[ Stage Index | Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]

Photograph by Jason P. Winters Naval Maneuvers: Last season, Tabard Theatre rode high with a production of the classic musical 'Dames at Sea.' Fall Seasonings Tabard Theatre's new works include a holiday dose of O. Henry By Michael S. Gant OUR FALL ARTS PREVIEW, as promised, turned out to be a work-in-progress. Several groups called to make sure that they got the word out about their new seasons. Tabard Theatre Company of San Jose mounts family-friendly productions at South Valley Christian Church, 5909 Shawnee Lane, San Jose, with performances Fridays at 8pm and Saturdays at 3 and 8pm. Tabard's season commences with The Gifts of the Magi (Nov. 7-22), a holiday play based on two short stories by O. Henry. Next up is The Dog Sitters (Jan. 23-Feb. 7), a comedy by Mary Chase, who wrote Harvey; and it finishes with Sabrina Fair (April 23-May 8), the romantic comedy that eventually led to the movie Sabrina. Tickets run a modest $10-$15; call 408.679.2330 for info. Chicano/Latino troupe Teatro Visíón has a pair of premieres scheduled: Chilean Holiday (Oct. 9-26), a drama about two families in Chile post-Pinochet; and Boxcar (March 11-April 4), Silvia Gonzalez's play about seven men attempting to cross the border into the United States. Both plays run at the Mexican Heritage Plaza, 1700 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose (408.928.5587). San Jose Stage Company has just announced the second extension of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. The popular play about the horn-rimmed rocker will now "rave on" through Oct. 26. According to San Jose Stage's artistic director, Randall King, "The wonderment about this show is the music. I've seen it 30 times, and I can't wait for this song and that song." The week's award for best title goes to visiting Pig Iron Theatre of Philadelphia for James Joyce Is Dead and So Is Paris: The Lucia Joyce Cabaret. The indie-rock musical, based on the life of Ulysses novelist James' daughter's career as an avant-garde dancer and mental patient, runs Oct. 1-4 at 7pm (with a 10pm show Oct. 3) at the Nitery Theater at Stanford. Call 650.725.5838 for details. Top Notes The San Jose Chamber Orchestra inaugurates its season on Oct. 4 with cellist Felix Fan and a selection of works by Michael Haydn, Manuel Ponce and Javier Alvarez. Nov. 1's Tango and All that Jazz showcases a premiere of Serenade a Magyar by Tom Povse. On Dec. 14, pianist Donna Stoering performs pieces by Heisinger and Leopold Mozart (Toy Symphony). Looking ahead, the group's most intriguing concert for 2004 features Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time (Feb. 29). The French composer has been enjoying a revival of sorts since last year's acclaimed production of his St. Francis of Assisi by the San Francisco Opera. These programs all take place Sundays at 7pm at Le Petit Trianon in San Jose (408.295.4416). Up the peninsula, the Redwood Symphony jumped out to a quick start last weekend with a performance of Frank Zappa's G-Spot Tornado. The symphony aims to mix up its programs with some unusual selections, hence Lou Harrison's Parade coupled with Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde (Nov. 15, 8pm at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center); and H.K. Gruber's Frankenstein!! yoked to Brahms' Symphony no. 2 (Feb. 22, 3pm at Notre Dame de Namur University Theatre in Belmont). In keeping with the "great monsters of music-land" theme, New Music Works of Santa Cruz debuts a new score for the classic silent film Nosferatu, composed by Phil Collins, to be screened at the Rio Theatre on Oct. 25. For a warm-up, the contemporary-music ensemble starts its season with Sound Horizons: Salon Readings of Student Works. In addition to selections by UCSC and Cabrillo students, the evening also highlights a fledging composition by SJSU's James Kingensembe and six miniatures by students from Hartnell College. This concert takes place Friday (Sept. 26) at 8pm at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz. (for details, call 831.687.0770). Also on the outside of the envelope, WORKS/San Jose (30 N. Third St., San Jose) hosts New Music Night this Friday at 8pm, featuring the Abstractions, who skid along the fine line between acoustic and electronic sounds. The next night, also at 8pm, WORKS welcomes computer music maven John Bischoff, electro-acoustic artist Kenneth Atchley and poet Judith Ogus to Permance Night. Send a letter to the editor about this story to letters@metronews.com. [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]