It’s a new day for Essential Arts — or make that days, actually. I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, and starting today my colleague Ashley Lee and I will be bringing you this newsletter twice a week: on Mondays, to kick off the new week, and on Fridays, with a spotlight on the weekend. Think of us as your bizarro-world Woodward and Bernstein of L.A. culture — meeting not-so-secret sources in galleries, museums, theaters and music halls for news of joy and positivity about the creative classes working and living in this Byzantine metropolis.
Best bets: On our radar this week
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“Drosophila,” 1934, Edith M. Wallace. Ink and watercolor on paper. Part of PST Art at Caltech.
(California Institute of Technology.)
1. PST Art: “Art & Science Collide”
The initiative, previously known as Pacific Standard Time for events in 2011 and 2017, is like the Olympics of art for Southern California. Dozens of institutions come together to celebrate culture in a dizzying series of exhibitions and events that this year are centered on the theme “Art & Science Collide.” Because the viewing options can feel overwhelming with destinations scattered across our region’s sprawl, my colleague Jessica and writer Carren Jao have shortlisted some programs here. Meanwhile, Times art critic Christopher Knight has written about why the event’s theme is particularly risky.
2. American Cinematheque screenings
A Monday at the movies? What a lovely Labor Day indeed. The Aero Theatre is screening “The Third Man” (7:30 p.m.) in honor of the film’s 75th anniversary; and the Los Feliz Theatre is showing “Videodrome” (7 p.m.) and “The Time Masters” (10 p.m.). Over at the Egyptian Theatre, there’s a slew of locally set gems: “Sunset Boulevard” (1 p.m.), “Heat” (4 p.m.) and “Point Break” (8 p.m.). Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. Los Feliz Theatre, 1822 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. americancinematheque.com
3. “Memnon”
Though summer may be over, the outdoor theater season is still going strong. I’m heading to the Getty Villa’s Outdoor Theater, a venue modeled after ancient Greek and Roman theaters, for this world-premiere production from the Classical Theatre of Harlem, a company that tells stories through the lens of the African diaspora. The oft-overlooked epic from the Greek mythological canon centers on a powerful Ethiopian king who journeys to the city of Troy for a battle during the Trojans’ darkest hour. Performances are 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday through Sept. 28. Getty Villa Museum, 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades. getty.edu
— Ashley Lee
The week head: A curated calendar
Gena Rowlands in the 1991 Jim Jarmusch film “Night on Earth,” part of the American Cinematheque retrospective “Gena Rowlands Remembered.”
(Mark Higashino/Fine Line Features)
MONDAY
Carmen and Carnival Gustavo Dudamel guides the L.A. Phil through scenes from Bizet’s “Carmen” and Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals.”
8 p.m. Monday and Wednesday. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. hollywoodbowl.com
WEDNESDAY
Dragon Lady Sara Porkalob plays a Filipina American matriarch and dozens of other characters in this karaoke-fueled family origin story.
Through Oct. 6. Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. geffenplayhouse.org
Hamilton The national tour of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s historical mixtape of a musical epic returns.
Through Oct. 13. Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. broadwayinhollywood.com
THURSDAY
Gena Rowlands Remembered The American Cinematheque presents a monthlong retrospective of some of the actor’s greatest performances, including “A Woman Under the Influence” and “Gloria.”
Through Sept. 24. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica; Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Los Feliz Theatre, 1822 N Vermont Ave., Los Feliz. americancinematheque.com
The T.A.M.I. Show Two epic concerts featuring James Brown, Lesley Gore, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes and many more at the Santa Monica Civic were captured in this classic 1964 rockumentary. The rare 16mm screening is followed by a conversation with Evan Laffer and Ian Grant of the podcast “Jokermen.”
8 p.m. Thursday, 2220 Arts + Archives, 2220 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles mezzaninefilm.com
Dispatch: The perfect way to spend Labor Day
What to do with your bonus day off? How about visiting that museum you’ve been meaning to check out for so long. Although many museums are observing Labor Day or are closed every Monday, others are welcoming visitors on this holiday. Here are 11 slated be open:
Mid-Wilshire:
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Petersen Automotive Museum, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Downtown L.A.:
California Science Center, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Grammy Museum, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Pasadena and environs:
Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Reservations required for holidays,)
Kidspace, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Norton Simon Museum, noon-5 p.m.
Elsewhere in L.A.
Autry Museum of the American West in Griffith Park, check for hours.
Culture news and the SoCal scene
Otis Jones IV, Landen Gonzales, Lark Detweiler, James Olivas, Mars Storm Rucker and Daniel Durant of “American Idiot.”
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
PST ART may be dominating the cultural scene this fall, but theater and classical music are winding up for a satisfying fall season as well. Times theater critic Charles McNulty and classical music critic Mark Swed have rounded up their favorite picks for your busy engagement calendar. A modern retelling of “Cyrano de Bergerac” at the Pasadena Playhouse and L.A. Opera’s “Madama Butterfly” are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to scratching your live-performance itch.
A revival of the Green Day musical “American Idiot,” a collaboration between Deaf West Theatre and Center Theatre Group, will reopen CTG’s Mark Taper Forum after a year-long hiatus from regular programming. The show, which will be performed simultaneously in spoken (and sung!) English and American Sign Language, also marks the 20th anniversary of the pop-punk album that inspired it. Ashley Lee dug in behind the scenes of the politically charged musical extravaganza to explain why it is ripe for retelling in this pivotal election year.
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The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens — with help from the Ahmanson Foundation — has acquired a large-scale work, “Portrait of the Comte de Cromot, Superintendent of the Comte de Provence,” created by the18th-century French portraitist Antoine-François Callet, who was also the official painter of Louis XVI. The more than 6-foot by 5-foot painting shows its subject smiling serenely on a chair beside his two charming daughters-in-law. It will go on display at the museum this fall.
This year’s Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s 2024 Art+Film Gala will honor artist Simone Leigh and filmmaker Baz Luhrmann. Also: OMG, Charli XCX, the English singer who confirmed to the world that Kamala Harris “IS brat,” will perform at the star-studded event, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Nov. 2. LACMA trustee Eva Chow and actor Leonardo DiCaprio will again co-chair.
The Teiger Foundation announced the recipients of its 2024 grant, awarding $4 million to 50 U.S. art curators in support of their exhibitions, programming, research, and climate initiatives. Sixteen local curators from seven Los Angeles institutions — MOCA, The Hammer, Crenshaw Dairy Mart, The Brick, REDCAT, Vincent Price Art Museum, and LACMA — were among the honorees, and will receive $850,000 toward their ongoing work.