Three new exhibitions will open at Jeffrey Deitch this weekend
My friend informed me that McDonald’s is now serving cold brew. I tried it this weekend and I have to say, I’ve never been more wired. One second I was paying for the drink and the next I was typing at the speed of light. I’m Steven Vargas, your L.A. Goes Out host, and here are the top events for this upcoming weekend recommended by the crew (sign up here for the newsletter):
Weekly Countdown
1. Jeffrey Deitch Openings
Three new exhibitions are opening Saturday at Jeffrey Deitch in Hollywood: “Karon Davis: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished,” “Judith F. Baca: The Great Wall of Los Angeles” and “Faith Ringgold: A Survey.” At the center of Davis’ exhibition is a sculpture that portrays Bobby Seale, bound and gagged during the trial of the Chicago 8 in 1969. While there are no photographs of the horrific incident, Davis documents the moment in her art, celebrating Seale’s defiance to injustice. Baca’s exhibition displays a half-mile-long mural created by a small team of artists and more than 400 at-risk youth in the late 1970s. The result is a celebration of California’s history and culture. Jeffrey Deitch’s exhibition of Ringgold’s work marks the artist’s first survey in Los Angeles, documenting her work from the 1960s to the present. Her work explores social injustice and equity through a variety of mediums. The three exhibitions will have a free opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday. If you can’t make it to the reception, no worries. The exhibitions run until Aug. 12 and the gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. More details can be found on Jeffrey Deitch’s website.
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2. ‘Shankar Plays Shankar’
The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra closes its season with “Shankar Plays Shankar.” Anoushka Shankar, a Grammy-nominated sitar player, will be performing her father Ravi Shankar’s Sitar Concerto No. 3 this weekend with LACO. The program includes a world premiere work by Marc Lowenstein, composer and founding music director of the Industry L.A., as well as a performance of Georges Bizet’s Symphony No. 1 in C major. Anoushka began studying the sitar under the instruction of her father at 9 years old and made her professional debut at 13. She has since gone on to earn nine Grammy nominations and is the first Indian musician to perform at the awards ceremony. This recommendation comes from The Times’ Mark Swed. Performances of the LACO show are at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Alex Theatre in Glendale and at 7 p.m. Sunday at Royce Hall in Westwood. Tickets range from $32 to $142 and can be purchased on LACO’s website.
3. ‘Pirates of Penzance’
Bring family and friends out to Glendale for a wondrous and eclectic evening with the Pacific Opera Project’s production of “The Pirates of Penzance.” The show brings the audience back to the outdoor stage at Glendale Forest Lawn. In addition to enjoying a Gilbert and Sullivan classic, bring along a picnic and your best Victorian costume. But if that’s too much planning for one trip, a T-shirt and shorts are fine too. This recommendation by The Times’ Jessica Gelt starts Friday. The production runs until May 28 and shows are at 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday. General admission tickets are $30, but if you’d like to reserve a table, those tickets range from $120 to $260. More information can be found on POP’s website.
4. PachucoXR
The beginning of June marks the 80th anniversary of the Zoot Suit Riots and this interactive and immersive art installation aims to educate the community about the historic L.A. event. PachucoXR will be having a free one-day installation at the Herald Examiner building in downtown L.A. on Saturday. The event invites families to explore the history of the Zoot Suit Riots, from pachucos to the Sleepy Lagoon, through technological installations. This recommendation comes from The Times’ Carolina A. Miranda. The event runs from 12:30 to 2 p.m. and you can reserve your spot on PachucoXR’s website.
5. ‘Home’
Re:borN Dance Interactive is bringing a new immersive performance that combines dance with architecture, music, video projection and audience interaction. The show explores the themes of home, reflecting on the isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The collective looks into the various interpretations of what makes a home, whether it be a group of friends or a tumultuous house with relatives. Performances are at 4 and 7 p.m. Saturday and at noon and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets range from $40 to $80 and more details on the show can be found on the dance collective’s website.
Bonus round: ‘Bring the Noise: If These Walls Could Sing’
The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and Film Independent present an evening filled with the music of “If These Walls Could Sing.” The documentary chronicles how Abbey Road Studios in London became a cultural hub for music and a home for artists like the Beatles. The event includes a live orchestral performance of songs recorded at the studio and a Q&A with filmmaker Mary McCartney, moderated by Academy Award winner Morgan Neville. Tickets range from $35 to $45 and the event starts at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. For more information, check out the Wallis’ website.
Your L.A. weekend, all mapped out
For a more comprehensive roundup of exhibitions, concerts, screenings, festivals and other events, check out Matt Cooper’s Culture Guide. The mapped list is a go-to for those who make plans based on the commute, and it also can be filtered by event type and price.
On My Mind
I started my week off by seeing “Doing Alright” at the Groundlings in Fairfax on Tuesday. The one-woman comedy show by Nicole Travolta (John Travolta‘s niece) tells the story of her love-hate relationship with credit cards. She talked about how her ballooning debt, lawsuits from credit card companies (including Home Depot) and a divorce pushed her into an unexpected job: spray tanner. We watch her repent for her risky financial decisions one celebrity client at a time.
Travolta, who co-wrote with director Lauren Burns, was incredibly honest and unafraid to talk about the aspects of money that are often considered taboo. By breaking down that barrier, Travolta crafted an emotionally nuanced narrative about her relationship with money, stemming from her mother‘s unhealthy spending habits. Travolta said she learned the hard way that shopping wasn’t soothing.
Travolta’s performance was consistently engaging. She coupled her best jokes with discussion about her lowest moments. She also showed off her celebrity impressions to animate her wild stories about her clients. The story itself ended abruptly, with Travolta’s debts only partially resolved. But that’s the point. Throughout the show, Travolta admitted that she’s a work in progress, and for now, she’s doing all right. As she reflected on her perseverance through the most chaotic point of her life thus far, an ode to self-love surfaced.
I ventured out to Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Saturday to see L.A. Dance Project’s Southern California premiere of “Romeo & Juliet Suite.” I went in looking forward to the incorporation of live film. The result was a lot more elaborate and mesmerizing than I imagined. As the dancers ventured from the stage and into a dark corner of the wing, their every step was captured on camera. A haunting scene was projected, showing dancers moving quickly from one corner of the screen to another under dark shadows.
It also made me think about the job of the dancer. They constantly shifted between stage and screen performances. When they are being filmed off-stage, they paid more attention to their facial expressions and movement quality — like how their fingers slowly curled or their hands swiftly raised. When they returned to the stage, the movement became grander, directing their attention toward the audience instead of a small lens. As choreographer Benjamin Millepied shared before, the camera provided more emotion to the piece. The audience got a chance to see Romeo and Juliet look deeply into each other’s eyes outside the theater before running to the stage to perform traditional ballet choreography.
Insights: Parking at the Hollywood Bowl
If you’ve ever been to the Hollywood Bowl, you know that parking can be anxiety-inducing and quite the journey. But did you know there were updates to the parking process? The L.A. Phil recently announced changes to its transportation options. In preparation for the summer season at the Hollywood Bowl, I’m bringing you a quick rundown on how and where to park at the beloved outdoor amphitheater.
- Parking: There are four parking lots at the Hollywood Bowl — Lot A (Blue), Lot B (Yellow), Lot C (Red) and Lot D (Green). If you’d like to ensure parking, you can now purchase it in advance. Prices will vary depending on whether the event is presented by the L.A. Phil or a lease event — these include big-name acts like Snoop Dogg & Friends and Maggie Rogers. Check out the Hollywood Bowl’s parking page to start planning.
- Park & Shuttle: There are plenty of shuttle rides for the Hollywood Bowl running throughout L.A. The new season introduces new lines at Willowbrook, located at Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park, and East El Segundo Boulevard. Other lines can bring patrons from Arcadia, Chatsworth, Culver City, Downey, East L.A., El Monte, Lakewood, Pasadena, Rowland Heights, Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks, Torrance and Westwood. The Hollywood Bowl shuttle program provides additional lines from as close as half a mile away and as far as 8 miles from the venue. You can plan with either option on the Hollywood Bowl website.
- Public Transit: Take the red line over to the Ovation L.A. (formerly Hollywood & Highland) or Universal City stop where a free shuttle (with a Metro or Metrolink ticket) can take you to the venue. Still need help planning, try the Transit app.
- And of course, rideshare is always an option.
Check your calendars and start planning for your summer concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. Hope this helps with getting there safely, on time and with as little hassle as possible.
Go out speed round
Go out on a date: IAMA Theatre Company has a world premiere production about dating, love, identity and bottoming. Sounds like a great date night event to me. The story follows two writers, Milo and John, who fall in love. As they struggle to date and live together, tensions arise over their age difference as well as issues of race, sex and power. The show at the Renberg Theatre opens Thursday and runs until June 12. Tickets to the show cost $35 and more details can be found on IAMA Theatre Company’s website.
Go out before it closes: WACO Theater Center and Watts Village Theater Company’s world premiere production of “Marty and the Hands that Could” by Josh Wilder is coming to a close Sunday. The play follows Marty, who returns home from prison on the eve of his 25th birthday and is dedicated to turning his life around. His cousin, Junior, has also come back home, putting the two on a collision course. Tickets to the show in North Hollywood range from $20 to $35 and details can be found on WACO Theater Center’s website.
Go out for free: Getty’s free outdoor summer concert series, “Off the 405,” returns Saturday with “SPELLLING.” The Bay Area musician and producer will be bringing her experimental pop and electronic music to the museum courtyard with a DJ set at 6 p.m. and a performance at 7:30 p.m. For more information on the concert series running until Aug. 26 and the upcoming concert, check out Getty’s website.
Go out and learn: Dive into the history of the Chinese Labor Strike of 1867 with a reading of David Henry Hwang’s 1981 play “The Dance and the Railroad.” The weekend-long run at A Noise Within is presented with Artists at Play and tickets cost as much as you’re willing to pay, with options ranging from $20 to $50. Shows are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Monday. More information can be found on A Noise Within’s website.
Go out with the kids: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is heading to the beach with Walk and Play L.A. on Saturday. The morning event promotes children’s health and raises money for the hospital with a festival at the Santa Monica Pier filled with activities for the whole family — including beach volleyball, soccer and dancing. The festival starts at 7:30 a.m. and the accompanying 3K walk begins at 9:45 a.m. Tickets range from $15 to $35, and are free for kids under 2. For more details, check out Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ website.
Go out and explore L.A. history: Webber Gallery in downtown L.A. presents its inaugural L.A. exhibition by Zora J. Murff, “We Here for Some Jive Conspiracy.” Murff’s photography investigates the histories and social climate of Los Angeles by looking deeper into events that center around race, including the Watts riots, Rodney King’s trial and the subsequent uprisings. The exhibition closes Saturday and the free gallery is open from 11 a.m to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. More details can be found on Webber Gallery’s website.
Go out all night: A six-hour-long performance may not sound appealing at first, but this upcoming show at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown L.A. might change your mind. “Stranger Love” by Dylan Mattingly and Thomas Bartscherer follows the budding romance of two lovers through the season. The three-act production is inspired in part by Plato’s “Symposium.” The show runs from 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday and the remaining tickets range from $20 to $40. More information can be found on L.A. Phil’s website.
Go out and wander: CicLAvia presents an inaugural CicLAmini, encouraging a more pedestrian- and neighborhood-friendly experience. The event turns a one-mile stretch of Central Avenue and 103rd Street into a public park for the day. The space in Watts will be reserved for a variety of activities, walking tours, scavenger hunts and more. Details on the free event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday can be found on CicLAvia’s website.
Go out to a concert: At 22 years old, pianist Matthew Whitaker has paved a strong musical career by being named a Yamaha Artist at 15 and winning the ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer award in 2019 and 2020. Now, the musician will be bringing tracks from his latest album, “Connections,” to UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance. The concert takes place at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown L.A. at 7 p.m. Sunday and tickets are $40.50. More details can be found on CAP UCLA’s website.
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I’m all ears!
That’s all I’ve got for this week. Follow our feed of recommendations and itineraries on Instagram and Twitter, and if you have recs of your own, send them to steven.vargas@latimes.com.
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