THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE SUNDAY• MARCH 28, 2021 E9 V IRTUALLY SPEAKING UCTV University of California Televi- sion (UCTV) is making a host of videos available on its website (uctv.tv/life-of-the-mind) during What’s new this period of social distancing. Among them, with descriptions ARMCHAIR TRAVEL courtesy of UCTV (text written by the UCTV staff): in DININGthe arts “Tales of Human History Told by Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA”: It’s well known that as Celebrating 50 years of Queen with 50 weeks’ worth of free clips anatomically modern humans THEATER dispersed out of Africa, they BY DAVID L. CODDON encountered and mated with The film adaptation of playwright other hominins such as Neander- Kemp Powers’ “One Night in thals and Denisovans. The ability e’ve all got a list of those bands we wish we’d seen in concert but never did. Miami,” for which he wrote the to identify and excavate extinct screenplay, earned Powers an At the top of mine would be Queen with Freddie Mercury. hominin DNA from the genomes Oscar nomination. Having really It’s hard to believe it’ll be 30 years this November since the passing of of contemporary individuals enjoyed it, I looked forward Mercury, he of arguably the most distinctive voice in rock ’n’ roll history. reveals considerable information eagerly to streaming a staged W about human history and how The 2018 biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” was a diverting reminder of Mercury’s talent, reading of Powers’ new play those encounters with Neander- “Christa McAuliffe’s Eyes Were but a new clips show on Queen’s official YouTube Channel honoring the group’s 50-year thals and Denisovans shaped the Blue.” anniversary is a gift for fans that will keep on giving — for 50 weeks. trajectory of human evolution. It’s not fair to compare one work Princeton University’s Joshua by a playwright to another, but “Queen The Greatest” epi- in chronological order and are dotes about the song and Akey explains how catalogs of this Center Theatre Group pre- sodes are free to watch every framed around a different about where Queen was at the surviving hominin lineages reveal sentation suggests that some Friday beginning at 5 a.m. Queen song each week. The time. insights into hybridization, shows smoothing out is in order. The Pacific time. Unfortunately, debut on March 19 took us All very interesting, but that gene flow was widespread in staged reading was filmed at they’re only three or four back to the band’s early days, just as you get into it, it’s over. both time and geography, and minutes long, which is unsat- to 1973, and the breakthrough Have to wait for Episode No. L.Å.’s Kirk Douglas Theatre last isfying, though series pro- single “Keep Yourself Alive.” 2. Oh well. presents new evidence of an November. (It can be streamed ducer Simon Lupton packs Besides hearing portions of That hit the Queen early out-of-Africa dispersal of for $10 through April 4.) Its each one with a lot of content: the song, we learn that com- YouTube Channel on Friday. modern humans. premise is an intriguing one: music, of course, but also poser Brian May intended it bit.ly/queen-greatest Bernard (“Bear”) and Steven archival concert footage, to be “slightly ironical, but it’s “The Talmud as Icon”: The (“Sevvy”) Gentry are twins, photos and interviews. very difficult to take it as Babylonian Talmud is a post- though the former isARTS Black and The episodes will proceed+CULTUREironical.” Performance shots biblical Jewish rabbinic text, the latter White. The contrasting are interwoven with anec- written in a hybrid of Hebrew direction of their lives and deteri- and Aramaic, that is part scrip- oration of their sibling relation- ture and part commentary. It is ship are the basis of this play’s Freddie Mercury often ambiguous to the point of dramatic tension. Add a former of Queen performs incomprehension, and its subject racist schoolmate who becomes onstage at London’s matter reflects a narrow scholas- a judge presiding over the incar- Wembley Stadium ticism that should not have cerated Bernard’s fate and the in 1986. broad appeal; yet the Talmud stakes rise even higher. has remained in print for cen- turies and is more popular today But neither the performance of than ever. Northwestern Uni- Jovan Adepo as Bernard nor the versity scholar and author Barry taut direction by Jennifer Chang Scott Wimpfheimer describes can overcome a script that at- the book’s origins and structure, tempts to tread too much terri- its centrality to Jewish law, its tory in 75 minutes. The narrative mixed reception history, and its connection between Bernard and golden renaissance in modernity the fate of space shuttle Chal- as an iconic symbol of Jewish- lenger astronaut McAuliffe feels ness. forced, and we never really get a firm grasp of what the troubled young man wants, or needs, most. centertheatregroup.org VISUAL ART The incredible story of a local legend, Nathan Harrison, is told in words, photographs and exca- vated artifacts in a new exhibition “Sleep, Inflammation from the San Diego History and Metabolism”: Proper sleep Center titled “Nathan Harrison: NEAL PRESTOM is crucial for promoting good Born Enslaved, Died a San Diego health, and research has Legend.” (For more on the Na- documented the powerful than Harrison exhibition, see my influence of sleep disturbance story on E6.) on the risk of infectious disease, CLASSICAL MUSIC Harrison, a freed slave who had the occurrence and progression of several major medical ill- been brought to California during As I watched Art of Élan’s “Open Air” con- nesses, and the incidence the Gold Rush era, ultimately cert streaming on the evening of March 16 and severity of depression. settled on Palomar Mountain, from the San Diego Museum of Art’s May S. Aric Prather is an expert in the becoming not only the first Black Marcy Sculpture Garden in Balboa Park, I study of stress resilience, inflam- homesteader in San Diego couldn’t help wishing I’d been there in per- mation, depression, sleep and County but a celebrity to tourists son: the music (performed by the Hausmann longevity. He examines the bio- who made the trip up the moun- Quartet and members of the San Diego logical mechanisms of sleep tain to visit him. Symphony); the surrounding sculptures; the disturbance with an emphasis on California Tower in the distance; the sliver of For now, the exhibition can be the implications of antiviral and moon overhead. Someday, right? explored virtually. When the proinflammatory immune re- Balboa Park-based History Cen- In the meantime, this 74-minute perform- sponses for chronic infectious, ter opens next month, you’ll be ance can be enjoyed in your home for $10 inflammatory, and neuropsychi- able to experience up close the (or for free if you’re an SDMA member). In a atric diseases. Prather also dis- re-creation of the cabin Harrison program that includes works by Terry Riley, cusses therapeutic interventions lived in and many of the artifacts Hannah Lash and Jonathan Bailey Holland, as effective strategies to improve uncovered by San Diego State the best is saved for last: the lovely five- sleep. professor and archaeologist Seth movement piece “Make Prayers to the Mallios and his team of student Raven,” composed by environmental activist Coddon writes the Union-Tribune’s excavators over the course of John Luther Adams. The suite, written for Arts+Culture Newsletter, which is eight summertime digs. Har- violin, harp, cello, flute and percussion, is a published every Thursday. Portions of rison’s story is not only a person- fitting complement to the serenity of Balboa that newsletter are published in this al odyssey but a contextual look Park, especially in the moonlight. column. To get the newsletter in its at race and ethnicity in the 19th artofelan.org entirety, sign up for it at and early 20th centuries. sandiegouniontribune.com/ sandiegohistory.org utartsculture. CAKEWATCH Hilty is 40. Keyboardist PJ Morton of and Allen Hughes (“Menace II Society,” Basterds”) is 44. Keyboardist Jesse Maroon 5 is 40. “Dead Presidents”) are 49. MSNBC host Carmichael of Maroon 5 is 42. Actor Rachel Maddow is Bethany Joy Lenz (“One Tree Hill”) is Today: Harmonica player Charlie Tuesday: TV personality Peter Marshall 48. Actor David 40. Singer Lee Dewyze (“American McCoy (“Hee Haw”) is 80. Actor Dianne is 95. Actor John Astin is 91. Actor Oyelowo (“Selma,” Idol”) is 35. Country singer Chris Wiest is 75. Country singer Reba Warren Beatty is 84. Drummer Graeme “The Butler”) is 45. Janson is 35. Actor Drew Van Acker McEntire is 66. Actor Alexandra Billings Edge of the Moody Blues is 80. Musi- Actor Sam Hunting- (“Training Day,” “Pretty Little Liars”) is (“Transparent”) is 59. Rapper Salt of cian Eric Clapton is 76. Actor Paul ton (“Superman 35. Actor Jesse Plemons (TV’s “Fargo,” Salt-N-Pepa is 55. Actor Tracey Need- Reiser is 65. Rapper MC Hammer is 59. Returns,” “Jungle 2 “Breaking Bad”) is 33. ham (“The Division,” “JAG”) is 54. Actor Ian Ziering Jungle”) is 39. Country singer Rodney Atkins is 52. (“Beverly Hills Actor Taran Killam Director Brett Ratner (“Rush Hour”) is 90210”) is 57. Saturday: Actor Marsha Mason is 79. (“12 Years A Slave,” 52. Actor Vince Vaughn is 51. Rapper Singer Tracy Singer Wayne Newton is 79. Singer “Saturday Night Live”) is 39. Actor Matt Mr. Cheeks of Lost Boyz is 50. Actor Chapman is 57. TV Tony Orlando is 77. Singer Richard Lanter (“90210”) is 38. Singer Hillary Ken L.