This weekend is the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, when more than 650 authors and speakers gather across seven outdoor stages and 15 indoor venues across USC’s University Park campus.
Your Essential Arts scribes are on the lineup of the free, two-day event: My colleague Jessica Gelt is chatting with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, while I, Ashley Lee, am moderating a conversation with director and memoirist Jon M. Chu, as well as a Center Theatre Group panel with Lolita Chakrabarti, who penned the stunning stage adaptation of “Life of Pi,” Larissa FastHorse, the playwright of the farce “Fake It Until You Make It,” and Robert O’Hara, who is helming his film noir take on “Hamlet.”
For more headlines and happenings beyond book talk, here’s your weekend newsletter. Feel free to scroll through it poolside like the Beatles’ George Harrison, as photographed in 1964 by Paul McCartney.
Best bets: On our radar this week
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Paul McCartney, “Self-portrait in my room at the Asher family home, Wimpole Street, London, December 1963.”
(Paul McCartney / Gagosian)
‘Rearview Mirror: Photographs, December 1963–February 1964’
This Gagosian show highlights recently rediscovered photographs taken by McCartney between December 1963 and February 1964, during the emergence of Beatlemania. Shot all over Liverpool, London, Paris and the U.S., the mix of black-and-white and color prints includes self-portraits, intimate views of his bandmates and shots of the fandom that constantly surrounded them. Accompanying the photos is an installation of contemporaneous ephemera, as well as excerpts of cinema verité-style footage of the band recorded by filmmakers Albert and David Maysles, who were granted access to document the group during their first U.S. visit in February 1964. The exhibition, which opens tonight, is on view through June 21. Gagosian, 456 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills. gagosian.com
Arts Open San Pedro
This weekend-long celebration of the waterfront Arts and Cultural District features more than 100 South Bay artists, open studios, interactive workshops and immersive art installations, with free trolley routes connecting arts lovers to various hotspots. Two main stages will host live music and dance performances, and smaller shows will take over venues throughout the city. Admission to the event — which runs Saturday from noon until 7 p.m., and Sunday from noon until 7 p.m. — is free with online RSVP. artsopen.artsunitedsp.org
‘The Turnaway Play’
Lesley Lisa Greene’s play is inspired by the Turnaway Study, which followed 1,000 pregnant people over 10 years and reached the first definitive scientific conclusions on the impact on their lives from either having or being denied an abortion. This staged reading — starring Alysia Reiner, Mishal Prada, Jenny Yang and Sasheer Zamata — is followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Diana Greene Foster, lead researcher of the Turnaway Study, Francine Coeytaux, co-founder of Plan C, a public health campaign for abortion pill access by mail in every state, and Xochitl Lopez-Ayala, policy coordinator for Access RJ, which advocates for reproductive justice. The one-night-only fundraiser starts at 7 p.m. Sunday. Lodge Room, 104 N. Ave 56, 2nd Floor, L.A. lodgeroomhlp.com
John Waters is performing a birthday show at the Wallis on Saturday.
(Greg Gorman)
‘John Waters’ Birthday Celebration: The Naked Truth’
“Humor is always the way to win a war, to terrorize people, to make them laugh, to change their mind, to scare them and to be friendly,” the movie director and raconteur told Jessica Gelt of his birthday tour, which stops at the Wallis this weekend. The event’s press release promises “an endless bag of transgressive, and hetero-non-aggressive twisted tales that will warm the dark little hearts of non-binary brats all over the world.” Remember, Waters says he loves everything he teases “and maybe that’s why I really never am mean, and people embrace even the most crazy s— I say.” Saturday, 7:30 p.m. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. thewallis.org
— Ashley Lee
The week ahead: A curated calendar
Phish, including keyboardist Page McConnell, left, and guitarist-singer-songwriter Trey Anastasio, kick off a three-night stand at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday.
(David Becker / AP)
FRIDAY
Ben Folds The erstwhile layer of “Brick” joins the Pacific Symphony for an evening of impromptu genre-spanning musical exploration.
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. pacificsymphony.org
Heidi Hahn “Not Your Woman” is the third solo exhibition of the Brooklyn-based painter’s work.
Through June 6, Michael Kohn Gallery, 1227 N. Highland Ave. kohngallery.com
Legally Blonde The Musical The hit stage show based on the hit 2001 movie follows the unexpected trajectory of Elle Woods from sorority girl to Harvard Law.
Through May 18. La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd. lamiradatheatre.com
Mozart & Nielsen Ryan Bancroft conducts Nielsen’s Fourth, and Yeol Eum Son performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24.
8 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
Phish The eclectic jam band and its ravenous Phishhead fans invade the Bowl for three nights of genre-blending musical improvisation.
7 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave. hollywoodbowl.com
SATURDAY
Ainadamar Ana María Martínez stars as Margarita Xirgu, the muse of poet Federico García Lorca, in LA Opera’s production of Osvaldo Golijov’s dramatic, flamenco-inspired score with a libretto by David Henry Hwang about the writer’s life and his last days in the Spanish Civil War. Lina González-Granados conducts with Daniela Mack as Lorca.
Through May 18. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laopera.org
All of the Above Monologues in the form of first-person narratives, poems, songs and stories anonymously written by women are performed by female-identifying actors.
7 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. The Actors Company, 916 N. Formosa Ave. alloftheabovela.com
Centroamérica The artistic collective Lagartijas Tiradas al Sol reaches beyond preconceived ideas about the region in this play about a Nicaraguan woman fleeing Daniel Ortega’s dictatorship. Presented in Spanish with English supertitles.
8 p.m. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 262 Westwood Blvd. cap.ucla.edu
Dark Library: Paris 1925 Visit Gertrude Stein’s apartment and mingle with such notable expats as Ernest Hemingway, Josephine Baker, F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, via this intersection of multisensory mediums, including cocktails, dance and movement, and experiential design.
7 and 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday. New Musicals Inc., 5628 Vineland Ave., North Hollywood. eventbrite.com
Junwen Liang The pianist peforms his “Sonata Extravaganza” featuring Mozart’s Sonata No. 10, Ravel’s Sonatine and Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 8.
8 p.m. Boston Court, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena. bostoncourtpasadena.org
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books More than 650 authors and speakers, including “Wicked” director Jon M. Chu, comedian Chelsea Handler, exoneree Amanda Knox, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen, politician Stacey Abrams and poet Amanda Gorman, gather across seven outdoor stages and 15 indoor venues.
All day Saturday-Sunday. USC, University Park campus. events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks
Tasty Little Rabbit An 1890s love triangle between poet Sebastian Melmoth, photographer Wilhelm Von Gloeden and an 18-year-old Sicilian boy is the subject of this play written by Tom Jacobson and directed by George Bamber.
Through June 6, Moving Arts, 3191 Casitas Ave. movingarts.org
30th Anniversary Concert Richard Carpenter and Renee Elise Goldsberry, the Tony Award-winning star of “Hamilton,” will open the show with “Rainy Days and Mondays” to honor the Carpenter Center’s three decades.
8 p.m. Saturday. Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach. carpenterarts.org
Verdi Chorus In the program “Bella Bellini,” the vocal group performs selections from operas by Vincenzo Bellini and Giuseppe Verdi.
7:30 p.m. Saturday; 4 p.m Sunday. First Presbyterian Church, 1220 2nd St., Santa Monica. verdichorus.org/
SUNDAY
Amy Adler: Nice Girl The exhibition features an installation of 20 new oil pastel works that critique the social media mirror selfie through portraits of anonymous young women.
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday and Wednesday-Saturday, through Sept. 7. Orange County Museum of Art, 3333 Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa. ocma.art
The Glass Menagerie Carolyn Ratteray directs Tennessee Williams’ shattering classic about a fading Southern belle, her two children and the impending arrival of a gentleman caller.
Through June 2. Antaeus Theatre Company, Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center, 110 E. Broadway, Glendale. antaeus.org
The Millennium Tour Trey Songz, Omarion and Bow Wow headline this collection of hip-hop and R&B stars.
7 p.m. Kia Forum, 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood. thekiaforum.com
The Staircase A mother and son spin Hawaiian folk tales while playing cards to avoid their own stories in a play by Noa Gardner, directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch.
Through May 18. South Coast Repertory, Emmes/Benson Theatre Center, 655 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. scr.org
Culture news and the SoCal scene
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow” has arrived on Broadway.
(Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)
The stagecraft at the heart of the new Broadway show “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is examined by Ashley Lee in a Q&A concluding that the most difficult illusion is creating the franchise’s signature nosebleeds. Visual effects designers Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher, who also worked on “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” reveal the behind-the-scenes strategies that any superfan of either franchise will be glad to know about.
Speaking of “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” Times theater critic Charles McNulty was in New York to catch its Broadway debut — and warns viewers to enter the Marquis Theatre at their own risk. If Disney shows make the art form veer into theme park territory, McNulty notes, the signature Netflix sci-fi franchise sets it squarely in the violently frenetic world of Dungeons & Dragons. While the visual effects are lavish and stunning, the script feels lacking, McNulty writes. Read about why, here.
Ashley also sat down with playwright a.k. payne between rehearsals of “Furlough’s Paradise,” which is at Geffen Playhouse through May 18. The show is about the relationship between two estranged cousins — with vastly divergent lives — as they reunite in their hometown for a funeral. In a wide-ranging conversation, payne discusses what inspired the show, what the characters represent and what their hopes are for the audience’s experience.
Playwright a.k. payne poses at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.
(Marcus Ubungen / For The Times)
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The photographer John Humble — known for his incisive images of L.A.’s vast urban landscape — has died. He was 81. After studying at the University of Maryland, Humble was drafted during the Vietnam War, spending more than a year overseas as a medic. He landed a job as a photojournalist at the Washington Post upon his return, but ultimately left to perfect his craft at the San Francisco Art Institute. In 1974, Humble moved to Los Angeles. He never meant to stay, but ended up putting down roots for the rest of his life — gaining a reputation as one of the city’s most clear-eyed viewers and honest visual champions.
The French luxury fashion house, Chanel, in collaboration with CalArts, announced the creation of the Chanel Center for Artists and Technology, made with support from Chanel’s Culture Fund. The center will give students on campus unfettered access to crucial upcoming technology, including cutting-edge AI software and hardware; machine learning; and digital imaging tools. The resources will be made available in all disciplines, allowing for collaboration and innovation in dance, art, film, music, animation and theater. The center will also welcome visiting artists and fellows, including artists who have received support from the brand’s Culture Fund, which has championed artists like Jacolby Satterwhite, Arthur Jafa, Cao Fei and William Kentridge.
The 60th Annual Pasadena Showcase House of Design is now open, and welcomes guests for tours through May 18. As one of the country’s longest running and most expansive home and garden tours, this year’s Showcase House features the renovated Bauer Estate & Gardens. The 15,000-square-foot Monterey colonial estate was built in 1928 and features five acres of botanical gardens, which guests can walk through while taking in the latest in interior and landscape design trends. The program’s opening night gala raised more than $200,000 for area music programs.
— Jessica Gelt
And last but not least
Cynthia Erivo’s cover of Prince’s “Purple Rain” with the Los Angeles Philharmonic was my Coachella highlight.
