronicle. “But it would be very difficult financially to remain open without the reimbursement” payments from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Laguna Honda began a correction plan with the California Department of Public Health in October, after state officials found the hospital “in a state of substandard quality of care,” according to a statement from the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

The finding came after staff at Laguna Honda reported two overdoses at the hospital in July, neither of them fatal. Hospital officials disclosed these incidents to the state, adhering to a self-reporting requirement that Laguna Honda implemented in 2019, after a state investigation turned up evidence of patient abuse.

By documenting the overdoses, Laguna Honda triggered an extended survey by the state, which led to the state’s conclusion in October that the hospital had fallen out of compliance. With the correction plan in place, hospital staff had six months to fix deficiencies and enhance safety measures, including steps to eliminate drug paraphernalia or illicit substances from the campus.

Although Pickens and Laguna Honda CEO Michael Phillips said in an interview that the hospital worked diligently to retrain its staff and remind workers to be on the lookout for banned items, state regulators witnessed violations when they inspected the site. In January, state regulators concluded that one hospital worker was not following protocols. This month, inspectors discovered a patient was smoking in a communal bathroom, while another patient on oxygen had a lighter.

On March 22, the state put Laguna Honda in immediate jeopardy for noncompliance with federal regulations and standards, a severe designation that officials lifted five days later after the hospital quickly responded with restrictions on visitors bringing in items and increased safety searches, among other reforms. Laguna Honda officials are contemplating new security infrastructure, such as scanning machines at entrances to screen visitor packages for prohibited materials.

Still, the six-month window is closing for the hospital to substantially finish its corrective plan, while also resolving the problems uncovered at the subsequent site visits.

The looming deadline puts strain on an institution that managed to avert a deadly coronavirus surge in 2020, but is still grappling with the abuse scandal of 2019, which Pickens and Phillips said had no bearing on the current remedial plan. Last year the city agreed to pay $800,000 to settle one of three lawsuits filed by patients alleging they were abused by staff. One of the cases is a class action, involving multiple plaintiffs.

Phillips, the CEO, pointed to the challenges that plague Laguna Honda.

“We care for some of the most vulnerable residents in the city of San Francisco,” he said, many of whom have histories of substance abuse, which may persist as they undergo treatment. Since the hospital is not a locked facility, people can come and go as they please, opening the possibility that they may procure drugs outside and then return to campus, Phillips said.

“Despite our best efforts, illicit substances will eventually find their way onto our campus,” Phillips said. “We’re continuously looking for ways to improve our protocols so that we can find more innovative ways to identify these substances and keep them away from our residents.”

Staff at the hospital struggle to balance patients’ privacy and freedom of movement with the need to sustain a safe environment and take a hard line on illicit substances or materials. Phillips and Pickens said their discussions with regulators have been amicable and collaborative, but that the state is still obliged to follow a process that puts the hospital at risk of shutting down.

“It’s a perfunctory process that was triggered by the October incident,” Pickens said, suggesting that if the state had been quicker to validate all of the hospital’s reforms, “perhaps we wouldn’t be so close to the April 14 deadline.”

Laguna Honda relies on payments from Medi-Cal and Medicaid to fund most of its services, since most patients are low- or extremely-low-income and burdened with complicated medical needs. It was unclear where patients would go if the hospital is unable to stay afloat.

“As you can imagine, there’s a shortage of skilled nursing beds throughout the country,” Pickens said. “California and San Francisco are no exception. It would take quite a while, if it ever came to trying to find new placements for those 700 patients at Laguna.”

He hopes for what he says is a more likely scenario: All agencies collaborate to bring Laguna into compliance by April 14.

In a statement, California Department of Public Health officials said, “Resident and worker safety remains our highest priority, and we continue to coordinate closely with Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, and our local and federal partners to help ensure the facility meets the regulatory requirements to provide safe and appropriate care to all residents and patients,” the statement read.

Phillips contended that, in spite of past missteps, Laguna Honda has done everything it can to earn the public’s trust.

“As you can imagine, there are thousands of interactions with caregivers and patients throughout any given day,” he said. “There are multiple opportunities for bad outcomes. And yet, in the vast majority of cases, there are no bad outcomes. There are just a small handful of these things that happen, and we report them, as we are required to do.”

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan

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Thunder rumbles. Lightning flashes. A rope meanders further, enclosing the ensemble in the form of a ship’s hull, while a sail rises behind them. Gusts of wind. Other actors become waves and algae. Two bodies, both entirely in white, hover over the other. They grab each other’s hands in vain.

Wordlessly and enchantingly, San Francisco Playhouse’s “Twelfth Night” tells the background story of the twins Viola (Sophia Introna) and Sebastian (Bear Manescalchi), who are separated by a shipwreck. Then Shaina Taub’s music kicks in, a happy, jazzy extension of the show’s famous first line: “If music be the food of love, play on.”

Maria (Cathleen Riddley) says goodnight to Toby (Michael Gene Sullivan) after conspiring with Andrew (Caleb Haven Draper) on “Twelfth Night”. Photo: Jessica Palopoli / San Francisco Playhouse

This production, which opened on Wednesday December 1st, is no ordinary take on William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy of gender swapping, false identities, and interlocking love triangles (growing into squares). Conceived by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Taub, Shakespeare adapts it so convincingly into a musical that one might think that the two genres have always been intertwined. Is the difference between a searching self-talk and an 11 o’clock number really that big?

San Francisco Playhouse is a midsize company, but it’s still a shabby one – the kind of place the founder’s dog walks around the lobby and house on opening night. With “Twelfth Night” director Susi Damilano shows it at its best and shows how much artists can achieve when they don’t have a Broadway budget, but more than make up for it with ingenuity, craftsmanship, empathy and compassion.

Feste (Sam Paley, center) opens San Francisco Playhouses “Twelfth Night” with the people of Illyria (Tiana Paulding, Michael Gene Sullivan, Amanda Le Nguyen, Cathleen Riddley, Caleb Haven Draper, Tasi Alabastro, Jon-David Randle and Amanda Farbstein) . Photo: Jessica Palopoli / San Francisco Playhouse

The entire setup of the show – the castaway Viola disguised as Cesario to work for Illyrias Duke Orsino (Sean Fenton) – is sent in a jiffy within a single, inexpensive change of numbers and costumes. Shakespeare newbies are welcome here; the professional Michael Gene Sullivan as Sir Toby Belch can tell a whole story of how he falls down a flight of stairs, how he uses individual words as rocket launchers for completely new nuances of meaning.

Damilano has put together a line-up of outstanding vocal voices that merge under the musical direction of Dave Dobrusky as if they had been together in a choir for years. Sam Paley is particularly strong as a party that approaches the ballad “If You Were My Beloved” as if it could take the burden off the shoulders of the thwarted lovers Viola and Orsino. Ensemble member Jamie Zee also shines with a mature, thoughtful alto who could easily keep the whole show going if necessary. Nicole Helfer’s sassy choreography helps define the piece’s universe; Is it any wonder the world is turned upside down in this spinning, spinning version of Illyria?

Malvolio (Atticus Shaindlin, center) enchants Olivia (Loreigna Sinclair) in his crossed yellow stockings in “Twelfth Night”. In the background are Cathleen Riddley (left), Sam Paley, Amanda Le Nguyen, Michael Gene Sullivan and Tasi Alabastro. Photo: Jessica Palopoli / San Francisco Playhouse

And there is more that stands out, especially among the clowns in the play. Caleb Haven Draper as Sir Andrew Aguecheek prances as if he’s in his own private production of Robin Hood: Men in Tights. He can expand a pout from his face to his posture to his aura, like a deflated balloon becoming human.

And can someone please write a solo exhibition for Atticus Shaindlin’s Malvolio, the pompous servant of Countess Olivia (Loreigna Sinclair)? He doesn’t just move like a choo-choo train or smile like a wild cat before the bite or maybe as if he was about to be x-rayed at the dentist. He’s just standing there weird, like maybe a ballerina posing for cameras that only he can see. His frozen stare, whether he dreams of others crouching in front of him or plans revenge against those who do not realize his size, contains masses.

Maria (Cathleen Riddley, front right) affectionately scolds Sir Toby (Michael Gene Sullivan) for being a drunken villain, while Fabian (Tasi Alabastro, left), Feste (Sam Paley) and a cast member (Jamie Zee) in “Twelfth Night “watch.” Photo: Jessica Palopoli / San Francisco Playhouse

But with all this glorious fool, something serious is at work. As the whole twin thing is cleared up and Viola reveals who she really is, Damilano’s production makes it clear that even when you dress up and deceive everyone, something about your wondrous individual soul cannot help but shine through. Even if you are attracted to someone on false pretenses, there is something beautiful about the act of attraction itself. No front that we open and no pants that we put on can dampen the human urge to love and be loved.

n“Twelfth Night”: Conceived by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina Taub. Music and lyrics by Taub. Director: Susi Damilano. Until January 15th. Two hours. $ 30-100. San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post St., SF 415-677-9596. www.sfplayhouse.org

• Lily Janiak
  Lily Janiak is the theater critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: ljaniak@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LilyJaniak

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It was an intimate setting for a choir, the Taube Atrium Theater in San Francisco. Rows of benches slanted on either side of the polished grand piano, which stood like grand pianos. Thirty-five choir members, all dressed in black, took their places in a solemn procession. Ian Robertson, San Francisco Chorus Master, and Fabrizio Corona, Associate Chorus Master, followed.

It was immediate and personal, but far from informal. The entire performance was sovereign in its polished performance. It was festive and bittersweet as the choir bid farewell to Ian Robertson after his 35-year tenure. This concert was full of miracles.

The concert spanned 300 years of music, from excerpts from Charpentier’s “Te Deum” and Bach’s “Wohl mir, das ich Jesum” from Cantata BWV 147 to Leonard Bernstein’s “Make Our Garden Grow” from “Candide”. It included choices in Latin, French, German, Spanish, English; Opera from Handel and Mozart to Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini; Poetry; Folk songs and much more. The moods ranged from devout to a little salty, melancholy to happy, each piece its own island of beauty and commentary, the texts projected onto a large wall that worked smoothly and effectively. Who could ask for more?

A lively leader

Ian Robertson conducted and related his attunement to the audience, the content and style of the music, and the choir members and accompanist Fabrizio Contorno created a performance narrative that remained both interesting and aesthetic. No wonder the San Francisco Opera Chorus performed so well during the years of Ian Robertson’s tenure. It was the perfect combination of leadership, music and performance.

The soloists and choir members worked in perfect harmony. Clare Demer, Sara Colburn, Whitney Steele, Andrew Truett, Mitchell Jones offered a rich and beautiful start to the concert with the “Te Deum”. Thomas and Demer have reproduced selections from “Idomeneo” and “L’Elisir d’Amore” with extraordinary finesse. Michael Jankosky delivered a touching Edgardo from “Lucia di Lammermoor”. The choir supplemented this with a moving performance of the “Humming Chorus” from Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly”, which was sung especially to commemorate the many losses caused by the pandemic.

This was followed by colorful portraits of “Noi siamo zingarelle” and “Di Madride noi siamo mattadori” from Verdi’s “La Traviata”. To highlight these, as Robertson and Contorno did, was to highlight just a few of the varied textures that a great opera like “La Traviata” contains. They remind us that it’s not just the centerpieces that make it shine. The well-known choir “Va, Pensiero” from Verdi’s “Nabucco” ended the first half.

Putting women composers in the spotlight

The second half was great with repertoire choices, especially with a number of female composers. While choirs from Offenbach’s “La Belle Helene” started, the moving chorus of “Dead Soldiers” by Jennifer Higdon, “Cold Mountain”, set the tone with haunting lyrics to Civil War dead with a men chorus. In addition to Jennifer Higdon, we heard works by Joan Szymko, Gabriela Lena Frank, Kate Rusby and Cava Menzies, whose “Invitation to Love”, based on a wonderful poem by Paul Lawrence Dunbar, premiered. Menzies, who was present, got up to bow. The music was rich and original, the lyrics moving and captivating. The future was there, unfolding, and it was right.

Among the soloists we heard Kathleen Bayler, soprano, and Phillip Pickens, tenor, in a Picante duet “Bailèro” from Canteloube’s “Songs of the Auvergne”; and Angela Moser, Silvie Jensen, Alan Cochran, Mitchell Jones, who perform Ravel’s delightful “Trois Chansons”. This was followed by Joan Szymko’s “All Works of Love” with texts by Mother Teresa, which inspired the reflective strand of the concert, which was interwoven throughout.

A wonderful contrast followed when Michael Belle sang “We’re goin ’round'” from “Treemonisha” by Scott Joplin, which made us want to hear more. The “mountain songs” of the Peruvian Andes came after that and were only sung by the women. They were complex in their rhythms and rendered breathtakingly. Elizabeth Baker, mezzo-soprano, did more than justice to Underneath the Stars, composed by Kate Rusby and arranged by Jim Clements.

Before the “Candide” finale, Matthew Shilvock, General Manager of the San Francisco Opera, gave a formal “Ave” and “Atque Vale (Hail and Farewell)” to Robertson. It was graceful and graceful, listing the 2,000 performances and over 375 productions that Robertson mastered. Shilvock also commended Robertson for creating a family of singers, each with a passion for excellence. Even the happy audience felt the authenticity.

“Make our Garden Grow”, a lyrical interpretation by the well-known American poet Richard Wilbur of Voltaire’s famous “Il faut que nous cultivar notre jardin” was the “Pièce de résistance”. Jesslynn Thomas, Chester Pidduck, Claire Kelm, William O’Neill and Wilford Kelly said goodbye to us wonderfully. This is a good reminder for today – in the world where we seek to be connected, we sometimes push boundaries.

We left the theater, enriched by this diversity of talent and imagination, and we were filled with gratitude shared by Ian Robertson and the San Francisco Chorus as we have so many seasons. Hats off to the conductor, accompanist and all the performers in the group.

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The actor’s offer is different IRL. A gesture makes the empty space ripple all around. An eyebrow contracts and loosens, and the air changes – muddy, darker, then clearer. Spoken lines, no longer captured by a tiny box on a screen, fly up and expand to fill an entire room.

After more than a year without in-person indoor theater, actors performing right in front of you experience a shock, physical impact on your body. At the San Francisco Playhouse, four skilled artisans – Monica Ho, Jeremy Kahn, Anne Darragh, and Reggie D. White – are currently attacking a script with precision, clarity, thoughtfulness, and grace. It’s art that makes a dent.

Joe (Reggie D. White, left) tries to understand why Robbie (Jeremy Kahn) would give up a sold out concert tour on “The Song of Summer”. Photo: Jessica Palopoli / San Francisco Playhouse

If the show “The Song of Summer” by San Francisco-born Lauren Yee gets ridiculous and gutted at times, it doesn’t really matter.

The unlikely pop star Robbie (Kahn) and his best high school friend Tina (Ho) have been hot for each other for more than a decade. As he escapes from his concert tour and his manager Joe (White) to return home and reconnect with something real that has nothing to do with fame, Yee has to put increasing obstacles in the couple’s path to avoid the inevitable to delay. He is clueless. She is proud.

At a pivotal moment in her youth, Robbie suddenly moved away from her hometown of Pottsville, Pennsylvania and the caring piano lessons from Tina’s mother, Mrs. C (Darragh), all the while believing that one final video recorded on a camcorder would somehow reach Tina and do everything right. Yee is also not averse to scooping with affirmations: “What happened in the end? I have you! So how is that even a mistake? “

Joe (Reggie D. White, left) and Robbie (Jeremy Kahn) discuss what to do next on The Song of Summer. Photo: Jessica Palopoli / San Francisco Playhouse

Much more often, however, Yee is both rigorous and playful with her dialogues. She lets her characters’ thoughts wander to strange, revealing places as if she were improvising with them: “I always wait for something to come of it,” says Tina of a tattoo that she shouldn’t have had.

But Yee is also a great carver and cropper who cuts away everything insubstantial and ruthlessly asks each line how it changes the relationship between two characters or the deployment of a scene.

Kahn as Robbie and White as Joe both have wonderful ways of picking up a new idea. They create space for their character’s forgetfulness or frustration, then even more space for a fresh thought that wriggles behind their eyes or slackens their facial muscles. Art stands for everyone from head to toe. Kahn’s Robbie is so stupid that his whole body hangs like a Basset Hound’s cheek. White’s Joe is curled up so tightly and ready to jump that in a moment he’ll have to hang himself over his cabin seat in a waffle house to make his point. Under the clever direction of Bill English, the two play off each other, each stimulating the other’s tendencies and progressing the scenes to well-defined emotional and narrative climaxes.

Mrs. C. (Anne Darragh, left) and Robbie (Jeremy Kahn) remember their memories in “The Song of Summer”. Photo: Jessica Palopoli / San Francisco Playhouse

Darragh can reveal a whole life with just one line, one turn of his head. “I always ask myself what if,” she remembers once when she came second in a youth piano competition. A look away and a pause conjure up a different path that anything could have taken and the much less glamorous path that anything could have taken. Darragh’s Mrs. C. is curious but doesn’t regret it, not really, not most of the time.

Ho’s Tina is a revelation, but not of the flashy kind. Her Tina always operates on several levels – she distracts, searches, barbs anyone who is around (usually Robbie, the easiest target in the world) – but she also tries desperately to reveal something naked and longing in herself.

Tina (Monica Ho, left) and Robbie (Jeremy Kahn) meet again in “The Song of Summer”. Photo: Jessica Palopoli / San Francisco Playhouse

She can take a break that seems to open a wormhole not only in the world of the play, but also in the theater space between the actor and the audience. Tina seeks a way to describe how deprived Pottsville is, and Ho doesn’t shy away from plunging her character into the vulnerable and depressing, but extends a welcoming hand to her audience and invites us to join her in the unknown.

m“The Song of Summer”: Written by Lauren Yee. Directed by Bill English. Until August 14th. One hour, 35 minutes. $ 30- $ 100 for personal tickets. $ 15- $ 100 for on-demand video tickets. San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post St., SF 415-677-9596. www.sfplayhouse.org

• Lily Janiak
  Lily Janiak is the theater critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: ljaniak@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LilyJaniak

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