LOS ANGELES FESTIVAL : THE ONE ‘MUST-SEE’ EVENT--A DOZEN VIEWS

Choosing one event from among the 37 artistic creations to be offered at the Los Angeles Festival is not easy. But for the audience member with limited time or money, The Times offers a look at what some Festival participants and promiment local residents would consider ‘must sees’ . . . if allowed only one ticket.

“ ‘The Mahabharata’ because I think Peter Brook is probably the most important director of this half-century, and to get a chance to see this epic work is sort of an obvious answer.”

--Rene Auberjonois, actor/director, currently directing episodes of NBC’s new “Marblehead Manor.”

“‘Miss Julie’ because I love the play so much. It’ll be fascinating to see what (Ingmar) Bergman’s going to do with it. It’s an interesting work, the different struggle for power, the different levels of emotion and I enjoy Bergman because he knows how to tell a story in a strange and personal way. It’ll be interesting to see what humanity he chooses to bring or not to bring to the characters.”

--Beth Henley, Pulitzer prize-winning playwright of “Crimes of the Heart.”

“The Wooster Group. They’re the greatest. Their work has influenced me a lot as have different members of the group, including Spaulding Gray. They’ve always pursued a precise, visceral kind of work and have constantly pushed forward. Their integrity quotient is very high.”

--Tim Miller, performance artist.

“Michael Clark is the only one. Mainly because I’m a big dance fan, but this was one I could work into my schedule. Clark (and his company) are supposed to be very dynamic and wild and crazy. It looks like it’ll be something I’ll never forget.”

--Bob Reid, director of the California Arts Council.

“Peter Brook’s piece (‘The Mahabharata’). I need a profound experience like that to survive in L.A. Brook certainly is an innovative person and breaks boundaries. As a modern dancer, I’m into breaking barriers.”

--Rudy Perez, artistic director of the Rudy Perez Performance Ensemble, whose dance offerings will include two world premieres.

“ ‘La Boheme’ because it is important that Los Angeles now has its own opera company (Los Angeles Music Center Opera) and we need to support that. Also Placido Domingo is one of the world’s finest tenors, and despite his Hispanic origins, we in the United States can now claim him as our own.”

--Carmen Zapata, president of the Lincoln Heights-based Bilingual Foundation that will present Juan Rulfo’s literary classic “Pedro Paramo” in Spanish and English performances for the Fringe Festival.

“La La La Human Steps. I’ve heard a lot of rumblings that it’s a different type of dance company, that it comes with an eclectic point of view. I’ve heard that it can be a very fun evening. Other than that, I haven’t a clue as to what they do or really who they are.”

--Raiford Rogers, co-artistic director of the Los Angeles Chamber Ballet.

“ ‘The Mahabharata.’ I think the nine-hour performance creates an unusual experience rather than creating fatigue. It comes with great excitement attached to it.”

--Bella Lewitzky, artistic director of the Lewitzky Dance Company, which will premiere a new piece and perform two other works from its repertoire .

“I’d choose Le Cirque du Soleil because my wife and I are circus buffs. Wherever we travel, we go to the circus. We’ve seen about 30 or 40, including performances in Russia, Berlin and Switzerland. We’re just students of the circus.”

--Frank Dale, president of the Music Center.

“I enjoy the theater so I plan to see “Babbitt: A Marriage” at the Mark Taper Forum. My schedule prevents me from seeing anything more, unfortunately.”

--Jerry Buss, owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Kings and the Forum.

“‘The Mahabharata,’ because my wife insisted it was the most beautiful thing to see.”

--Alan Broadbent, jazz pianist.

“I think all of the artists are important and worth going to see, so I wouldn’t want to put my name on just one (choice). I have tickets to all of the events.”

--Rachel Rosenthal, a performance artist whose “Rachel’s Brain” will have its U.S. premiere at the Festival.