Thank you, William Finn, for these ‘Falsettos’ lessons: L.A. arts and culture this weekend
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Since learning that the great composer-lyricist William Finn — who wrote “A New Brain” and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” — died Monday, I’ve been revisiting a cast recording of “Falsettos,” his 1992 musical comedy about family and friendship in the early years of the AIDS crisis. The Tony-winning stage show, created with James Lapine, combines two of Finn’s earlier one-act musicals about Marvin and his loved ones — a new partner, an ex-wife, a teenage son, a psychiatrist and some neighbors — and follows their individual efforts to feel “normal” in a time of personal change and societal uncertainty.
I recommend a listen to anyone for whom our current state of crisis feels inescapable. With lyrics about lamenting the “happy, frightened men who rule the world” and how “I feel more helpless than I have in years,” it’s a cathartic score that allows you to rage, cry and laugh about what is no longer, what could have been and what’s still ahead. (The iconic “I’m Breaking Down” — delivered here by Stephanie J. Block while cooking, kitchen knife in hand — is basically all of us.)
And yet, the piece is also a reminder that the answer to it all, at least in the immediate and everyday, is to prioritize love. Invest in one another, create your community and embrace even the unlikeliest of bonds, as those relationships are the ones that might end up helping you get through it. As The Times’ Barbara Isenberg wrote in 1994, “Finn has long used his musicals to redefine both what a family is and how it’s supposed to act. Family, says Finn, ‘is the people who, when you need them, are there.’”
I’m Ashley Lee, here with my fellow Times staff writer Jessica Gelt with a fresh Essential Arts newsletter. As the “family” of “Falsettos” sings, “Let’s be scared together.”
Best bets: On our radar this week
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‘Regency Girls’
A Jane Austen-style road trip comedy? This new musical centers on a Regency-era woman who, pregnant and unmarried, gathers her best friends and sets off to visit a woman who helps those with “female troubles” (a character based on a real-life 19th century figure). Directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes, the world premiere features music by Curtis Moore, lyrics by Amanda Green and a book by Jennifer Crittenden and Gabrielle Allan. The production, which opened Thursday night, runs through May 11. Old Globe Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego. theoldglobe.org
Sounds of L.A.: Celebrating the Jazz Legacy of Altadena
This weekend, head to Brentwood to fete the vibrant jazz scene of Altadena, as the Getty Center’s Harold M. Williams Auditorium is the site of two complementary and celebratory concerts. The Saturday evening lineup includes Tony Dumas, Quinn Johnson, Joel Taylor and Louis Van Taylor; the Sunday afternoon show is all about the Bennie Maupin Ensemble. Tickets to the performances are free with online RSVP (and make a day of it with The Times’ guide to the museum’s 22 must-see pieces). Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood. getty.edu
Sai Anantam Devotional Ensemble
The year of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda continues with an evening of music, readings and film dedicated to the legacy of the late musician and Hindu spiritual leader. The ensemble includes students of her former ashram, with featured performers Sita Michelle Coltrane, Radha Botofasina, Surya Botofasina and Shyam Reyes. The program is presented in connection with the Hammer Museum’s exhibition “Alice Coltrane, Monument Eternal” — a portion of which explores her spiritual transcendence, including televisions playing her famed broadcast “Eternity’s Pillar.” Sunday, 6:30 p.m. The Nimoy, 1262 Westwood Blvd, Westwood. cap.ucla.edu
— Ashley Lee
The week ahead: A curated calendar
FRIDAY
After Hours/Desperately Seeking Susan Directed by Martin Scorsese and Susan Siedelman, respectively, this double bill pairs two essential portraits of downtown NYC life, each celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
6 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 6:30 p.m. Sunday. New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd. thenewbev.com
A.I.M by Kyle Abraham The adventurous troupe presents a program that includes “YEAR” by Andrea Miller and Rena Butler’s “The Shell of a Shell of the Shell.”
7:30 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. Saturday. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. thewallis.org
SATURDAY
The Avett Brothers The eclectic folk-rock band is joined by Charles Wesley Godwin.
7 p.m. Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Ave. lagreektheatre.com
Indian Classical Music Tanmay Deochake, Soham Gorane and Atharva Kulkarni perform on harmonium, vocals, keyboard and tabla.
6 p.m.. Herrick Chapel at Occidental College, 1600 Campus Road. musiccircle.org
The Library of Maps: An Opera Long Beach Opera premieres a new performance edition of Pauline Oliveros and Moira Roth’s innovative 2001 opera aboard the RMS Queen Mary.
7:30 p.m. Saturday. 2:30 p.m. April 13. The Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach. longbeachopera.org
Dune/The Flintstones Vidiots welcomes Kyle MacLachlan for screenings of the actor’s first collaboration with David Lynch, the 1985 adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic (followed by a conversation). MacLachlan will introduce the 1994 modern stone-age comedy.
6 p.m. “Dune”; 9:45 p.m. “The Flintstones” (separate admissions). The Eagle Theatre, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd. vidiotsfoundation.org
St. Matthew Passion Musica Angelica presents two Baroque orchestras and a cast of vocal soloists performing Johann Sebastian Bach’s depiction of Christ’s Passion story.
6 p.m. Saturday. First Congregational Church of Long Beach, 241 Cedar Ave.; 3 p.m. Sunday. First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, 540 S. Commonwealth Ave. simpletix.com
SUNDAY
Corktown ’39 A political thriller written by John Fazakerley and directed by Steven Robman about a Irish Republican Army assassin and a plot to kill the king of England.
Through May 25. Rogue Machine at the Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. roguemachinetheatre.org
Documentary Now! A 10th-anniversary event celebrating the mockumentary series with Bill Hader and Fred Armisen in person; part of the American Cinematheque’s “This Is Not a Fiction” festival.
7:30 p.m. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. egyptiantheatre.com
Every Brilliant Thing Amanda Zarr performs writers Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe’s story about a little girl growing into a woman as she creates a list of things that make life worth living in an attempt to save her mother from depression.
7:30 p.m. Bette Aitken Theater Arts Center, 5522 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim. chancetheater.com
Gandolfini: Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend Critic, radio host and podcaster Jason Bailey marks the upcoming release of his new biography of the late “Sopranos” star James Gandolfini with book signings and screenings of four of the actor’s movies, which the author will introduce.
“Not Fade Away” (2012), 1 p.m. Sunday. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 700 W. 7th St., Suite U240, downtown L.A. drafthouse.com/los-angeles
“Crimson Tide” (1995), 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Frida Cinema, 305 E. 4th St., Suite 100, Santa Ana. thefridacinema.org
“The Man Who Wasn’t There” (2001), 7 p.m. Saturday. Los Feliz 3, 1822 N. Vermont Ave. americancinematheque.com
“Killing Them Softly” (2012), 10 p.m. Saturday. Los Feliz 3
Hear Now Music Festival: Voices Raised The second of three shows devoted to new work by contemporary Los Angeles composers features a program of instrumental chamber music with Lyris Quartet and Brightwork Ensemble; the festival concludes with vocal chamber music on May 18.
5 p.m. 2220 Arts + Archives, 2200 Beverly Blvd. hearnowmusicfestival.com
Lost Cellphone Weekend Film noir-ish musical comedy written and composed by Stephen Gilbane about a man with an intense social media problem.
2 p.m. Sunday; 7:30 p.m. April 18, 19, 25 and 26; 2 p.m. April 27. Write Act Repertory at the Brickhouse Theatre, 10950 Peach Grove St., Hollywood. onstage411.com
The Last Play by Rickérby Hinds In the Afro Latino playwright’s meta comedy, characters from his previous works throw his artistic process into chaos as he attempts to write a new play that stays true to the many aspects of Latinidad.
Through May 25. Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., downtown L.A. latinotheaterco.org
What Is War A collaborative performance created by Eiko Otake and Wen Hui, who share their personal memories related to war, current and historic, through movement and projected video.
8 p.m. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. cap.ucla.edu
Culture news and the SoCal scene
Ashley Lee recently sat down for a Q&A with Georgia-born, North Hollywood-based playwright Keiko Green to discuss her approach to theater in advance of the world-premiere run of her play “You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!” at South Coast Repertory. Lee described the play as “an ambitious exploration of grief, climate change and individual significance, whether one is still on Earth or otherwise.”
L.A.-based conceptual artist David Horvitz’s latest project, 7th Ave Garden, is on a vacant lot in Arlington Heights, just off Washington Boulevard. There, in the place of a house that burned down, Horvitz has created a landscape that, according to Times contributor Marissa Gluck, serves as a “living ecological lab and art project.” The spot plays host to exhibitions, poetry readings and performances. But it might not be around for much longer. Read why in this dispatch about the novel art endeavor.
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When Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency made sweeping cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities, downtown L.A.’s Japanese American National Museum lost a $175,000 grant for the museum’s Landmarks of American History and Culture workshops. The museum — along with others across the country — is worried that more cuts are coming. JANM may lose up to $1.5 million in already approved federal funding, and it’s looking for ways to fight back.
The California Science Center this week unveiled three site-specific murals commissioned for the museum’s upcoming immersive exhibition, “Game On! Science, Sports & Play,” which highlights the dynamism of the body in motion. The free show, which begins May 15, offers “hands-on activities and virtual guidance from a diverse team of well-loved Los Angeles-based mentor athletes,” according to a news release. Guests are encouraged to participate in activities related to baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, yoga and dance. The large-scale murals, the first commissioned by the Science Center for an exhibition, were created by artists chosen for their connections to L.A.: Moses X. Ball made a piece titled “Motivation in Motion” that’s 23 feet by 18 feet; Laci Jordan’s “For the Love of the Game” is 48 feet by 16 feet; and Gustavo Zermeño Jr.’s “It’s Time for Dodger Baseball” spans 60 feet and is 18 feet tall.
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino is rebranding itself to — quite simply — the Huntington. The move reflects what legions of visitors have long called their favored refuge from L.A.’s urban hustle, although a news release announcing the move calls it “the first comprehensive branding initiative in the institution’s 100-year history.” The change is apparent in updated signs and merchandise, as well as on the website.
The Broad officially broke ground this week on its major expansion downtown, set to be completed in 2028. Mayor Karen Bass was on hand for the ceremony, alongside the museum’s Founding Director and President Joanne Heyler and co-Founder Edythe L. Broad. The expansion will increase gallery space by 70%.
— Jessica Gelt
And last but not least
Remember that 1984 episode of “Press Your Luck” with the guy who won more than $110,000?
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