horrifically

As the country fixates on the sad saga of the ruined Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., the Trump administration’s plans to build a 250-foot arch at the western terminus of Memorial Bridge have marched forward.

The project received final design approval in late May from the Trump-appointed U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The problem with that, critics quickly pointed out, was that this approval occurred before a key part of the National Historic Preservation Act — Section 106 — was initiated.

For background: President Lyndon B. Johnson signed NHPA into law in 1966 during an era of rampant unregulated building in order to protect the country’s shared cultural heritage. Section 106, which the Trump administration has been trying to gut, allows for a period of public comment about proposed projects in advance of their approval. This gives time for reasonable concerns to be raised and for pivots in design and siting to take place accordingly.

In a letter submitted to the National Park Service on Thursday by the nonprofit Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) as part of the federal-level reviews of the Triumphal Arch under Section 106, the group’s founding president and chief executive, Charles Birnbaum, called the chain of events leading to the arch’s approval a “radical departure from a well-established series of processes that have made the Monumental Core a global paragon of civic art, landscape architecture, architecture, and planning.”

Birnbaum, who served as coordinator of the Historic Landscape Initiative at the NPS from 1992 to 2007, also noted, “The process for the selection and siting of the Triumphal Arch has been horrifically flawed from the outset. Remarkably, there was no design competition, which is a dangerous and radical decision for what would be the second largest monument in the Monumental Core after the Washington Monument.”

The letter was sent several days after the NPS released a preliminary assessment that found the arch could have significant adverse effects on the historic structures around it. Birnbaum and TCLF, however, worry — based on linguistic hedging in NPS correspondence — that a final “adverse effect determination” will not be made, thus depriving concerned parties of the ability to continue to advocate against the project.

“Given the extensive documentation of adverse effects in the preliminary finding, the suggestion that any uncertainty exists about the final determination is both confounding and alarming,” Birnbaum wrote.

During his tenure at NPS, Birnbaum was the lead author of “The Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes,” which includes a section on “Spatial Organization and Land Patterns,” which, he writes in the letter, “is clear about what is and is not recommended.”

“Identifying, retaining and preserving the existing spatial organization and land patterns of the landscape as they have over time,” is recommended, for example, while, “Allowing spatial organization and land patterns to be altered through incompatible development or neglect,” is not.

“A 250-foot-tall arch in Memorial Circle sited between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery and Arlington House and in the Monumental Core is undeniably incompatible development,” Birnbaum wrote, noting that any new development is stipulated to be in agreement with the cultural landscape guidelines. “The Arch as proposed will not be consistent with the Guidelines and any certification otherwise would not only be factually baseless (in short, a lie), but declaring so would be unprofessional, fraudulent, and, perhaps, illegal.”

Strong words that may very well fall on closed ears, if recent history is any guide. Nonetheless, the resistance forges ahead.

I’m arts editor Jessica Gelt, building an arch to future goodness. This is your arts and culture news for the week.

The week ahead: A curated calendar

FRIDAY

Judy Collins performs at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in 2025.

(Jason Kempin / Getty Images)

Judy Collins: Sweet Judy Blue Eyes Farewell Tour
The singer-songwriter-musician with the lilting voice and eclectic catalog is joined by Bruce Cockburn for an evening of folk-infused heartfelt songs.
8 p.m. The Ford, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East. theford.com

Versa-Style Street Dance Company
The troupe marks its 20th anniversary with “Box of Hope” (2nd Edition), a multidisciplinary program featuring West Coast Hip Hop and Street Dance Styles.
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. sierramadreplayhouse.org

SATURDAY

Betty Boop’s Birthday Bash for a Cause
Kate Micucci hosts an evening of live music — headlined by indie-pop group Dressy Bessy and Allison Wolfe of Bratmobile — animation, comedy, pop-culture nostalgia and the Bob Baker Marionettes to benefit the nonprofits organizations the Birthday Party Project and Saturday Morning Cartoons United.
6:30 p.m. Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. thealex.evnsong.com

The Improvised Shakespeare Company
The troupe takes a single audience suggestion and spontaneously turns it into a full-blown Elizabethan-style comedy that could (possibly) make the Bard himself wish he had written it.
8 p.m. The Ford, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East. theford.com

The Complete History of American Musical Theater: The 1950s
An evening of theatrical history, storytelling and live performances revisits the Golden Age of the American musical, featuring such classics as “Guys and Dolls,” “The King and I,” “My Fair Lady,” “West Side Story” and “The Music Man.” With Eileen Barnett, Camryn Hamm, Scott Harlan, Hayden Kharrazi, Tony nominee Mary Gordon Murray and Tony nominee Rory O’Malley. Narrated by Dan Fishbach and Mark D. Kaufmann. Produced by the Odyssey Theatre and the Los Angeles Musical Theatre Studio.
8 p.m. Odyssey Ensemble Theatre, 2055 South Sepulveda Blvd. odysseytheatre.com

James Morris, from left, Christopher Reiling and Jasmine Kimiko in the play “Slava Ukraini! (or Waiting for Elon).”

(Deverill Weeks)

Slava Ukraini! (or Waiting for Elon)
A Few Thoughts Theatre Company presents a new play by Keith Szarabajka about three soldiers — two Ukrainian and one Russian — trapped together during the siege of Mariupol. Directed by Tony Pasqualini.
8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays; 3 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 31. (no performances Aug. 16, 17) . Atwater Village, 3269 Casitas Ave., Theater #3, Los Angeles afewthoughtstheatercompany.org

SUNDAY

Jazz keyboardist Carey Frank.

(Courtesy of the artist)

Carey Frank Organ Trio
Joined by guitarist Nadav Peled and drummer Jake Reed, the jazz keyboardist powers a contemporary take on jazz, swing, blues and soul.
8 p.m. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. sierramadreplayhouse.org

Summertime! with Bob Baker Marionettes and Kate Micucci
The marionettes and Micucci have a busy weekend, going from Betty Boop at the Alex to celebrating all things sunny and funny at the Ford.
The Ford, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East. theford.com

TUESDAY

Mozart Under the Stars
A pair of celebrated Canadians, conductor Nicolas Ellis and pianist Angela Hewitt, join the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra for their Mozartian summer tradition.
8 p.m. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N Highland Ave., Hollywood. hollywoodbowl.com

WEDNESDAY

Giselle, the chandelier set piece that travels with the North American tour of “Phantom of the Opera,” photographed the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in July.

(Ariana Drehsler / For The Times)

Phantom of the Opera
The new North American touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical, featuring Maria Björnson’s original design — including a really big chandelier — and based on the direction of Harold Prince, with musical staging and choreography by Gillian Lynne, shifts to Orange County.
Through Aug. 30. Segerstrom Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scfta.org/events

Stanley Jordan Trio
The virtuoso jazz guitarist is joined by drummer Chris Wabich and bassist Ahmet Turkmenoglu.
7 and 9:30 p.m. Blue Note Los Angeles, 6372 Sunset Blvd. bluenotejazz.com

THURSDAY

Michael Douglas and Glenn Close in “Fatal Attraction” directed by Adrian Lyne in 1987.

(Sunset Boulevard / Corbis via Getty Images)

A Weekend With Adrian Lyne
The director known for his sleek, erotic thrillers will be on hand for screenings of “Fatal Attraction” (1987) and “Unfaithful” (2002) at the Academy Museum and the theatrical premiere of “Deep Water” (2022), starring Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck, at Brain Dead Studios.
7:30 p.m. Thursday (“Fatal Attraction”) and Friday (“Unfaithful”). Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org 7:30 p.m. Saturday (“Deep Water”). Brain Dead Studios, 611 N. Fairfax Ave. studios.wearebraindead.com

Helado Tropical
The night will be full of Latin beats, rhythms and experimental sounds as Helado Negro and Reyna Tropical team up following the recent release of their nine-song collaborative album.
8 p.m. The Ford, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East. theford.com

— Kevin Crust

Retrospective

L.A. Times arts coverage from the past …

Ballet dancers Rochelle Chang, Emily Parker and Raffaella Stroik rehearse a new work by choreographer Lincoln Jones, background, in 2016.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

How a new dance gets made: Behind the scenes at American Contemporary Ballet
Aug. 7, 2016

Emily Parker stood still on pointe. Arms spread like wings, she fixed her gaze somewhere in the distance. Dancers spun around her like ribbons in a breeze. A bend, a twist, a slide of foot, a flutter of light. On and on, with no music, only the tap, tap, tap of toe shoes and the sound of texting from those stretching and waiting in the wings.

Parker relaxed her pose. The other dancers flitted toward windows. Choreographer Lincoln Jones walked among them, hand to chin, thinking, and at times twirling alone as if chasing whispers. The afternoon pressed in. He called a break and headed for a laptop. Dancers from American Contemporary Ballet, which on Aug. 11 [2016] will perform an original work by Jones, dispersed in the studio heat.

A ballet troupe is a small army of fine lines and grace. Some dancers have been with the company for years, others like Parker are new, finding their places amid mats, bags, tape, calluses, balm, egos, sore backs, battered toes and torn tights. They are led by Jones, a dark-haired man who between smiles and asides moves with quiet intensity. His new production for the company’s “Music + Dance: LA II” series was inspired by 19th century French composer Adolphe Adam and set amid a countryside, a lake and a wedding. READ MORE

— Jeffrey Fleishman

Culture news and the SoCal scene

The Boyle Heights side of 6th Street PARC underneath the 6th Street Viaduct.

(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)

As the once heralded, now neglected 6th Street Bridge continues its precipitous decline, a new park is being built beneath it that supporters hope could uplift the neighboring community of Boyle Heights and help renew the bridge in the process. Called Sixth Street PARC and scheduled to open later this year, the 12-acre green space is meant to serve as a vital community hub connecting downtown’s Arts District with the Eastside neighborhood. It will take more than good intentions to make that plan work, Sam Lubell writes in a detailed story about the project.

Times classical music critic Mark Swed is currently in Austria, taking in the many wonders of the annual Salzburg Festival. Among them: Gustavo Dudamel leading Mahler’s “Resurrection” symphony with the Vienna Philharmonic. “In Salzburg, Dudamel indulged the Vienna Philharmonic’s incomparable lushness, those plush strings, glowing winds, golden brass, voluminous timpani. The symphony received mixed reviews, with critics complaining of a lack of transparency, argument and depth. Had they been in Disney Hall, they would have had it all,” Swed writes.

The D.C.-based anonymous arts activist group Secret Handshake is taking its satirical work on tour. The group recently started an Instagram page to chart the journey of a 10-foot golden cup dedicated to Trump, “The Iran War Participation Trophy.” The trophy went to New York City after appearing late last month on the National Mall. This week it popped up on the lawn of the Capitol Building in St. Paul, Minn. Other cities will follow, Secret Handshake promises.

Dorothy Wolpert, board chair of the Fountain Theatre for 12 has died. She was 91.

(Fountain Theatre)

The Fountain Theatre is mourning the death of Dorothy Wolpert, who served as the theater’s board chair for 12 years. She was 91. Wolpert was deeply involved in the life of the city through her love and support of the arts as well as in her professional life. As the co-founder of Bird Marella, a Century City law firm, Wolpert was involved in cases that advanced equity and social justice, including the landmark school desegregation case Crawford v. Los Angeles Board of Education. She also used her legal expertise in the fight against human trafficking.

Wolpert received UCLA Law’s Trailblazers Lifetime Achievement Award and the ACLU Humanitarian Award, and in 2022 UCLA Law established the Dorothy and Stanley Wolpert Public Interest Fellowship in her honor.

Wolpert became the Fountain’s board chair in 2013, and served until 2025. In an email, the Fountain’s co-founder Stephen Sachs wrote that Wolpert was “instrumental in expanding [the Fountain’s] board, strengthening its leadership, and raising its national profile. She was also a generous supporter of numerous LA arts organizations and a devoted patron of LA Opera.”

“On a personal level, Dorothy was my trusted mentor and confidant. Whenever I faced a difficult decision, she was the person I turned to first. She had a remarkable gift for asking exactly the right question. Her wisdom shaped not only the Fountain, but many of us fortunate enough to know her,” Sachs wrote.

— Jessica Gelt

And last but not least

Here are 18 things you should do if you can afford to go to Carmel-by-the-Sea.