Hello! Welcome to another edition of Essential Arts where the most productive of Los Angeles culture reigns supreme even while the world burns (or at least that’s how it feels, thanks to the sun). This week, we’re bringing you another consultant full of the most productive things to watch and do that will be enough to make you feel a little better after watching the presidential debate.
1. Solid gold: Aretha, Dionne and WhitneyWhat better way to close out Pride Month than with a concert by the Los Angeles Gay Men’s Chorus, whose two hundred members will celebrate the hits of Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick and Whitney Houston. The setlist — 25 Hits! — will feature six dance production numbers and a three-song medley featuring “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “We’re Here” stars Priyanka and Latrice Royale. You can also upgrade your tickets to attend the evening’s gala dinner and dance party, in honor of Senators Alex Padilla and Angela Padilla and take advantage of GMCLA’s flexible network and educational programs. Sunday, 3 p. m. , Pasadena Civic Auditorium, 300 E Green St. www. gmcla. org/solidgold — Ashley Lee
2. The Los Angeles Bohemian Summer Chamber Music Festival is not well known as a string quartet maker, however, our music schools have provided us with exceptional ensembles, and the culture of studio and independent musicians can be traced back to the famous Hollywood String Quartet. Today, the New Hollywood String Quartet, along with their friends, presents their annual summer festival. Escape the heat of the elegant Doheny Mansion in the company of bohemian folk-inspired composers such as Dvorák, Smetana, Janácek and the surprising, captivating, and absurdly Bohuslav Martinu. From Thursday to Sunday. Doheny Mansion, Mount St. John’s UniversityMary, 10 Chester Place, Los Angeles www. newhollywoodstringquartet. com/ — Mark Swed
3. “Last Summer” For her first film in 10 years, French provocateur Catherine Breillat, one of cinema’s most important columnists on the dynamics of forces between men and women, returns with “Last Summer. “The film takes a potentially sinister story and discovers it in humanity, a sense of empathy for all involved, without wasting its spicy charge. Anne, played with wonderful intensity through Léa Drucker, is a middle-aged lawyer who finds herself trapped in a country castle with her husband’s shy and scruffy teenage son. from a previous marriage. A pastime that surprises them emerges with potentially ruinous consequences. Breillat explores what other people are capable of when they let go and what it takes to recover. Limited version, added at Landmark’s Nuart Theatre, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd. , Los Angeles www. landmarktheatres. com — Mark Olsen
4. Blink-182 at SoFi Stadium After bassist Mark Hoppus survived a cancer scare and guitarist Tom Delonge took a break from his search for aliens, classic lineup Blink-182 returned with a hit and well-received track at Coachella in 2023. children’s jokes about farts remained a timeless comedy until the fifties; drummer and super-producer Travis Barker’s propulsive guitars and frenetic beats hit millennials amid skatepark nostalgia. Along with their Green Day peers, they’re one of the last rock bands to achieve and retain star prestige in stadiums today, and even though October’s new song, “One More Time,” is a retread of their most beloved songs (like the opening of “Anthem Part 3”), they are emerging as the Rolling Stones of the turn of the millennium: immortal, obsessed with sex, seeking new refinements in the pleasures of guitar, bass and drums. SoFi Stadium, 1001 Stadium Drive, Inglewood, $18-305
THURSDAY
“To Kill a Mockingbird” via Harper Lee The traveling production of Aaron Sorkin’s level adaptation directed through Bartlett Sher stars Richard Thomas as Atticus Finch. 7:30 p. m. Thursday, 8 p. m. Friday, 2 p. m. and 8 p. m. Saturday, 1 p. m. and 6:30 p. m. Sunday. Bank of America Center for the Performing Arts, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. , Thousand Oaks. americantheatreguild. com
Los Angeles Indian Film Festival Now in its 22nd year, the occasion screens films from the South Asian subcontinent and its diasporas through Sunday. Writers Guild Theatre, 135 S. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills; Landmark Theatres Sunset, 8000 Sunset Blvd. , Los Ángeles. indianfilmfestival. org
“Unbroken Blossoms,” the drama by Philip W. Chung is an old reimagining of D. W. ‘s film. Griffith from 1919, which depicts the first interracial love story on the Hollywood screen, albeit between a white actress and a white, yellow-faced actor. Through July 21 East West Players, Union Center for the Arts, David Henry Hwang Theater, N. Judge John Aiso St. , Petit Tokyo. eastwestplayers. org.
FRIDAY
Sean Baker Double feature film “Tangerine” (2015) and “The Florida Project” (2017), the past of the director who won this year’s Palme d’Or for “Anora”. Friday and Saturday. New Beverly Theatre, 7165 Beverly Blvd. , Los Ángeles. thenewbev. com
Tim McGraw The country star is on tour with his 16th studio album, “Standing Room Only”; Carly Pearce opens the show. 7 p. m. Forum Kia, 3900 W. Manchester Blvd. , Inglewood. thekiaforum. com
First Generation Dance Collective The group of 4 artists performs “NOStalgia POP”, a tribute and critique to the fresh Latin culture. 8:30 p. m. Friday and Saturday. REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St. , Downtown Los Angeles (broadcast Saturday). redcat. org
SATURDAY
The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra group, conducted by conductor Sergey Smbatyan, performs works by Aram Khachaturian on its first tour of the United States. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave. , Downtown Los Angeles Armsymphony. am
George M. Cohen Celebration and Concert A two-day tribute to the showman “Yankee Doodle Dandy” begins with “Mr. Doodle Dandy. “Broadway: The George M. Cohan Celebration,” which includes a rare screening of the 1959 TV movie “45 Minutes From Broadway,” as well as performances by Davis Gaines, John Rubinstein, Lesli Margherita and more; on Sunday he presents “Born on the 4th of July!The Broadway Music of George M. Cohan”, a concert through the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra. Saturday; Sunday at 2 p. m. La Mirada Performing Arts Theatre, 14900 La Mirada Boulevard, La Mirada. lamiradatheatre. com
Kirthroughvision: A Tribute to Jack Kirthrough The exhibition features new works by more than 70 new artists, encouraged by the prolific and influential superhero creator, as well as original works by Kirthrough. Until August 3. Corey Helford Gallery, 571 S. Anderson St. , Los Ángeles. coreyhelfordgallery. com
SUNDAY
Monrovia Music Fest This year’s lineup Alpha Patron, Gal Pearl and Kelly’s Lot. Library Park, 321 S. Myrtle Ave. , Monrovia. monroviafest. com
This week, theater critic Charles McNulty reviews the West Coast premiere of “Tiny Father,” a play through Mike Lew that tells the story of an accidental father who is admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit in this Geffen Playhouse production directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel. .
McNulty is also making her film debut with a review of “Janet Planet,” starring Julianne Nicholson as a boundary-challenged mother raising her precocious and strong 11-year-old daughter in playwright Annie Baker’s A24 premiere.
Planning editor Kevin Crust reports that the Leimert Park network lost a legend this week when artist, master jeweller, network activist and owner Sika Dwimfo passed away at the age of 83.
Finally, McNulty achieves a hat-trick with his third article this week, an observation encouraged by the upcoming presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. The critic helps us artists to face the chaos by asking Homer and psychoanalysis until November. and beyond.
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art opens a main installation Monday through Kara Walker, the first artist the museum commissioned to create paintings for the Roberts Family Gallery, a free space on the ground floor that was part of the museum’s 2016 exhibition. . The name of the paintings is, he takes a deep breath, “Fortune and the Garden of Immortality (machine) / A respite for the weary time traveler. ” / Presentation of a rite of ancient intelligence performed through gardeners / Towards the continuous improvement of the human species / through Kara E-Walker. The artist cites inspirations such as Banraku puppets and Octavia Butler’s “Parable of the Sower” and says the installation will “examine the worry and loss we have experienced as a global society during the COVID-19 pandemic,” with automatons “serving as surrogates for the human experience, set in a vast garden of black obsidian. “More information in sfmoma. org.
Kidspace, the Children’s Museum of Pasadena, will launch its Campfire Sunset series on Friday. The museum will remain open until 8 p. m. for live and interactive music and dance nights. Tracks include “Pacific Islands Sunset” (Friday), “Cowpoke Country Night” (July 19) and “Afro-Latin Summer Jam” (August 9). Shows begin at 5:00:30 p. m. and 7 p. m. Visitors can bring a picnic or buy food from the on-site cafeteria or food trucks. More information: kidspacemuseum. org
The Soka Performing Arts Center in Aliso Viejo has announced its 2024-25 programming, which will open at the end of September with Dionne Warwick. The season also features pianist Emanuel Axe, singer-songwriters Shawn Colvin and KT Tunstall, jazz fusion band Yellowjackets and gospel. Blind Boys of Alabama. Learn more: www. soka. edu/soka-performing-arts-center
The Schubert Foundation, which funds theaters, dance corporations, and nonprofit educational programs, has announced $40 million in grants to 653 organizations. Some of the largest grants awarded to Southern California recipients were to the South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa ($300,000); Center Theatre Group ($200,000), Geffen Playhouse ($160,000), Latino Theatre Company/Los Angeles Theatre Center ($50,000) and East West Players ($40,000), all in Los Angeles; and Pasadena Playhouse ($130,000), A Noise Within ($45,000) and Boston Court ($40,000) in Pasadena.
A little-known drawing by David Hockney, which we reported on in Essential Arts earlier this month, sold at auction in London for £403,200 (about $510,000), above the estimate of £200,000 to £300,000. The pencil and pencil drawing, “View from the Miramar Hotel, Santa Monica,” dates from 1970.
We would have voted for Sage or Olive or even held a crusade written by Sweet Pea, but the results of the vote will be held at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and the name of their new green dinosaur skeleton will be: Gnatalie. The skeleton, a combination of several specimens of a species similar to Diplodocus, got its nickname from the insects that plagued scientists who unearthed the bones in Utah. Gnatalie will be moving into the museum’s new wing opening this fall.
After making headlines for his DWI earlier this week, Justin Timberlake is refusing to say goodbye to Instagram and is taking to social media to reach out to enthusiasts about his upcoming tour, which includes a court date of a different kind: Madison Square Garden. Je assumes he can’t hold JT even though he admits, “It’s been a tough week. “
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Ashley Lee is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, where she writes about theater, film, television, and the animated intersection between level and screen. Alumna of the National Institute of Critics, Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, and Poynter’s Power of Diverse Voices. , teaches workshops on arts journalism at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. In the past, she was editor of the New York-based Hollywood Reporter and has written for the Washington Post, Backlevel, and American Theatre, among others. Lately she has been running remotely with her dog, Oliver.
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Mark Olsen writes about all kinds of films for the Los Angeles Times as a screenwriter and critic.
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Mark Swed has been the classic critic for the Los Angeles Times since 1996.
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August Brown covers the popArray industry and nightlife politics in the Los Angeles Times.
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