Exposition Park got a boost last week when the Natural History Museum opened its new 75,000-square-foot welcome center. NHM Commons, the new glass-walled entrance and…

Read More

Happy “Wicked” week, Essential Arts readers! The film adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical arrives in theaters this weekend. I’m staff writer Ashley Lee, who’s…

Read More

The crowd was jubilant on the opening night of “Waiting for Godot” at the Geffen Playhouse last Thursday. Starring Aasif Mandvi and Rainn Wilson, Samuel…

Read More

This weekend’s Essential Arts events are all about big screens and bold ideas. I’m staff writer Ashley Lee, here with my colleague Jessica Gelt to…

Read More

If Los Angeles has a reputation for opera, it is as an outlier, a city freed from encrusted tradition and eager to invent. Long Beach…

Read More

Given her fondness for hot pink outerwear, it is unlikely that Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston) has garments in her closet bearing any resemblance to Lt.…

Read More

Happy November, Essential Arts readers! This weekend’s top picks for things to do are all about the music. I’m staff writer Ashley Lee, here with…

Read More

While the weekend is once again upon us, I can’t stop thinking about an intimate, site-specific, one-night-only performance I experienced last weekend. Before I jump…

Read More

When L.A. Opera invited Gustavo Santaolalla to write a new score for the Spanish version of the 1931 film “Dracula” to be performed live with…

Read More

“Black Lodge” is maybe a lot of things or maybe not. It calls itself an opera and was a finalist for a Grammy this year…

Read More

PST Art presents city dwellers with the opportunity to head to places they haven’t been, particularly when it comes to exhibits staged at organizations not…

Read More

“Warriors,” Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis’ concept album inspired by the 1979 cult hit movie and Sol Yurick’s 1965 novel of the same name, debuts…

Read More

It’s time for another edition of Essential Arts, the newsletter for readers who take the arts seriously (unfortunately, not everyone does). I’m staff writer Ashley…

Read More

The Hammer Museum raised $230,000 in support of its free Hammer Kids programs through the 15th Kids Art Museum Project (K.A.M.P.), held in the museum’s…

Read More

It’s October, which means it’s officially the start of spooky season. I’m arts and culture writer Ashley Lee, here with my colleague Jessica Gelt to…

Read More

It’s Friday, which means it’s time to pause those Moo Deng videos — just for a moment! — and explore our city’s expansive arts offerings.…

Read More

Happy Friday, culture vultures. I’m staff writer Ashley Lee, here with another edition of Essential Arts with my colleague Jessica Gelt, recapping the arts chatter…

Read More

“Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?” is not only one of the best songs in the hit musical, “Hamilton,” it’s also the core…

Read More

Temperatures have finally cooled, but the local arts scene is just heating up. I’m arts and culture writer Ashley Lee, here with a new weekend…

Read More

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…

Read More