LA WeeklyWhile Coronavirus may have taken its toll on L.A.’s event calendar, some gems remain, so consider carefully and confirm before you go.
fri 3/13
[Canceled]
LITERATURE
Acting Out
Playwright Luis Valdez gained widespread attention with his 1979 play Zoot Suit — the first Chicano play to run on Broadway — which focused on the so-called Zoot Suit Riots, when U.S. military servicemen in 1943 went on a racist rampage in Southern California and attacked Mexican-American kids. He gained more fame when he wrote the script to the popular 1987 biopic La Bamba, about Ritchie Valens. But Valdez made a greater impact when he and Agustin Lira formed El Teatro Campesino, the influential Chicano theater company that documented the struggles of California farm workers. A Noise Within and L.A. Phil present a staged reading of five of Valdez’s Actos mini-plays: “Los Dos Caras del Patroncito,” “Los Vendidos,” “No Saco Nada de la Escuela,” “La Conquista de México” and “Huelgustas.” A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena; Fri., March 13, 8 p.m.; $10. (626) 356-3100, anoisewithin.org/play/power-
ART
Is That All There Is?
Though he might be best known as the guitarist and singer for the pop-punk band Alkaline Trio, Matt Skiba is also a professional and formally trained artist, specializing in paintings and drawings. “I grew up with art everywhere, both my parents are artists and writers,” Skiba said. “I’ve been drawing and painting since I can remember. Before I began playing music professionally, I went to school for design. Like music, it just came naturally to me.” Skiba has been working on the Is That All There Is? show for about a year, with some tour dates in between. Altogether there will be about 50 new pieces on view. But as to whether all the paintings conform to one style — simply put, Skiba says no. “I have no particular style. Everything from film and punk rock, to pop culture and even war-themed. There will be a mix.” Lethal Amounts, 1226 W. 7th St., downtown; opening reception: Fri., March 13, 7 p.m.; free w/rsvp; lethalamounts.com. —Alex Distefano
Shag, Jay and Silent Bob vs Time and Space (Courtesy of the artists)
ART
The Incredibles
Whatever the overlap is between fanbases of Palm Springs chic tiki-meister Shag and folks who think Jay and Silent Bob are superheroes, it will be on full display at the Shag gallery store in West Hollywood tonight. This counterintuitive but somehow completely perfect family circle will be turning out for the print release of Josh “Shag” Agle’s new print, “Jay & Silent Bob vs. Time and Space,” a cheeky, comic strip–style micro-story of unlikely bravado and hyper-stylized action-movie fantasy. The artist and his eccentric muses will be in attendance.The Shag Store, 8443 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; Fri., March 13, 7-10 p.m.; free. shagstore.bigcartel.com/events
Carol Burnett (Courtesy of the artist)
sat 3/14
[Postponed to October 10]
CULTURE
Tears of Laughter
One of the best parts of The Carol Burnett Show, the beloved TV variety show that aired from 1967 to 1978, was the segment early in the program when the serie’s titular host answered questions from the audience. The freewheeling exchanges between Carol Burnett and her fans gave the masterful comedian plenty of opportunities to riff and improvise in all manner of wonderful ways, demonstrating her impressive ability to think on her feet. She reprises the alternately daft and poignant spirit of those Q&A sessions with Carol Burnett: Laughter & Reflection, in which she takes on any and all questions in a 90-minute performance. Saban Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills; Sat., March 14, 8 p.m.; $69-$250. (888) 645-5006, wheremusicmeetsthesoul.com/
(Courtesy of Other Place Art Fair)
[Postponed to September]
ART
Art on the Outside
In keeping with their ongoing mission to install and perform unusual interdisciplinary art in even more unexpected locations, Other Places Los Angeles returns to the decommissioned military outcropping at the Angels Gate Cultural Center with a new edition of the Other Places Art Fair. The two-day festival of magical oddities, site-specificity, food, fun and fractal creativity unfurls across the slightly feral grounds, as a dozens of independent artists, collectives, curators and aesthetic adventurers convene for architectural and landscape interventions that reinvent the structure and experience of what an art fair can be in the weirdest of all possible worlds. Angels Gate Cultural Center, Battery Leary-Merriam, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro; Sat.-Sun., March 14-15, noon-6 p.m.; $5. opaf.info. —Shana Nys Dambrot
sun 3/15
[Postponed]
TV
Get Ready to Binge
Paleyfest is like Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day all rolled into one for TV fans, offering the gift of gab via panels with your favorite stars, a slew of party-like events and a look at crush-worthy new characters and content to fall in love with. This year, the fest lineup includes casts and creative teams from the likes of Modern Family, The Boys, Star Trek: Picard, Outlander, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ozark, Schitt’s Creek, The Mandalorian and more, plus a special evening with Dolly Parton and a NCIS: 400th Episode Celebration. Paley Center is known for its impressive archive of television and radio content (featuring over 160,000 programs spanning media history) and this banner event benefits its archiving and digitization programs, but it’s come to be so much more. For many TV nerds, Paleyfest is a comic convention–like gathering with big names and hot ticket panels that celebrate and explore the wonderful world of television like nothing else. Paley members get presale access and ticket discounts. Dolby Theatre, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Fri., March 13-Sun., March 22; full schedule and prices at paleyfest.org. —Lina Lecaro
(Courtesy of Paint the Town podcast)
tue 3/17
[VENUE CHANGE]
ART
Kiss Me, I’m a Street Artist
If you are somehow planning on venturing out into the beer world this St. Patrick’s Day, we wish you good luck, and suggest dropping into Molly Malone’s for an early start time. Cheers in the company of the good people from Paint the Town Podcast — L.A.’s favorite street art (and music) interview show — as they host a sticker-swap and inspiration collab meet-up. Angel City brewery will close their doors for St Patrick’s day. We will move the event to Molly Malone’s, 575 S. Fairfax, Beverly Grove; Tue., March 17, 5-9 p.m.; free. facebook.com/
FOOD&DRINK
An Irish Feast
This year, the biggest annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival in downtown L.A. will be held at Imperial Western Beer Co. and Union Station South Patio. Enjoy craft beer, cocktails, green beer, Irish whiskey and DJs spinning at the outdoor festival. Pregame at Casey’s Irish Pub or Imperial Western Beer Co., as both open their doors at 6 a.m. for an all-day celebration. $20 cover starting at 1 p.m. with access to both locations available for purchase at the entrance. The menu features beer bratwurst or vegan sausages, both with Dijon and sauerkraut on a French roll, and corned beef sandwiches on rye with Swiss cheese, Dijon and sauerkraut. Complimentary shuttles will be running between Casey’s Irish Pub and Imperial Western Beer Co. from 11:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m., every 15 minutes. Casey’s Irish Pub, 613 S. Grand Ave., downtown; Imperial Western Beer Co., 800 N. Alameda St., downtown; Tue., March 17, 11 a.m.-mid.; $20, 21+. caseysstpatricksday.com. —Michele Stueven
wed 3/18
[Canceled]
DANCE
Curtain Call
The ever popular, always exciting Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns with a program of new works, a program reprising last year’s hip hop hit from Rennie Harris, and a family-friendly program, with each of the three programs crowned by the company’s gospel-filled signature Revelations. Director Robert Battle has included dance from some of the hottest choreographers — Aszure Barton, Jamar Roberts, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Jessica Lang and Rennie Davis who is considered the father of hip-hop. The weekend matinees and Saturday evening show also marks the last chance to see L.A. native Matthew Rushing, a powerful company performer, take his last star turn as a dancer before he becomes the company’s associate artistic director. Rushing also hosts the 6:30 p.m. pre-show talk on March 19 and March 22. Program and pre-show details plus video clips at the website. Music Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown; Wed.-Fri., March 18-20, 7:30 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., March 21, 2 & 7:30 p.m.; $34-$138. musiccenter.org. —Ann Haskins
thu 3/19
[Canceled]
FILM
Painting Madness
Paul McCarthy shambles through his bizarre 1991 film Bossy Burger like an out-of-control bear at a picnic or perhaps a besotted bull in a china shop. Wearing a rubber Alfred E. Neuman mask and a white, stained chef’s outfit, the longtime L.A. artist-provocateur draws a penis and other crude images, tears up the set and otherwise acts like a boorish saboteur in a glorious fuck you to the mainstream art establishment. McCarthy dons a clown nose and wields an oversize paintbrush in the similarly rude-hilarious 1995 film Painter as the artist indulges in a brilliant extended tantrum. This free screening also includes Heidi, a 1991 collaboration with the late Mike Kelley. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood; Thu., March 19, 7:30 p.m.; free. (310) 443-7000, hammer.ucla.edu. —Falling James
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