Arlene Mejorado’s “Caricias” series on view at Metro’s Hollywood/Highland station.
(Metro Art (Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority))
Hello and welcome to a new edition of the Essential Arts newsletter, where we bring you some of the most eclectic offerings in the world of music, theater, movies and more. Take a look at the best of what L.A. has to offer this week.
Best bets: What’s on our radar this week
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1. CicLAvia — Meet the Hollywoods
The next CicLAvia ride set for this weekend shines a light on public art: The 6.6-mile route includes four Metro B Line (formerly Red Line) stops with civic art built into their designs. The Hollywood & Highland station also has a temporary display featuring the work of Arlene Mejorado, subject of an L.A. Times arts feature in 2019, who photographs LGBTQ+ performers who channel iconic divas such as Selena, Jenni Rivera and Celia Cruz.
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Route runs from East Hollywood hub, 4531 Hollywood Blvd., to West Hollywood hub, 8800 Santa Monica Blvd. www.ciclavia.org
Yosy Love as Juan Gabriel, left, and Moni León as Rocío Durcal in an image from Arlene Mejorado’s “Caricias” series, for which she photographed performers paying tribute to Latinx music stars.
(Arlene Mejorado / Metro Art (Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority))
2. ‘Reefer Madness: The Musical’
This cult-classic stage musical satire of the 1936 anti-marijuana propaganda film — which was later adapted into its own Emmy-winning Showtime movie in 2005 — is back in Los Angeles, where it debuted in 1998. This revival production, which just announced another monthlong extension of its limited summer run, is directed and choreographed by Spencer Liff, and includes alumni Kristen Bell, Alan Cumming and Christian Campbell among its roster of producers. Bites and beverages are available at the venue’s outdoor restaurant before each 90-minute performance, which is followed by an adjacent after-party with speakeasy-style musical acts.
Through Sept. 15. The Whitley Theatre, 6555 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. reefermadness.com
— Ashley Lee
The cast of “Reefer Madness: The Musical” at the Whitley Theatre.
(Andrew Patino)
3. Intuit Dome
Inglewood opens its third major music venue this week: The tech-forward Intuit Dome, future home of the L.A. Clippers, is already regarded as the new A-list place to play. If you’re a local trying to drive to the grocery store when Intuit, SoFi Stadium and the Kia Forum all have shows, well, vaya con dios. But if you’re a music fan, you’re positively spoiled. Intuit kicks off with Bruno Mars bringing his hit-packed funk-pop off the Las Vegas circuit, followed by Sebastian Maniscalco and Marco Antonio Solis. Olivia Rodrigo then extends her massive Guts tour in the new arena. At this rate, you might as well stay in line for the Olympics in 2028.
Mars on Thursday and Friday, Maniscalco on Saturday, Solis on Sunday, Rodrigo on Tuesday and Wednesday (following several nights at the Forum). 3930 W. Century Blvd., Inglewood. intuitdome.com
— August Brown
Olivia Rodrigo in February in Palm Desert, Calif.
(Michael Blackshire/Los Angeles Times)
4. Jack and the Dude
Seeing two classic L.A. sunshine noirs back to back — in new transfers, in one of the best rooms in town — seems too good to be true. But in the big theater of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures next week, you’ll be able to catch Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown” starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in 4K. The following night, Joel and Ethan Coen’s “The Big Lebowski,” with Jeff Bridges as the Dude, rolls onto the screen in 4K too.
“Chinatown” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. “The Big Lebowski” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. L.A. www.academymuseum.org
— Mark Olsen
Jeff Bridges in “The Big Lebowski.”
(Merrick Morton/Gramercy Pictures)
The week head: A curated calendar
THURSDAY
Dan Rosenboom’s Polarity Quintet UCLA Hammer Museum’s JazzPop series continues with the jazz group named to DownBeat’s “Best of 2023” releases list.
8 p.m. Hammer, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. hammer.ucla.edu
‘Open Sky’ / Roy Thurston: Recent Work Building on the Benton Museum’s installation of the only public James Turrell Skyspace in Southern California, “Open Sky” showcases the work of Light and Space artists Xin Liu, Agnieszka Polska, Marcus Zúñiga and the duo of Malik Gaines and Alexandro Segade. The Thurston exhibition features new sculptural work, including a 10-foot-tall installation, that challenges the viewer’s perceptions of light, color and texture.
Through Jan. 5. Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College, 120 W. Bonita Ave., Claremont. (909) 621-8283, pomona.edu/museum
FRIDAY
‘Valley Girl’ As part of its series “Summer in the City: Los Angeles, Block by Block,” the Academy Museum hosts director Martha Coolidge for a conversation about her second feature, “Valley Girl,” followed by a screening of the 1980s, very L.A. reimagining of “Romeo & Juliet” starring Nicolas Cage and Deborah Foreman.
7:30 p.m. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, 6067 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. academymuseum.org
SATURDAY
Sara Bareilles The singer-songwriter and Broadway star performs career highlights with Thomas Wilkins and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Bareilles’ “Girls5eva” castmate (and “Hamilton” favorite) Renée Elise Goldsberry opens the night with Broadway, jazz and gospel songs.
8 p.m. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., L.A. hollywoodbowl.com
‘Lords of Dogtown’ American Cinematheque screens the 2005 film about 1970s Venice skate and surf culture. Heath Ledger and Emile Hirsch star. Q&A with director Catherine Hardwicke precedes the screening.
6 p.m. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. americancinematheque.com
SUNDAY
Magdalena Suarez Frimkess The Argentinae-born, L.A.-based artist’s first museum survey exhibition, “The Finest Disregard,” explores her interest in art history books, popular media, cartoons, animation and autobiography through ceramics, paintings, drawings and collaborations with her husband, Michael Frimkess.
Through Sept. 15. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Resnick Pavilion, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. lacma.org
‘Patient 13’ Gail Thomas’ dark comedy solo show follows her cancer diagnosis and participation in an experimental FDA study involving magic mushrooms.
Through Sept. 1. Rogue Machine Theatre at the Matrix, 7657 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. roguemachinetheatre.org
‘Velour: A Drag Spectacular’ Performance artist Sasha Velour collaborates with director Moisés Kaufman for this expansive, autobiographical coming-of-age story melded with a history of drag and queer expression.
Through Sept. 15. La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla. lajollaplayhouse.org
TUESDAY
‘Abstracted Light’ An exhibition of avant-garde photography from the 1920s to the 1950s created using experimental lighting effects by artists such as László Moholy-Nagy, Francis Bruguière, Man Ray, Tōyō Miyatake, Asahachi Kono, Jaromír Funke and Thomas Wilfred.
Through Nov. 24. Getty Museum 1200 Getty Center Drive, L.A. getty.edu
‘Claudine’ Diahann Carroll starred opposite James Earl Jones and earned a best actress Oscar nomination for this 1974 working-class drama. Larry Karaszewski moderates a Q&A with actor Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs.
7 p.m. Tuesday. Los Feliz Theatre, 1822 N Vermont Ave., Los Feliz. americancinematheque.com
‘Sculpting With Light’ Holograms produced by laser technology allow contemporary artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Ed Ruscha, Deana Lawson and Matthew Schreiber to create the illusion of three-dimensional objects floating in space.
Through Nov. 24. Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive, L.A. getty.edu
L.A.’s biggest culture news
A drone image showing the Intuit Dome.
(LA Clippers)
Writer Sam Lubell reviews the architecture of soon-to-be-open Intuit Dome, a sleek, joyous piece of modern architecture with much to love, just like its neighbor, SoFi Stadium. But around its edges, the picture gets a little fuzzier.
Theater critic Charles McNulty reviews director James Marsh’s film “Dance First” on the life of Samuel Beckett, starring Gabriel Byrne and written by Neil Forsyth, which infuses surrealism into a conventional format.
Vincent van Gogh, “Portrait of the Artist’s Mother,” October 1888; oil on canvas,
(Gerard Vuilleumier / Norton Simon Art Foundation
)
The Norton Simon in Pasadena may get overshadowed by LACMA, MOCA and the Broad, but its 12,000-piece collection is one of SoCal’s best. Our critic Christopher Knight offers a shortlist of don’t-miss works.
Writer David A. Keeps profiles Hollywood producer Denise Di Novi, who forged her path producing “Heathers,” “Edward Scissorhands” and “Beaches,” and turned to painting as a form of solace after her husband died. A new gallery show is part of that healing.
More culture news, briefly …
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Visitors at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County has announced the opening date for its new wing: Nov. 17. The $75-million NHM Commons, designed by Frederick Fisher and Partners with landscape architecture by Studio-MLA, adds exhibition space, a multipurpose theater and a glass-walled connection to Exposition Park outside.
The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana announced the acquisition of a new ndwango, or beaded artwork, by South African artist Zondlile Zondo. “Dressed for the Dance” follows an exhibition from last year, “Ubuhle Women: Beadwork and the Art of Independence,” that showcased the glass-beaded panels that artists spend up to 10 months creating.
The SoCal punk scene of the ‘70s and ‘80s comes alive in the auction lots featuring the work of Raymond Pettibon, who created logos and other artwork for the likes of Black Flag, the Ramones, Meat Puppets, Circle Jerks and Dead Kennedys. On Aug. 22, Rago/Wright holds the auction “Raymond Pettibon: The Punk Years, Curated by Specific Object/David Platzker.” You can see the trove on sale at www.wright20.com.
And last but not least
Not that anyone was wondering but Janet Jackson says she has more than one famous person besides her on her family tree, — not just Michael. Find out who she claims to be related to.