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Felder traces the arc of Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s life from his humble beginning in a dacha in the hinterlands of Russia to his christening of Carnegie Hall. In this wistful 105-minute one-man show, the Canadian actor and musician plays passionately, evoking the dawning of Tchaikovsky’s genius and his lifelong battle to stay true to his own sound despite the fickleness of the public appetite. Immersed in a shifting landscape of projections that transport us from a grove of birch trees to the ballet, Felder narrates the flow of the composer’s often tormented life in 19th-century Russia. He remains far more deft as a pianist than as a biographer and there are moments when the text cries out for trimming.

TheatreWorks, 2014 New Works Festival, Aug, 9-17, TheatreWorks at Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, $19 per show, $49 for season-subscriber festival pass, $65 for festival pass; on sale July 1, 650-463-1960 or www.theatreworks.org, WANT YOUR EVENT IN THINGS TO DO?, Send name of ballet shoes 42 event, time and date, place of event including address, how much it costs, where to buy tickets and the name and phone number of a contact person to jorr@dailynewsgroup.com, (More online, Visit: www.mercurynews.com/peninsula-entertainment..

Dancers are in street clothes during the regular gatherings, but come in costume for the themed events. Admission is free to the gala and the public can see firsthand what keeps dancers coming back and why new people join the fun that includes dances going back to the group’s founding and new steps added to a repertoire that includes dances from more than 40 different countries. Learn more about Berkeley Folk Dancers, the club’s new beginner class and the anniversary gala party at www.berkeleyfolkdancers.org.

Los Altos Stage Company, “The Sunshine Boys.” Through Dec, 15, By Neil Simon, Directed by Karen Altree Piemme, Featuring Bill C, Jones, Al Fischer, Josh Russell, Gordon Meacham, Katherine Leyva, Scott Stanley and Rene Banks, Bus Barn Theater, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos, $18-$34, www.losaltosstage.org or 650-941-0551, TheatreWorks, “Little Women.” Dec, 4-Jan, 4, Broadway musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel, Directed by TheatreWorks Artistic Director Robert Kelley, Previews 8 p.m, Dec, ballet shoes 42 4-7, Opens Dec, 7, Closes Jan, 4, 7:30 p.m, Tuesdays, Wednesdays; 8 p.m, Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m, Saturdays, Sundays; 7 p.m, Sundays, Holiday schedule: 7:30 p.m, Dec, 23; dark Dec, 24, 25; 2 and 8 p.m, Dec, 26; 7:30 p.m, Dec, 30; 2 p.m, Dec, 31; dark Jan, 1; 8 p.m, Jan, 2; 2, 8 p.m, Jan, 3, 4, Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, $19-$79 (discounts available), theatreworks.org or 650-463-1960..

Deep Reading Exhibit: Artwork that looks at the intersection of humanity and technology and traditional practices in the digital age, including one-of-a-kind, small edition and digital artists’ books with computer-woven tapestries, as well as paintings, geolocation-based AR (augmented reality), prints, animation and sculpture. Special installation with Chesa Caparas’ Stanford Human Rights Fellowship project and artists’ books by De Anza College Art and Design students. Presented in conjunction with Silicon Valley Reads. Through March 20. Euphrat Museum of Art, De Anza College, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino. Gallery hours Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. 408-864-5464, deanza.edu/euphrat.