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View Winners → Events Feb 08, 2023
Kristina Wong in “Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord” at Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre Feb. 12 through March 12, 2023, a co-production with East West Players. |Photo courtesy of Kristina Wong. Jenna Selby/La Jolla Playhouse
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Expand your mind this week. Find a rare book, learn about mid-century architecture and design, or appreciate art from a Nigerian LA-based artist. And don’t forget about Valentine’s Day. If you still haven’t made plans, read on for some ideas.
Feb. 10
California International Antiquarian Book Fair
Pasadena Convention Center | 300 E. Green St., Pasadena, CA 91101 | Feb. 10-12 | abaa.org/cabookfair
Bibliophiles will find fine and rare manuscripts, first editions, children’s books, ephemera, maps, autographs and more from more than 120 exhibitors. There will also be exhibitions celebrating California cuisine expert Helen Brown, Sherlock Holmes, Ukulele literature, and Southern California women bookmakers. “Whether you’re a music aficionado, food connoisseur, or mystery lover – or an experienced or novice collector – our fair is guaranteed to have something for everyone,” said Carol Sandberg, book fair vice-chair.
Mariachi Rock Revolution
Downey Theatre | 8435 Firestone Blvd., Downey, CA 90241 | Feb. 10 | downeytheatre.org
Mariachi Rock Revolution blends traditional mariachi with rock and electronica.
Bloody Valentines
Million Dollar Theater | 307 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013 | Feb. 10-14 | streetfoodcinema.com
Street Food Cinema presents “Queen of the Damned” on Feb. 10, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” on Feb. 11, and “Jennifer’s Body” on Feb. 14. Each show will feature a special guest or performance.
Intersect Palm Springs
Palm Springs Convention Center | 277 N. Avenida Caballeros, Palm Springs, CA 92262 | Feb. 10-12 | intersectpalmsprings.com
Modern and contemporary art mix in this three-day art and design festival. There will be talks with artists, tours of exhibits, a book launch, and lunch and dining opportunities.
‘Call Me Elizabeth’
Sierra Madre Playhouse | 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024 | Feb. 10-19 | sierramadreplayhouse.org
It’s 1961 and Elizabeth Taylor is being interviewed by renowned journalist Max Lerner (one of her flings). Having recently married Eddie Fisher, with whom she’d had an affair while he was married to her friend Debbie Reynolds, and on the cusp of winning an Academy Award for “Butterfield 8,” the public seems to be more fascinated by Taylor’s personal life than her career. Further fanning the flames of interest, the marriage is on shaky ground and Taylor will soon start production of “Celopatra” with Richard Burton.
Feb. 11
Scheherazade
Ambassador Auditorium | 131 S. St. John Ave., Pasadena, CA 91105 | Feb. 11 | pasadenasymphony-pops.org
Grammy Award-winning cellist Zuill will be joined by Unsuk Chin.
Rhythms Of The Village Band
Boston Court | 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena, CA 91106 | Feb. 11 | bostoncourtpasadena.org
Immerse yourself in Nigerian Highlife Fusion music, which blends reggae, calypso and Afro beats.
An Evening With Lucia Micarelli
The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage | 1310 11th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401 | Feb. 11 | broadstage.org
Actress, violinist, and vocalist Lucia Micarelli has performed as a featured soloist with Josh Groban, Chris Botti, and Jethro Tull, and starred in the critically-acclaimed HBO series “Treme.” Micarelli maps a thrilling evening of music, moving from classical to jazz to traditional fiddle music and Americana.
Camellia Show
The Huntington | 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108 | Feb. 11-12 | huntington.org
Get expert tips to grow your own camellias and see hundreds of blooms compete.
A Westside Story Burlesque Show
The Orpheum Theatre | 842 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014 | Feb. 11 | eventbrite.com
Get a free ticket to this raunchy imaging of the classic musical.
Chocolate Festival
Belmont Shore | 5200 Second St., Long Beach, CA 90803 | Feb. 11 | belmontshore.org
Ahead of Valentine’s Day enjoy homemade chocolate cake, pie, cookies, brownies and other chocolate desserts. You may participate in the dessert contest or the pie eating contest. Entry is free.
Feb. 12
Kristina Wong, ‘Sweatshop Overlord’
Kirk Douglas Theatre | 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232 | Feb.12-March 12 | centertheatregroup.org
The Pulitzer Prize finalist in drama, “Sweatshop Overlord” was born from Wong’s face mask enterprise consisting of sewing volunteer “aunties.” Wong dissects the pursuit of the American Dream and its many failings with humor.
Rose Bowl Flea Market
Rose Bowl Stadium | 1001 Rose Bowl Drive Pasadena, CA 91103 | Feb. 12 | eventbrite.com
Find antiques, collectibles and one-of-a-kind finds from more than 2,500 vendors.
Feb. 13
An Evening With John Legend
Walt Disney Concert Hall | 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Feb. 13-14 | laphil.com
Spend an intimate evening with the Grammy and Academy Award-winning singer, songwriter and pianist behind romantic staples like “All of Me” and “Save Room.”
Country Line Dancing
The Pour House | 405 S. Myrtle Ave., Monrovia, CA 91016 | Feb. 13 | 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.
Feb. 14
‘Sunday In The Park With George’
Pasadena Playhouse | 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101 | Feb. 14-March 19 | pasadenaplayhouse.org
Stephen Sondheim’s music brings the world of French artist George Seurat to vivid life. On a Sunday afternoon on La Grande Jatte, Seurat is hoping to find the inspiration to create a masterpiece. As the piece comes together, the people come alive; his mother, his friends, his critics, the woman he loves. Stroke by stroke, dot by Dot, will George create something lasting, something new?
Jam in the Van & Long Time No See Presents
Jam in the Van | 3384 Motor Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90034 | Feb. 14 | jaminthevan.com
“SNL” alumna Melissa Villaseñor and “Community” star Joel McHale will perform standup routines alongside comedians Brittany Schmitt, Usama Siddiquee, and Nicole Aimee Schreiber.
Lovers Rock 2023
Grand Park | 200 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Feb. 14 | grandparkla.org
Change up your Valentine’s Day routine at this four-hour event featuring live music with DJ Puffs and instrumentalist Low Leaf, a pop-up art gallery, screen-printed designs, a flower market, an opportunity to paint your own cookies, and photobooths. You can pack a picnic or buy something from one of the participating food trucks.
Feb. 15
‘The Hilton Als Series: Njideka Akunyili Crosby’
The Huntington | 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108 | Feb. 15-June 12 | huntington.org
The exhibit features a selection of works by Nigerian-born, Los Angeles–based artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby in the final exhibition curated by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author and New Yorker magazine critic Hilton Als, in collaboration with the Yale Center for British Art (YCBA) and Akynyili Crosby. The two selected five collage-based paintings from “The Beautyful Ones,” the Akynyili Crosby’s ongoing series of intimate portraits of Nigerian children, including members of her own family.
Feb. 16
LA Bachata Festival
The Sheraton Universal Studios Hollywood | 333 Universal Hollywood Dr, Universal City, CA 91608 | Feb. 16-20 | labachatafestival.com
Dance. Dance. Dance. Attend workshops, performances, social dances, concerts and learn from instructors.
Fan Events Hosted By Nerdist for ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’
El Capitan Theatre | 6838 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028 | Feb. 16-17 | elcapitantheatre.com
The fan event screenings will take place Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. each with their own exclusive items included with a $40 ticket. Attendees at the Thursday event will receive an “Ant-Man” sipper, 64-ounce popcorn tub, event credential and bottled beverage with their ticket. Attendees at the Friday event will receive an “Ant-Man” hat, collectible popcorn tin with popcorn, event credential and bottled beverage with their ticket.Fans are encouraged to cosplay as their favorite Marvel characters.
Modernism Week 2023
Palm Springs | Feb. 16-26 | modernismweek.com
Appreciate the midcentury design and architecture that makes Palm Springs special with more than 350 events like live musical performances, cocktail parties, home tours and talks, presentations, exhibitions and more.
Margaret Cho
Ice House | 24 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena, CA 91106 | Feb. 16 | icehousecomedy.com
The wait is finally over. Ice House Pasadena is finally reopening with two shows from Grammy- and Emmy-nominated comedian Margaret Cho.
Lovett Or Leave It
Dynasty Typewriter at The Hayworth | 2511 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90057 | Feb. 16-March 9 | eventbrite.com
Podcast host (“Pod Save America” and “Lovett or Leave It”) and former presidential speechwriter Jon Lovett returns to discuss the day’s headlines with friends and a dash of comedy.
Ongoing
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.
Disney+ Date Nite
El Capitan Theatre | 6838 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028 | Through Feb. 14 | elcapitantheatre.com
See “The Princess and the Frog” as part of El Capitan’s Disney+ Date Nite. The $55 package includes a reserved ticket to the film and dinner at Miceli’s Italian Restaurant in Hollywood. Dinner includes a choice of Spaghetti with Marinara, Spaghetti with Meatballs, Aunt Angie’s Original Lasagna, Eggplant Parmigiana, or Chicken Fettuccini, plus Garden Salad, Miceli’s Famous Dinner Rolls, Mini Cannoli and hot or cold non-alcoholic beverages.
Disney’s ‘Frozen’
Segerstrom Hall | 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 | Through Feb. 19 | scfta.org
Nominated for a Tony Award for Best Musical, “Frozen” will make you melt like a snowman in summer. Featuring songs from the Oscar-winning film and new numbers from the same songwriters, the stage musical adds gorgeous sets, costumes and lighting to bring Arendelle to life.
‘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.
‘We The People’ Billboard Exhibition
Billboards across LA area | Through Feb. 28 | thebillboardcreative.com
Nonprofit arts organization The Billboard Creative is turning billboards across the LA area into an open-air art exhibition for “We The People.” The exhibition will feature the work of 30 emerging and established artists working in a broad range of media — photography, painting, drawing, mixed media, and collage. For a map to all the locations visit The Billboard Creative’s website.
‘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.
‘Much Ado About Nothing’
A Noise Within | 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107 | Through March 12 | anoisewithin.org
Shakespeare’s enemy-to-lovers romantic comedy is getting a new setting, Sicily after being liberated by U.S. forces during WWII. Beatrice and Benedick’s stinging verbal sparring hides a mutual attraction both try to deny until circumstances force them to do otherwise.
Disney’s ‘The Lion King’
Pantages Theatre | 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028 | Through March 26 | broadwayinhollywood.com
Start working on your roar before you head to Pride Rock in this hugely successful musical about family, betrayal, duty and love.
‘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.
‘Designing with Disaster: Stories From Seven Regenerative Cities’
Japan House LA | 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028 | Through 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.
‘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.
‘Connections: Asia’
Getty Center Museum | 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90049 | Through May 7 | getty.edu
The exhibit features five works of Asian art made between the 14th and 18th centuries in China, India, Korea and Japan on loan from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and displayed alongside European paintings and sculpture in the Getty’s collection made around the same time. “This juxtaposition creates visual and thematic dialogues that highlight the form and function of devotional images, woodcarving techniques, traditions of painting landscapes and portraits of prominent individuals, and the trade of luxury goods,” according to the Getty.
