Between Riverside and Crazy – LA Theatre Works at James Bridges Theatre/UCLA
November 17-19
In 2015, playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for this play. The Pulitzer committee called this play “a nuanced, beautifully written play about a retired police offer faced with eviction that uses dark comedy to confront questions of life and death.†This weekend that acclaimed work will be performed by LA Theatre Works at UCLA. These performances of this play will serve as recording sessions for radio broadcasts that will be distributed later. LATW performances, which do not include sets or costumes, celebrate the written word. Between Riverside and Crazy is directed by Diane Rodriguez.
THE UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY OF BRIDESMAIDS – Rockwell Table and Stage
November 17-18
This weekend marks the final performances of this parody of the hit comedy Bridesmaids. The Unauthorized Musical Parody series is a regular and popular part of the programming at Rockwell Table and Stage. The show’s creators take the original script for the film, twist and turn it a bit and add popular songs to help tell the same story told in the film – all designed to make you crack up. Right after Thanksgiving will be their parody of Home Alone.
STEVE TYRELL – Catalina Bar & Grill
November 17-19
If you listen to KJZZ 88.1 FM, you known Steve Tyrell not just as a singer, but also the DJ who makes your evening commutes a little easier to manage. He is a regular fixture at the Café Carlyle in New York. This weekend he brings his song stylings to Catalina Bar & Grill for three performances of standards sung his way.
Photo Credit: Â Julie Soefer
NOON TO MIDNIGHT: A DAY OF NEW MUSIC – Walt Disney Concert Hall
November 18
Paired with the final two performances of War of the Worlds at Walt Disney Concert Hall, this all-day music festival takes full advantage of the many rooms and spaces at Frank Gehry’s building to showcase new music. The list of performers is extensive and includes LA Signal Lab, wild UP, USC Percussion Group, red fish blue fish, Jacaranda Music and more. There are 16 world premieres and also music by composers Steve Reich, John Adams, Andrew Norman and David Lang. The best part of this 12-hour event is that it is only $10 for as many hours as you can handle. Ticketholders for War of the Worlds can join for free.
VERDI CHORUS – First United Methodist Church, Santa Monica
November 18-19
If you are a fan of opera you are well aware of Verdi’s choruses. But are you also aware that this year marks the 35th anniversary season of The Verdi Chorus? The Santa Monica-based group hones in on dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus. This concert, “Love’s Passions and Potions,” features music from Verdi’s Giovanna d’Arco and Un Ballo in Maschera, Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Massenet’s Manon and more. This unique combination of amateur and professional singers began in 1983 at the Verdi Restaurant in Santa Monica.
LAST CHANCE: This weekend marks your last chance to see Bright Star at the Ahmanson Theatre. You might think that a blue-grass musical isn’t your thing (frankly, I wasn’t sure it was mine), but if you love watching someone give a thoroughly convincing and moving performance, I urge you to see Carmen Cusack in her Tony-nominated role as Alice Murphy. Bright Star was written by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.
