Art shows, chamber music, club events, concerts, dramatic productions, musical comedies, stand-up acts, symphonic extravaganzas and even some world premieres—it’s all coming up on South Bay stages. Events handpicked by Chris Corona, Mike Huguenor, Addie Mahmassani and Sharan Street.
Art
Kelly Akashi: Formations
Sep 3, 2022-April 23-2023 | San Jose Museum of Art
Los Angeles–based artist Kelly Akashi’s first touring museum exhibition kicks off at SJMA. Kelly Akashi: Formations encompasses a decade of work in various media, including glass and cast bronze objects, multipart sculptural installations, and photographic work. There’s also newly commissioned work that examines the imprisonment of the artist’s father in a Japanese American internment camp during World War II. (SS)
Fire Transforms
Sep 17-Dec 10 | Palo Alto Art Center
Part of the center’s Climate Connections exhibition series on the very pressing subject of climate change, “Fire Transforms” presents a different perspective on one of the chief dangers facing Californians. Instead of sinking into despair over the increasing frequency of deadly wildfires, the artists embrace the spirit of the burning phoenix and find new ways to see fire as a transformative force. (SS)
Season II
Sep 17, 2022-Jan 8, 2023 | Triton Museum
Opening at the Triton Museum the same day as a new Lawrence Ferlinghetti exhibit, Season II is a joint collection with local Asian-American art collective Chopsticks Alley. Wide-ranging and free-thinking, Season II juxtaposes massive weavings, evocative paintings and soothing sound installations to evoke the new generations of thought in the local Asian American community. (MH)
Great Wave
Sep 19, 2022-Jan 13, 2023 | Santa Clara University | Art and Art History Gallery
Taking inspiration from Hokusai’s iconic woodblock print, this group exhibition showcases the work of contemporary artists who live near the coast. Organized by Bay Area curator Ann Trinca, the show uses Hokusai’s image as a jumping off point, to explore the inspirational power of the ocean. A reception will be held Oct 7 from 5 to 7pm. (SS)
East of the Pacific
Sep 28, 2022-Jan 29, 2023 | Cantor Arts Center
The third and largest in Cantor’s trilogy of Asian American Art Initiative exhibitions, East of the Pacific encourages viewers to recenter their ideas of east and west and think about the influence of Asia on American art. Made up of nearly 100 art pieces spanning more than 140 years, East of the Pacific shows that no culture is truly an island. (MH)
Reclamation: Art and Culture of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Council
Nov 4-May 7 | New Museum Los Gatos
From November through Spring, NUMU features the work of Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Photographer Kike Arnal as part of a broader project to honor the tribe’s vitality. Arnal’s photographs not only explore the Muwekma’s rich history, but also usher viewers into careful consideration of current issues the tribe faces. With diverse subjects spanning from the Amazon River to Mexican helicopter flights, Arnal is known for his respectful yet incisive eye. (AM)
Sky Hopinka
Opening Nov 4 | San Jose Museum of Art
The film work of Native American artist Sky Hopinka creates a haze of myth, dream, smoke and everyday life. Fish swim through mountains, voices overlay each other and the spirits begin to watch the living. His 2019 film imagines a new mythology for the Xąwįska, the pipe used by the Ho-Chunk Nation to revive the fainted. Seeing and Seen, Hopinka’s new work, will likewise take viewers to the edge of consciousness—and then one step further. (MH)
Music
Jackie Ruso
Joji
Sept 1 | Frost Amphitheater
The path from YouTube prankster to viral R&B idol is one perhaps only walked by the musician known as Joji. A star of the Asian-American media group 88Rising, the singer/producer’s strangely off-kilter ballads strike at the heart with a weird wink. 2022 single “Glimpse of Us” went #1 in seven countries after exploding on TikTok, but he’s bringing more than a glimpse to the Frost. (MH)
Pablo Cruise
Sep 3 | Mitchell Park Bowl
If the success of bands like Haim and Mac Demarco have proven anything, it’s that soft rock is back. Who can deny a solid groove and a catchy melody? No one, that’s who. Pablo Cruise, the Bay Area’s own sultans of soft rock, play Palo Alto in September, bringing all sorts of yachty ’70s vibes to the Mitchell Park Bowl. “Love Will Find a Way” to go to this show. (MH)
Gunderfest
Sep 3 | Playback Studios
San Jose practice space Playback Studios has long played a crucial role in the local DIY scene. At a time when few other rooms were available as host, their lobby has happily welcomed countless bands from the 408 and beyond. This September, they throw a benefit show for Gunderson High School’s music program featuring a baker’s dozen (13) bands, selections of the local punk, alt rock, indie and metal scenes all turning out to help the future of local arts. (MH)
Danny Elfman
Sept 16 | Frost Amphitheater
Few performances at Coachella 2022 held a candle to Danny Elfman’s. Tearing through a setlist that included Oingo Boingo classics, a Nightmare Before Christmas medley and the theme song to the Simpsons, Elfman commanded a massive orchestra while strutting shirtless and shredding the guitar. Riding the high from that memorable performance, Elfman brings the music of his Tim Burton film collaborations on tour, including a stop at Stanford. (MH)
Dry Cleaning
Sept 21 | The Ritz
Dry Cleaning singer Florence Shaw’s delivery is so intensely deadpan, so devoid of human emotion, it is almost subversive. “Do everything, feel nothing,” she intones in the chorus of agitated post-punk single “Scratchcard Lanyard.” Then, for good measure, she repeats it. It’s bleak and wry in the way only a British post-punk band can be. The band come to San Jose a month before releasing their second album. (MH)
Sunny War
Sept 22 | Hammer Theatre
hammertheatre.com/sunset-series
Simple Syrup, the 2021 album by guitarist/singer Sunny War, is a lot of things at once. A little folk, some blues, some punk, a little Elliott Smith, all filtered through Sunny’s striking guitar work and unaffected voice. Sunny made a lot of fans with her 2019 NPR Tiny Desk concert; at the Hammer, she delivers a rooftop sunset performance—a perfect accompaniment for her dusky acoustic. (MH)
The Wallflowers
Oct 3 | Guild Theatre, Menlo Park
One listen to the poetic rock ’n’ roll that Jakob Dylan, the front man of the Wallflowers, churns out is enough to spark comparisons to a certain great troubadour of the sixties counterculture. This fall the band tours in support of Exit Wounds, its first new studio-album in nine years. Exploring metaphorical scars with a full electric band, Dylan carries the torch onward, literally and figuratively embodying the legacy of great American songwriting. (AM)
Celebrating David Bowie
Oct 8 | San Jose Civic
A star-studded cast of space oddities touches down at the San Jose Civic this October to celebrate the life and work of David Bowie. Helmed by one of Bowie’s greatest guitarists, Adrien Belew (Lodger), alongside the chimerical Todd Rundgren, the crew also includes Fishbone’s Angelo Moore and a host of others. Having performed pre-pandemic, the group brings the show back now. A wise choice, seeing as any time is a good time for some Bowie. (MH)
Zulu
Oct 11 | X Bar
The last time all-Black LA hardcore band Zulu played the X Bar, they quickly turned the entire room into a mosh pit. The unrelenting, less-than-10-minute set has since been viewed thousands of times on YouTube, and now they’re ready to bring Cupertino another night to remember. Atlanta’s slightly-psychedlic Playytime and Chicago hardcore group Buggin join them at this highly headbangable show from The Hard Times. (MH)
Bit Brigade
Oct 16 | The Ritz
Players are already grabbing their controllers, because this concert is for them. Bit Brigade shreds the soundtrack of favorite NES games while a gamer shreds through a speedrun of that very same game. Fans root for the speedrunner as he dodges incoming attacks while dodging around the dance floor. Among the classic NES childhood favorites played are Contra, Castlevania, Metroid, and Zelda. (CC)
Deerhoof
Oct 22 | The Ritz
Few bands have carved out their own space the way San Francisco’s Deerhoof have. Fiercely independent—sometimes even from rhythm and melody—the endlessly inventive four-piece have released seventeen full-lengths, including a medley album and a collaboration with jazz legend Wadada Leo Smith, yet have always sounded like themselves. Indie rock doesn’t get much more thrilling, or indie, than Deerhoof. (MH)
Silvana Estrada
Oct 22 | Frost Amphitheater
Mexican singer-songwriter Silvana Estrada, who grew up in a family full of musicians and instrument makers, plays her debut solo album at Frost Amphitheater. Marchita displays her amazing lyricism and smooth vocals, which mesh with the warm tunes of the cuatro guitar to create a mesmerizing sound. It is easy to see her childhood of music and education culminate in this masterpiece. (CC)
The Dead Boys
Nov 6 | The Ritz
Whoever said “Punk’s not dead” clearly didn’t consider the work of Cheetah Chrome, Stiv Bators, Jimmy Zero, Jeff Magnum and Johnny Blitz. Those boys have been dead since ’77. The quintessential Cleveland band emerged from the ashes of proto-punk group Rocket from the Tombs, dropped a punk perennial in “Sonic Reducer” from their debut Young, Loud and Snotty and have inspired countless punk legends sinc (see 2013 film CBGBs). The dead live at the Ritz this November. (MH)
Social Distortion
Nov 18-22 | Guild Theatre
Will no one take away Mike Ness’s ball and chain? If the veteran California punk’s lyrics are to be trusted, he’s lonely, and he’s tired—and he can’t take any more pain! 44 years after forming in Fullterton, Calif., the quintessential blues-punkers come to Menlo Park for four nights of hard rock about hard times at the Guild. The second half features Urethane, the new band from San Jose pro skater Steve Caballero. (MH)
Stage
School of Rock
Aug 26-Sep 11 | Palo Alto Players | Lucie Stern Community Theatre
A song-packed adaptation of the 2003 film created by Mike White and Jack Black, the production features 14 new numbers by Andrew Lloyd Webber, plus all the original music from the movie—and a kids’ rock band jamming live on stage. (SS)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Sept 8-Oct 2 | Los Altos Stage Company | Bus Barn Theater
The play’s central character is somewhere on the spectrum, and he’s investigating the killing of a neighborhood canine. Quirky? Sure. But this play by Simon Stephens based on the novel of the same name by Mark Haddon has also been described as “eye-opening, life-affirming and unmissable.” (SS)
Bull in a China Shop / Collective Rage
Sep 9-Oct 2 | Pear Theatre, Mountain View
Bryna Turner’s 2017 play Bull in a China Shop made waves upon its debut with its masterful rendering of first-wave feminist Mary Woolley and her love affair with the writer Jeannette Marks. Though warmth and humor fuel this story, bravery lives at its core. At one point, Marks asks Woolley, “You want a revolution?” Making a fool of anyone who considers early-1900s women dull, Woolley answers, “I am a revolution.” (AM)
Every Brilliant Thing
Sep 15-Oct 16 | City Lights Theater Company
For its production of this play about a child caring for a suicidal parent by listing the “brilliant things” that make life worth living, City Lights promises that “every audience member is made to feel like part of the story.” Actors Dane K. Lentz and Tasi Alabastro.take the lead roles in a bilingual production (English and American Sign Language). (SS)
Smuin Dance Series 1
Sept 16-18 | Smuin Contemporary Ballet | Mountain View Center for the Arts
Smuin Contemporary Ballet is bringing in the brilliant Cuban choreographer Osnel Delgado for its 29th season. Inspired by Cuba’s dance traditions, Delgado will take Smuin in a new direction. Also on the bill are Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Requiem for a Rose, a dance of romance and love, and former company member Rex Wheeler’s Take Five. (CC)
The Play That Goes Wrong
Sept 21-Oct 16 | San Jose Stage Company
Things certainly don’t go right in award-winning comedy The Play That Goes Wrong. The play’s characters—a set of actors developing their own play—move from disaster to dramatic disaster as they attempt to stage the zany mystery The Murder at Haversham Manor with as few injuries as possible. Like everything else in the play, it goes wrong. (MH)
Company
Sept 24-Oct 15 | South Bay Musical Theatre
Part of the Sondheim canon since it debuted in 1970, this musical was enjoying a critically acclaimed revival on Broadway when Sondheim passed away in 2021. A concept musical composed of vignettes linked by the main character’s 35th birthday, Company features various beloved tunes, including the title song, “The Ladies Who Lunch” and “Being Alive.” (SS)
Beauty and the Beast
Nov 4-20 | Palo Alto Players | Lucie Stern Theatre
The Palo Alto Players bring one of the loveliest love stories of all time to the South Bay this November with their production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Whether the kids are dancing along with the dishes and candelabra or the adults are remembering the values at the heart of romance, this tale as old as time will not fail to enchant. (AM)
Something Rotten
Nov 5-Dec 3 | West Valley Light Opera | Saratoga Civic Theater
Opening the 57th season of WVLO is a South Bay premiere of a play by Wayne Kirkpatrick, Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell about two brothers who set out to write the world’s first musical. A mash-up of 16th-century Shakespeare and 21st-century Broadway, Something Rotten! opened on Broadway in 2015 and began touring in 2017. In addition to the title song, musical numbers include “Welcome to the Renaissance” and “God, I Hate Shakespeare.” (SS)
Meet John Doe
Nov 23-Dec 18 | San Jose Stage Company
If this era seems fraught with peril, take comfort that we’re not faced with a world war—yet. Kevin Kelleher of The Stage is adapting Robert Riskin’s 1941 screenplay about a newspaper reporter who turns a derelict into a national hero—and then watches as her media creation becomes a pawn in a wealthy man’s political ambitions. Fake news? Power-hungry billionaire? Sounds familiar. (SS)
Little Shop of Horrors
Nov 30-Dec 24 | TheatreWorks
Little did schlock king Roger Corman suspect that his low-budget horror-comedy would one day get the musical treatment from hitmakers Ashman and Menken? Directed by Jeffrey Lo, this version features the carnivorous plant named Audrey II terrorizing San Francisco’s Chinatown. (SS)
San Jose Nutcracker
Dec 16-18 | New Ballet | California Theatre
A localized version of the quintessential holiday ballet, this production tells the story of Clara and the Nutcracker but also incorporates references to the heritage that has made Santa Clara Valley the center of innovation. The New Ballet Orchestra, led by conductor Thomas Shoebotham accompanies the performances, with choreography by Dalia Rawson. (SS)
CLASSICAL/OPERA
The Marriage of Figaro
Sep 10-25 | Opera San Jose | California Theatre
Opera San Jose offers a modern music connoisseur’s dream this fall with its contemporary take on Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. Redesigning a production they mounted with great pride years ago, the company has chosen to set this rendition of the beloved opera in India during the time of Crown rule. Internationally acclaimed conductor Viswa Subbaraman brings new life to this absolute classic. (AM)
Yunchan Lim
Sep 18 | Steinway Society | Montgomery Theatre
The kickoff of a nine-concert series (tickets go on sale Aug 28) features pianist Yunchan Lim, fresh off the achievement of becoming the youngest person ever to win gold at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Program details are still to come, but the 18-year-old’s performances are said to have a “magical ability” and a “natural, instinctive quality.” (SS)
Let The Trumpet Sound
Oct 1-2 | Symphony San Jose | California Theatre
For its 2022-23 each of Symphony San Jose’s eight concerts will feature an internationally acclaimed solo artist and a program that highlights the magic of their instrument. Soloist Tine Thing Helseth’s trumpet takes center stage for the first concert, under the baton of conductor: Andrés Cárdenas. Featured works are Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Overture, Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin, Tomasi’s Trumpet Concerto and Schumann’s Symphony No. 3 Rhenish. (SS)
Cloud Gate Dance
Oct 6 | Frost Amphitheater
Founded in 1973 by choreographer Lin Hwai-min, Cloud Gate is named after China’s oldest dance. Their performances make use of meditation, martial arts, modern dance, and ballet. The dance “13 Tongues” brings the streets of Bangka to the stage. Viewers get direct insight into the oldest district in Taipei city with this breathtaking performance. (CC)
Onward: SJDanceCo
October 7-8 | California Theatre
SJDanceCo’s 20th anniversary closing program makes an impression with new works and encore performances. Guest choreographers Nhan Ho, Dominic Duong and Gabriel Mata are all sjDANCEco alumni. Also on the program are works by artistic directors Maria Basile and Gary Masters and choreographic advisor, Fred Mathews. And tap dancer Fred Strickler will contribute a contemporary work for Basile. (SS)
Trio con Brio Copenhagen
Oct 15 | San Jose Chamber Music Society | St. Francis Episcopal Church
This trio is made up of two musical pairs: a husband and wife, and two sisters. Pianist Jens Elvekjar is married to cellist Soo-Kyung Hong; her sister, violinist Soo-Jin Hong, is the third part of this glorious ensemble. They will give a suitably vigorous performance of Beethoven’s Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Prokofiev’s Suite from 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, and Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No.2 in E Minor. (SS)
Le Grand Viola
October 22-23 | Symphony San Jose | California Theatre
The symphony, conducted by Tito Muñoz, performs with violist Timothy Ridout in a program featuring Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Ballade in A minor, Vaughan Williams’s Suite for Viola, Paganini’s Sonata per la Grand Viola and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No 4 Italian. (SS)
Ourland: A Dystopian State
Oct 22-23 | San Jose Chamber Orchestra | 3Below Theaters
A new opera by Mexican-American composer Paul Davies and Argentine-American librettist Daniel Helfgot depicts an imaginary (but very familiar) country plagued by bigotry and hatred toward foreigners. In addition to the social commentary, the work also offers lyrical, descriptive music. (SS)
Requiem and Romance
Oct 29 | Mission Chamber Orchestra | Hammer Theatre
Percussionist Galen Lemmon, violinist Geoffrey Noer, and soprano Alison Collins present the orchestral premiere of Requiem for George Floyd, the world premiere of Romance for Violin and Orchestra by John David Lamb, plus works by Henry Mollicone and Linda Robbins Coleman. (SS)
Cinderella
Nov 12-27 | Opera San Jose | California Theatre
Upon its cinematic release in 1955, Walt Disney’s Cinderella romanticized a certain kind of self-abnegating womanhood many have resisted since. One of those people is surely British conductor Alma Deutscher, who at seventeen-years-old, has already had her rendition of the fairytale produced on three continents to the delight of sold-out houses. Deutscher’s twist? Cinderella is a composer herself. (AM)
Contemplation
Nov 13 | San Jose Chamber Orchestra | St Francis Episcopal Church
Conductor Barbara Day Turner takes the chamber orchestra through Dimitri Sitkovetsky’s arrangement of Bach’s Excerpts from the Goldberg Variations, Mary Watkins’ Song of Remembrance and William Susman’s Angels of Light, then culminating the evening with Voices, a symphony by Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks. (SS)
Beyond
Mosaic Festival
Friday, August 26, 2022 6:00 PM Saturday, August 27, 2022 10:00 PM | Mexican Heritage Plaza
This free two-day event returns for the second year, offering variety of food, art, crafts, healing practices, vendors, and more. On Friday, the program includes Iranian pop, Bollywood, Hip-hop performances and instruction in the Plaza, soundscapes in the Garden and Pavilion, and Bach and Jazz music in the theater. On Saturday, there will be workshops in the Garden, Classrooms, and Pavilion and performances by SJ Jazz, SJDanceCo, and Rosangela Silvestre in the Theater. (SS)
Up on the Roof
Through Oct 31 | San Jose Playhouse | 3Below Theaters
One positive thing that happened during the pandemic was the creation of Up on the Roof, a film festival on the top level of the 2nd & San Carlos Street Garage. Programming includes the Film Festival for Change, a live production of Xanadu and an interactive Halloween experience for families. (SS)
Doc5 Film Festival
Sept 7-9 | Guild Theatre
guildtheatre.com or doc5filmfest.org
A portable version of the Chicago Media Project’s Doc10 all-documentary film festival, this three-day program kicks off with At the Cave of Adullam, about a martial arts academy for young people in Detroit, and ends with The Janes, about a group of activists helping other young women get safe abortions in the days before Roe v. Wade. (SS)
The Velocipastor
Sep 8 | Art Boutiki
If there’s one thing I hate, it’s when a cursed artifact turns me into a dinosaur when I sleep, causing ninjas to attack me in the middle of the night. That’s just a taste of the struggles facing Catholic priest Doug Jones, protagonist of the zany 2019 comedy-horror Velocipastor. Presented by Art Boutiki and hosted by horror historian Douglas Von Irvin, this screening of a future campy classic is sure to have the audience roaring. (MH)
Mid-Autumn Moon Festival
Sep 10 | Children’s Discovery Museum
Part of the museum’s Cultural Celebration Series, the festival shines a light on the Chinese and Vietnamese customs of giving thanks to the moon and the harvest season. Attendees will watch a Lion Dance by local martial arts school Yun Yee Tong USA and listen to traditional music. Shows at 9:30am and 1:30pm.
Chile, Mole, Pozole Festival
Sep 11 | Mexican Heritage Plaza
Taste buds are required at the Mexican Heritage Plaza School of Arts and Culture’s fifth annual Chile, Mole, Pozole Festival. It’s an opportunity to indulge in the best Mexican cuisine while watching great performances and walking through art workshops to learn about Mexican independence day. Some acts to look forward to are Aztec dance group Calpulli Tonalehqueh and the folkórico groups Los Lupeños de San José and Ensamble Folclórico Colibrí. (CC)
Santa Clara Art and Wine Festival
Sep 17-18 | Central Park
More than 165 arts and crafts booths will fill Central Park, with live entertainment on two stages. Musical offerings both days run the cover-band gamut—for instance, Mustache Harbor will reenact the ’70s and ’80s, and local faves the Spazmatics wrap it up on Sunday afternoon.(SS)
Kevin Hart
Sept 30 | SAP Center
Kevin Hart’s eighth hour of stand-up is billed as “The Reality Check” tour. If it’s anything like his last Grammy-nominated tour, then audiences are in for a night of endless laughter. Those who haven’t heard any of Hart’s stand-up or seen his work in films are in for a reality check indeed. (CC)
My Brother, My Brother & Me
Sept 30 | San Jose Civic
Advice gurus and certified Brothers the McElroys bring their knowledge to the San Jose Civic this September for a live taping of their hit podcast My Brother, My Brother and Me. This is, after all, the land of Yahoo!. Though Yahoo! Answers is no more, there’s still plenty of questions out there for the trio to answer, some of which will come live from the audience at the Civic. (MH)
Great Glass Pumpkin Patch
Oct. 1-2 | Palo Alto Art Center
For the 27th year, thousands of hand-crafted glass pumpkins will sprout on the grounds of the Palo Alto Art Center. This joint fundraiser for the center and the Bay Area Glass Institute draws thousands of visitors. More than 25 artists hand-blow and hand-craft the more than 10,000 glass pumpkins in all colors and sizes. (SS)
Diwali: Festival of Lights
Oct 22 | Children’s Discovery Museum
One of the most prominent holidays in Indian culture, Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists. Explore the holiday—a multi-day festival takes place during the Hindu lunisolar month Kartika—through art activities, music and dance. Shows at 9:30am and 1:30pm. (SS)
Dia de Los Muertos
Oct 23 | Downtown San Jose
Now marking the event’s 25th year, the San Jose Multicultural Artists Group will put on its Dia de Los Muertos procession beginning at 11am at City View Plaza at the corner of Market and San Fernando streets, followed by music, dance, food and goods from vendors in the plaza behind Martin Luther King Jr. Library. (SS)
Not sure whether San Jose Stage changed their lineup at the last minute or if this was their idea of taking the premise a bit too far, but the fact that the company’s website shows the dates for “The Play that Goes Wrong” as June & July 2023 — rather than currently running, as advertised — is really disappointing.