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View Winners → Events Jan 25, 2023
Mulyana, "Ocean Wonderland," 2020, Yarn, Dacron, cable wire, plastic net, metal rod, felt fabric. | Photo courtesy of STUDIO MOGUS
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There is a reason the Southland is the mecca of entertainment. From pre-Grammy parties and exhibits analyzing urban design and environmental protection, to reimaginings of Sondheim classics and a controversial character from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” there is something going on this week to either challenge or inspire you. If you just want entertainment or community connection, there’s something for you too.
Jan. 27
‘Into The Woods’
Pasadena Civic Auditorium | 300 E. Green St., Pasadena, CA 91101 | Jan. 27 | pasadenaplayhouse.org
In a landmark partnership, Pasadena Playhouse has been collaborating with all of the high schools of Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) over the past 6 months to realize the students’ vision of “Into the Woods.” Working alongside theater professionals, and directed by Los Angeles director Fran De Leon, over 200 high school students and faculty members have been working to design, rehearse and create their own special production. The production will also feature Jane Kaczmarek as the Narrator at the evening performance on Jan. 27, and the voice of Alexandra Billings as the voice of the Giant at all performances. One performance on Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. will be free for the community.
‘Designing with Disaster: Stories From Seven Regenerative Cities’
Japan House LA | 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028 | Jan. 27-April 2 | japanhousela.com
Inspired by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, the exhibition introduces the concept of “Regenerative Urbanism” – anticipatory urban design that explores the optimistic possibility of symbioses between humans and the natural and constructed worlds, embracing inevitable disasters and creating disaster-resilient environments. The exhibition also features illuminated Regenerative City Wells with an immersive physical, video, and audio experience envisioning seven hypothetical regenerative cities. Admission to the exhibition is free.
‘Mr. Yunioshi’
Sierra Madre Playhouse | 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024 | Jan. 27-Feb. 5 | sierramadreplayhouse.org
How did Mickey Rooney make the decision to play Mr. Yunioshi, an Asian character, in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” in 1961? That’s the question explored in the Playhouse’s newest production. “Mr. Yunioshi” reverses the real-life event by casting Asian American actor J. Elijah Cho to play Mickey Rooney to show how Rooney may have ultimately decided to play an Asian character. Each performance will be followed by a question and answer session. Read May Ruiz’s interview with Cho for a deeper understanding.
Mariachi Tribute To Morrissey & The Smiths
The Mixx | 443 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101 | Jan. 27 | eventbrite.com
Mariachi Manchester plays a live tribute to Morrissey and The Smiths.
Jan. 28
Chinese New Year Festival & Golden Dragon Parade
Chinatown Central Plaza | 943 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Jan. 28 | instagram.com/p/Cnk7ArWvTfL
After a two-year hiatus, Chinatown’s New Year Festival is back with colorful floats, lion dancers, martial arts, firecrackers, food, craft and vintage vendors, and traditional artisans. The festival kicks off at noon and the parade begins at 1 p.m.
Walnut Lunar New Year Celebration
Walnut City Hall | 21201 La Puente Road, Walnut, CA | Jan. 28 | cityofwalnut.org
From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., enjoy lion dancing, firecrackers, face painting, live entertainment, games and a wishing tree.
Caltech’s Annual Jazz Guest Artist Concert
Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium | 332 S Michigan Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106 | Jan. 28 | caltech.edu
The Caltech Jazz Band, under the direction of Barb Catlin, presents the annual Jazz Guest Artist Concert featuring Grammy Award winning saxophonist and composer Bob Mintzer.Tickets are $5 for students, seniors and faculty; $10 for general admission, and can be purchased by calling the Caltech Ticket Office at (626) 395-4652 or online at mpv.tickets.com.
‘Rocky Horror’ Burlesque Show
The Mixx | 443 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101 | Jan. 28 | eventbrite.com
Enhance a viewing of the cult classic with live burlesque performances choreographed to the film’s musical scenes. Expect to participate with props, call backs, party favors and to sing along.
An Evening Of Haunted Ghost Tours
Heritage Square Museum | 3800 Homer St., Los Angeles, CA 90031 | Jan. 28 | eventbrite.com
Starting after sunset at 6:30 p.m., embark on a guided tour with a personal lantern to light your way as you learn about family history, ghost sightings and hauntings and more.
‘Threshholds of Invention’
Odyssey Theatre | 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90025 | Jan. 28 | odysseytheatre.com
Take a first look at pieces still in progress from LA artists working in pop-up form. “Bring the Old Pageants: Uncle Walt Explains It All,” is conceived from the works of Walt Whitman by director Darrell Larson.
30th Anniversary Screening Of ‘Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey’
El Capitan Theatre | 1755 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, CA 9028 | Jan. 28 | elcapitantheatre.com
The film’s director Duwayne Dunham and cast members Robert Hays, Benj Thall and Veronica Lauren Sawyer will join the live panel. The event starts at 7 p.m.
Jan. 29
Alhambra Lunar New Year Festival
Downtown Alhambra | Main Street from Garfield to Second Street, Alhambra, CA 91801 | Jan. 29 | alhambralunarnewyear.com
This one-day, multi-block street festival will feature lion dancers, live candy sculpting, cultural performances, food, more than 100 booths with giveaways and activities.
Dante Chang & Steven Ho
Irvine Improv | 527 Spectrum Center Drive, Irvine, CA 92618 | Jan. 29 | improv.com
D.C.-native Dante Chang’s comedy is influenced by his Asian background and urban upbringing. Steven Ho is known on Tik Tok and Instagram for his viral series “Tips from the ER” and regularly performs at the Hollywood Comedy and around LA.
Jan. 30
Country Line Dancing
The Pour House | 405 S. Myrtle Ave., Monrovia, CA 91016 | Jan. 30 | eventbrite.com
Put on your cowboy boots for line dancing starting at 6 p.m. If you’re not familiar with line dancing, there are lessons starting at 7 p.m. for $8. There are also pool tables, music, drinks and food.
Paint N Sip LA
Demi Lauren Studios | 1459 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90006 | Jan. 30 | eventbrite.com
A professional art instructor will guide you step by step through the creation of your own masterpiece. Art supplies are included and a cash bar is available.
Jan. 31
Jackie Robinson’s 104th Birthday Celebration
Jackie Robinson Community Center | 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103 | Jan. 31 | cityofpasadena.net
Pay tribute to Pasadena and Dodger legend Jackie Robinson at the Jackie Robinson Community Center from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The birthday celebration will include a self-guided tour of memorabilia featuring a Grays jersey, Negro League baseball items, historical photos, and a model of Ebbets Field. There will also be a free showing of “42” starring the late Chadwick Boseman and cake.
KODO
Walt Disney Concert Hall | 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Jan. 31 | laphil.com
Get carried away by the pounding rhythms of Japanese taiko drums.
Feb. 1
Candlelight: A Tribute To Beyoncé
Immanuel Presbyterian Church | 663 S. Berendo St., Los Angeles, CA 90005 | Feb. 1 March 3 | feverup.com
The 60-minute program will cover Queen Bey’s music catalog from “Say My Name” to “Cuff It” from her latest album “Renaissance.”
St. Olaf Band
Arcadia High School | 188 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA 91007 | Feb. 1 | eventbrite.com
The St. Olaf Band, conducted by Timothy Mahr, will be joined by the Arcadia High School Wind Ensemble at this free concert highlighting music containing hopeful and important messages.
Melissa Villaseñor And Friends
Largo at the Coronet | 366 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90048 | Feb. 1 | largo-la.com
“Saturday Night Live” alumna Melissa Villaseñor will be joined by Grant Cotter, Chase Bernstein, Kevin Nealon and Marcella Arguello.
Feb. 2
Black History Breakfast
Pasadena Senior Center | 85 E Holly St, Pasadena, CA 91103 | Feb. 2 | cityofpasadena.net
Hosted by the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the Black Fire Fighters Association and the Pasadena Black Municipal Employees Association, this breakfast will include pancakes made by the Pasadena Firefighters Association, raffles, and entertainment. Pre-register by emailing noblesgvscholars@gmail.com.
Los Angeles Magazine’s Best New Restaurants Celebration
Halo – DTLA | 330 S. Hope St., Los Angeles, CA 90071 | Feb. 2 | eventbrite.com
Savor bites from the magazine’s Top 10 Best New Restaurants winners, both past and present. You’ll also get to meet chefs, listen to live music and drink plenty of wine and cocktails.
A Celebration Of Women In Music: A Pre-Grammy Affair
AVALON |Hollywood & Bardot | 1735 Vine St., Los Angeles, CA 90028 | Feb. 2 | eventbrite.com
Co-hosted by musical artists Coi Leray and Kristine Mirelle, this star-studded event will feature celebrities and high-profile music producers, songwriters and executives. After walking the red carpet, get ready to network and enjoy a night full of music, musical-themed photo booths, music, and drinks.
Ongoing
The Empire Strips Back – the Unauthorized Star Wars™ Burlesque Parody
Montalbán Theatre | 1615 Vine St., Hollywood CA 90028 | Through Jan. 28 | empirestripsback.com
Combining striptease, song and dance, troupe routines and plenty of humor, audiences are transported into the world of burlesque to witness a menacing troop of seriously sexy Stormtroopers, a dangerously seductive Boba Fett, tantalizing Twi’leks, a delightfully lukewarm Taun Taun, a lady-like Skywalker, and of course, scantily clad and daring Droids. Even Darth Vader will explore her feminine side with a fantastical twist. The show, originally scheduled to close on Jan. 1, has been extended through Jan. 28 before heading to San Diego.
‘Mean Girls’
Pantages Theatre | 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028 | Through Jan. 29 | broadwayinhollywood.com
Get in loser, we’re going to the theater! Based on the uber popular movie about teen girls from comedian and writer Tina Fey, “Mean Girls” is the musical adaptation of Cady Heron’s journey from the savanna to the slightly wilder and more ruthless world of teenage popularity.
‘Our Art LA’ Exhibition
Angel City Brewery | 216 S. Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Through Jan. 29 | artsharela.org
“Our Art LA” showcases works from 12 Los Angeles-based Black and brown artists exploring systemic racism in society but specifically in the art business.
The Visual Rhythms Of Dede Allen
Academy Museum | 6067 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 | Through Jan. 29 | academymuseum.org
Best known for the editing in “Bonnie and Clyde,” Oscar-nominated film editor Dorothea Allen’s centennial is being celebrated by the Academy Museum with a film series spanning decades, from “The Hustler” to “The Breakfast Club” and “Wonder Boys.”
‘Jesus Christ Superstar’
Pantages Theatre | 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90028 | Through Jan. 31 | broadwayinhollywood.com
With lyrics and music from Tim Rice and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, “Jesus Christ Superstar” follows the last weeks in the life of Jesus Christ through the eyes of Judas.
Agatha Christie’s ‘Towards Zero’
Long Beach Playhouse Theatres | 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach, CA 90804 | Through Feb. 11 | lbplayhouse.org
A love triangle involving a tennis player, his old wife and his new flame ends in murder. Before you can figure out who the murderer is, you must discover who will be brutally murdered.
‘Home Front’
Victory Theatre Center | 3324 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505 | Through Feb. 19 | thevictorytheatrecenter.org
Tony Award-winning playwright Warren Leight’s portrait of a post-World War II interracial marriage will move you. A white woman and an African American soldier fall in love the night WWII ends in a country where racism and Jim Crow make it illegal to marry outside one’s race. The production comes at a relevant time in our current politics. “It’s shocking that, more than 70 years after WW II ended, questions about states’ right to ban interracial marriage have resurfaced,” says Leight.
‘Dance At The Odyssey’
Odyssey Theatre | 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025 | Through Feb. 19 | dysseytheatre.com
Celebrating new, cutting-edge contemporary dance in LA, this six-week festival will feature the work of a different company or choreographer including No)one. Art House; Roya Carreras and Assaf Salhov; JA Collective; Jessie Lee Thorne’s Poets in Motion; Suchi Branfman’s Dancing Through Prison Walls; and DaEun Jung.
‘PRESSURE: James Cameron into the Abyss’
National History Museum of Los Angeles County | 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007 | Through Feb. 20 | nhm.org
Go on a journey to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean through a multimedia experience of “Titanic” and “Avatar” director James Cameron’s dive. The 12-ton, 24-foot-tall submersible explorer that Cameron piloted on his 2012 record-breaking, solo dive to the Mariana Trench will be on display. The display provides insights into the logistics—and challenges—that go into planning an expedition seven miles below the surface where water pressure is about 1,000 times standard atmospheric pressure at sea level, and temperatures are just a few degrees above freezing.
Quilting A Nation
Online class | Through Feb. 22 | skirball.org
In conjunction with the Skirball Cultural Center’s “Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories” exhibit, on view until March 12, instructor and author John Paul Thornton will explain techniques, creative choices and high quality insight into the world of quilting.
‘Do You Feel Anger?’
Atwater Village Theatre | 3269 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90039 | Through Feb. 25 | circlextheatre.org
The #MeToo movement meets cancel culture in this comedy. When Sofia is hired as an empathy coach at a debt collection agency, she finds she has her work cut out for her. These employees can barely identify what an emotion is, much less practice deep, radical compassion for others. As they painstakingly stumble towards enlightenment, someone keeps mugging Eva in the kitchen, and the unspoken dynamics of their seemingly blithe workplace culture become increasingly unsettling.
‘Twelve O’Clock Tales With Ava Gardner’
Whitefire Theatre | 13500 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 | Through March 5 | whitefire.stagey.net
This new solo play reveals the contradictions and complexities of the passionate and deeply flawed woman behind silver screen icon Ava Gardner. Set in 1974 on the set of the blockbuster disaster film, “Earthquake,” Gardner focuses on her first big budget starring role in over a decade. Tucked away in her dressing room bungalow, the “queen of the scandal sheets” battles with her past. “Ava was a star in the ‘40s and ‘50s, but she had the sensibility and morés of today’s millennial,” says writer Alessandra Assaf. “She enjoyed her sexuality and had agency over herself in a way that women were not permitted to at the time. She fought against racism and believed in the right to choose.”
‘Open Flowers Bear Fruit’
USC Pacific Asia Museum | 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101 | Through March 12 | pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu
“Open Flowers Bear Fruit” features 10 photographs from Stephanie Shih’s ongoing series Asian American Still Life. Through her references to 17th-century Dutch still life paintings, Shih’s photographs challenge viewers to consider the complexity of the Asian American experience as it has manifested in the foods we eat and the things that remind us of home.
‘Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts’
The Huntington MaryLou and George Boone Gallery | 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108 | Through March 27 | huntington.org
Organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Wallace Collection in London in association with The Huntington, the exhibition explores the early inspirations behind Disney Studios’ creations, examining Walt Disney’s fascination with European art and the use of French motifs in Disney films and theme parks.
‘Mulyana: Modular Utopia’
USC Fisher Museum | 823 W. Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90089 | Through April 8 | fisher.usc.edu
The exhibition is an introduction to Indonesian artist Mulyana’s large kinetic environments composed of intricately constructed, knit modules of marine life sculptures that vividly portray an unadulterated underwater world. Through his artworks, Mulyana hopes to instill a new consciousness of shared responsibility to protect the environment.
‘Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971’
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures | 6067 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 | Through April 9 | regenerationblackcinema.org
The exhibition explores the achievements and challenges of Black filmmakers in the US in both independent production and the studio system—in front of the camera and behind it—from cinema’s infancy in the 1890s to the early 1970s. The Regeneration Summit, Feb. 3–5, 2023, will be a two-day celebration of Black cinema featuring artists, scholars, and filmmakers participating in conversations, workshops, and activations throughout the museum.
