"Sometimes you get surprised," said Eric Bean of the 50-odd cities he's visited as one of the 134 members of "The Lion King" touring company that opens at the Orpheum Theatre this week. "In Tulsa, Oklahoma, there are four different drag brunches!"

"I don't consider myself a stand-up comedian at all," drawled Matt Mathews. Nevertheless, his comic wit that gained popularity online has led to nearly sold-out shows nationwide.

The acclaimed cabaret singer discusses his two new albums, "I Know Things Now: My Life in Sondheim's Words" in 2022, and his latest, "A Collective Cy: Jeff Harnar Sings Cy Coleman."

Actress, screenwriter and filmmaker Emerald Fennell's second feature film "Saltburn" feels like the troubled kid brother of her prior work, "Promising Young Woman," especially in the way it delivers gut-punching twists and turns.

If you're more interested in holding tight to the things you're thankful for than in cranking up the amperage of your holiday cheer, the Aurora Theatre's production of "1984" may be just the ticket for you.

Books really and truly are the gifts that keep on giving. From the reissue of classics to highly anticipated memoir, and even a nostalgic nightclub ephemera picture book, we've got a few fun selections for your gifting that are sweet.

Get ready to stuff yourself, we mean with arts and nightlife events, in this week's Going Out.

Scorching, jaw-dropping, steam-up-your-windows explicit, raw with unwavering honesty — and not just the sex, but the emotions and pathos — are all on display in one of the best new streaming series of the year, Showtime's "Fellow Travelers."

As the Showtime series 'Fellow Travelers' presents a gay and lesbian historical perspective, our TV columnist offers reminders on the false idea of 'moderate' Republicans, plus accolades for the mystery series 'A Murder at the End of the World.'

Renzo Piano's elegantly flowing Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, a new Los Angeles must-see, now features a fourth-floor gallery that hosts a sprawling multimedia tribute to the movie-making career of "John Waters: The Pope of Trash."

Christmas has arrived early this year in the form of Alexander Payne's career-resuscitating and first period film, "The Holdovers," which reunites him with "Sideways" star Paul Giamatti, both at the peak of their respective powers.

More than 50 years after Gilbert O'Sullivan's Grammy-nominated breakout single "Alone Again (Naturally)" made him a household name, the singer/songwriter continues to record and perform concerts, including at SF's Swedish American Hall Nov. 24.

Benjamin Taylor's "Chasing Bright Medusas: A Life of Willa Cather," like his other biography on Marcel Proust, integrates the subject's homosexuality, communicating its centrality in the authors' lives.

"Kween" is the welcome new novel by debut author, playwright and actor Vichet Chum, the Texas-born, Lowell, Massachusetts-bred son of Cambodian immigrants.