One reason for this is our Top Pick this week actually happens on Monday. It’s a reunion of the original off-Broadway cast of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s musical Assassins.

There’s literally something for everyone this week with options for jazz, classical music, opera, dance, ballet and two top Broadway stars perform as well.

Here are the Best Bets: March 5th – March 8th:

*TOP PICK* – Assassins Reunion – Studio Tenn Theatre Company – March 8th – 8:00 EST/5:00 PM PST

On Monday, Studio Tenn Theatre in Franklin, Tennesse will be streaming a reunion of eleven of the original cast members of the Playwrights Horizon production of Assassins including: Victor Garber, Greg Germann, Annie Golden, Lyn Greene, Jonathan Hadary, Eddie Korbich, Terrence Mann, Debra Monk, William Parry and Lee Wilkof.

If you’re wondering why a theatre in Tennessee is holding this event, Studio Tenn Theatre’s Artistic Director is Patrick Cassidy who originated the role of The Balladeer in that production. He’s participating, of course.

If you aren’t familiar with the Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman musical Assassins, you should be. The show opened in December of 1990 at Playwrights Horizon in New York. It’s a musical that features successful and would-be presidential assassins as its subject matter. Yes, the likes of John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald and Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme had their stories musicalized.

Sondheim and Weidman along with director Jerry Zaks, music director Paul Gemignani and orchestrator Michael Starobin will also participate.

The following clip is from Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall and features Patrick Cassidy and Victor Garber.

As Frank Rich explained in his New York Times review, “In Assassins, a daring work even by his lights, Mr. Sondheim and his collaborator, the writer John Weidman, say the unthinkable, though they sometimes do so in a deceptively peppy musical-comedy tone. Without exactly asking that the audience sympathize with some of the nation’s most notorious criminals, this show insists on reclaiming them as products, however defective, of the same values and traditions as the men they tried to murder.”

The timing of Assassins‘ opening wasn’t terrific. With the first Gulf War raging, producers didn’t believe audiences would be so interested in the show – even though the off-Broadway performances sold out.

Many consider the addition of the song, Something Just Broke, as a key to the musical’s emotional core. That song was added by Sondheim for the 1992 Donmar Warehouse Production. In a 1994 production in Toronto the characters of Lee Harvey Oswald and The Balladeer began to be played by the same actor.

Theatergoers did finally embrace the show, as did many critics, when the Roundabout Theatre staged the first Broadway production in 2004. That production would go on to win five Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical.

Given recent events in the past year, particularly the riot in Washington, D.C. on January 6th, this musical will be more topical than ever.

There is no charge to watch this reunion, however donations are certainly encouraged.

DANCE: ‘kwirē/ – REDCAT – Now – March 6th

This solo work by dancer/choreographer Jessica Emmanuel finds the dancer seeking details about her past from her ancestors. ‘kwirē/ takes place in a dystopian world. Most information about public and personal history along with ancestral information has long ago been destroyed. Very few human beings are still alive. Through dance and sound, Emmanuel utilizes natural resources to reconnect with her own memories and her DNA.

Emmanuel is Los Angeles-based and has worked with Poor Dog Group, Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre and countless other companies.

There are two performances this weekend available for streaming: Friday at 11:30 PM EST/8:30 PM PST and Saturday at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST. Tickets are $15 for general admission; $12 for REDCAT members and students and $8 for CalArts students, faculty and staff.

BALLET: Wooden Dimes World Premiere – San Francisco Ballet – Now – March 24th

As part of their digital programming, San Francisco Ballet is presenting the world premiere of choreographer/director Danielle Rowe’s Wooden Dimes. Joining this work are two archived works: Symphony #9 by Alexei Ratmansky and Swimmer by Yuri Possokhov.

Symphony #9 had its world premiere by American Ballet Theatre in 2012. It is set to composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s 9th Symphony.

Ratmansky is a former dancer who went on to be the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet in 2004. He joined ABT in 2009 as Artist in Residence.

Symphony #9 features a cast of 21 dancers with two couples in the lead and a solo male. Can you dance to Shostakovich?

Wooden Dimes by Rowe features the music of composer James M. Stephenson. Not much is officially known about Wooden Dimes except that it takes place in the roaring 20s, is a backstage story and that it title comes from the expression “Don’t take any wooden nickels.”

On Stephenson’s website, he says the ballet is about Fanny Brice (the actress brought to life by Barbra Streisand in the stage and film musical Funny Girl).

Swimmer as 1960s pop culture in its sightline. Posskhov, is a former dancer with both the Bolshoi Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet. He’s a very popular choreographer with SF Ballet and this work, which dates to 2015, is immensely popular.

His work is set to music by Shinji Eshima, Kathleen Brennan, Gavin Bryars and Tom Waits.

Tickets are $29 and allow for 72 hours of access.

PLAY: Jericho – New Normal Rep – Now – April 4th

In Jack Canfora’s play, Jericho, a family gathers for Thanksgiving in the aftermath of the September 11th tragedy. While that sounds like heavy material, Canfora infuses the play with generous amounts of humor and compassion. The play had its world premiere at the New Jersey Repertory Theatre in 2011.

Appearing in this reading of Jericho are C. K. Allen, Jill Eikenberry, Eleanor Handley, Jason O’Connel, Michael Satow and Carol Todd. Directing is Marsha Mason.

Anita Gates, in her New York Times review of the play said, “Mr. Canfora has delivered a smart, hard-hitting drama filled with biting wit. One character says: ‘It’s an oxymoron. Like jumbo shrimp or Fox News.’ The best jokes consist of wordplay with expletives that are not printable here. But to give you a sense of the tone, one character, Jessica, complains in Act I that her husband considers her occasional viewing of the celebrity-gossip show Access Hollywood ‘the moral equivalent of sodomizing kittens.’

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here.

OPERA: The Marriage of Figaro – Royal Opera House – March 5th – April 4th

Conducted by Ivor Bolton; starring Erwin Schrott, Sophie Bevan, Stéphane Degout, Ellie Dehn, Kate Lindsey and Carlo Lepore. This revival of David McVicar’s 2006 production is from the 2015-2016 season.

Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro is based on the 1784 play La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro (translated: “The Mad Day, or The Marriage of Figaro”) by Pierre Beaumarchais.

Lorenzo da Ponte wrote the libretto. La Nozze di Figaro had its world premiere in Vienna in 1786.

Figaro and Susanna are getting married. They are in a room made available to them by the Count who plans to seduce the bride-to-be based on an old law that gave permission to lords to have sex with servant girls on their wedding night. When Figaro gets wind of this plan he enlists several people to outwit the Count using disguises, altered identities and more.

Tim Ashley, in his review for The Guardian, said, “At the centre of it all, however, lies a grand confrontation between Erwin Schrott’s Figaro, and Stéphane Degout’s Count. Schrott’s interpretation has also changed somewhat since he last sang the role here. There’s less political anger, more manipulative wit: he sings Se Vuol Ballare with bemused irony rather than scorn, not so much as a manifesto, but as a prelude to a game that turns increasingly dangerous. Degout, a wonderfully patrician singer with a handsome, ringing tone, has an innate charm that can turn to menace in a flash: it’s a superbly accomplished characterisation.

Tickets are £3 which equates to approximately $4.20.

JAZZ/EXPERIMENTAL: Laurie Anderson and Tammy L. Hall – SFJAZZ – March 5th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

In 2018 Laurie Anderson served as Resident Artistic Director for SFJAZZ. Over the course of one week in late November she performed and curated a series of concerts. Amongst them was Songs for Women.

Anderson was inspired to create Songs for Women after hearing Tammy L. Hall’s song For Miss Jones.

From there a musical collaboration was born with songs written for and about women by both artists.

Laurie Anderson is known for her innovative films and recordings including Big Science, Strange Angels and Home of the Brave.

SFJAZZ will stream this concert as part of their Fridays at Five series. You must have either monthly digital membership ($5) or an annual digital membership ($60) to stream this and all other Fridays at Five concerts.

BROADWAY/VOCALS: Leslie Odom Jr. in Concert – PBS – March 5th (Check local listings)

Tony Award winner Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton) performs Live From Lincoln Center in this concert which originally aired in 2018. But don’t expect to hear all of his songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s juggernaut of a musical. This performance showcases Odom’s jazz and soul chops.

As with all PBS programming, best to check your local listings. For instance, in Los Angeles this show is not scheduled to run until March 11th and 12th.

OPERA: Das Rheingold – San Francisco Opera – March 6th – March 7th

San Francisco Opera streams their 2018 production of Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle with each of the four operas available in successive weeks. The first opera is, of course, Das Rheingold.

Conducted by Sir Donald Runnicles; starring Greer Grimsley, Jamie Barton, Falk Struckmann, Ronnita Miller and Stefan Margita.

This revival of Francesca Zambello’s 2011 production is from the 2017-2018 season.

This is the first in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (also known as The Ring Cycle). As with all four of these operas, Wagner wrote the music and the libretto. Das Rheingold had its world premiere in 1869 in Munich. It was premiered as a stand-alone opera. The first performance of the entire cycle was at Bayreuth in 1876.

Alberich is a dwarf who renounces love in his successful effort to take gold from the Rhinemaidens and have possession of a ring bestowing power to the wearer. With this one action, he sets in motion the storyline that runs through all four operas in the Ring Cycle. Fafner and Fasolt are the giants who built Valhalla. The long-suffering Wotan is introduced here as are the challenges the gods face in repaying the architects of Valhalla. When the ring is stolen from Alberich he puts a curse on it and on anyone who takes possession of it.

Zambello sets this production in the American west beginning with the Gold Rush and ending with the tech age.

All four operas in the Ring Cycle will be presented in order on consecutive weekends. There is also a Ring Festival with additional programs. You can find details about that here.

DANCE/CLASSICAL MUSIC: Sasha Waltz & Guests in C – Bang on a Can Website – March 6th – 2:00 PM EST/11:00 AM PST

If you thought dancing to Shostakovich was intriguing, how about dancing to Terry Riley’s In C? It’s a work that has an undefined length. Riley wrote 53 different musical phrases. They are all numbered. It is up to the musicians performing the work to figure out exactly how long they want to play each phrase, in what order and when they start.

Choreographer Sasha Waltz, Co-Director of the Staatsballett Berlin with Johannes Öhman for the 2019-2020 season, is using a recording of In C by Bang on a Can for this live-streaming performance from Berlin. Here’s how she explains what this project is:

“The score of In C consists of fifty-three musical phrases and reads like stage directions for musicians. The thought of translating these detailed instructions into dance through a choreographic exploration of the music appealed to me. The result is an experimental system of fifty-three movement phrases for a structured improvisation with clear rules and laws. The length of the piece remains variable, as does the number of musicians and dancers.”

There is no charge to watch the performance, but donations are encouraged.

DANCE: Israel Galván/Maestro de Barra, Servir el Baile – CapUCLA – March 6th – 10:00 PM EST/7:00 PM PST

To get a sense of flamenco dancer/choreographer Israel Galván, let’s turn to an interview he gave Dance Magazine in 2019 where he told them:

“I know it sounds odd, but I think I dance because I don’t like to dance. It’s not logical, but there is something freeing in accepting that. I literally cannot remember a time in my life when I didn’t dance. I’ve danced since I’ve had consciousness. It’s simply in my DNA. And you can’t escape what you are.

“I was always going to be a dancer, but my saving grace as an adult is that I don’t feel any pressure. I feel total freedom when it comes to how I choose to dance. As long as people continue asking me to perform, I will, but it has to be on my terms.”

His terms will be on full display on Saturday when CAP UCLA offers up Maestro de Barra Servir el Baile which roughly translated means Master of the Bar, Serving the Dance. This is Galván’s way of keeping dance alive during the pandemic. He utilizes the concept of music and dance as played out in cafes and bars around the world for this work.

There is no charge to stream this performance, however donations are encouraged.

BROADWAY/VOCALS: Eva Noblezada – Seth Concert Series – March 7th – 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST with an encore at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST $25

If you were lucky enough to see Hadestown on Broadway before theatres closed in New York, you got to experience the wonderfully talented Eva Noblezada. She received her second Tony Award nomination for her performance as Eurydice in the musical.

Her first nomination came for her performance as Kim in the 2017 revival of Miss Saigon.

Noblezada is Seth Rudetsky’s guest for this weekend’s conversation and performance program.

Tickets are $25. Note that the schedule has changed a little for these performances (at least through the month of March.) The live show is in the afternoon on Sunday and the encore stream of the performance is Sunday evening.

JAZZ: Alan Broadbent Trio – Smalls Live – March 7th – 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST and 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

For nearly 50 years, pianist Alan Broadbent has been making great music. He’s worked as a bandleader and has collaborated with some of the biggest names in multiple genres of music. That list would include David Byrne, Kristin Chenoweth, Natalie Cole, Charlie Haden, Shirley Horn, Diana Krall, Linda Ronstadt and Barbra Streisand.

If you haven’t heard his solo recording, Heart to Heart from 2013, I suggest you do so. It’s beautiful.

For these two sets at New York’s Smalls Broadbent will be joined by Billy Mintz on drums and Harvie S on bass.

You can make reservations for either streaming show (which includes a donation), or you can wait for the show to just go live at the link above.

That does it for Best Bets: March 5th – March 8th. But I want to remind you of a few other options I’ve already covered this week:

The Los Angeles Philharmonic begins the second season of Sound/Stage on Friday, March 5th with a performance of Camille Saint-Saëns’ The Carnival of the Animals. Yuja Wang and David Fung join Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic for this performance filmed on the stage at the Hollywood Bowl.

CaltechLive! has begun streaming Herbert Sigüenza’s A Weekend with Pablo Picasso. You can read our full preview here and my interview with Sigüenza here.

The 25th anniversary celebration of Rent will remain available through 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST on Saturday, March 6th.

This weekend’s offerings from the Metropolitan Opera where they are celebrating Women’s History Month are Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes from the 2007-2008 season on Friday; Antonín Dvořák’s Rusalka from the 2013-2014 season on Saturday and Giuseppe Verdi’s La Forza del Destino from the 1983-1984 season on Sunday.

With our new line-up extending to Monday, here’s a preview of next week at the Metropolitan Opera: Monday’s production is Giacomo Puccini’s Manon Lescaut from the 1979-1980 season and kicks off Week 52 at the Met with the theme Verismo Passions.

I hope you enjoy your weekend and enjoy whichever of my Best Bets: March 5th – March 8th interest you the most! Have fun!

Main photo: The cast of the Playwright’s Horizon production of Assassins (Photo courtesy Studio Tenn Theatre Company)

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We spoke on December 15th as 2020 was nearing its end; the Covid crisis was escalating instead of diminishing; a new president had been elected and three weeks before the turmoil that shocked the world on January 6th.

Last week we got an update on CAP UCLA’s remaining events in their 2020-2021 season when it was announced on January 15th that all previously scheduled live events for this season had been cancelled. Not a surprise after what Edmunds told me.

What follows are excerpts from that conversation which have been edited for length and clarity.

When we spoke in March you said that it was important on an emotional and structural level to have a future time you can work towards. How have you managed the constantly shifting realities of the pandemic and how that impacts your ability to put a schedule together?

You know what I did at the beginning, I think you fall forward towards your biggest values. It clarifies things, at least for me. I had to pull my mind towards what is it we can do. What is my top priority? I decided early on to start initiating commissions, as in micro-commissions, commission with a small “c,” to as many different artists as we could to manifest different kinds of work.

What are you seeing as the cultural response, particularly in the creation of new material, to this past year?

There’s a lot of pretty deep soul searching. What is the work that feels the most necessary? Not necessarily my next idea, but what do I have to offer into this dialogue now where this economy is profoundly altered. I think many of them – and it depends on the art form – what are the stories that need to be told that help the public find a way back together. They are composing and making and thinking. You watch artists really authentically try to invent how they can contribute their artistry in a different way, which is revealing their humanity in a different way. There’s been a lot of really remarkable results.

Our biggest concern is how we put our bodies back together and try to hold a stage in a meaningful way. An audience is going to be ready to see us at top speed. It will take us a while to get there.

Over the past four years we’ve had an administration in place that essentially actively tried to defund the arts. With the Biden administration how do you expect the dialogue between government and the performing arts to change?

I think we’ll have some ears on that this time around. One of the biggest pieces that will fall forward in this is how do we now work on creating a national cultural policy. How do we look at the roll government does – and can – play in how artists are at the table for social and cultural belonging? We play a pretty substantial role in the grief of a nation coming back together in a much more compassionate way. That cultural policy and how we are valued for what we generate into a national and global community matters.

Our activity accrues benefits to society adjacent to us. Meaning, we seek money to sustain our practices. What we spend it on, and what our activities generate, benefits businesses peripherally and interdependent on us. The more we are put back into activation with a baseline support for that activation, it helps a recovery where adjacent interlocking things benefit along with us.

Can and will the arts fully recover from the pandemic? If so, what will it take?

In the health department updates I get, it will likely be unevenly distributed based on what part of the country we live in. It’s pretty clear that most of us, larger venues or anything with 200 or more people, are being strongly encouraged to look at early 2022 as to when we’ll probably have some more mobility of gathering to some scale. That’s a long time. Ticket revenues make up 50-75% of most organizations’ annual budget. That is eviscerated and will continue to be. The economic fallout will be much larger and longer. It’s probably an additional three years before you see something rebound.

When you look back on 2020, what were the best things to come out of the pandemic?

One of the best things was the way in which colleagues and organizations across the spectrum – from small tiny community cultural spaces up to the grand halls – we started sharing ideas, problem-solving, working on contract language, connections. You’re always reasonably pivoted within your profession and your eco-system to collaborate in service to one another in the big picture. How can we keep a cultural framework functioning? How can we keep each other persisting? How can we help each other overcome denial? How can we share strategies? A lot of those things were a really remarkable piece of it.

You told KCET during the Tune-In Festival that one thing that was important about the festival was to “ignite the public to stay strong and feel inspired.” How have you ignited yourself to do the same thing?

For me it’s about continuing to be in lockstep with what artists are doing. I can have a conversation with an artist, who is as profoundly distraught as I might be, but in that conversation we are able to reignite one another, to keep trying, to find a form, to change what that might be and keep trying.

I was talking to a dancer and she said live performance isn’t happening right now, but the dance is still alive. Artists are going “How do we keep collaborating and work with each other?” Artists are finding these places where somehow the glue in the cracks is a kind of kindness and compassion and a willingness to manifest some form of connection. That is ultimately what is going to be what the tail end of this is. We’ve been able to stand in solidarity with people and say we are here as part of what this is. We are able stand in front of a country that doesn’t understand our practice, but did find out that they actually missed us.

CAP UCLA’s upcoming streaming programs includes an already-running concert with saxophone legend Charles Lloyd (available through January 31st); Douglas J. Cuomo’s Seven Limbs featuring Nels Cline and the Aizuri Quartet (available February 12th) and Israel Galván Maestro de Barra on March 6th.

Photo of Kristy Edmunds by Lovis Ostenrick/Courtesy CAP UCLA

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When I spoke to Edmunds on Wednesday, March 18th by phone, it would be another full day before the Metropolitan Opera in New York cancelled the rest of their season. Other venues have since started to make similar announcements.

These are edited excerpts (for length and clarity) from my conversation with Edmunds.

Before getting into the practical part of the world in which we find ourselves, after working so hard to put together your 2019-2020 season, how did you and your team navigate the emotional part of seeing it come apart?

It was certainly one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I think, if I understand the community and our fans and audience enough, as hard as this it, it is a line that at least creates some clarity that allows us to redirect our energy into the things we need to do. Which is cope, keep ourselves healthy and safe and protect the community. Then look out to the future differently. It was really really hard.

This is a team of people who are doers, as all of us are in the arts. Part of it is scrambling to go, “there must be something else we can do; there must be something can do for our fans, our artists,” so you start sequencing that. We realized we were heading to the whole of the season. I had a chance to prepare my team so that announcement was something we can do with less chaos.

You were the first performing arts organization in Los Angeles to announce the suspension of the entire remaining part of your season. What, if any, conversations did you have with other institutions about their long-term plans and is there a consensus amongst other venues that this is the inevitable path going forward?

I’ve been in conversations with colleague organizations small, medium and large; locally, statewide, West Coast, nationally and internationally. Because I am at UCLA, an institution that has academics, research, a hospital and more, we were part of preparedness planning. I felt it was imperative to speak with colleagues who wouldn’t have that information about what the government – state or city – would be doing. Everyone will speak to what their own duty of care and community is needed and to their operating models. But we try to be in touch regularly.

Beyond suspending the season, what does this do to your artists, many of whom are on tours?

When a performance project cancels or when it is suspended, and I’m now speaking broadly, it tends to be in the contract that the performers are paid when they complete the performance. Wanting to get on the front foot to address that, let’s begin rescheduling. If everyone is up for that, that’s what we’ll be doing. We’re already involved with protecting and structuring dates. However uncertain future dynamics will be, it allows a future time we can work towards. On an emotional and structural level that is important.

There are some other things that are probably not unique to us, but there is a sequence of determinations that had to do with international performers about to land in the United States or were already here and they were working their way to Los Angeles. We had Ladysmith Black Mambazo returning back from their memorial services in South African for the death of their founder (Joseph Shabalala). They are in grief, but feel it is an absolute duty to carry on their music as he wanted. When they returned to the United States, they landed in Cincinnati who announced urgently they were cancelled. They didn’t even know the venue they were headed to had cancelled. I said to the tour manager, “You’re coming here, whatever you need.” On Monday we had them on the Royce Hall stage performing and we filmed it and will get it to people. It was a way to let them do spiritually and structurally what their mentor and founder had asked them to do. They are now in transit back and they have not yet landed as I speak to you now.

How do you see the role of the arts once this crisis has passed?

How do I say it? Artists and theatre makers and musicians and performing arts and visual media and everything, essentially we’ve always been working on some way to give form to an essentialness that we offer. We do that out of a professional call to our practices. I keep thinking about we’re all going to experience these new contours when we get back together as a community as very differently ravaged and all impacted human beings. And in that time period, I feel like then it is going to be our turn to support that essentialness that the arts have provided far differently than we ever have before.

Playwright George Bernard Shaw said, “Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable.” In our world today, what would you suggest those of us who love the arts do while we all wait this out?

I don’t want to sound too esoteric, but honestly, the arts have always helped us practice who we are in relation to it. It helps us practice who are with that which is other or like in the moment that we are there. We can still practice that before we needed to understand ourselves in this moment. I feel like reflecting on that artistry that mattered a lot to us and talking about it and using it for its inspiration and resilience and prescientness is useful to us. We practiced how we encountered that feeling in a fictional environment and now in a very real set of environments. And that’s useful. It’s useful to communicate hither and yon the importantance the arts play in our national fabric.

The other thing is we are going to need all matter of shekels to come forward, wherever possible, to get on the other side. You want to make sure people are in place when we come roaring back with a community that is going to be differently attenuated and hopefully craving our offer.

Photo of Kristy Edmunds by Reed Hutchinson (Courtesy of CapUCLA)

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BREAKING NEWS: Disney’s musical Frozen has closed on Broadway.

American Ballet Theatre has canceled their 2020 Season at the Metropolitan Opera. The shows included are ABT Then and Now, the New York premiere of Of Love and Rage, as well as productions of La Bayadère, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Jane Eyre and Swan Lake.

Antaeus Theatre Company has canceled all remaining performances of Measure for Measure and their Classic Sundays reading of The Roaring Girl. 

Bob Baker Marionette Theatre has announced postponement of all scheduled performances and events. No tentative re-opening date has been provided.

Boston Court Pasadena has postponed all performances through May 27th.

Their production of Assassins been rescheduled for September 10th – October 18th

The Broad Stage has announced the suspension of all remaining performances in their 2019-2020 season.

Mnozil Brass on March 26th.

Hiromi: Solo on March 28th

Red Hen Press: New Traditions on March 29th

National Geographic Live: Hidden Wild: Secrets of the Everglades on April 9th and 10th

Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap on April 11th.

Dance for All on April 13th

USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance April 17th – April 19th

Beethoven, Bagels & Banter on April 19th

Angel’s Bone (co-presented with LA Opera Off Grand) May 1st – May 3rd

Diana Damrau & Nicolas Testé on May 16th

Lynn Harrell, cellist on May 17th

*Broadway in Hollywood has announced the cancellation of SpongeBob Musical at The Dolby Theatre.

The Illusionists, scheduled to play April 14th – April 19th at the Dolby Theatre has been rescheduled for January 12th – January 17th.

The tour of Mean Girls, scheduled to play the Dolby Theatre April 28th – June 7th, 2020 will be rescheduled.

The tour of My Fair Lady, scheduled to play the Dolby Theatre June 12th – July 5th will be rescheduled.

The tour of The Band’s Visit, scheduled to play at the Dolby Theatre July 7th – July 26th, has been suspended.

*The Cher Show is postponing its tour until 2021. Not official announcement yet, but this may impact the Spring 2021 booking at the Dolby Theatre.

*All Broadway Shows in New York have been suspended through September 6th.

Hangmen, which had gone into previews, will not re-open. A revival of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf will not re-open.

Beetlejuice, which was set to close at the Winter Garden on June 6th, is now officially closed. Though a 2021 tour is planned, there are still discussions of moving the show to another theatre.

*Disney’s musical Frozen has officially closed. It is the first long-running show to close as a result of the pandemic. The official closing day is March 11th, the last day of performances before Broadway suspended all performances. The show had 26 previews and 825 performances.

CAP UCLA has announced the suspension of the remainder of the 2019-2020 season.

Center Theatre Group has announced that all remaining shows in the 2019-2020 season have been postponed. This includes 1776 scheduled at the Ahmanson Theatre, King James at the Mark Taper Forum and Sakina’s Restaurant at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

They join the previously announced postponements of Once on This Island, The Antipodes and the annual Block party.

As it relates to Once on This Island, CTG is working on rescheduling the show. Producers have canceled this show’s tour, but the possibility of a reduced tour post-Coronavirus is being explored.

Cirque du Soleil has announced the cancellation of all performances of Volta scheduled at the Orange County Fair and Events Center in Costa Mesa.

Colburn School has canceled all performances and events through April 12.

East West Players has announced a postponement of the entire run of Assassins. They have also announced postponement of the 54th Anniversary Visionary Awards Gala.

The Echo Theater Company is canceling performances of Poor Clare, scheduled to open March 14, through the end of March. Performances resume April 3. 

*The Ford Theatres summer 2020 season has been canceled.

The Fountain Theatre has suspended the world premiere of Human Interest Story. The April 25 Los Angeles premiere of If I Forget has been postponed to later date yet to be determined. 

Geffen Playhouse has announced the following:

Bernhardt/Hamlet, scheduled to begin previews on April 7th, has been canceled.

Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center has announced the cancellation of the Pina Bausch’s Palermo Palermo as Tantztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch canceled their tour.

Malpaso Dance Company has canceled its spring tour of the United States. Therefore the engagement at the Ahmanson Theatre on May 15th – May 17th has been canceled.

Goodspeed Musicals has postponed their April production of South Pacific. Their fall production of Candide has been canceled.

*The Hollywood Bowl 2020 season has been canceled.

The Industry’s Sweet Land has canceled all remaining performances. They will be offering a filmed version being streamed starting March 23rd.

Laguna Playhouse has made the following announcements:

Hershey Felder’s Monsieur Chopin, originally scheduled for April, has been moved to October of this year.

Rocky Mountain High, a Tribute to John Denver has been rescheduled to January 7th – January 10th of 2021.

They are trying to reschedule Ann sometime in the coming year.

The world premiere of To Sir, With Love, has been canceled.

The La Jolla Playhouse has announced that all performances by or at La Jolla Music Society, La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego Opera and San Diego Symphony will be canceled and/or postponed through the end of March 2020

La Mirada Theatre has announced postponement of all shows through May 10th.

The following shows have been rescheduled:

The Sound of Music will play May 15th to June 7th.

Mamma Mia will play June 12th to July 5th.

They will be rescheduling the following shows:

Bossa Nova Wave (originally scheduled for April 3)

Classic Albums Live – Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours (originally scheduled for April 4)

Circus Science Spectacular (originally scheduled for April 5)

The Center of the Universe (originally scheduled for April 9)

The Brubeck Brothers (originally scheduled for May 12)

La Mirada Symphony (originally scheduled for May 17)

Dance, Dance, Dance! (originally scheduled for May 22)

Sol de Mexico (originally scheduled for June 27)

*LA Opera has canceled the final performance of Roberto Devereux scheduled for March 14th.

Angel’s Bone, scheduled to be performed May 1st – May 3rd, has been canceled as The Broad Stage canceled their remaining events for the 2019-2020 season.

Pelléas and Mélisande, scheduled for May 2nd – May 23rd, has been canceled.

Rodelinda, scheduled for May 8th, has been canceled.

*The Marriage of Figaro, scheduled for May 6th – May 28th, has been canceled.

*Saturday Mornings at the Opera, scheduled for June 6th, has been canceled.

*Great Opera Choruses, scheduled for June 7th at The Soraya, has been canceled.

Lincoln Center in New York has announced that the musical Flying Over Sunset has been moved to the fall as has the opera Intimate Apparel. Both were previously scheduled to open this spring.

Long Beach Opera has postponed until next season its production of The Lighthouse.

*Their planned productions of Billy the Kid (scheduled for May 3rd – May 10th) and Frida (scheduled for June 20th – June 28th) have been canceled.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra has announced postponement of this weekend’s concert, Border Crossings, scheduled for March 12th at the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica and on March 13th at The Huntington.

They have also announced cancellation of the Ravel, Strauss + Contreras concerts on March 28th and 29th.

Beethoven + Mendelssohn scheduled for April 30th and May 1st has been canceled.

Sheku plus Eroica scheduled at multiple venues for May 15th – May 18th, has been canceled.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center is postponing its production of Hair that was scheduled to open on March 27th.

Los Angeles Master Chorale has announced the following cancellations:

The Fauré Requiem performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall on March 28th and 29th have been canceled.

The performance of Lagrime di San Pietro at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on March 19th has been canceled.

Come Away to the Skies: A Celebration of Alice Parker, scheduled for May 17th, has been canceled.

Los Angeles Philharmonic has announced the cancellation of all performances for the rest of the season at Walt Disney Concert Hall. (All concerts through June 6th.)

Manhattan Theatre Club has postponed their planned revival of How I Learned to Drive until next season.

MCC Theatre in New York has announced the All The Natalie Portmans played its final performance yesterday. Hollywood Dreams, which was to have begun previews next week, will be rescheduled.

They also announced that their Miscast 20 gala has been rescheduled from April 6th to June 15th

The Metropolitan Opera has canceled all performances for the rest of this season. This includes all scheduled Live in HD presentations

The McKittrick Hotel in New York, home to Sleep No More, The Woman in Black and Speakeasy Magick, has suspended all performances through April 12th.

Musco Center for the Arts has canceled all performances through early May.

The Music Center has announced that all venues (The Ahmanson Theatre, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum and Walt Disney Concert Hall) will be closed until further notice. This impacts the Los Angeles Philharmonic, LA Opera, Center Theatre Group, the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center.

A Noise Within has announced the following cancellations:

The remaining performances of The Winter’s Tale, Alice in Wonderland, and all other public events have been canceled through the end of April.

Alice in Wonderland will now open their 2020-2021 season August 22nd – September 13th.

Sweeney Todd, has been rescheduled for September 27th – November 15th.

The Odyssey Theatre is canceling performances of The Serpent through March 29 with performances resuming April 3.

The Old Globe has announced that their productions of Little Women and Faceless will be postponed.

The Open Fist, currently in residence at the Atwater Village Theatre, has suspended all performances of Rorschach Fest.

The Outer Critics Circle Awards, scheduled for May 21st, have been postponed.

The Pacific Symphony has announced the following in relation to their schedule:

Pink Martini on March 13th and 14th has been postponed. They have been rescheduled for June 17th and 18th.

Nowruz on March 28th has been postponed.

The Texas Tenors on April 3rd and 4th has been cancelled.

Verdi’s Otello on April 23rd, 25th and 28th has been cancelled.

Windborne’s the Music of the Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards 1969, originally scheduled for May 1sts and 2nd, has been rescheduled to June 19th and 20th.

Yang Plays Rachmaninoff, scheduled for May 7th – May 9th has been canceled.

Beethoven’s Razumovsky Quartet, scheduled for May 10th has been canceled.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame with live accompaniment by organist Dennis James, scheduled for May 10th, has been canceled.

Pacific Symphony Youth Ensemble concerts scheduled for May 9th, 11th and 12th has all been canceled.

*The Pantages Theatre has announced suspension of performances of Hamilton through September 6th.

The Pasadena Playhouse has announced that all performances through May 31st.

Ann, scheduled for May 27th – July 28th has been postponed.

Their production of Annie Get Your Gun, scheduled for July 28th – August 23rd has been canceled.

*The Pasadena Pops has canceled their 2020 summer season and will reschedule the following concerts for their 2021 summer season:

Sway with Me: Latin Rhythm and Swing scheduled for June 19
Road to Motown scheduled for July 10
Fleetwood Mac: A Tribute scheduled for July 24
Michael Feinstein Sings Sinatra’s Songbook scheduled for August 14
100 Years of Broadway scheduled for August 28 

The Pasadena Symphony has rescheduled their March 21st Mozart & McGegan concert to May 23rd.

The Public Theatre in New York (and the adjoining Joe’s Pub) has canceled all performances through April 12th.

*Chicago’s Ravinia Festival has canceled their 2020 season.

Roundabout Theatre in New York announced that their productions of Birthday Candles with Debra Messing and Caroline, Or Change will open in the fall. Both shows were on the cusp of starting previews when Broadway theatres shut down.

San Francisco Opera has canceled their summer season scheduled to run June 7th to July 3rd.

*The Segerstrom Center has announced the following postponements, rescheduling and cancellations:

Orange County Millennial Choirs and Orchestras on April 1st has been rescheduled to June 2nd

Shen Yun from April 3rd – April 12th has been postponed

Ailey II on April 11th has been postponed

Chicago from April 14th – April 19th has been canceled

Sibelius Piano Trio on April 17th has been canceled

Clayton Brothers Quintet on April 18th has been canceled

Earth Day Celebration on April 18th has been canceled

Distinguished Speakers Series: President George W. Bush on April 20th has been postponed

Tuesday Night Dance Lessons on April 21st and 28th has been canceled

Laura Benanti from April 23rd – April 25th has been postponed

Best of Dance on April 25th has been canceled

Beckman Arts and Science Family Festival on May 2nd has been postponed.

Paper Planet on May 2nd and 3rd has been canceled.

Celtic Woman on May 2nd has been canceled.

*Les Misérables, scheduled for May 5th – May 17th and rescheduled for October 6th – October 18th has been canceled.

Emerson String Quartet on May 7th has been postponed.

Silent Disco on May 8th has been postponed.

Rock, Paper, Scissors: CUMBIA! on May 15th has been postponed.

Swing Under the Stars on May 29th has been canceled.

*Mean Girls, scheduled for June 16th – June 28th, has been postponed. The venue is hoping to reschedule.

*The Band’s Visit, originally scheduled for August 12th – August 23rd has been rescheduled for April 13th – April 25th, 2021.

*The Lion King, originally scheduled for September 2nd – September 27th, has been canceled.

*Ain’t Too Proud to Beg – The Life and Times of The Temptations, scheduled for November 17th – 29th has been rescheduled for September 14th – 26th, 2021.

*The Donna Summer Musical, originally scheduled for January 12th – 17th, has been cancelled due to a rescheduling of the show’s tour.

*The Cher Show, originally scheduled for April 13th – April 25th has been canceled due to a rescheduling of the show’s tour.

Shakespeare in the Park in New York has canceled this summer’s season.

Soka Performing Arts Center has announced the postponement of the remainder of its 2019-2020 season.

The Soraya has announced the following cancellations and postponements:

The Jerusalem Quartet on April 5th has been canceled.

The Count Basie Orchestra on April 9th has been postponed.

Amir El Saffar on April 16th has been canceled.

Bollywood Boulevard on April 19th has been canceled.

Randy Newman’s Faust on May 9th has been canceled.

Violins of Hope, which was postponed, will have an opening night concert by the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony on January 14th.

South Coast Rep has announced the cancellation of all performances of Outside Mullingar beginning March 13th. (They are “working to make the performance available online. More details will be announced in the coming days.”)

*San Francisco’s Stern Grove Festival has canceled their 2020 season.

Tonality has postponed their A Call to Restore concert that was set to take place on March 15th. Another date will be announced shortly.

The Tony Awards, scheduled for June 7th, have been postponed.

The Verdi Chorus has canceled their Opera Gets Real performances scheduled for April 18th and 19th.

*The Wallis has announced the cancellation of all performances through June 30th.

If you have an event that has been postponed or canceled and would like it included in this list, please send the details to contact@Culturalattache.co

Photo “Comedy/Tragedy on Keys” by Craig L. Byrd

The post Coronavirus Cancellations & Postponements – Updated 5/14/20 appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Reagon is the daughter of Bernice Johnson Reagon, one of the founders of the group Sweet Honey in the Rock. The books inspired both mother and daughter, particularly 1993’s Parable of the Sower, a dystopian novel set in 2020. The Reagons set out to write a theatre piece that both tells the novel’s story and references two centuries of Black music in the process. Their adaptation of Parable of the Sower is being performed at UCLA’s Royce Hall on Saturday night.

Earlier this week I spoke with Toshi Reagon about her relationship to this story, what it has to say about our world today and finding representation in the arts. Here are excerpts from that conversation that have been edited for length and clarity.

Octavia E. Butler said, “Repressive societies always seemed to understand the danger of ‘wrong ideas.'” I’m wondering whether you share that view as it relates to our contemporary society.

Yes. She has a lot of really amazing quotes and in Parable there are so many of them and they relate so well to this time. I always imagine that she was working on this in the late 1980s. That was the Reagan era and I remember the Reagan presidency. I was 16 when he got elected and it was so shocking. I remember everybody being really scared; really frustrated like you had this big revolutionary art coming out of the Civil Rights Movement and then you get Ronald Reagan for President. I can feel her being close to that era and writing something which is still relevant today.

What was it about the way that she wrote this story that you felt lent itself to what you and your mother wanted to create?

I think we were just compelled by her vision of a future that was worse than where we were. We don’t usually project to worse things, you kind of stay and survive where you are. I think she wrote a novel that said things are bad. The child going into the future is going to have this understanding of change as a force of movement, a force of life. That blew us away. We could both hear a lot of music coming out of those ideas.

How important was it for Butler to have written these stories, not just for what they were, but also for what and who they represented about the future?

That’s one of the biggest gifts she’s given us. It’s so enormous. The term Afro-Futurism is an insistence we’re in the future. It’s one of the best things about her book. It’s so important to think about the way racism happens and it denies whole groups of people. It affects education, the justice system, the economy, it affects access. You can live your life thinking you don’t belong in the present day, let alone the future. Octavia and other writers and artists say not only do I live here now, but I’ll be in the future.

Until very recently there were not too many Black women in stories set in the future. We certainly, as far as I can tell, haven’t seen too many black gay women like you depicted in the future. How does that lack of representation land with you and how important is it for you and your voice to be heard for who you are vis-a-vis the work you do?

It’s really important. Eventually we have to be seen on the planet. I think ultimately Octavia’s work is about that – all humans, wherever you come from, whatever your cultural identity, your nation, your religion. We are stuck in a battle and the earth is deteriorating because we are stuck on this planet and not being one with the planet like all other species in the world. It is important for my voice to be heard, for your voice to be heard, for other voices to be heard. I think all the time about why we treat people so badly. It breaks your heart.

Since you first premiered Parable of the Sower, what has surprised you most about the reactions you get from individuals and audiences?

It’s kind of surprising to me that so many people don’t know her work. It is so relevant to large communities of people, particularly people of color, particularly Black people, Black women and artists.

In a New York Times interview published in 2000, Butler was asked if she was pessimistic about the future. Her response was, “I’m not pessimistic about much of anything. No, I’m hopeful. The only problem that we human beings really suffer from, and this is important to us as a species, is that we tend to do the right thing when we get scared.” How close to doing the right thing are we today?

She is so right. How many times have you been in a bad situation and even if you are not religious you begin praying? I think we operate out of extreme emotions. The corona virus is spreading across the earth and some people’s response to that is to charge three-to-four hundred dollars for a case of masks. People are doing strange things out of fear. Our culture is “we want things and we want things now.” When you get scared, everything changes. When you need help it doesn’t matter the race of the person. People need to operate out of the best of their capacities.

At press time only 21 seats were still available for Parable of the Sower. For tickets go here.

All photos Courtesy of Parable of the Sower and CapUCLA

The post Toshi Reagon Finds Her Place in the Future appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

So began a series of e-mail answers to questions I posed Linder regarding the opera The Want which opens the CapUCLA season tonight with performances at REDCAT.

The Want was inspired by In the Solitude of Cotton Fields, a play written by  Bernard Marie-Koltès in 1985 and first performed in 1987. The play depicts, in very unspecific terms, the dealer/client relationship.

Linder used this play as the springboard for the opera which was composed by Ethan Braun. My initial question to Linder had to do with his first awareness of the play.

When did you first become aware of In the Solitude of Cotton Fields?

As the stars aligned, I learnt of this work by Koltès and it sparked desire to take this play that has always been performed in a conventional way – a very straight theatre mode – and turn it into an opera.

It isn’t often that a new opera is billed by the name of its choreographer. That leads me to believe that this wasn’t a traditionally structured collaboration. Can you tell me how the collective creative process for The Want took place?

Ethan Braun, the composer, and I met because I was looking for the right composer to work with me and as he is an irregular fit for the classical music world, that made him a natural fit for me. Shahryar Nashat, who designed the stage, is a different story. We’ve been in and out of each other’s work for years and he’s my boyfriend. Read the Bomb article; says it all.

I had a strong sense for the direction this opera should take, but it all got developed in the productive manner of leading with this vision whilst allowing enough space inside the working environment for these other artists to do their thing.

What resonated with you about how Koltès depicted the dealer/client relationship and how does that relationship allow you to comment, vis-a-vis The Want, about the world we live in today and the way relationships are bartered?

The work in its original form had just two people. My work is a very unfaithful reworking, so there is little of the original Koltès text in my libretto. It has always been staged as a two-person – two guys – play. In the way I have structured the work, Jess Gadani and Justin F. Kennedy are the Offerors, and Jasmine Orpilla and Roger Sala Reyner are the Offerees – but it becomes quite fluid. Just like the original play, it is never determined who wants what from whom and what it is they want and what it is they can offer. It’s always meddling in grey area. But I push the grey area of sexuality, race and gender (and spiritual identification) far more than the original.

You’ve spoken previously about not caring “about disciplines meeting, but about sensibilities criss-crossing.” How does The Want represent a criss-crossing of sensibilities?

Yes I spoke about that in relation to the empty term of inter-disciplinary. When you imagine the whole of a picture or the fullness of an experience, it is necessary to pull from different sensibilities, forms and histories, but it’s a singular approach and in my case it’s one that is foremost a choreographic one.

What excites you about the music Ethan Braun writes – both for this work and beyond The Want?

The fact that he’s from this specialized world of classical music, but has a background in performing and improvising a more jazz inflected repertoire. That he wrote his thesis on Stockhausen. And that he believes in expressivity and virtuosity.

Koltès says in his play that “we move along two distinct planes, and than in the end there is only the fact that you looked at me and that I caught that look or the other way around, and that, from the outset, absolutely the line you were moving on became relative and complex, neither straight nor curved, but fatal.”

Philosophically how do you respond to that line from the play and do you believe this is not just a philosophy, but a realistic way of looks at interactions between two people?

Koltès’ way of handling this politic of relation is to embellish the sense of existential mystery between two people. I think he considers that mystery as being just as expansive as it is fleeting; it could simply come down to catching a passing gaze but it could also unfold in never-ending circles of unnameable ambiguity between two. Koltès acknowledges this insurmountable duality.

For tickets go here.

All photos by Andrea Rossetti/Courtesy of CapUCLA and REDCAT

The post Adam Linder Scratches an Itch with “The Want” appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

The Want expands the two-character play into a four-character opera with two “Offerors” and two “Offerees.” They are performed by singers/actors/dancers Jess Gadani, Justin F. Kennedy, Jasmine Orpilla and Roger Sala Reyner.  The website for this event has an interesting description of the characters as “the key archetypes of mercantile Europe and the spiritual tradition of constant trade between a reflexive mind and a sensuous being.”

Linder’s work has been seen in museums and on stages. The Want marks his first foray into opera. Look for our interview with Adam Linder later this week.

The Want had its world premiere in Berlin in December 2018. The work was commissioned in part by CapUCLA.

For tickets go here.

Photo from The Want by Andrea Rossetti/Courtesy of REDCAT

The post The Want appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Muhly has assembled a program that includes his collaboration with Thomas Bartlett on Peter Pears: Balinese Ceremonial Music. This album was released in 2018 by Nonesuch Records. It features nine songs the two wrote together and three transcriptions of traditional Gamelan music.

Philip Glass has long been an inspiration for Muhly. As part of this program he will offer his own interpretations of some of the composer’s lesser-known works. These will be performed with Nadia Sirota on the viola and Caroline Shaw on vocals and violin, Alex Sopp on flute, Lisa Kaplan on piano, Lisa Liu on violin, Patrick Belaga on cello and Wade Culbreath on percussion.

Rumors are circulating about some special guests who will be part of this concert. Since Muhly has worked with Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Benjamin Millepied and more, who could they be?

I’m hoping that one or more of his operas, Two Boys, Dark Sides or Marnie might be performed in Los Angeles sooner as opposed to later.  LA Opera? Beth Morrison Projects? REDCAT?

Until that happens, we’ll have Archives, Friends, Patterns which is our pick for Your Best Bet This Week in Culture.

For tickets go here.

Photo of Nico Muhly by Heidi Solander/Courtesy of Cap UCLA

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With the previous show Mac was able to turn Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run into a response to the Stonewall Riots, redefine for us what a Yankee Doodle Dandy really is and made the unlikely combination of The Bee Gees and Led Zeppelin work. So one can only imagine how the holiday season might be depicted when put through Mac’s wonderfully imaginative mind.

Will the Dandy Minions be elves? Will Taylor Mac be dressed as Santa? Or a an Angel? Or both? The only clip I’ve seen online indicates there is a sing-a-long of O, Holy Night! Anyone who attended the previous show knows the audience plays a part in how each and every show plays out.

Mac was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for A 24-Decade History…and was named a MacArthur Genius Grant recipient in 2017. To get a sense of Mac’s sensibilities, check out our two part interview from March here and here.

Photos by Little Fang Photographer

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School of Rock – Pantages Theatre

Now-May 27th

When this musical adaptation of Richard Linklater’s film opened last night at the Pantages Theatre, the show’s illustrious composer, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber was in attendance. This musical tells the story of a man who still dreams of being a rock star, Dewey Finn (Rob Colletti). He pretends to be his best friend Ned (Matt Bittner) when an offer to teach at Grace Academy arrives for Ned. Dewey suddenly finds himself a school teacher. Rather than teach the traditional curriculum, (after all, he’s not really a teacher,) he schools them in the ways of rock ‘n’ roll. The school isn’t happy. The parents aren’t happy. But check out that band! All the kids in the show are actually playing their instruments. No faking it.

Angélique Kidjo Remain in Light – The Theatre at the Ace Hotel/CapUCLA

May 5th

When The Talking Heads released their landmark album Remain in Light in 1980, they gave the world such great songs as “Once in a Lifetime,” “Crosseyed and Painless” and “Seen and Not Seen” and “The Great Curve.” Now the phenomenal Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo has put her own spin on this album and she will be performing live on Saturday night at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel. Kidjo is always a force of nature on stage. Her taking on this great album is both inspired and will certainly make for one of the best concerts of the year.

If this combination seems unusual, it’s best to keep in mind what Kidjo once told me during an interview: “I like unpredictable settings and pairings. Life is too short to be boring. Every music deserves to be heard and every truth of the music diverse to be heard. Expose people to that diversity of music that is part of the diversity of the human family that we all are. That’s all that matters to me.” No need to ask “How did she get here.”

Noises Off – A Noise Within

Now – May 26th

This backstage comedy by Michael Frayn continues to be one of the most popular shows presented by A Noise Within. Each time they stage the show it gets extended and the calls for another revival grow louder. If every show had the goings on that Frayn’s comedy depicts, nothing would ever work on stage. Thankfully the laughs reign supreme here because productions are more buttoned up. Noises Off is the perfect show to use to forget the world and laugh your butt off.

Quetzal with Flor de Toloache – The Soraya (Valley Performing Arts Center)

May 5th

Why stand in line at your local Mexican restaurant on Cinco de Mayo to prove you can celebrate like everyone else? Instead, head over to The Soraya to hear Quetzal perform. They are a local band from East LA who put jazz, rock and R&B into their musical blender to come up with a tasty blend. Flor de Toloache is an all-female mariachi band. They shatter stereotypes and impress with their music. And if that isn’t enough, there will be taco trucks at the venue serving up a wide array of gourmet tacos.

Honeymoon in Vegas – Musical Theatre Guild – Alex Theatre

May 6th

Jason Robert Brown’s musical adaptation of the film Honeymoon in Vegas was one of the most purely delightful shows to hit Broadway in a long time. Brown perfectly captured the wit and joy that Andrew Bergman brought to the 1992 film. Thankfully shows don’t have to disappear forever. Musical Theatre Guild is performing, for one night only, this utterly charming show (which, of course, has skydiving Elvis impersonators.)

I once asked the composer why the show didn’t succeed on Broadway. “We did get great reviews. The music was so much fun. People will appreciate Honeymoon in Vegas. I’m so grateful that it got done and it got done exactly the way we wanted it to. What can I tell you, our producers sucked.” He went on to say that “It will get licensed and it will be all over the world.”

The show is wonderful and I recommend you make your way to Glendale on Sunday to check it out. Here’s a montage from the New York production:

Angelia Kidjo photo by Danny Clinch. Courtesy of Shore Fire Media

The post The 5 Shows You Need to See: This Weekend in LA (5/4-5/6) appeared first on Cultural Attaché.