THE APPLAUSE PERFORMING ARTS GUIDE TO LOS...

THE APPLAUSE PERFORMING ARTS GUIDE TO LOS ANGELES & SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA by Carey Simon (Applause: $15.95; 479 pp., paperback original). This remarkably thorough guide lists literally hundreds of theaters, music and dance performance, clubs, art film screenings, festivals and children’s entertainments, including seating charts, addresses, phone numbers, handicapped access, etc. Although descriptions are a little too uniformly upbeat (the reader misses the critical comments of the Zagat restaurant surveys), this excellent resource belongs by the phone of every Southern Californian who has to entertain visiting relatives--or enjoys the region’s diverse cultural offerings.