Magic Theatre finishes its 2017-2018 season with a spirited play, The Gangster of Love, at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture. Based on the novel by acclaimed author Jessica Hagedorn and directed by Magic’s Artistic Director Loretta Greco, Gangster is an autobiographical tale spanning key eras in the U.S. and the Philippines.

Mirroring Hagedorn’s own journey of immigration from Manila, Gangster‘s main character, Raquel “Rocky” Rivera and her eccentric family migrate to San Francisco’s Haight neighborhood during the tumultuous 1970s. Magic’s production recreates the conflict, social change, and artistic explosion of the time through the eyes of Hagedorn’s immigrants.

Featuring live music, poetry, and music videos as narrative forms, Magic’s Gangster is a lively re-telling of a pivotal point in U.S. and Philippine history. Hagedorn has curated a Spotify playlist of more than 40 eclectic 1970s and 1980s tunes that evoke the wild San Francisco Bay Area era of her play and novel, starting with Jimi Hendrix and ending with Prince. Preview the playlist on her web site, or visit YouTube for more atmospheric Gangster Of Love elements!