Lounge chairs as art

There’s something to be said about how the working class might love going into the office more if the furniture was as comfortably stylish as the Eames Lounge Chair, the iconic creation of designers Ray and Charles Eames.

While the famed couple kept their Eames Office in Los Angeles, they left marks on the Bay Area. Charles’ daughter maintained a ranch in Petaluma, and the new Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity in Richmond is curated by the duo’s granddaughter. Now there’s a revealing exhibit in the heart of San Francisco tracing the coda of the designers’ career, with roughly 100 artifacts ranging from furniture down to small Eames-y ephemera.

“Past as Prologue: The Last Decade of Furniture Design by Ray and Charles Eames (1968-1978)” will run through the fall at the Transamerica Pyramid. The show focuses on office furniture for the white-collar workforce, based around modularity and visual authority. “Plywood and fiberglass gave way to injection-molded plastics and polyurethane, and the rise of secretarial and computational work prompted fresh thinking about ergonomics and all-day comfort,” the curators write.

Please, do not put your feet up or spin around in the chairs. But do peruse the two retail shops accompanying the exhibit carrying vintage furniture, art books and playful Eames’ gift items.

Details: Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily at the Transamerica Pyramid annex, 535 Washington St., San Francisco; free, www.eamesinstitute.org/sfdw-25-events

— John Metcalfe, Staff

R&B star crooner heads back to Levi’s stadium

The Weeknd is almost here.

Yes, that’s right — the superstar R&B vocalist (born Abel Tesfaye) is on his way to the Bay Area to perform two huge shows, Tuesday and Wednesday, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

That’s the same place The Weeknd played on his last trek through town, captivating 50,000-plus fans with his first-ever stadium headlining jaunt — dubbed the After Hours Tour — back in August 2022. That’s also the same tour that The Weeknd is still peddling to this day, only under a slightly changed title — now dubbed the After Hours ’til Dawn Stadium Tour.

The Weeknd is supporting his latest album — “Hurry Up Tomorrow” — which was released back in January and immediately zoomed up to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200.The album — which is reportedly the final chapter in a trilogy that began with 2020’s “After Hours” and 2022’s “Dawn FM” — is a companion piece to the 2025 psychological thriller film in which he stars. The record, however, was far better received than the film.

Details: Showtime is 7 p.m. each show; tickets start at $73 (subject to change); ticketmaster.com.

— Jim Harrington, Staff

An action hero as president?

There’s room in our stuffed streaming queues for disposable entertainment, those brainless behemoths that are undemanding, silly and packed with giggle-worthy action, top-tier star charisma and a just-suitable-enough story.

“Heads of State” is one such offering. John Cena and Idris Elba star as squabbling global dignitaries, and odd couple who get marked for death due to an outlandish scheme. Cena is a snug fit to play recently elected American president Will Derringer, an approval seeker and family guy known for his action-hero roles. He is the Lab puppy to Elba’s stoic Great Dane of a prime minister Sam Clarke, a die-hard pessimist whose approval ratings are in the dumpster.

Others in the cast include an invigorating Priyanka Chopra Jones as MI6 agent Noel Bisset who has a past with Clarke; a hilarious Jack Quaid as a rockin’ safe-house defender; and Carla Gugino, giving another MVP performance as a vice president who delivers a chilling message that eerily reflects the times in which we live.

Director Ilya Naishuller perks things up with a series of exhilarating action sequences, including a spectacular car chase in a knock-your-socks-off finale.

Details: Rated PG-13 (violence, language, some smoking); 1 hour, 53 minutes; drops July 2 on Amazon Prime Video.

— Randy Myers, Correspondent

Star-spangled classical offerings

Music lovers have myriad ways to enjoy classical performances this week, including a July 4th concert complete with fireworks, a wine country festival, and an operatic showcase focused on love. Here’s a look.

Big, bold, and spectacular: Celebrate Independence Day with the San Francisco Symphony’s “Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular” at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. The event, a Bay Area tradition, features the orchestra, composer and ukulele virtuoso Taimane, and a big fireworks finale. It’s all part of the organization’s Summer with the Symphony series, and it promises to launch your holiday weekend with a bang. Details: 7 p.m. Friday; Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View; $29.50-$63.70; ticketmaster.com or www.sfsymphony.org.

Music, wine, and food: Take a trip to the wine country, where Festival Napa Valley has a full summer season lineup ready; highlights include Jon Batiste, the Versailles Royal Opera in its North American debut, and Walt Disney’s “Fantasia” with live orchestra. More than 60 chamber, opera, symphonic works, and dance events are on the schedule, which also includes kids’ events, vintner luncheons and more. Check website for full listings. Details: Saturday through July 20; various Napa Valley locations; wide variety if single tickets and packages; $5-up; festivalnapavalley.org.

Merola looks at love: The esteemed Merola Opera Program has multiple events coming up from now until the end of August, including this week’s Schwabacher Summer Concert, titled “It’s Complicated: Love and Opera.” Making his Merola Opera debut, William Long conducts scenes by Donizetti, Gounod, Puccini and others, all portraying love’s myriad facets and sung by the young, gifted artists of this year’s program. Omer Ben Seadia and Elio Bucky share directing duties. Details: 7:30 p.m. July 10, 2 p.m. July 12, San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Concert Hall, San Francisco; $18-$68; merola.com.

— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent

Political upheaval begets ‘Disruption’

It’s hard to imagine the deeply unsettling political landscape in which we now find ourselves could inspire a stage comedy, but if anyone could make it happen, it’s the San Francisco Mime Troupe.

Besides, there is a tradition to uphold.

Every summer, for more than 60 years, the iconic, hard-left-leaning political stage company has presented a free musical show at parks around the Bay Area. It’s designed to make you laugh but with salient points tossed in. In this year’s production, titled “Disruption,” the Mime Troupe tackles such issues as the ever-changing tech world and its self-styled “geniuses,” immigration, money, gentrification and more. As the organizers put it: “Soon San Francisco will be a suburb of Silicon Valley — and just in time for the president’s upcoming visit. But if the city is poised to be a calm, efficient paradise … why is everything suddenly on … fire!”

The show was penned by longtime Mime Troupe member Michael Gene Sullivan and Marie Cartier, with music and lyrics by Daniel Savio. The show is accompanied by the S.F. Mime Troupe Band.

Details: Free performances kick off 2 p.m. Friday at Dolores Park, San Francisco, and run through Aug. 3 at parks and venues in San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Santa Cruz, and more; go to www.sfmt.org for complete schedule and more information.

— Randy McMullen, Staff