‘Jelly’s Last Jam,’ an expert’s guide to the Getty and the L.A. culture kicking off Memorial Day weekend
Can you feel that? It’s the warm, electric vibes of L.A. culture waking up for a first taste of summer weather, and preparing for a season of concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, museum visits and random calls from family and friends out-of-state who are inviting themselves to head west and couch surf at your place “for a few days.” Luckily you’ll know where to go to show ‘em a good time and hopefully have one yourself with this week’s guide to the best culture L.A. has to offer along with some updates from the arts scene.
Best bets: What’s on our radar this week
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1. California African American Museum reopens
After a long, long closure for deferred maintenance and storm-related building repairs, CAAM is welcoming visitors again this week. You can see the Simone Leigh show that we touted last week, as well as “Paula Wilson: Toward the Sky’s Back Door” (and hear that artist speak June 13). CAAM’s reopening adds to the energy of Exposition Park, where the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is taking shape, the Space Shuttle Endeavour is getting its new home at the California Science Center, and Frederick Fisher & Partners is giving the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County a facelift. If you haven’t been in a while, CAAM’s return is a great motivator to get back. Also, it’s free.
Open Tuesdays-Sundays. Parking entrance at 39th and Figueroa streets, L.A. caamuseum.org
— Craig Nakano
2. ‘Ipsa Dixit’
“What is art?” That impossible question is the opening line of Kate Soper’s 2016 philosophical opera, “Ipsa Dixit.” She answers it with a brilliantly stupefying libretto gleaned from the likes of Aristotle, Lydia Davis Robert Duncan, Jenny Holzer and others, along with a quicksilver fanciful score that might be the soundtrack of neurons giving life to ideas. Long Beach Opera has already presented two Soper triumphs with “Voices From the Killing Jar” and “The Romance of the Rose.” For “Ipsa Dixit,” Artistic Director James Darrah gets an assist from the Martha Graham Dance Company, Graham having had her own bold ideas about what art is.
June 1, 8 and 9. Long Beach Opera, Art Theatre, 2025 E 4th St., Long Beach. longbeachopera.org
— Mark Swed
3. “Jelly’s Last Jam”
As someone who generally enjoys bio-musicals about musicians (think “Jersey Boys,” “Tina,” “Beautiful” and “Ain’t Too Proud”), I’m excited to finally see this bold, rarely staged spectacle about Jelly Roll Morton, the self-proclaimed “inventor of jazz” who, amid his early 20th century musical accomplishments, had a complicated relationship with his heritage. Written by George C. Wolfe, the tap-driven piece originally debuted at the Mark Taper Forum in 1991 before transferring to Broadway and winning three Tony Awards, including for Gregory Hines’ lead performance. The Playhouse production stars John Clarence Stewart (“P-Valley,” “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”) and is directed by Kent Gash. 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Starts Wednesday, runs through June 23
Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena
— Ashley Lee
4. Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
“In the Summers,” director Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio’s semi-autobiographical drama that won the U.S. grand jury prize in the dramatic competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, kicks off LALIFF on Wednesday. The movie follows two sisters across the years as they navigate summer trips to visit their father in New Mexico. This year’s festival pays tribute to female filmmakers and below-the-line talent. Before you go, check out our conversation with Erika Sabel Flores, vice president of programs and innovation at the Latino Film Institute, the nonprofit organization that hosts LALIFF, Wednesday-June 2. TCL Chinese Theatre, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., L.A.; Regal LA Live, 1000 W. Olympic Blvd., L.A. laliff.org
— Angie Orellana Hernandez
5. Kraftwerk, Disney Concert Hall
We live in an era full of AI code pretending to be human and spitting out garbage. Kraftwerk, the incomparably influential German electronic group, were men pretending to be machines, and made some of the visionary music of the 20th century.
Formed in postwar Düsseldorf’s art scene in the ‘60s, Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider’s band were among the first to build pop music around synthesizers and drum machines, with a German precision and melancholy that inspired generations of rappers, DJs and producers (Afrika Bambaataa sampled them on 1982’s “Planet Rock;” house music producer Carl Craig summed up their appeal to Black artists: “so stiff, they were funky.”)
The band (now performing as a four-piece with Hütter, Henning Schmitz, Fritz Hilpert and Falk Grieffenhagen; Schneider died in 2020) is taking a full sweep of its catalog timed to the 50th anniversary of its 1974 debut “Autobahn.” The band’s been playing each of its albums in full, this week you can catch the back half of its catalog with “Computer World” on Saturday, “Techno Pop” on Sunday, “The Mix” on Tuesday, “Tour de France” on Wednesday and a career-spanning finale on Thursday. Their live shows are AV spectacles of remove and artifice, integral to a total project that gave machines life. Sam Altman never could.
Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Tickets $69-$109. Laphil.com Laphil.com
—August Brown
The week head: A curated calendar
SUNDAY
“My American Dream: City of Angels” Painter Keith Mayerson explores California mythology and the changing landscape of the American West; includes a conversation with the artist, 6 p.m. Thursday, May 30.
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, through July 20. Karma, 7351 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. karmakarma.org
TUESDAY
“Funny Girl” If you missed a dazzling Katerina McCrimmon as Fanny Brice at the Ahmanson in April, or want to see the show again, the national tour returns for a two-week run in Orange County.
7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, through June 9. Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scfta.org
“On Thin Ice: Dutch Depictions of Extreme Weather” Just in time for summer, this exhibition brings a wintry blast of drawings and paintings by Hendrick Avercamp and other 17th century Dutch artists illustrating an unusual era of persistent global cooling.
Tuesday–Sept. 1. The Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles. getty.edu
WEDNESDAY
Girl in Red The Norwegian indie-pop singer-songwriter plays a two-night stand after opening multiple shows on Taylor Swift’s Eras tour last year.
8 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday. Greek Theatre. 2700 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles. lagreektheatre.com
Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner “In the Summers” opens LALIFF’s 23rd edition celebrating movies, television and music.
Wednesday-June 2. TCL Chinese Theatre, 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. laliff.org
FRIDAY
Get Lit — Words Ignite The youth poetry troupe, featured in the recent documentary “Our Words Collide,” delivers interpretations of classic and contemporary works with original spoken-word responses.
8 p.m. Friday. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd., Westwood. getlit.org
Sarah McLachlan The Canadian singer-songwriter marks the 30th anniversary of her album “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” with guest Feist.
8 p.m. Friday. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. hollywoodbowl.com
“Solo” A Montréal drag star enters into a toxic romance with another performer while attempting to reconnect with his mother in writer-director Sophie Dupuis’ drama, which won best Canadian feature at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
Starts Friday. Laemmle Glendale, 207 N. Maryland Ave., Glendale. laemmle.com
“Songs of Earth” Filmmaker Margreth Olin’s 85-year-old father guides us on a four-season tour of Norway’s Oldedalen river valley in this meditative documentary.
Starts Friday. Laemmle Royal, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A. laemmle.com
SATURDAY
Bleak Week — Cinema of Despair Filmmakers including Jerry Schatzberg, Al Pacino, Lynne Ramsay, Karyn Kusama, Kenneth Lonergan, Allen Hughes and Charlie Kaufman screen and discuss films depicting humanity’s dark side.
Saturday-June 7. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica; Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Los Feliz Theatre, 1822 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz. americancinematheque.com
Long Beach Symphony The ensemble closes its season with Anton Bruckner’s “Romantic” Symphony and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, along with a pre-concert talk at 7 p.m.
8 p.m. Saturday. Long Beach Terrace Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. longbeachsymphony.org
Natalie Merchant The passionate singer-songwriter, who last year released “Keep Your Courage,” her first full-length studio album of new material in nearly a decade, performs in a concert rescheduled from September.
8 p.m. Saturday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
The Offspring The O.C. punk band celebrates the 30th anniversary of the venue as well as its album “Smash,” with guests Save Ferris!
8 p.m. Saturday. Honda Center, 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim. hondacenter.com
JUNE 2
Zach Bryan The War and Treaty (Sun.-Mon.), Sierra Ferrell (Tue.) and Levi Turner join the “I Remember Everything” singer on the Quittin’ Time Tour.
7 p.m. Sunday-Tuesday. Crypto.com Arena, 1111 S. Figueroa St., downtown L.A. cryptoarena.com
L.A.’s biggest culture news
Art critic Christopher Knight started the week by reviewing the new documentary “Taking Venice,” which holds a magnifying glass up to the Venice Biennale. When 38-year-old Robert Rauschenberg was named grand prize winner at the esteemed art festival, a furor erupted — and the conspiracy theories took flight.
Staff writer Ashley Lee talks to Tony nominee Leslie Odom Jr., who explains why the production “Purlie Victorious,” premiering Friday on PBS’ Great Performances series, isn’t a musical — and why it’s all the better for it.
The Getty, L.A.’s most popular art museum can be overwhelming. Knight offers you a list of his favorites: must-see paintings, sculptures and more, and what to know about each.
Staff writer Jessica Gelt has the first look at the renderings for artist Lauren Halsey’s “sister dreamer” monument and sculpture park, built for and about the neighborhood she has long called home.
Knight also draws our attention to Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio‘s sculpture, which will forever change how you see L.A.’s sidewalk ficus trees. Rubber casts of trees and volcanic flows of amber mark the L.A. artist’s solo museum debut at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.
Theater critic Charles McNulty has a glowing review of Guillermo Cienfuego‘s version of George Bernard Shaw‘s cunning sociopolitical drama “Misalliance” at Pasadena’s A Noise Within.
More culture news, briefly ...
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Legendary record producer Berry Gordy has donated $5 million to establish the UCLA Berry Gordy Music Industry Center, which will serve as a key cornerstone of the university’s Herb Alpert School of Music’s new industry music program.
Off the 405 — Getty’s free annual outdoor concert series — is scheduled to launch on June 1 with Ethiopian musician and composer Hailu Mergia. The series continues every Saturday, from 6 to 9 p.m., through Aug. 24. A live DJ set precedes every show.
The nonprofit Ebell of Los Angeles, which works with women to build community through arts and education, received a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment of the Arts in support of the creation of “All About Rose,” which was composed by Brooke deRosa and written by Velina Hasu Houstona and explores the famous story of World War II’s crucial Rosie the Riveters.
LAXART, which was founded in 2005, has renamed itself the Brick and plans to open in a permanent home at 518 N. Western Ave. The alternative art space’s new name pays homage to its exposed red-brick walls. The organization’s mission remains unchanged: using contemporary art as a prism through which to view and understand pressing world issues.
Contemporary visual artist and muralist Richard Wyatt Jr. has died. He was 69. Wyatt was celebrated for his public art in L.A., including at sites such as the Watts Towers, the Capitol Records building and the Wilshire/Western Metro Station. He was also commissioned to complete a freeway mural for the 1984 L.A. Olympics. Watts was born in Lynwood and grew up in Compton before moving to Baldwin Hills. He earned a fine arts degree from UCLA. He later taught drawing and painting at UC Irvine; the Otis/Parsons Art Institute; and the Watts Towers Art Center.
Contemporary music ensemble Wild Up has announced the June 21 release of an album titled “Julius Eastman Vol. 4: The Holy Presence,” on New Amsterdam Records, which celebrates the music of the (underappreciated in his time) queer Black composer known for shaking up the straight, white world of classical music before his death in 1990.
The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles has announced a massive renovation of its headquarters in downtown L.A. Plans call for the creation of a 299-seat, multimedia and live performing arts and community center. Groundbreaking is scheduled to take place on May 25 at 2 p.m. The lead architect for the project is Zoltan E. Pali, founder of SPF:architects, who also worked on the expansion of the Getty Villa Museum.
Pasadena Symphony has announced its 2024-25 season — the first to be programmed by its newly appointed music director, Brett Mitchell. The season features six programs and includes seminal works such as Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan”; Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter”; Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral.” Pasadena Symphony is on a roll — last season marked its highest-grossing slate of shows in nearly a century with more than $700,000 in ticket sales.
After closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Barnsdall Art Park’s popular wine tasting series is returning every Friday from May 31-Aug. 30, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. This will be the event’s 15th season. Visitors can experience the COLA exhibition through July 20 at DCA’s Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery; they can also tour the interior of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House for an additional fee.
And last but not least
In a city where celebrity sightings are commonplace, we may be able to ignore the parade of fancy movie stars appearing and premiering on red carpets in France the last couple weeks. But when it comes to stories about them showcasing their precious dogs, oui Cannes-not help but click!
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