Weekend Preview Weekend Preview (November 02, 2005)

THURSDAY

"101 Dalmatians" comes to Hoover School at 445 E. Charleston Road in Palo Alto tonight at 7:30 p.m., presented by Palo Alto Children's Theatre. Other performances are scheduled for 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets for the outreach program, which is sponsored by the Hoover School PTA, are $8 for adults and $4 for children. Call (650) 463-4970.

"The Bright River," a retelling of Dante's "Inferno" in hip-hop, will be performed by Everyday Theatre at Cubberley Auditorium at Stanford University's School of Education at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 general, $15 for members of the Albert L. Schultz Jewish Community Center and $5 for students. Call (650) 736-1199.

The Stanford Symphony Orchestra plays Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 5 in E minor" and Stanford junior Naoya Kanai plays Antonin Dvorak's "Cello Concerto in B minor" at 8 p.m. in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. Tickets are $10 general, $9 for seniors and $5 for students. Call (650) 725-2787.

"Roberto Zucco," a play by Bernard-Marie Koltes, is being put on by the Stanford Drama Department with 8 p.m. shows through Saturday. It takes place at the Pigott Theater on campus, and tickets are $15 general, $10 for Stanford staff and faculty, and $8 for students. Call (650) 725-5838.

"Oklahoma!" takes the stage at Jordan Middle School, farmers and cowmen and spirited music and all, this evening at 7 p.m. Other performances will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday and at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at the school, which is at 750 N. California Ave. in Palo Alto. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for students. Call (650) 213-0150.

An Autumn Literary Festival held by Kepler's Books & Magazines kicks off this evening with authors including Jerome Karabel, Tobias Wolff, Barry Eisler, Ann Packer and Firoozeh Dumas speaking in various locations. The festival, which includes other author events and live music, runs through Nov. 18. Other authors are scheduled to include U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer and George R.R. Martin. For more information, go to www.keplers.com.

FRIDAY

"The Drawer Boy," a play about a young actor moving to a Canadian farm in 1972 to do research for an experimental theater project -- and then stumbling upon a wartime secret -- has a preview show tonight at the Lucie Stern Theatre at 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. The Palo Alto Players production has its opening night on Saturday and then runs through Nov. 20, with 8 p.m. shows Wednesday through Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday matinees. Tickets are $18 for the preview and then range from $22 to $29. Call (650) 329-0891 or go to www.paplayers.org.

A reception for "Vibrant Earth," a show of clay monotypes by Palo Alto artist Martha Castillo, is planned from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Pacific Art League at 668 Ramona St. in Palo Alto. There will also be free clay-print demonstrations at 1 p.m. on Saturday and at 11 a.m. on Nov. 19. Ten percent of sales from the exhibit will be donated to hurricane and earthquake relief efforts. Call (650) 321-3891 or go to www.marthacastillo.net.

Dulce Pontes, a singer of the traditional Portuguese fado music, performs at 8 p.m. at Stanford University's Dinkelspiel Auditorium, thanks to Stanford Lively Arts. Tickets are $38/$34 for adults and $19/$17 for Stanford students. Call (650) 725-ARTS or go to livelyarts.stanford.edu.

"A Penny for a Song," a comedy by John Whiting about an absurd plan to defeat Napoleon's army, will be staged through Nov. 19 by the Foothill Drama Department in the Playhouse Theater at Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills. Tickets are $16 general and $12 for students and seniors. Call (650) 949-7360 or go to www.ticketweb.com.

Stanford Art Spaces exhibits paintings by Marne Jaye, Beverly Wilson and TheArthur Wright weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., through Jan. 5. A reception is set for this evening from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Center for Integrated Systems building. Call (650) 725-3622 or go to cis.stanford.edu/~marigros.

The Sumner Gallery is displaying photography of Turkey's Turquoise Coast by Mark Tuschman and Gary Bacon starting today and running through the holiday season. The gallery is at 628 Emerson St. and open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. During Palo Alto's First Friday Art Walks on the first Friday of November and December, the exhibit will stay open until 9 p.m. Call (650) 322-3330.

"Gogo the Blue Gorilla" takes the stage with musical spirit, thanks to the Palo Alto Children's Theatre, at 7:30 p.m. this evening and at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. The show goes on at 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto, and tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children. Call (650) 463-4970.

"Warren Miller's 'Higher Ground,'" a film showing off the adventures of top skiers and snowboarders, takes the screen at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts at 500 Castro St. at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. tonight and at 6 and 9 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $17. A Nov. 17 showing is also planned at Spangenberg Theatre in Palo Alto. Call (650) 903-6000 or go to www.mvcpa.com.

SATURDAY

Authors Anne Lamott, Adam Hochschild, Elizabeth Partridge and Lisa See will speak at the 14th annual CAR Authors' Luncheon this afternoon to raise money for the Community Association for Rehabilitation Inc. Taking place at the Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel at 4290 El Camino Real in Palo Alto, the event begins with book sales and signings at 10:30 a.m., then continues to a lunch from noon to 2 p.m., with more book signings afterwards. Tickets are $85. Call (650) 618-3328.

SUNDAY

Photo Family Day means such hands-on photographic activities as making Polaroids on watercolor paper, photo collages and photo-Xerox transfers. It all happens at the Palo Alto Art Center at 1313 Newell Road from 2 to 4 p.m. as part of the center's current exhibit on various vintage photographic techniques. The event is free. Call (650) 329-2366.

Morton Subotnick, a composer of electronic music including 1967's "Silver Apples of the Moon," performs at 8 p.m. on the CCRMA Stage at Stanford University. Admission is free. Call (650) 725-2787.

Entertainer Danny Marona comes to the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts at 500 Castro St. at 2 p.m., backed by the TK Band and featured singer Rolland Dempsey. Tickets are $38 for adults and $33 for seniors. Call (650) 903-6000 or go to www.mvcpa.com.

COMING UP IN FRIDAY'S WEEKEND EDITION:

Textile arts
Thursday night is quilting night for a group of women gathering to stitch and schmooze to benefit El Carmelo Elementary School's PTA.

Art
What do the Mona Lisa, a Rorschach test, and a teapot have in common? An art exhibit at Mountain View's Community School of Music and Arts challenges these familiar forms.

Movies
Reviews of "Chicken Little," "Shopgirl" and "Jarhead."

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