PayPal Park really went to the dogs last Saturday night — literally.
And, no, I am not being mean. It was the night of the Fur Ball — Humane Society Silicon Valley’s disco-themed fundraiser that saw both people and their canine companions dressed to the nines.
And, woof, there were sure a lot of pretty pooches around — dogs in tutus, mini tuxedos and blinged-out bandanas. All were roaming around with their humans during the cocktail reception, held on the disco-ball-decorated concourse and field, followed by dinner under a tent on the Epicenter Fan Zone lawn. Fortunately, nobody seemed to mix up the human hors d’oeuvres with the plentiful dog treats, either.
The pups — and an appearance by NFL legend Jerry Rice — may have caught a lot of attention, but the real stars of the show were Sue and John Diekman, who were honored at the event for their role in expanding the Humane Society’s Regional Rescue Program. It moves animals from overcrowded shelters around California to Humane Society Silicon Valley, where they stand a better chance of being adopted.
The Diekmans’ relationship with Humane Society Silicon Valley started in 2004 with a $5,000 donation toward the construction of a new shelter and included a $3 million in 2022 to support the Regional Rescue Program, which has found homes for thousands of animals.
“This organization always has an eye on saving animals’ lives and the important connection between people and pets,” Sue Diekman said. And the Atherton couple haven’t just supported the program — they’ve used it, adopting two rescued dogs themselves over the past decade.
GLITTERING GALA: The month of May must have some disco feel to it, as that also was the theme for TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s “Gala 54: A Night of Disco Dreamin’” on May 4 at the Palo Alto Hills Golf & Country Club. Nearly 250 guests got their groove on at the bash, which was highlighted by performer and activist Shakina — joined by performers Solona Husband and Miller Lberatore — on a medley of ’70s faves. Shakina wrote the lyrics to the world premiere musical “5 & Dime,” which opens a monthlong run at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts on June 18.
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Like many other Bay Area companies, TheatreWorks found out a couple of weeks ago that its grant from the National Endowment of the Arts was history, and Artistic Director Giovanna Sardelli invited guests to show their support for TheatreWorks’ commitment to spotlighting diverse voices through their pledges. It sure worked, as the event raised more than $550,000.
TheatreWorks was founded by the late Robert Kelley in 1970 — so the company was actually around during the Disco Era to which it was paying tribute. And so was one of the guests, former state senator and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, who was a stage manager for the company back in ’70s.
OUT OF THIS WORLD: Symphony San Jose didn’t have any disco at its Mothers Day concerts, but it pulled off a rare sold-out weekend with a program featuring the glitter of outer space. Tatsuya Shimono, general music director of the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, returned to the California Theatre to conduct the symphony orchestra and members of the symphony chorale in a trio of pieces: Jessie Montgomery’s short piece for strings, “Starburst”; Mozart’s “Jupiter” symphony; and Gustav Holst’s majestic composition, “The Planets.”
The Holst work was accompanied by “The Planets: An HD Odyssey,” a video using NASA images of our solar system’s planets that was originally produced by Duncan Copp for the Houston Symphony. Symphony San Jose Executive Artistic Director Robert Massey said that visual journey also played well on Friday, when more than 2,000 students were treated to a special performance of “The Planets,” as part of the Students at the Symphony program.
It’ll be a tough for Symphony San Jose to top that with the season-closing “España” on June 7-8, but it’s giving it a shot. The pre-concert festivities will include live music and a flamenco dance performance in the California Theatre courtyard.
