Worth A Look Worth A Look (October 22, 2004)

THEATER
Dear George: Letters to the President
Bus Barn Stage Company will present a new performance piece, "Dear George: Letters to the President," on Monday and Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The show will take place at the Bus Barn Theatre, 97 Hillview Avenue in Los Altos.

"Dear George" was conceived by Marcus Woolen, a New York City performer and writer, who opened a website and invited Americans across the country to write letters to President George Bush during the summer. What resulted is a compilation of open letters from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands as well as Americans overseas. The piece covers a wide range of opinions on every major issue, including the war in Iraq, the economy, gay marriage and 9/11.

Woolen has left room in the performance to read letters from local residents who wish to participate in the performance. Letters can be sent to Bus Barn Stage Company, PO Box 151, Los Altos, CA 94023, attn: Barbara Cannon, or via email to busbarn@busbarn.org.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased through the box office with a credit card, or at the performance (cash and check only). To reserve a space, call the box office at (650) 941-0551. Admission will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Doors will open at 7:15 p.m.

To learn more about the "Dear George" project, visit www.DearGeorgeLetters.com.

OPERA
Mozart's last opera
West Bay Opera will present Mozart's "La Clemenza di Tito" tonight at 8 p.m. at the Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. This story of love, intrigue and revolution in ancient Rome was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart during the final months of his life. The performance will be repeated on Sunday at 2 p.m. The production will be in Italian with English supertitles and will feature a specially enlarged West Bay Orchestra on stage.

Tickets are $36; $18 for youth under 17 and students with valid ID. For tickets or more information, please call the West Bay Opera box office at (650) 424-9999, Monday through Friday, 1-6 p.m., or visit www.wbopera.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the Holt Building Box Office, 221 Lambert Ave. in Palo Alto.

MUSIC
Bad Plus
Jazz trio The Bad Plus will perform on Sunday at Art21, 539 Alma St. (corner of Hamilton Ave.) in Palo Alto. Ethan Iverson used to be the in-house piano player for the Mark Morris Dance Group. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at www.virtuous.com.
Peninsula Pops
Peninsula Pops will perform on Sunday at 3 p.m. at Gunn High School's Spangenberg Theatre, 780 Arastradero Road in Palo Alto. Guests will include Todd Summers and the Gunn High School Symphonic Band. The program will feature works by George Gershwin, Henry Mancini and music from hit movies, including 'The Lion King," "Austin Powers" and "The Flinstones."

Tickets are $15 adults; $12 seniors; free for children under 9 accompanied by their parents. Advance tickets are available by phone at (650) 856-8432 or online at www.peninsulapops.com.
Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra
The Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra will kick off its 39th season on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Spangenberg Theater, 780 Arastradero Road in Palo Alto. The program will include Mozart's "Divertimento in F Major" and two Argentine tango works, Oswaldo Golijov's "Last Round" for String Orchestra and Astor Piazzolla's "Libertango." Pianist Julie Steinberg and soprano Anja Strauss will perform as soloists for this concert.

Tickets are $10 adults; $8 seniors; $5 students. For more information please call (650) 856-3848 or visit www.pacomusic.org.

ART
"Women on the Verge"
A new exhibition, "Women on the Verge: The Culture of Neurasthenia in 19th-Century America," is currently on display at the Cantor Arts Center. Culled from the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, it features paintings of 19th-century American women and examines how these portrayals relate to neurasthenia, a nervous illness common in the last decade of the 1800s. "Women on the Verge" includes prints and advertising material depicting both "nervous" female invalids and robust women engaged in vigorous outdoor sports.

The exhibition will run through Feb. 6. Viewing hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; Thursday until 8 p.m. Admission is free. Call (650) 723-4177 or visit www.stanford.edu/dept/ccva.

FESTIVAL
"To Life! Festival"
"To Life! Festival," a unique celebration of Jewish culture, will take place on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on California Avenue in Palo Alto. The event will showcase the work of more than 100 Judaic artists, and will feature a wide variety of music, dance, food and hands-on activities for the whole family. Admission is free. For more information please visit www.ToLifeFestival.org.

MUSIC
Palo Alto Philharmonic
The Palo Alto Philharmonic will open its season on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Cubberley Theatre, 4000 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. The program, entitled "Inspired by America," will feature music by Antonin Dvorak, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber and composer-in-residence Lee Actor. The Philharmonic will be led by Guest Conductor Thomas Shoebotham.

Tickets are $16 general; $14 seniors and $7 students at the door. Tickets may be purchased in advance for $2 less on the web. For information, please visit www.paphil.org or call (650) 857-0737.

MUSIC
Takashi Hidai
A flute recital will take place on Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Road. Flutist Takashi Hidai will perform; pianist Hiroko Mizuno will accompany. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged to benefit the Palo Alto Humane Society. For more information please call (650) 424-1901 or visit www.paloaltohumane.org.

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