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This week, Smuin Ballet stages the world premiere of the Elvis-inspired ‘Tupelo Tornado;’ Pulitzer-winning author Nicholas Kristof is at Kepler’s Books; Stanford Theater Laboratory stages a workshop production of a brand-new puppet musical; indie rockers SUSTO come to The Guild; Blxst headlines the Frost Music & Arts Festival; Cien Mil Mangos play salsa in the park; and local author Jorge Argueta and illustrator Elizabeth Gomez present their new bilingual children’s book in Redwood City.
‘Dance Series 2’
Smuin Ballet – celebrating 30 years of melding classical ballet and contemporary dance – brings “Dance Series 2” to Mountain View, offering the world premiere of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Elvis Presley-inspired “Tupelo Tornado,” plus Smuin Associate Artistic Director Amy Seiwert’s “Broken Open,” Smuin dancer Brennan Wall’s swirling “Untwine,” and Michael Smuin’s own dreamy “Starshadows,” which Smuin’s website notes was one of is earliest works for the company, choreographed in 1998. “Tupelo Tornado,” set to a rockin’ Elvis soundtrack, is Colombian-Belgian choreographer Lopez Ochoa’s first creation for Smuin. And at the end of this season, Seiwert will step up to head the company, replacing outgoing Artistic Director Celia Fushille, according to a press release.
May 16-19, Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View; $59-$84 for adults, $25 for students 21 and under; tickets.mvcpa.com.
‘Huppet’
“Huppet,” an original new puppet musical by Stanford students Lana Tleimat and Sebastian Blue Hochman, will get its developmental stage debut on campus. The show is the story of teen Lisa, who has a human mom and a puppet dad (hence, “huppet”) and journeys to Puppetland to meet her puppet family and try to figure out where she fits in. “On one hand, the show’s a funny, poignant musical comedy explaining ourselves and where we come from. But it’s also about living a mixed experience in America right now,” Hochman’s website states. This workshop production is presented by the Stanford Asian American Theater Project and Stanford Theater Laboratory.
May 16-18 at 7 p.m. and May 19 at 2 p.m.; Nitery Theater, 514 Lasuen Mall, Stanford; Free; eventbrite.com.
SUSTO
Longtime indie-rock band SUSTO, led by Justin Osborne, released its most recent album, “My Entire Life,” in the summer of 2023. SUSTO Stringband, a lineup featuring Osborne backed by American six-piece Moonsville Collective and performing SUSTO songs in more folksy arrangements, will come to the Guild Theatre this week.
May 17, 8 p.m., The Guild Theatre, 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park; $28-$65; tixr.com/groups/guildtheatre.
Frost Music & Arts Festival
The Frost Music & Arts Festival, organized by the Stanford Concert Network, this year stars West Coast rapper and singer Blxst, who’s collaborated with the likes of Snoop Dog and Nas and been named an “artist to watch” by Billboard. The festival also features UMI and Alemeda. The Stanford Concert Network is a student organization that brings live music to campus and provides educational experience in the music business.
May 18, 6:30 p.m., Frost Amphitheater, 351 Lasuen St., Stanford; $49.50 general admission; live.stanford.edu.
Cien Mil Mangos
Cien Mil Mangos, a Stanford-based salsa band, will perform a free al fresco show in Palo Alto’s Johnson Park, presented by Earthwise Productions. The group was also in the lineup of April’s 3rdThursday event on California Avenue.
May 17, 6 p.m., Johnson Park, 268 Waverley St., Palo Alto; free; eventbrite.com.
Nicholas Kristof
For 40 years, bestselling author Nicholas Kristof has been a familiar byline in the New York Times, in a variety of roles from foreign correspondent to columnist. He’s also a winner of two Pulitzer Prizes. Kristof comes to Kepler’s Books to share his latest book, “Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life,” which captures memorable moments from his work throughout the world. The book also shares the stories of many remarkable people doing heroic work that Kristof has encountered in his reporting. Kristof is featured in conversation with Angie Coiro.
May 19, 4 p.m., at Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, $15-$46, keplers.org.
Jorge Argueta and Elizabeth Gomez
Local author Jorge Argueta and Redwood City illustrator (and muralist) Elizabeth Gomez will present their new children’s book, “Bilingue, superhéroe / Bilingual, Superhero.” The book is the story of a boy who speaks both Spanish and English, and his enthusiasm for his amazing bilingual skills. At an event hosted by the Redwood City Library Foundation, Argueta and Gomez will discuss the development of the book from idea to final product. Also included in admission is access to a link to screen Joanna Rudnick’s feature documentary “Stories and Pictures By,” which follows three contemporary children’s literature creators as well as sheds insights on enduring classics of children’s lit.
May 20, 6:30 p.m., Redwood City Public Library, 1044 Middlefield Road, Redwood City; $10 for single tickets/$40 for family; paybee.io/in-person-event/rclf/1.
