8 picks for your L.A. weekend: Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival, Heidi Duckler Dance and more
A classic British drama, a site-specific dance event, a beloved choral work and the return of a storied jazz festival make our short list of Southern California cultural offerings this weekend. Before you go, remember to call or check online for reservation requirements and COVID-19 protocols.
Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival
Arsenio Hall serves as master of ceremonies for this summer’s edition of the annual two-day affair, formerly known as the Playboy Jazz Festival. Saturday’s performers include the Roots, Fantastic Negrito and Jungle Fire, while Sunday’s lineup features Tower of Power, Femi Kuti and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. 3:30 p.m. Saturday to Sunday. $23 to $208. hollywoodbowl.com
The Hollywood Bowl is celebrating its centennial. Learn about its history with the L.A. Philharmonic and the Beatles, Janis Joplin and more.
Bach’s B-minor Mass
The Los Angeles Master Chorale, Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra and guest vocalists join forces for the German composer’s 18th century masterwork to close out the chorale’s 2021-22 season. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. 2 p.m. Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday. $55 to $162. lamasterchorale.org
‘The Birthday Party’
It’s not all fun and games in influential British playwright Harold Pinter’s darkly comic 1959 tale set in a ramshackle boarding house in a seaside English town. City Garage, 2525 Michigan Ave., Building T1, Santa Monica. 8 p.m. Friday to Saturday, 4 p.m. Sunday; other dates through July 23. $25, $30; Sundays, pay what you can (at the door only). citygarage.org
‘Ebb & Flow: Chinatown’
This environment-themed, site-specific festival presented by L.A.-based Heidi Duckler Dance returns for a fourth year with live music and dance performances, interdisciplinary artworks and more. Los Angeles State Historic Park, 1245 N. Spring St., Chinatown, downtown L.A. 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday to Sunday. Free. Register at eventbrite.com
The grand opening of ‘The Cheech’ in Riverside. Works by artist and activist Andrea Bowers at the Hammer. Classic roadsters at the Petersen.
‘Sway with Me: Latin Rhythm and Swing’
Pasadena Pops, under the baton of Michael Feinstein, opens its summer season with a program of Latin renditions of favorites from the Great American Songbook. With guest vocalists Mauricio Martinez and Margo Rey. The Los Angeles County Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. 7:30 p.m. Saturday (gates open at 5:30 p.m.). $25 to $152. pasadenasymphony-pops.org
‘Kaneza Schaal: KLII’
The theater artist interrogates issues of racism and colonialism through the historic personage of Belgium’s rapacious 19th century monarch King Leopold II in this solo drama. REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., downtown L.A. 8:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, with Saturday’s performance also available as a livestream. In person, $13 to $25; virtual, $8 to $12. redcat.org
‘Sw!ng Out’
The West Coast premiere of this swing-dance celebration from New York’s Joyce Theater kicks off with a ticketed indoor performance before moving outdoors where audience members and the public are invited to strut their stuff alongside the show’s dancers. The Music Center’s Ahmanson Theatre and Jerry Moss Plaza, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. Friday to Saturday, 5 and 6 p.m. Sunday. $15 to $40; dance party only: free. musiccenter.org
‘Much Ado About Nothing’
Benedick and Beatrice get back to bickering in Shakespeare by the Sea’s locally touring production of the Bard’s classic rom-com. Point Fermin Park, 807 W. Paseo Del Mar, San Pedro. 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday; other dates and venues through Aug. 6. Free. shakespearebythesea.org
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