Review: Ben White's paintings embark on a wild ride through history

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Laura Skandera Trombley at the Huntington Library in San Marino. On Dec. 2 it was announced that Trombley will succeed Steven Koblik as president of the Huntington Library, Art Collection and Botanical Gardens. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Chelsea Chen, top, and Christoph Bull perform together at Walt Disney Concert Hall. They were part of a nine-organist celebration Nov. 23 that capped off the “Happy Birthday Hurricane Mama” festivities marking the 10th anniversary of the impressive instrument. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Kyle Taylor Parker as Lola with the cast in “Kinky Boots” at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Angela Lin as Callie, left, and Sharon Leal as Sara in Diana Son’s play “Stop Kiss” at Pasadena Playhouse. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein at the Orpheum Theatre. Their Tony-winning musical, “Kinky Boots,” ran at the Pantages Theatre in November. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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A. Jerrold Perenchio, right, is introduced by LACMA Director Michael Govan at the official announcement on Nov. 6 of Perenchio’s bequest of his art collection to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. (Christina House / For The Times)

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Visitors at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Geffen building on the first day of Hello Kitty Con. The first convention celebrating Hello Kitty was held Oct. 30 through Nov. 2. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Paula Murrihy as Dido, left, and Liam Bonner as Aeneas with the cast in L.A. Opera’s production of “Dido and Aeneas,” directed by Barrie Kosky. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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When John Adams’ “The Death of Klinghoffer” opened at the Metropolitan Opera in October, hundreds gathered in protest of the production and patrons were heckled as they entered the Lincoln Center theater. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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Chamroeuntola Chap of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia. The troupe performed at Cal State Long Beach’s Carpenter Center on Oct. 18. (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)

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A Hello Kitty figurine on display at the Japanese American National Museum’s “Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty” exhibition. The retrospective devoted to Hello Kitty opened in October and runs through April 26. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Pauline Malefane as Queen of the Night in Isango Ensemble’s “The Magic Flute” during the opera’s run at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica in October. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Nino Machaidze as Violetta and the cast during a rehearsal for “La Traviata.” The Los Angeles Opera opened its season with a production of “La Traviata” in September. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney’s “Choir Boy” opens Sept. 26 at the Geffen Playhouse. (Christina House / For The Times)

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Seventeen-year-old violinist Simone Porter, seen here at the Colburn School, makes her solo debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl on Sept. 4. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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Twin Brothers Jerome, left, and Joel-Peter Witkin opened their first joint show, “Twin Visions: Jerome Witkin and Joel-Peter Witkin,” at Jack Rutberg Fine Arts in Los Angeles. The show explores Jerome’s painting and Joel-Peter’s photography. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Artist John Van Hamersveld, seen here with his famous poster for the movie “The Endless Summer,” was a 2014 inductee into the Surfing Walk of Fame in Huntington Beach. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

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Robert McHalffey (Lysander) and Olivia Schlueter-Corey (Hermia) in a production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by Shakespeare by the Sea at Polliwog Park in Manhattan Beach. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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While the removal of indie rock band Foster the People’s mural in downtown Los Angeles was initially delayed with the intervention of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office, when it was discovered that the mural ran afoul of preservation codes for the historic Santa Fe Lofts in August, it was painted over. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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The experimental arts collective Single Wing Turquoise Bird, first formed in 1968, re-formed after nearly 35 years apart and staged an installation at the Young Projects gallery in West Hollywood that ran through Aug. 9. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

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Bangkok, Thailand-raised, New York-based artist Korakrit Arunanondchai works on his exhibition at the Mistake Room, a nonprofit exhibition space in downtown Los Angeles. (Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)

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The Groundlings is celebrating its 40th anniversary by hosting improv shows by the decades, bringing back alumni from each era, through July 12. Here, Greg Worswick and Lauren Burns star in a skit called “Roll the Dice.” (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

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An art installation by Spencer Finch at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The museum opened its doors to the public on May 21. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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Ryan McKinny, who plays Stanley Kowalski, and Renée Fleming, as Blanche Dubois, rehearse a scene in the L.A. Opera production of André Previn’s first opera, “A Streetcar Named Desire.” (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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Dean Corey, classical music advocate, retired after 21 years as head of the Philharmonic Society in Orange County. His last show was May 15. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor and singer Jeremy Jordan made his Los Angeles solo-concert debut with his cabaret shows in May. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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The interior of the historic Los Angeles Union Station. The largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western United States celebrated its 75th anniversary on May 3. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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David Ricardo Pearce, the actor who plays Theseus, holds up the giant puppet head and hand. The Bristol Old Vic theater company and Handspring Puppet Company collaborated on a production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Broad Stage. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Idina Menzel performs “Let It Go” during the 86th Academy Awards. When Oscar presenter John Travolta mangled Menzel’s name before her performance, her renaming became a joke worldwide.

MORE: Oscars 2014: Idina Menzel sings Oscar-winning ‘Let It Go’ from ‘Frozen’

Idina Menzel replaced by ‘Adele Dazeem’ in ‘If/Then’ playbill joke

Adele Dazeem (Idina Menzel) saluted at ‘The Book of Mormon’ (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Orlando Bloom as Romeo in a scene from “Romeo & Juliet” as Gustavo Dudamel conducts the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela during Tchaikovsky Fest.

MORE: Orlando Bloom, Joe Morton brighten TchaikovskyFest at Disney Hall

REVIEW: Tchaikovsky on a grand scale (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Singer-songwriter Barry Manilow, front, and writing partner Bruce Sussman at the Music Center Annex Complex. Their musical “Harmony” will be at the Ahmanson Theatre until April 13.

REVIEW: Barry Manilow’s ‘Harmony’ musical can sing but needs work (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Cheech Marin, left, and Howard Fox in front of the 1982 painting by Carlos Almaraz titled “Sunset Crash.”

MORE: Carlos Almaraz’s time is coming, nearly 30 years after death (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

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Director-writer Randall Gray, right, laughs as he watches his play “The Lake House Project,” performed at the Hudson Theatres along Hollywood’s Theatre Row on Santa Monica Boulevard.

MORE: Hollywood’s Theatre Row sees exits stage right, left as scene changes

INTERACTIVE: Hollywood’s Theatre Row (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Lang Lang performs with Metallica at the 56th Grammy Awards.

More: Grammys 2014: Lang Lang performs ‘One’ with Metallica (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Christopher Plummer during a rehearsal on the set of his one-man show, “A Word or Two,” at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.

Review: Christopher Plummer, a man of letters, says ‘A Word or Two’ (Doriane Raiman / Los Angeles Times)

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Denis O’Hare in “An Iliad,” a one-man rendition of Homer’s epic, at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica.

REVIEW: A poet embedded among troops lives to tell ‘An Iliad’ (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Philippe Vergne is named director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

MORE: New MOCA director Philippe Vergne is a museum veteran

New MOCA director Philippe Vergne plans an artist-enabling museum (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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Jessie Mueller is the star of “Beautiful,” a musical about Carole King.

MORE: A ‘Beautiful’ tapestry of Carole King’s life (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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Gustavo Dudamel leads the L.A. Phil and the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus in a performance of the complete “Nutckracker” by Tchaikovsky at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

REVIEW: L.A. Phil, Dudamel reinvigorate Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker’ (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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John Sanders stars as the villain “Black Stache,” center, in Center Theatre Group’s performance of “Peter and the Star Catcher” at the Ahmanson Theatre in downtown L.A.

REVIEW: Lively ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ make us believers again

MORE: Baddie role in ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ hooked John Sanders (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Sarah Tessier performs in Cirque du Soleil’s “Totem,” an exuberant celebration of human achievement that’s at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro.

REVIEW: Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Totem’ a thrilling salute to human growth (Christina House / For the Times)

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Judd Hirsch, right, and Danny DeVito have reunited for “The Sunshine Boys” at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. It is their first time working together since TV’s “Taxi.”

REVIEW: Time has overtaken ‘The Sunshine Boys’ (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Samantha Barks, center, as Velma Kelly in the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s performance of the musical “Chicago,” directed by Brooke Shields, with musical director and conductor Rob Fisher at the Hollywood Bowl.

REVIEW: ‘Chicago’ storms into the Hollywood Bowl (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Malin Christensson as Susanna and Edwin Crossley-Mercer as Figaro in opening night of L.A. Philharmonic’s production of the opera “Marriage of Figaro” at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

REVIEW: ‘Marriage of Figaro’ a wedding of many talents (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Sondra Radvanovsky as Floria Tosca and Marco Berti as Mario Cavaradossi in “Tosca” at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

REVIEW: With ‘Tosca,’ Los Angeles Opera goes for grand (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Nina Zmievets as Rose Beuret in Eifman Ballet’s performance of “Rodin.”

REVIEW: The collateral damage of genius in Boris Eifman’s ‘Rodin’ (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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“The Royale,” which premiered at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, stars David St. Louis as Jay Jackson, a surrogate of Jack Johnson, the first African American heavyweight champion of the world.

REVIEW: ‘The Royale’ punches well but has character issues (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Rachel McSween of Lula Washington Dance Theatre performs at the L.A. Dance Festival.

REVIEW: L.A. Dance Festival returns to boost homegrown dance (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Members of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater perform “Another Night” at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.

REVIEW: Sensual energy crackles in Alvin Ailey dance program (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Tenor Michael Marcotte and soprano Lauren Worsham perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group in Matt Marks’ mini-opera “Strip Mall.” The Philharmonic co-commissioned the piece and presented its world premiere.

REVIEW: Aaron Copland as a hinge (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Bill Smitrovich, left, Freddy Rodriguez and Ron Eldard star in David Mamet’s “American Buffalo” at the Geffen Playhouse.

REVIEW: ‘American Buffalo’ at Geffen a refreshing dose of Mamet (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

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Dancers perform a revival of Trisha Brown’s “Astral Converted” at the UCLA campus.

REVIEW: Flashes of lightning in Trisha Brown’s ‘Astral Converted’ (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Stacey Tappan as Clorinda, right, and Ronnita Nicole Miller as Tisbe in L.A. Opera’s “Cinderella,” better known as “La Cenerentola” at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.

REVIEW: A new Cinderella at Los Angeles Opera makes an impression (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Robert Joy is Sims and Brighid Fleming is Iris in “The Nether,” Jennifer Haley’s drama about virtual reality and responsibility at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

REVIEW: Ethical quandaries buzz in ‘The Nether’ (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Tomas Tomasson as the Dutchman and Elisabete Matos as Senta in a dress rehearsal of “The Flying Dutchman” at the Los Angeles Opera.

REVIEW: L.A. Opera’s ‘Flying Dutchman’ back in action (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Gordon Davidson, shown in 2012, was for years Los Angeles theater’s most prominent public face. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times )

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Playwright David Henry Hwang’s 2007 play “Yellow Face” is being adapted to film and was recently shot in 12 days on the campus of East Los Angeles College, where this portrait was taken.
MORE: For David Henry Hwang’s ‘Chinglish,’ a case of bad timing in China (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

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Clive Davis shares a kiss with Patti Smith during Clive Davis and the Recording Academy’s 2013 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons Gala held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 9, 2013, in Beverly Hills.
MORE: Clive Davis’ next role: Broadway producer of a new ‘My Fair Lady’ (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Cellist Sophie Shao joins conductor Keith Lockhart and the BBC Concert Orchestra for Elgar’s famous Cello Concerto.
REVIEW: The usually inventive BBC Concert Orchestra goes retro (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra violinist Sarah Thornblade holds a Stradivarius, one of the finest violins in the world and worth millions of dollars, in Pasadena, Calif.
MORE: Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra violinist has a date with a Stradivarius (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Director John Collins, center, is helming the Elevator Repair Service’s production of “Gatz, “ a page-by-page reading performance adaptation of “The Great Gatsby.” Robert Cucuzza, right, plays Tom, and Kristen Sieh, left, plays Catherine.
REVIEW: Elevator Repair Service’s ‘Gatz’ a rewarding marathon | Elevator Repair Service takes on the great ‘Gatz’ | Marathon plays stand the test of time (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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Members of the Trey McIntyre Project perform Nov. 23, 2012, at the Segestrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.
REVIEW: Trey McIntyre Project dances are both slight and potent | Trey McIntyre Project brings ‘Ways of Seeing’ to Segerstrom (Luis Cinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen sits down for an interview in London before embarking on a return to L.A.
REVIEW: Esa-Pekka Salonen and an electrifying L.A. Philharmonic | Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to L.A. with murder in mind (Matthew Lloyd / For The Times)

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Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to the stage in Los Angeles for the first of two weeks conducting the L.A. Phil. His concerts are centered around the 100th birthday of Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski.
REVIEW: Esa-Pekka Salonen and an electrifying L.A. Philharmonic | Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to L.A. with murder in mind (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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“Anonymous 4: love fail” a piece composed and directed by David Lang is performed at Royce Hall in early December. The audience for the performance is asked to sit in every other seat to help enhance the acoustics of the piece.
REVIEW: How David Lang’s ‘love fail’ succeeds sublimely (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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Semen Chudin, portraying Prince Siegfried, performs with the ensemble in Act I of “Swan Lake” by Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet at the Music Center.
REVIEW: Bolshoi’s ‘Lake’ is sometimes choppy, sometimes smooth | Photos (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Philanthropist Glorya Kaufman made a donation to USC to create a school of dance.
MORE: Glorya Kaufman gives USC millions to build a dance school (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Choreographer Benjamin Millepied directs the L.A. Dance Project during rehearsal at the Los Angeles Theater Center. L.A. Dance Project, founded by Millepied, premiered its “Moving Parts” in September at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
MORE: Benjamin Millepied gets moving in Los Angeles | Photos | Review (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Barbra Streisand performs at the Hollywood Bowl, her first time singing there in 45 years.
REVIEW: Barbra Streisand puts the Hollywood Bowl under her spell (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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Felix Cruz, front left, and Joey Cannizzano in a scene during a dress rehearsal of the production of “Them” at REDCAT. The performance was a restaging of what was in 1986 an incendiary work of dance theater during the escalating AIDS crisis.
REVIEW: Desire and sexual politics whirl among ‘Them’ (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Diana Newman as Miranda and David Castillo as Ferdinand in the dress rehearsal of “The Tempest,” an opera by Lee Hoiby based on William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” staged at the Bing Theatre on the USC campus.
REVIEW: Two ways to capture magic of ‘The Tempest’ | Photos (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Broadway lyric soprano Barbara Cook sings at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
REVIEW: Barbara Cook rejuvenates song standards (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Spanish conductor Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos conducted the L.A. Phil and the Los Angeles Master Chorale in Manuel de Falla’s opera “La Vida Breve” (The Short Life) at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Also on the program was Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony.
MORE: Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, Lynn Harrell at Disney Hall (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Oksana Dyka (Cio-Cio-San) in the final scene during the dress rehearsal of L.A. Opera’s production of Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly” at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
REVIEW: Some bright spots in a lesser ‘Madame Butterfly’ | Photos (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Tenor Eric Owens goes over music during a rehearsal for Owens’ first “Madame Butterfly” with L.A. Opera at the Music Center.
MORE: Opera’s ever-inquisitive Eric Owens is in high demand (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Chris Fields, Stephen Sachs, Michael Michetti, Jessica Kubzansky, John Perrin Flyn, Elina de Santos, Bart DeLorenzo and Daniel Henning pose for a group photo before Charles McNulty’s roundtable at the Los Angeles Times on June 12, 2012. They are leaders of several 99-seat theaters with a strong track record of producing new work, and they discussed issues and challenges facing them.
Critic’s Notebook: The joys and challenges of the L.A. small-theater scene (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Hipsters take cellphone pictures in the middle of Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.
MORE: Christopher Hawthorne’s On the Boulevards Project (Luis Cinco / Los Angeles Times)

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A restored Olvera Street mural by Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros, top, is seen from a viewing deck at the America Tropical Interpretive Center that offers a description of the mural, bottom. (Christina House / For The Times)

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The ensemble of “Allegiance” rehearses at the Old Globe Theater rehearsal hall in San Diego on Aug. 23, 2012. Together in the middle are the three lead actors, left to right, Telly Leung, Lea Salonga and George Takei, who star in the musical about Japanese Americans in a World War II detention center.
MORE: George Takei builds on legacy with ‘Allegiance’ at the Old Globe (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

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Emily Mann directed the “interracial” production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” on Broadway starring Blair Underwood, as well as “The Convert,” a play about colonialism in Africa by Danai Gurira, at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.
MORE: Emily Mann a natural to direct ‘Streetcar’ and ‘The Convert’ (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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The newest Expo Line trains are reflected on a glass wall at the La Cienega Station after making several practice runs on April 26, 2012. The Expo Line runs between Los Angeles and the Westside and cost $930 million to complete.
REVIEW: Lackluster Expo Line reflects Metro’s weak grasp of design (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor James Corden, star of the National Theater’s “One Man, Two Guvnors,” won the lead actor Tony Award for the British comedy import. He beat out Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Death of a Salesman.”
MORE: James Corden, ‘One Man’ and a plethora of talent (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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Los Angeles artist and musician Llyn Foulkes, 77, becomes part of a work-in-progress painting, background, by placing a faceless head on his shoulder at his studio at the Brewery in Los Angeles on Sept. 25, 2012. Foulkes has participated in exhibitions at the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin, the Biennale di Venezia, the Whitney Museum in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in L.A. and the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. The Hammer Museum is scheduled to present a career retrospective of his work in 2013.
MORE: Llyn Foulkes’ art of raw emotion (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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New York-based artist Mickalene Thomas -- best known for her elaborate paintings adorned with rhinestones, enamel and colorful acrylics -- works to finish the installation of her latest show at the Santa Monica Museum of Art in Bergamot Station on April 4, 2012.
MORE: Mickalene Thomas, up close and very personal (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Florence Lacey, Coleen Fitzpatrick, Terri White, Jan Maxwell and Victoria Clark in James Goldman’s and Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies” at the Ahmanson Theatre on May 3, 2012.
REVIEW: “Follies” is a source of heartache and razzmatazz (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

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Grand Park, which opened in July, begins near the top of Bunker Hill along Grand Avenue with the renovated Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain and a dramatic view of the tall white crest of Los Angeles City Hall. The fountain is programmed to run a colorful light show each hour.
MORE: Will downtown L.A.’s Grand Park succeed? | Photos (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Xavier Veilhan is photographed on Aug. 10, 2012, with “Mobile (Neutra), 2012,” one of the artworks of his installation “Architectones” at the Neutra VDL Research House in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles. Veilhan created this body of work specifically for the modernist house Richard Neutra designed for his family and architectural practice.
MORE: Artist Xavier Veilhan casts Richard Neutra’s VDL House in a new light (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

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Jonathan Groff, left, and Alfred Molina star in the Tony Award-winning play “Red” by John Logan, which opened at the Mark Taper Forum on Aug. 12, 2012.
REVIEW: A blazing “Red” with Alfred Molina as Mark Rothko (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage is photographed at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood as she prepares for her new play “By The Way, Meet Vera Stark.”
MORE: Lynn Nottage wants “Vera Stark” to be a conversation starter (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Artist Ben Jackel sits next to his piece “nEUROn,” made of mahogany with a graphite finish, in his studio in Culver City on April 19, 2012. The piece was part of his second solo show, “Zero Percent Contained,” at the L.A. Louver gallery. It opened on May 24, 2012.
MORE: In the Studio: Ben Jackel uses broad ax strokes (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Andrew Veenstra (playing Albert Narracott) mounts the horse Joey for the first time in the Tony Award-winning play “War Horse” at the Ahmanson Theatre in July. Puppeteer Christopher Mai operates the head of the horse.
Review: “War Horse” at Ahmanson Theatre is a marvel of stagecraft | Photos (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

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Jamie King might be the most exposed choreographer in the world. He worked with Madonna on her half-time Super Bowl routine and he oversaw the work of 10 choreographers for “Immortal, “ the Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil Show and launched “Q’vive,” a Latin-themed TV idol-dance-pop with Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony.
More: A pop choreographer with a busy schedule (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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The first Los Angeles biennial, “Made in L.A. 2012,” organized by the Hammer Museum in collaboration with LAXART, was presented at the Hammer, LAXART, and the Department of Cultural Affairs Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery at Barnsdall Park. The exhibition featured works by 60 artists, such as Pearl Hsiung, from the L.A. region, with an emphasis on emerging and under-recognized artists, and will debut new installations, videos, films, sculptures, performances, and paintings produced for the biennial. This exhibition offered a snapshot of the current trends and practices coming out of Los Angeles, one of the most active and energetic art communities worldwide.
More: Hammer biennial lends artists a helping hand (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

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Opera star Placido Domingo greets a young Dodgers fan as he leaves the field after singing “God Bless America” and “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh inning stretch at Dodger Stadium.
More: Plácido Domingo leads an uptempo life (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett, who is co-artistic director with her husband Andrew Upton of the Sydney Theatre Company, brought their acclaimed production of “Uncle Vanya” to the Lincoln Center Festival in July.
More: In the moment with Cate Blanchett (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Conductor Gustavo Dudamel, left, concertmaster Martin Chaulifer, center, and piano soloist Yuja Wang, right, at the L.A. Phil’s performance at the Hollywood Bowl on Aug. 9, 2012.
More: Yuja Wang turns heads at the Hollywood Bowl with a purple gown Photos (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Jesse Tyler Ferguson, right, as Leo Bloom and Richard Kind as Max Bialystock in Mel Brooks’ musical “The Producers” at the Hollywood Bowl on July 27, 2012.
More: Jesse Tyler Ferguson takes on ‘The Producers’ at the Bowl | Review | Photos (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Workers maneuver the tires next to the 340-ton boulder as it stops while traveling on a custom made transporter which is over 200 feet long, 32 feet wide and has 196 wheels as it crosses over the 60 Freeway at Country Village Road toward its first overnight stop in Glen Avon. The 105-mile journey from a quarry in Riverside County to LACMA in Los Angeles took more than a week.
Review: LACMA’s new hunk ‘Levitated Mass’ has some substance | Critic’s Notebook: Art on an architectural scale at LACMA (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Michael Heizer’s “Levitated Mass,” the commissioned sculpture at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gives visitors the chance to walk underneath a 340-ton granite boulder.
Review: LACMA’s new hunk ‘Levitated Mass’ has some substance | Critic’s Notebook: Art on an architectural scale at LACMA (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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The National Ballet of Canada’s production of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
Review: Antic ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ a scenic spectacle | More photos (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Sanaa Lathan says good storytelling drew her to the play “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark” and the TV series “Boss.”
More: Q&A: Sanaa Lathan (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Marina Poplavskaya in the role of Lucrezia Contarini and the cast in the dress rehearsal of L.A. Opera’s season opener, the production of Verdi’s “The Two Foscari” at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles on Sept. 12, 2012.
More: Los Angeles Opera takes fresh look at Verdi’s ‘The Two Foscari’ | Review (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Itzhak Perlman conducts the L.A. Phil and plays the violin in an all Beethoven program at the Hollywood Bowl on Sept. 06, 2011.
Review: Itzhak Perlman closes Hollywood Bowl classical season (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Roxana Constantinescu, right, as Zerlina and Joshua Bloom as Masetto with the cast in the dress rehearsal of “Don Giovanni” presented by Los Angeles Opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.
Review: L.A. Opera’s ‘Don Giovanni’ upholds tradition expertly | Photos (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Singer and actress Kristen Chenoweth performed at Lehigh University’s Zoellner Arts Center after a suffering a serious head injury in July 2012 on the set of “The Good Wife.”
More: Kristin Chenoweth warms up for California concerts (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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Andrew Norman is the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s new composer-in-residence. Norman, 32, often does his composing on the floor. He was raised in central California and now lives in Brooklyn. He has worked with some of the country’s top music organizations.
More: Composer Andrew Norman’s imagination has taken residence (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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The “Desperate Housewives” alum, starring in David Mamet’s political comedy “November,” talks opinions, mothering and more.
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“Room 105: The Highs and Lows of Janis Joplin” by Gigi Gaston at Macha Theatre stars Sophie B. Hawkins as Janis Joplin. It’s an intense connection.
More: Sophie B. Hawkins channels Janis Joplin’s spirit in ‘Room 105’ (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Zubin Mehta conducts the Israel Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Review: Israel Philharmonic, rising above differences (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Two-time Oscar nominee John Hurt performs “Krapp’s Last Tape” by Samuel Beckett at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, Calif.
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Cast member Kevin Kent is one of the multiple characters in set-up shots of Teatro ZinZanni under a tent at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.
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A segment with video of her dog in Laurie Anderson’s latest work, “Dirtday!”
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“Fear interests me,” says famously hands-on writer Mark Z. Danielewski, who turned his ghost story “The Fifty Year Sword” into a Halloween night performance piece at REDCAT.
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Conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Philharmonic were joined by tenor Placido Domingo and soprano Ana Maria Martinez at the Hollywood Bowl on Aug. 19, 2012.
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Tim Burton stands at the entrance to the new LACMA exhibition devoted to his work as a filmmaker and an illustrator in Los Angeles on May 28, 2011. br>REVIEW: ‘Tim Burton’ at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Crowds watch the Tim Burton exhibit at LACMA on July 24, 2011.
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By David Pagel

Aug. 15, 2013 5:32 PM PT

History, it’s often said, is written by the winners. If that task fell to the nut jobs, the world might be more interesting. High school textbooks would certainly be more entertaining.

At Monte Vista, Ben White’s new paintings treat history as a swirling stew of possibility, a kind of primordial ooze filled with more twists and turns than a pretzel and more wacky coincidences than a conspiracy-theorist could make sense of.

Ten midsize panels line the gallery’s walls. Each depicts a historical figure or two, at a time and in a place they may never have visited. Inexpensive vinyl letters, stuck on the walls beneath each juicy painting, act as captions.

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The first, “Roosevelt Refuses Participation in Propitiatory Child Sacrifice to Moloch,” sets the stage. The painting above it is even more preposterous. In convincing detail, it shows exactly what the caption describes: a very young Theodore Roosevelt, dressed in a coonskin cap, handing the flaming Canaanite idol a bear cub.

In the foreground, an unoccupied drum kit and a man dressed like Elmer Fudd complicate the already insane storyline, inviting all sorts of speculation, the more outlandish the better.

Each of the nine other paintings carries on in this vein. In one, Liberace gets thrown to the lions and appears to channel the prophet Daniel, who escaped death because he never stopped believing. Others star 19th century outlaws Tiburcio Vasquez and Ned Kelly, folk hero John Henry, a 5,000 year-old mummy named Otzi and an Etruscan deity from the underworld. James Franco, Jeffrey Deitch and President McKinley play supporting roles, along with assassin Leon Czolgosz.

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And that’s the tip of the iceberg. A kangaroo, a Taco Bell restaurant and a jetliner add even more intrigue, which is intensified by White’s paint handling, particularly his capacity to mix and match techniques and styles like nobody’s business. It’s a wild ride that begins with Wikipedia and goes as far as the imagination can.

Monte Vista Projects, 5442 Monte Vista St., through Sept. 1. Open 12-5 Sat. and Sun.; www.montevistaprojects.com.