All together now

Just returned from a wonderful getaway to Ashland, a peaceful world of parks, artists and an Elizabethan theater to take your breath away.

Near as I can tell, Ashland has only one Starbucks -- banished to the edge of town, three stories underground, just across the California border -- and nineteen independent bookstores on every block. Heaven. The best place was a combination bookstore and antique shop, where we couldn't decide which to covet more, the rare tomes or the vintage musical instruments. We bought a harmonica.

I like this combination idea. I think it would play in Palo Alto. A few ideas:

• An Izzy's Bagels-slash-pedicure salon. Be pampered while you nosh. (Most popular nail polish colors: purple onion and lox trim.)
• A Palo Alto library branch in Watercourse Way. Because we all like to read in the tub.
• A Creamery counter in the Palo Alto Art Center. You could distract yourself from your milkshake brain freeze by looking at the art. And the IDEO exhibit would inspire you to redesign everything. French fries should be shaped like gladiolas.
• A restaurant hybrid: Madison and Fifth-slash-Antonio's Nut House. Because it would be funny to watch the pretty people trip on peanut shells.

The small world of theater

A blast from my theatrical past has arrived in a yellow envelope: a program from a 1985 production of "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp" at the Palo Alto Children's Theatre.

Thanks to Michael Litfin, assistant director at the theater, for reminding me of my star turn as Zada, one of a crowd of 15 citizens/vendors. (I believe I had nine lines.)

Beautiful theater, delightful people, and a way to build self-confidence and poise, as theater is for so many kids. The harem pants were fun, too.

I wore glasses at the time -- not exactly period -- so I had to go on stage in my nearsighted glory. This turned out to be a boon; if you can't see the audience, it's harder to get stage fright.

Looking at the program, I realized that one of the names in the cast was familiar. It turned out to be a woman who now works with my significant other. We had no idea we'd been in a show together.

Anyone else have good memories to share from children's theater?

Under the sea

Lest I forget the second part of my title, "arts and entertainment editor," here is a website that makes me titter ridiculously loudly at my desk. Watch the videos.

In fact, the site makes me laugh so hard that I shall soon disrupt the entire newsroom, be canned, and no longer be editor of anything.

The bronze age

Lately, whenever art snares my attention, I want to make my own. This explains the blobs of acrylic paint in my living room and the teetery new easel on the balcony. (It's great to be a singer, but you can't hang it on the wall.)

I wonder if there's room in the living room for bronze. I am so taken with the bronze sculptures of Pola Harrel. Her stone, glass and clay work is nifty, too, but there's something lush and inviting about metal. You want to pick it up, see how heavy it is, whether it's warm or cool.

I met Pola once at Gallery House in Palo Alto and found her delightful. I'll definitely swing by the California Avenue joint again after her new exhibit opens on Tuesday.

At left is her "Open To Dream." I love the contrast between the "open" of the title and the secretive, perhaps teasing body language. The woman's cat-like eyes are dreaming, but it's up to the viewer to imagine what she's dreaming about.

The other sculpture that pulls me in is "Julia" (right). Perhaps it's the unexpected use of color. It adds a softness to the bronze, like seafoam. And again there's a bewitching face.

Harrel's work is being shown with the oil painting and encaustic work of David M. Baltzer, whose art is influenced by his many years working in film and video. Check out the exhibit -- it runs through Sept. 16 at Gallery House, 320 California Ave.

A taste for turo

Gratulalok to the Peninsula Women's Chorus -- the singers took third prize in their category in July's choral competition in Hungary.

(The first word means "congratulations" in Hungarian, courtesy of a writer showing off her Magyar skills. That writer would be me.)

Competing in the women's choirs category of the Bela Bartok 22nd International Choir Competition in Debrecen, the PWC singers took on some very complex music (see my Weekly story).

They came in just behind the two choirs from the Czech Republic and Hungary that tied for second place. The competition was judged on point requirements; no one scored enough for first place.

As part of the trip, the PWC singers also performed in Budapest, Prague and Bratislava. Many also developed a taste for turo, a Hungarian sweet cheese, which is sort of like cheesecake to us Yanks.

And I'm happy to see they brought along some quality reading material (click on the picture for a closer look).

Pictured: The chorus at the Fisherman's Bastion in Budapest. Photo courtesy of Kyoko Oishi.

From the editor's desk

You would not believe the mountains of mail I get in this job. Half the time I can't see across the room.

Now I love getting mail, so I can't complain. But you can tell that most of the PR folk inundating me with paper have never even seen the Weekly. I wonder where they think Palo Alto is. You try finding a local angle in a press release about a drum circle in Colorado.

Somehow I am on the list to receive "Las Vegas Food & Beverage Magazine." This one I might not kvetch about. Today, I spent a decadent, undisclosed period of time with the special dessert issue. My favorite description came from writer Amy Wittle, who was salivating over an offering at the Tao Asian Bistro at the Venetian:

"The Giant Fortune Cookie is about the size of a cantaloupe and is filled with white and dark chocolate mousse. The plate is beautifully finished with brightly colored mandarin oranges, lychee, blackberries, strawberries and mango."

Take that, PF Chang's.

A taste of carnatic music

So you can use a passel of flowery verbs and scribble adjectives all over the page, but you can only do so much in words to describe a song.

Fortunately, Surya Nagarajan, the young carnatic music singer I profiled in Friday's Weekly, was kind enough to give me a sample of her art. Here you can listen to a short .mp3 file of Surya performing.

Carnatic music is classical music from Southern India, sung in such languages as Telugu and Hindi. This is just a taste of it; Surya will also hold a solo concert this Sunday at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts.

'Squirrel choreography'

Quite an adventurous opening night last week for "Annie Get Your Gun" at Foothill Music Theatre...

Here's sharpshooter Annie on stage, talking about all the game she has shot. Suddenly a real-life squirrel takes a swan dive out of the theater lights and into the audience. A few minutes later, the squirrel vaults onto the stage and goes jumping across it.

Oh, can you imagine the beauty, the critter flying into the air, silhouetted against the set's orange sky? (Director Jay Manley reportedly called it "squirrel choreography.")

No one shot the squirrel, fortunately. In fact, several in attendance began calling him Irving, after "Annie" composer Irving Berlin. After the show, Manley and friends were able to shoo the dear thing back out into the wilds of Foothill College.

Pictured: Jessica Raaum as Annie. Photo by Nancy Fitzgerald.