Tears and Laughs: 'La Bohème' in SF, History of Comedy (Abridged) in Marin

As the weeks wind down toward the holidays, I'm glad I've been able to have some cultural endeavors amid the shopping and, you know, work. Last week, I left two different performances with two very different expressions on my face. The first event was San Francisco Opera's final offering of the season, Puccini's La Bohème, a coproduction with Houston Grand Opera and the Canadian Opera Company. I went with my friend Julia Flynn Siler, a writer deep into work on her third book. She was so happy f...