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 | Bring in the Clowns Before Cirque du Soleil's Bay Area premiere of their show [i]Corteo[/i], I had a fairly tenebrous vision of what the flamboyant French-Canadian troupe would regale us with. "Corteo" is Italian for funeral procession, and from the tacit description on the company's website, the framework of the performance is a clown's deathbed ruminations.More |  | On a Quest for the Perfect Facial The perfect facial is one of the most elusive beauty treatments I can think of. Aside from negotiating a multitude of products, treatment techniques, and aestheticians giving you all sorts of conflicting skin tips (to SPF or not to SPF? Gel exfoliant or scrub exfoliant?) -- it's sometimes difficult to really gauge the effectiveness of a facial. Case in point: I can't count the number of times I've discovered a new skincare line that adds a certain glow to my visage, only to wake up to an unsightly allergic reaction the next morning.More |  | Down-Home Pampering There are few San Franciscans I know who prefer the hustle and bustle of an upscale spa to the down-home elegance of the neighborhood pampering haunt. You know the place --it harbors the tasteful urbanity of your best friend's house rather than the false fronts of coolness most exclusive digs might offer. Despite occupying a chic corner of Fillmore Street in Pacific Heights, Spa Solé plies instant comfort to no-nonsense customers.More |  | If You've Got It, Flaunt It Russian dramatist Nikolai Gogol's short story "The Overcoat" is a cautionary tale of mystical and fantastic proportions, centered on the dreary life of a low-class man. In keeping with the naturalist oeuvre of his literary counterparts, Gogol infused the tale with Dickensian details of the quotidian -- minutiae that served his leitmotif of toilsome monotony and culture-specific oppression.More |  | A Minimalist Haven With Maximum Treats As soon as you set foot into Truspa's minimalist oasis, smack in the center of Chinatown chaos, it's clear that any mundane preoccupations must be left far behind -- no ifs, ands or buts about it. From the all-white color scheme to the polished bamboo floors to the heavy silver-beaded curtain that leads to lavishly appointed locker rooms, Truspa's classical-futuristic ambience well prepares one for an enticing entry into the lap of luxury.More |  | The Foibles of Sexual Identity Ah, the fluidity of human sexuality. The ease with which some of us pass from orientation to orientation without the slightest desire for good, old-fashioned fixity of preference speaks volumes about the fallacy of a set identity. Not only does Dan Rothenberg's one-man show, "Regretrosexual", proffer us with the best theater title in decades; it also presents us with an engaging, light-hearted exploration of the one thing most of us take too seriously: sexual orientation.More |  | Enchantingly Light There really is no place like home, that magical fantasy realm we often prefer to the real thing. You know the home I'm talking about-the place where incredulity is suspended in favor of schlocky family fare, nostalgia, and the belief that no matter how bad things are, it always "turns out" in the end. That's where classic sagas of unreality, like [i]The Wizard of Oz[/i] (at least in its technicolor incarnation) come in. The musical [i]Wicked[/i], the sensation which took home 14 major awards (including a few Grammys and Tonys), plays up to the fanciful expectations of diehard Broadway lovers, in its limited engagement at the Orpheum Theatre.More |  | Refreshingly Unpretentious Marilyn Jaeger Skincare Studio may well be the best-kept secret in Laurel Heights. A posh little neighborhood known for its mixture of residential and commercial development, it's the kind of place where ritzy boutiques share breathing room with 1950s-style five and dime stores. Given Marilyn Jaeger's imposing reputation as harboring one of the most loyal client bases among San Francisco day spas, it's the kind of place you'd perhaps expect to see at the center of Fillmore Street's spa mecca or among the hubs of rejuvenation strewn so habitually around the Marina.More |  | The Perfect Urban Respite A brownie, a city view, and a 75-minute massage. I'm beginning to think this is all a girl needs to help her recharge from the midday Monday slump. It's 2 pm and I've just been checked into my appointment at Bliss Spa, which has only been open for a week -- but from the looks of it, is already attracting harried executives and pampered debutantes alike.More |  | Work in Progress: Objects for People -- Snapshots Conceptual Wave artist Haim Steinbach can really be described as a curator or ethnographer more so than a craftsman. But in an era in which appropriation still remains the dominant form of expression, perhaps there's no real distinction between the act of discovery and the act of creation. In the Matrix 217 exhibition at the Berkeley Art Museum, "Work in Progress: Objects for People -- Snapshots," Steinbach both meets and upends all Duchampian expectations of his work.More |
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