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Home / Events / Fun things to do in SoCal this week: March 3-9

Fun things to do in SoCal this week: March 3-9

by F Diaz
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If trekking to the snow isn’t your cup of tea, don’t worry. SoCal has plenty to entertain you with this week.

March 3

‘Love And Information’

Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center | 110 E. Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205 | March 3-April 3 | antaeus.org

What does it mean to be human? The digital age has given humanity access to radical equality, effortless connection and unprecedented intimacy. It has also served as a driver of detachment, alienation and unbridled anger. “Love and Information” examines these ideas and more through a kaleidoscope of scenes that reflect on the way we communicate in the 21st century.

Darius De La Cruz and Kevin Matsumoto in “Love and Information.” | Photo by Jenny Graham

‘STOMP’

Terrace Theater | 300 E. Ocean Blvd. #300, Long Beach, CA 90802 | March 3 | stomponline.com/tour-stops
Victoria Gardens Cultural Center | 12505 Cultural Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739 | March 4-5

“STOMP” uses unconventional instruments like brooms, garbage cans, lighters and hubcaps to create an explosive and unique theatrical experience that blends music and dance. 

Maria Schneider Orchestra Presents ‘Data Lords’

The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage | 1310 11th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401 | March 3 | broadstage.org

2019 NEA Jazz master and seven-time Grammy-winner Maria Schneider showcases her expansive talent with arrangements from her 2021 Pulitzer Prize finalist album “Data Lords.” With her 18-piece orchestra, Schneider boldly explores the polar extremes of the digital and organic world.

Candlelight: A Tribute To Beyoncé

Immanuel Presbyterian Church | 663 S. Berendo St., Los Angeles, CA 90005 | March 3 May 6 | 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.”

March 4

Shakira, Shakira: The Grammy Museum Experience

The Grammy Museum | 800 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015 | March 4-Winter 2024 | grammymuseum.org

If you’ve had “Las mujeres ya no lloran, las mujeres facturan” stuck in your head the last few weeks then you’ll want to stop by this exhibit honoring the multi-Grammy Award-winning and Latin Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, dancer, philanthropist and international icon. The exhibit explores the artist’s musical evolution, from her origins as a Latin rock-loving singer-songwriter in Barranquilla, Colombia, to a global superstar whose catalog spans multiple genres, from bhangra and bachata to rock and reggaetón. The exhibit features interactives, artifacts from Shakira’s personal archive, three original films, handwritten lyrics, costumes, guitars and more.

Shakira’s red Super Bowl LIV outfit. | Photo courtesy of The GRAMMY Museum

AlienCon

Pasadena Convention Center | 300 E. Green St., Pasadena, CA 91101 | March 4-5 | thealiencon.com

The truth is out in Pasadena this weekend. Attend panel discussions with alien experts like Giorgio A. Tsoukalos and the cast of Ancient Aliens, Dr. Travis Taylor, Nick Pope, and many more. There will also be a marketplace and much more

Print Pomona Art Book Fair

Pomona College’s Edmunds Ballroom | 170 E. 6th St., Claremont, CA 91711 | March 4-5 | printpomonaartbookfair.net 

Celebrating the publishing community in Los Angeles County, San Gabriel Valley, and Inland Empire, Print Pomona Art Book Fair will bring more than 50 national and international independent booksellers, distributors, and publishers to showcase artist’s books, art catalogs, photography monographs, drawings, and other print ephemera.

626 Night Market Mini

Downtown Santa Monica | 1324 E. Fifth St., Santa Monica, CA 90401 | March 4-5 | 626nightmarket.com

Three dozen vendors selling food, merchandise and crafts gather in downtown Santa Monica this spring and admission is free.  

Angela Gheorghiu

The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage | 1310 11th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401 | March 4 | broadstage.org

Opera star Angela Gheroghiu will enchant the stage with an unmatched repertoire, including Handel, Strauss, Tosti, Massenet, and more. Gheorghiu is accompanied by Alexandra Dariescu, piano and Alexandru Tomescu, violin.

Angela Gheorghiu. | Photo by Cosmin Gogu

Riverside Emo Prom

The Hideaway Cafe & Lounge | 3660 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside, CA 92501 | March 4 | eventbrite.com

Making Back Sunday, a tribute to Taking Back Sunday, will play at this 21-and-older emo prom. 

‘Norwid’s Return’

Odyssey Theatre | 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90025 | March 4-5 | odysseytheatre.com

“Norwid’s Return” is a dynamic collision of words and sounds between an actor and a pianist exploring the raw genius of Cyprian Kamil Norwid, one of Poland’s greatest writers of the 19th century. Classical music of the great composers — Mozart, Chopin, Satie, Szymanowski – illuminate the Norwidean darkness and the complexity of his mind.

Fiesta Santa Anita

Santa Anita Park | 285 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia, CA 91007 | March 4 | santaanita.com

With your $5 admission, you’ll be able to enjoy street taco vendors, food trucks, michelada vendors, music from Oro Norteño, lucha libre, folklorico dancers, pony rides, carnival rides and arts & crafts. 

818 Night Market

19620 Vanowen St., Reseda, CA 91335 | March 4 | the818nightmarket.com

Stop by from 5-10 p.m. and do a little shopping from small vendors, get a bite to eat and enjoy some music. 

‘Pange Lingua Mass’ Of Josquin Desprez

Altadena Community Church | 943 E. Altadena Drive, Altadena, CA 91001 | March 4-5 | pasadenachorale.org 

Calling fans of Renaissance music! “Josquin’s ‘Pange Lingua Mass’ is a gorgeous and astonishing piece, a tapestry woven with human voices and no instruments,” said Chorale founding artistic director Jeffrey Bernstein. The program will also include a setting of the “Pange Lingua” hymn by Los Angeles composer Paul Gibson, Josquin’s beloved “Ave Maria,” and selections sung by the Student Singers of the Pasadena Chorale, a treble choir of dedicated and talented middle schoolers from Blair Middle School, Octavia Butler Middle School, and the Pasadena Waldorf School.

‘The Horse’

Rancho Los Cerritos | 4600 Virginia Road, Long Beach, CA 90807 | March 4-12 | longbeachopera.org

Choreographer and dancer Chris Emile performs an intimate new work that combines exceptional movement direction with operatic ritual. The performance evokes the supernatural experience of spiritual possession through improvisational performance, structural installation, and video.

Chris Emile in “The Horse.” | Photo by G.L. Askew / courtesy of Los Angeles Nomadic Division and No)one Art House

Community Bike & Hike: Puente Hills Landfill Park

Avocado Heights Park | 14105 Don Julian Road, La Puente, CA 91746 | March 4 | activesgv.org

Join Active SGV for a bike ride or hike at the future site of Puente Hills Landfill Park.

‘To The Bone’

Theatre 68 Arts Complex – The Rosalie | 5112 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601 | March 4-26 | theatre68artscomplex.com

Sometimes life throws us a curveball. It’s been 20 years since the Red Sox lost their chance at the pennant when a Yankees fan ran onto the field and voided the final out, but the Dugan sisters are still mad about it. Kelly and Maureen live on the south shore of Boston, where they were known as “hard girls” back in the glory days of high school. Now they’re readying the house for a meeting with the daughter Kelly gave up for adoption back when she was 17. But when Geneva shows up, things don’t go exactly as expected.

Alice Kors, Tisha Terrasini Banker, Jack David Sharpe, Amanda Weier, and Kacey Mayeda. | Photo by Frank Ishman

March 5

626 Comic Con

Rosemead Community Center | 3936 Muscatel Ave., Rosemead, CA 91770 | March 5 | 626comiccon.com

Get your geek on at 626 Comic Con featuring a vendor hall and featured artists like Juan Gideon, TJ Sterling, Mike Choi, REIQ, and SOZOMAIKA.

Butterfly Pavilion

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County | 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007 | March 5-Aug. 13 | nhm.org

The Natural History Museum’s seasonal Butterfly Pavilion featuring hundreds of butterflies of various species, native plants and natural light is finally opening. 

The Butterfly Pavilion. | Photo courtesy of NHMLAC

PCC Flea Market

Pasadena City College | 1570 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91106 | March 5 | pasadena.edu

If you’re not done shopping, head to the Pasadena City College Flea Market to search for antiques and collectibles from over 400 vendors.

Palm Springs Vintage Market

Palm Springs Cultural Center | 2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262 | March 5 | palmspringsvintagemarket.com 

The market features food, entertainment, vintage Americana and midcentury modern finds. 

Vintage, Upcycled & Contemporary Clothing Pop Up In Venice Beach

Moonlight Studio | 1517 Park Row, Los Angeles, CA 90291 | March 5 | eventbrite.com

Shop from Moonlight Studio’s racks of vintage clothes from celebs and artists, and selected designer brands. 

March 6

Erik Larson

Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall | 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 | March 6 | scfta.org

Erik Larson is the author and historian behind “The Devil in the White City,” which the New York Public Library named one of the 125 most important books of the past 125 years. Larson will share stories behind his subjects, how he creates such immersive histories, and what strange and inspiring details show up in the random archive boxes he searches through for a good story.

Erik Larson. | Photo by Nina Subin

Skate Night

La Puente Park | 501 Glendora Ave., La Puente, CA 91744 | March 6 | lapuente.org

Grab your rollerblades or roller skates and spend your Monday nights skating at La Puente Park for free from 5-10 p.m.

Country Line Dancing

The Pour House | 405 S. Myrtle Ave., Monrovia, CA 91016 | March 6 | 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. 

March 7

‘Mean Girls’

Segerstrom Hall | 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 | March 7-19 | scfta.org

This is going to be so fetch! Based on the hilariously smart hit film from Tina Fey, “Mean Girls” features music by three-time Emmy Award-winner Jeff Richmond and lyrics by two-time Tony Award-nominee Nell Benjamin. Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the wild and vicious ways of high school popularity. 

Morgan Ashley Bryant (Karen Smith), Nadina Hassan (Regina George), Jasmine Rogers (Gretchen Wieners), and English Bernhardt (Cady Heron). | Photo © 2022 Jenny Anderson

‘Mutant Olive 2.0’

Hudson Guild Theatre | 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90038 | March 7-April 11 | onstage411.com/mutant 

Writer/performer Mitch Hara returns with a newer and even more outrageous version of his hilarious, heart-wrenching, multiple award-winning signature play, “Mutant Olive 2.0.” Father and son forgiveness is at the core of Hara’s manic, brave, tour-de-force performance as Adam Astra, an actor whose past seems to constantly seep into his present. Set during what turns out to be a truly cringe-worthy audition, Astra relays tales of his soul-sucking childhood, monstrous substance abuse, rampant sex, crashed cars, an out of body experience and a black cape — even as he tries out for his dream role in “Hamilton: Unplugged.”

March 8

MANIA The ABBA Tribute

City National Grove of Anaheim | 2200 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim CA, 92806 | March 8 | citynationalgroveofanaheim.com

MANIA is the world’s top touring ABBA tribute show. 

Classic Cinema Nights

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel | 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028 | March 8 | eventbrite.com

“It Happened One Night,” directed by Frank Capra, is a screwball romantic comedy starring Clark Gable as a roguish reporter and Claudette Colbert as a pampered socialite. Film critic and winemaker José Ignacio Cuenca will lead a wine tasting and introduce the movie. 

‘Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992’

Mark Taper Forum | 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012 | March 8-April 9 | centertheatregroup.org

Revisit a pivotal moment in LA’s recent history. “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” draws on over 350 interviews with politicians, activists, police, jurors, shopkeepers and countless other Los Angelenos to explore the uprising sparked by the acquittal of the men charged in the Rodney King police brutality case.

March 9

Artists Of Rancho Exhibition

Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center – Outpatient Building | 7601 Imperial Highway, Downey, CA 90242 | March 9 | ranchofoundation.org

Artworks from Rancho residents, many who have overcome their disabilities to produce the masterpieces on display, will be featured and some pieces will be available for purchase. All the artwork’s prices go directly to the artists as Rancho Los Amigos Foundation hopes to assist patients towards independence by promoting their artwork. Admission is free.

Lovett Or Leave It

Dynasty Typewriter at The Hayworth | 2511 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90057 | 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

Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival

Regal Cinemas / L.A. Live | 1000 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90015 | Through March 3 | hollywoodreelindependentfilmfestival.com

Get in on two weeks of film premieres, parties, and red carpet events.

‘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.”

Alessandra Assaf as Ava Gardner in “Twelve O’Clock Tales with Ava Gardner.” Makeup by Suzi Hale. | Photo by Mary Lou Sandler/3Cubed Studios

‘Di Lady Di’

Sierra Madre Playhouse | 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024 | Through March 5 | sierramadreplayhouse.org

The narrative begins with a young Lady Diana Spencer who has just been separated from her mother following a divorce and follows her rise as The People’s Princess. “Di Lady Di” is a musical, with a song score of 23 selections, that won the award for Best Musical from the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

‘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. 

Erika Soto and Joshua Bittonplay Beatrice and Benedick. | Photo by Daniel Reichert

Kristina Wong, ‘Sweatshop Overlord’

Kirk Douglas Theatre | 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232 | Through 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. 

‘Sunday In The Park With George’

Pasadena Playhouse | 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101 | Through 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?

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.

‘The Secret Garden’

Ahmanson Theatre | 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Through March 26 | centertheatregroup.org

Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, “The Secret Garden” follows 10-year-old orphaned Mary Lennox as she’s sent from her home in India to live with her reclusive uncle on his haunted English country estate. Mary’s curiosity leads her on a quest to discover her family’s past and herself. 

‘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.

Attributed to Etienne-Maurice Falconet (French, 1716–1791), Sèvres Manufactory (French, founded 1740), Tower vase with cover (vase en tour), ca. 1762. Soft-paste porcelain, overglaze pink and blue ground colors, polychrome enamel decoration, and gilding, 20 1/2 x 9 x 9 in. (52.1 x 22.9 x 22.9 cm). The Arabella D. Huntington Memorial Art Collection. |The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

‘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.

‘Let Me In’

Theatre 68 Arts Complex | 5112 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601 | Through April 2 | theatre68artscomplex.com

This “dark-ish” comedy about love follows a bride’s best friend and her intended groom as the wedding turns into a funeral. “I lost my best friend in a car accident when I was in my twenties. I still grieve. I think she would be very happy to know I have written a play out of my grief,” shares writer and director Brynn Thayer. 

‘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.

Mulyana, “Ocean Wonderland,” 2020, Yarn, Dacron, cable wire, plastic net, metal rod, felt fabric. | Photo courtesy of STUDIO MOGUS

‘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.

‘The Hilton Als Series: Njideka Akunyili Crosby’

The Huntington | 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108 | Through 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,” Crosby’s ongoing series of intimate portraits of Nigerian children, including members of her own family.

Njideka Akunyili Crosby, “The Beautyful Ones” Series #1c, 2014.Acrylic, transfers, and colored pencil on paper. 61 × 42 in. (154.9 × 106.7 cm). Njideka Akunyili Crosby, “The Beautyful Ones” Series #1c, 2014.Acrylic, transfers, and colored pencil on paper. 61 × 42 in. (154.9 × 106.7 cm). © Njideka Akunyili Crosby. | Courtesy of the artist, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner

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