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This week, catch a contemporary dance-theater update of "The Jungle Book," spread Christmas cheer with "Elf The Musical" at Los Altos Stage Company, hear steel drums and a world music showcase at The Guild, be moved by a world-premiere musical adaptation of "The Velveteen Rabbit" at Palo Alto Children's Theatre and feel the warmth of the Peninsula Women's Chorus' "A Candlelit Homecoming."
‘Jungle Book Reimagined’
Stanford Live presents Akram Khan’s dance-theater adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale “The Jungle Book,” reimagining the story of the human child Mowgli and his wild friends and foes as a climate-change narrative set in the near future. In this production, according to Stanford Live, Mowgli is a climate refugee in an abandoned city, where non-human animals have emerged to take over the urban jungle. The show includes a cast of 10 dancers, animation and an original musical score. The Akram Khan Company blends classical Indian Kathak and contemporary dance in innovative ways, and is based in London. These Stanford performances are the last stop on the North American tour for “Jungle Book Reimagined.”
Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 3 at 2:30 p.m., Memorial Auditorium, 551 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford. Tickets start at $35. live.stanford.edu.
'Elf The Musical'
"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear," as the unfailingly cheery hero of the film "Elf" often proclaims. Taking that character's advice to heart is "Elf The Musical," a Broadway show adapted from the favorite holiday film, which marks its 20th anniversary this year. Los Altos Stage Company presents the lighthearted musical, which tells a fish-out-of-water story about a human raised as an elf in Santa's workshop and the holiday spirit he spreads when he visits New York to find his biological father, who's on Santa's naughty list.
Through Dec. 23 at the Bus Barn Theater, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos. Tickets are $22-$45. losaltosstage.org.
Nueva Day and Night
The steel drum bands of Nueva School (a private school based in Hillsborough and San Mateo) will offer a world music showcase featuring guest steel drum player Jeff Narell and guitarist Chris Camozzi. Steel drum ensembles from both the middle and upper schools will perform. Narell is a longtime Bay Area Afro-Caribbean percussionist and educator who, according to his website, studied in the 1960s with the inventor of the modern steel drum, Ellie Mannette.
Dec. 3 at 6 p.m., Guild Theatre, 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. Tickets are $25. guildtheatre.com.
‘The Velveteen Rabbit’
A beloved children’s favorite gets a world-premiere adaptation this season when the Palo Alto Children’s Theatre presents a new version of Margery Williams’ “The Velveteen Rabbit,” with book and lyrics by Adam Tobin and music by Deborah Wicks La Puma. The play features three original songs. If it’s been a while since you’ve read the touching tearjerker, the story features the titular velveteen rabbit – the beloved stuffed companion of a child – who dreams of becoming a real bunny. Palo Alto Children’s Theatre is offering a few special performances during the main stage show’s run: a “sensory and spectrum friendly” performance Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. and an American Sign Language-interpreted show Dec. 16 at 7 p.m.
Through Dec. 17, Palo Alto Children’s Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Tickets are $17. cityofpaloalto.org.
A Candlelit Homecoming
At this time of year, stepping out of the cold into a warmly lit place can feel just about as welcoming as it gets — the exact cozy, uplifting vibes that the Peninsula Women's Chorus looks to channel with their winter concert, "A Candlelit Homecoming." The chorus performs contemporary and classical works celebrating winter, including R. Murray Schafer’s “Snowforms," Veljo Tormis’ “Talvemustrid” (Winter Patterns) and Carol Barnett’s “Winter, Snow.” Among other works on the program are Michael Bussewitz-Quarm’s setting of “Nigra Sum,” dedicated to refugees worldwide and Giovanni Gabrieli’s “O Magnum Mysterium” for double chorus. The concert concludes with carols, such as "Silent Night” and John Rutter’s “Candlelight Carol.”
Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 625 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto. The chorus performs the same program Dec. 9 at Mission Santa Clara. $10-$50. pwchorus.org.
