Best bets for this weekend include the Tony-winning revival of the August Wilson play “Jitney,” Mandy Patinkin in a cabaret show and the return of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s “Baroque Conversations.” You have a last chance to catch the Sam Shepard drama “Buried Child” before it closes at A Noise Within. The acclaimed Astana Ballet lands in Beverly Hills, and two distinct works pay tribute to writer-composers Juana Inés de la Cruz and Hildegard von Bingen.
All is fare in Wilson’s drama
“Jitney” is slang for an unlicensed taxicab and also the title of an August Wilson play about African American drivers of the same in 1970s Pittsburgh. Manhattan Theatre Club’s 2017 revival of Wilson’s drama rolls into the Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. 6:30 p.m. Sunday; other dates through Dec. 29. $25-$110. (213) 628-2772. centertheatregroup.org
Nun of the above
Heidi Duckler Dance, the local company that specializes in site-specific productions, presents “Hildegard Herself,” the conclusion of a two-part work inspired by the life and times of 12th-century German abbess, author, composer and mystic Hildegard von Bingen. St. John’s Cathedral, 514 W. Adams Blvd., L.A. 7 p.m. Friday-Saturday. $35, $50. heididuckler.org
Prepare to be entertained
A star of stage (“Evita”) and screens big and small (“The Princess Bride,” “Homeland”) sings show tunes, standards and more in “Mandy Patinkin in Concert: Diaries.” Musco Center for the Arts, Chapman University, 415 N. Glassell St., Orange. 4 p.m. Sunday. $63-$113. (844) 626-8726. muscocenter.org
Digging in the dirt
Dark secrets spill forth when a young man and his girlfriend pay an unexpected visit to the old homestead in Sam Shepard’s Pulitzer Prize-winning dysfunctional-family drama “Buried Child.” An L.A. Times Critics’ Choice. A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena. 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday. $25 and up; student rush, $20; group discounts available. (626) 356-3121. anoisewithin.org
Going for baroque
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra launches a new season of its “Baroque Conversations” series with a program that includes Handel’s “Water Music” plus works by Telemann and Richard Strauss. First Presbyterian of Santa Monica, 1220 2nd St., Santa Monica. 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Also at the Huntington, Rothenberg Hall, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. 7:30 p.m. Friday. $52 and up. (213) 622-7001. laco.org
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Dance performances in L.A. for Dec. 8-15 include several different productions of “The Nutcracker” and two chances to see the Mexican holiday show “Nochebuena” -
New runs, chairlifts and places to eat and sleep will tempt skiers and boarders on the slopes of California and beyond.
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Turn Buddha’s hand citrus into a glistening, sweet marmalade flecked with deep-red pomegranate seeds.
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Americans love Christmas ornaments. The latest trends in tree trimming: Weird, unique and offbeat decorations.
A steppe in the right direction
Direct from Kazakhstan, it’s Astana Ballet. The company performs classic, modern and contemporary dance as part of its first West Coast tour. The Saban Theater, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. 8 p.m. Friday. $85-$155. eventticketboss.com
Singing the praises of ‘Juana’
The UCLA School of Music stages the premiere of “Juana,” L.A.-based composer Carla Lucero’s opera about the 17th-century Mexican poet, philosopher and composer Juana Inés de la Cruz. Freud Playhouse, UCLA, 245 Charles E. Young Drive East, Westwood. 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Sunday. $25. schoolofmusic.ucla.edu
