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Weekend Picks: The Beatles tribute ‘Pepperland,’ ‘Central Park Five’ at Long Beach Opera

Composer Anthony Davis' new "The Central Park Five" premieres Saturday at Long Beach Opera.
(Eduardo Contreras / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
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It’s a jam-packed weekend for culture, and that includes the premiere of “The Central Park Five” at Long Beach Opera and Mark Morris Dance Group’s totally fab “Pepperland.” The critically praised play “The End of Beauty” ends its run, Pittance Chamber Music and James Conlon celebrate two great émigré composers, and local troupes strut their stuff in “Foothill Dancemakers.” Last but not least, a beloved Irish author and his most revered literary creation receive a fond remembrance.

A miscarriage of justice

Long Beach Opera presents “The Central Park Five,” composer Anthony Davis’ musical docudrama about the teenagers in New York City wrongly convicted — in the legal system and in the media — of a 1989 beating and rape they did not commit. Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro. 7:30 p.m. Saturday; other dates through June 23. $49-$150. (562) 470-7464. LongBeachOpera.org

A splendid time is guaranteed for all

Next stop, “Pepperland.” The Mark Morris Dance Group celebrates the Beatles’ landmark 1967 album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in this full-length work. Segerstrom Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. $29 and up. (714) 556-2787. scfta.org

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‘Beauty’ ends at Playwrights’ Arena

It’s your last weekend to catch “The End of Beauty.” A couple’s seemingly perfect marriage is upended when an acclaimed young artist comes to dinner in Cory Hinkle’s new relationship drama. An L.A. Times Critics’ Choice. Playwrights’ Arena, Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., L.A. 8 p.m. Saturday and Monday. $30, $40; discounts available. (800) 838-3006. playwrightsarena.org

Immigrant songs, for a pittance

Los Angeles Opera music director James Conlon joins Pittance Chamber Music for “A Tale of Two Émigrés,” a program of works by Jewish émigré composers Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Arnold Schoenberg. Zipper Hall, Colburn School, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. 3 p.m. Saturday. $10. PittanceChamberMusic.org

Putting their best feet forward

Modern dance companies Benita Bike’s DanceArt, Pennington Dance Group, Nancy Evans Dance Theatre and Lineage Dance join forces for the showcase “Foothills Dancemakers.” A Room to Create (ARC), 1158 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. 8 p.m. Saturday, 4 p.m. Sunday. $15, $20. (626) 204-0331. penningtondancegroup.org

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Re-Joyce at the Hammer

Bloomsday 2019, this year’s edition of the celebration of novelist James Joyce, includes dramatic readings from “Ulysses” plus live Irish music and more. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Free; tickets required. (310) 443-7000. hammer.ucla.edu

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