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Rebecca Solnit
Author and activist Rebecca Solnit comes to Kepler’s Books with a new book that just might be the antidote to doomscrolling, as it chronicles the vast social changes the world has seen over the past 50-60 years and the meaningful, lasting progress that has been made. Solnit’s latest “The Beginning Comes After the End,” explores gains in human rights, environmental protections and many other areas since the 1960s and examines how authoritarianism is closer to collapse than it might seem. Solnit argues that the groundwork has already been established for what may come after — societies with different priorities than the ones we currently see prevailing. The book is a sequel to her bestselling 2004 book “Hope in the Dark,” published during the Iraq War. Solnit will be featured in conversation with Angie Coiro. This event is offered in person and virtually.
April 27, 6:30 p.m., at Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park; $11.49-$21.99 in-person admission; $37.74 in-person admission plus book; $16.74 virtual admission;Â $32.49-$45.09 virtual admission, depending on pickup and delivery options. eventbrite.com.
Victor and the Callers
San Francisco-based band Victor and the Callers bring layers of folk, jazz, funk and bluesiness to a solid rock-pop foundation. Fronted by singer-songwriter Victor Lin, the group’s original songs can be at turns moody, raw and playful, with heartfelt lyrics and breezy harmonies. The Callers’ most recent album, 2025’s “Lucid Dreams,” showcases the group’s wide range, from the jangly, old-timey jazz of “Breathe Easy” to the slightly foreboding funkiness of “Heartthrob.”. Victor and the Callers celebrated their album release at Little Green last year and return to the unique venue for this show.Â
April 24, 8 p.m., LIttle Green a Plant Bar, 110 Main St., Redwood City; free admission (donations welcomed); eventbrite.com.
‘Disney’s Frozen’
Spring has sprung, but on the Palo Alto Players’ stage, everything is “Frozen.” The company is staging “Disney’s Frozen,” the musical adaptation of the 2013 animated film that quickly became a favorite for its tale of love and acceptance, and for giving us one of the all-time earworms — a memorable tune that once you hear it, ironically, might be impossible to “let it go.” But for a show about an actual ice queen, “Disney’s Frozen” has the warmest of hearts. Princess Elsa has mysterious magical powers that allow her to create snow and ice. After she becomes queen, her powers seem terrifyingly out of control, but her sister, Anna, helps her understand the source of her powers, with help from the snowman Olaf and a motley crew of townsfolk. In addition to well-known numbers like the aforementioned “Let It Go” and “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” this musical adaptation boasts new original songs.
April 24-May 10 at the Lucie Stern Community Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. $40-$70; paplayers.org.
‘Carnival of the Animals’ at Music@Menlo
Pianist and composer Michael Stephen Brown will take Music@Menlo audiences on a world tour of the habitats of various endangered animals, imagining 24 hours in the lives of 14 creatures that include orangutans, manatees, axolotls, coral — and a bit tongue-in cheek — a certain type of musical human, as well. Brown’s new work for chamber ensemble, “The Carnival of Endangered Wonders: A Zoological Fantasy” makes inventive use of percussion, including a real saw representing a sawfish. The piece, commissioned by a consortium of performing arts groups that includes Music@Menlo, had its world premiere earlier this month in Florida. Brown will be joined by a large chamber ensemble to perform the piece. The second half of the program features the work that according to Brown’s program notes, inspired his composition: Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals,” an evocative piece that uses different instruments and techniques to portray various animals.
April 25, 4 p.m., Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton, 555 Middlefield Road, Atherton; $35-$70; musicatmenlo.org/event/carnival-of-the-animals.
Woodside Band spring concert
Woodside Band will perform an eclectic, joyful program to mark both Earth Day and DÃa del Niño, a day honoring children that’s celebrated in Mexico. The community band will perform classical selections such as Grieg’s “Peer Gynt Suite” and Alfred Reed’s 1985 work “El Camino Real,” alongside tunes such as “Super Mario Bros.” and Randy Newman’s music from “Toy Story 2.”
April 26, 3 p.m., at Woodside High School Performing Arts Center, 199 Churchill Ave, Woodside; free admission (donations welcomed); windband.org/woodside.
Molly Tuttle and Ketch Secor
Palo Alto-raised Americana artist Molly Tuttle returns to the Peninsula. The two-time Grammy Award winner has taken her work in a new direction that saw the release in 2025 of “So Long Little Miss Sunshine,” an album celebrating themes of acceptance, independence and self-confidence. For this show, Tuttle teams with longtime creative collaborator and fellow Grammy winner Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show. Tuttle and Secor are offstage partners, as well, announcing their engagement in December 2025. As of press time, the show had a waitlist.
April 30, 8 p.m., at The Guild Theatre, 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park; $88-$160; guildtheatre.com
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