LA WeeklyFrom a festival and parade celebrating global cultures and a block party honoring the African diaspora, to the first Korean-American artist with a solo show at LACMA to a gallery highlighting the art made from recycled materials, to one of SNL's funniest stars and a very serious comedy competition, here are the 14 best things to do in Los Angeles this week!
sat 6/23
CULTURE/FOOD
From Every Corner of the World
Hollywood becomes the epicenter of multicultural marvels at the L.A. Culture Festival and Hollywood Carnival Parade, a soirée showcasing the cultures of the world with a display of native costumes, global arts and crafts, and music you never even knew existed until you stumbled upon a sensation like this. The parade starts at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Normandie Avenue, with parade participants dancing to every rhythm from soca to samba, reggae to reggaeton and Indian to East Indian. It ends at the Culture Village with libations, celebrations and good vibrations, including music by Jory Boy and Machel Montano. Carnival Culture Village, 6800 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Sat., June 23, parade 10 a.m., Village noon-9 p.m.; $15-$100. hollywoodcarnival.com. —David Cotner
ART/ENVIRONMENT
One Person's Trash Is Another Person's Art
Upcycle, recycle, salvage, adapt and reuse. These approaches to art, design, architecture and really just about everything speak to a zeitgeist of environmental awareness and an aesthetic of resourceful uniqueness. For Liz Gordon, owner of legendary vintage-fixtures mecca Liz's Antique Hardware, harvesting the treasures from what other people throw away is more than a job, it's a vocation. So a decade ago, she hosted the first annual “Diverted Destruction” exhibition in the art gallery above her store. Beyond the joy of eccentric creativity, “Diverted Destruction: The Human Condition” features a sociological overtone, as a diverse group of women artists were invited to interpret “The Human Condition” through the double history of themselves and their found raw materials. Loft at Liz's, 453 S. La Brea Ave., Mid-Wilshire; Sat., June 23, 7-10 p.m.; free. (323) 939-4403, theloftatlizs.com.—Shana Nys Dambrot
Korean Inspiration features the first solo show of a Korean-American at LACMA.; Credit: Courtesy MeeHee Hanbok
CULTURE
Breaking Barriers
Even Yongary, Monster From the Deep, couldn't resist this evening's cavalcade of Korean Inspiration: A Night of Art & Exploration, which aims to unveil all the best of what the Korean-American community has to offer Los Angeles. You'll get to take in Unexpected Light: Works by Young-Il Ahn, the first solo show by a Korean-American artist at LACMA, which coincidentally has one of the largest permanent collections of Korean art in the nation — but that's not all. Tea tastings! Korean ceramics! Art making! A mini-fashion show! Bibimbap and bulgogi! Complimentary Korean sweets! Soju! Not being in North Korea! Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire; Sat., June 23, 7-9 p.m.; free. (323) 857-6000, lacma.org/event/korean-inspiration. —David Cotner
sun 6/24
PERFORMANCE ART
Bittersweet Beauty
When L.A. performance art legend Ron Athey saw sword swallower/activist Missa Blue's piece Black Madonna, he started to think about how an Afrodeutsche sword swallower's expression of pain and sorrow might resonate backdropped by heart-searing vocals, specifically those of local queer Mexican performer San Cha. Then he thought about other talents he knew and how each could contrast and coalesce together in one piece. With help from Nacho Nava (Fingered, Mustache) he put together Dolores: Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, a sure-to-be-provocative, multifaceted performance extravaganza also featuring “torch-core” singer Little Annie, “Discostan” DJ Arshia Fatima Haq and movement performer Austyn Rich. With this astounding cast, expect the sorrow to be both bitter and sweet. Vortex, 2341 E. Olympic Blvd., downtown; Sun., June 24, 7-11 p.m.; $20. restlessnites.com/dolores. —Lina Lecaro
LITERATURE
Why Do People Pull the Trigger?
Why shooters shoot is the question at hand when author Daniel J. Patinkin discusses The Trigger: Narratives of the American Shooter ($25, Arcade). Much as some people aren't bad people but are instead bad at being people, these are not so much violent individuals as they are individuals doing violent things — with 15,000 gunshot deaths in 2017 alone. You'll hear about a kid who shot his way through a drug deal in South Carolina, a Tennessee teen who killed her abusive father as he slept, and an off-duty cop in Chicago trading fire with a gunman on the loose. Diesel Books, 225 26th St., Ste. #33, Brentwood; Sun., June 24, 3 p.m.; free. (310) 576-9960, dieselbookstore.com/event/sunday-june-24th-300pm-daniel-j-patinkin-discusses-and-signs-trigger. —David Cotner
Day of Ancestors: Festival of Masks; Credit: Courtesy L.A. Commons
CULTURE
Block Party
Leimert Park is one of the most vibrant, richly textured and historically artistic parts of L.A., and its recent high-profile resurgence as an appreciated gem of local culture is a joy to experience. Once a year, the exuberant creativity of this community comes together for a daylong festival of mask-making, music, dance, food, art and, above all, history, as a block party and procession honor the community's firmament of ancestors across the “global village” of the African diaspora. For the eighth Day of Ancestors: Festival of Masks, the organizers at L.A. Commons spotlight Brazil and its thriving ethnic and artistic heritage in the Leimert Park community. This year's theme is “Asuwada,” a Yoruba principle describing the energy created when a community unites with a positive intention in pursuit of a common goal for the greater good. We all could use some of that. Expect a truly immersive and evocative interdisciplinary experience. Leimert Park Village Plaza, 4337 Degnan Blvd., Leimert Park; Sun., June 24, noon-6 p.m.; free-$45. lacommons.org/fw-event-slug/2018-day-of-ancestors-festival-of-masks. —Shana Nys Dambrot
Michael Che; Credit: Dave Kotinsky
COMEDY
Laughing Matter
In his first Netflix stand-up special, 2016's Michael Che Matters, Michael Che riffed on everything from lesbian porn to gun control to racism. “Anytime a white guy asks me if he can say the 'n' word, it feels like an alcoholic asking me if he can have a sip of my drink,” he said. He also joked that though then-candidate Donald Trump would make a lousy president, he's still an amusing guy. “We all have that shitty, overly confident, quasi-racist friend, and we keep him around because he's funny as fuck.” Che has been performing stand-up for almost a decade and briefly worked as a correspondent on The Daily Show, but fans know him best as co-host of Saturday Night Live's “Weekend Update” with Colin Jost. The two are co-hosting the upcoming Emmys, which will be one of the biggest comedy events of the year. Fellow comedian Cipha Sounds opens this show. Ace Theater, 929 S. Broadway, downtown; Sun., June 24, 8 p.m.; $35-$45. (213) 623-3233, acehotel.com/calendar/losangeles/nederlander-concerts-present-michael-che. —Siran Babayan
MUSIC/FILM
Radical Punks
“People could not deal with these powerful women,” Big Audio Dynamite's Don Letts says about provocative British experimental band The Slits in the documentary Here to Be Heard: The Story of the Slits. Even among the early punk groups in London's late-'70s scene, The Slits were radical. They were among the first all-female English bands, and they were just as likely to mix elements of reggae, dub and art-rock into their playful but subversive punk songs. More than three decades after The Slits broke up, they are receiving overdue attention for their monumental historical impact through guitarist Viv Albertine's incisive memoirs and now this film by director William E. Badgley. With a live performance by The Slits' local musical heirs Ex-Stains (billed as their last) and a Q&A with Badgley and Ex-Stains singer Allison Wolfe, tonight's screening should be more than just a quaint nostalgia fest. Regent Theater, 448 S. Main St., downtown; Mon., June 25, 8 p.m.; $12.50. (323) 934-2944, spacelandpresents.com/event/1671102-here-be-heard-story-slits-los-angeles/. —Falling James
Reprise 2.0's Sweet Charity features Barrett Foa, left, Laura Bell Bundy and Jon Jon Briones.; Credit: Tom Drucker
tue 6/26
DANCE/MUSICAL
A Reprise of Reprise
Like a phoenix rising from its ashes, Reprise 2.0 reboots the popular showcase for classic Broadway musicals with the dance-drenched Sweet Charity. The series closed after financial difficulties several years ago, but original founder Marcia Seligson has returned to the helm, announcing a new season with three shows and attracting Tony Award–winning choreographer-director Kathleen Marshall to stage the opener. Having staged last summer's Mamma Mia at the Hollywood Bowl, Marshall knows how to maneuver a full onstage orchestra, professional performers and minimal sets (don't expect helicopters to fly in) that put the focus on the book by Neil Simon, music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Field and, yes, the dancing, choreographed by Marshall. UCLA's Freud Playhouse, Macgowan Hall, 245 Charles E. Young Drive E., Westwood; Wed.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sat. & Sun., 2 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; June 20-July 1; $75-$110, $30 students. reprise2.org. —Ann Haskins
wed 6/27
ARCHITECTURE
What Does the Future Hold for the Wilshire Corridor?
99% Preservation and 1% Densification: A Case for Urban Density along the Wilshire Corridor is the answer of architects Thom Mayne and Eui-Sung Yi of the Now Institute and Morphosis Architecture to the increasingly pressing dilemma of how to fit a projected 1.5 million people there by 2050. Solution: Build straight up. Also: How do you develop an “interconnected urban community” within that corridor? What about the effect of population growth on the traffic flow? Mark Gold, UCLA's associate vice chancellor of environment and sustainability, will be present to moderate the conversation and any subsequent questions. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood; Wed., June 27, 7:30 p.m.; free. (310) 443-7000, hammer.ucla.edu. —David Cotner
The Getty will be highlighting the work of a bevy of fashion photographers spanning several decades.; Credit: Neal Barr/Courtesy the Getty
PHOTOGRAPHY
Fashion Through the Camera's Lens
Fashion photography isn't just about selling clothes and pretty faces. The Getty Museum's latest exhibit, “Icons of Style: A Century of Fashion Photography, 1911-2011,” is an artistic survey of the genre's evolution from commercial medium to highbrow study, from magazines to online. The collection's timeline runs through all the key moments of both fashion and history: the Great Depression, WWII, Hollywood's Golden Age, the sexual revolution, ready-to-wear, supermodels, grunge and social media. And the more than 160 images on display — as well as costumes, illustrations, magazine covers, videos and ad campaigns — were taken by iconic names like Man Ray, Edward Steichen, Irving Penn, Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon, Herb Ritts and Peter Lindbergh, in addition to lesser-known photographers, such as Inez & Vinoodh. Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood; Wed., June 26, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; runs thru Oct. 21.; free. (310) 440-7300, getty.edu. —Siran Babayan
Only one team will emerge holding the Meaningless Cup at the ComedySportz World Championship.; Credit: Blake Gardner
thu 6/28
comedy
Comedy Taken Seriously
ComedySportz Los Angeles turns 30 this year and hosts the ComedySportz World Championship for the first time since 2005. Though you won't find any overpaid athletes or real violence here, the improv comedy competition takes its sports-like rules very seriously: There's a referee, Astroturf, team uniforms and the national anthem. And if the contestants use profanity, they're forced to wear paper bags over their heads. Twenty-five improv teams from all over the country, as well as Manchester, England, perform sets based on suggestions from the audience, which determines the winners. The daily matches all lead up to the last two teams in the final round on Saturday. The prize? Bragging rights and a trophy they call “the Meaningless Cup.” El Portal Theater, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood; Thu., June 28, 7 & 9:30 p.m.; Fri., June 29, 7:30 & 10 p.m.; Sat., June 30, 5, 7:30 & 10 p.m.; $15-$20. (818) 508-4200, cszla.com. —Siran Babayan
ART
An Air of Surrealism
In furtherance of its ambition to be a truly relevant bicoastal cultural hub, NeueHouse Hollywood increasingly hosts free public programs and exhibitions open to non-members. “The Color of Air” features new work by New York–based photographer and former Condé Nast director of photography Dora Somosi in her first Los Angeles exhibition. With examples of architecturally inspired works from Mexico City, environmental marine landscapes and floral interpretations, the program is a survey of Somosi's penchant for dreamy, saturated palettes, digital mediation, fantasy and abstraction in surreal and mysterious photographs. NeueHouse Hollywood, 6121 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood; Thu., June 28, 6 p.m.; through Sept. 30; free (RSVP required). rsvp.neuehouse.com/doras. —Shana Nys Dambrot
OPERA
Father-Daughter Time
Gioachino Rossini wrote some of the most memorable works in the opera canon, including The Barber of Seville and Guillaume Tell. But Pacific Opera Project's new production of La gazzetta (The Newspaper) marks only the second time the composer's 1816 opera buffa has been performed in North America. Giuseppe Palomba's libretto centers on a pompous father (E. Scott Levin) who humiliates his daughter (Rachel Policar) by placing ads seeking a husband for her in the newspapers of every town they visit. Expect plenty of POP's trademark mix of high-level slapstick and glorious vocalizing in this presentation from music director Brooke deRosa. Highland Park Ebell Club, 131 S. Avenue 57, Highland Park; Thu., June 28, 8 p.m.; through July 6; $15-$140. (323) 739-6122, pacificoperaproject.com. —Falling James
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