The List
A SELECTIVE PREVIEW OF UPCOMING EVENTS
By John Sollenberger 07/01/2011
SUMMER ENTERTAINMENT GETS HOT AT DESCANSO
July 5 — The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum performs Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at 5:30 p.m. as part of the Summer Family Series. Guests may bring picnics. Free with Descanso admission.
July 7 — The 10-week “Music on the Main” summer jazz series presents Gonzalo Bergara’s jazz with gypsy and tango influences at 5:30 p.m. The audience may picnic on the grounds. Free with Descanso admission.
July 12 — The Summer Family Series presents reggae-influenced tunes by the Aaron Nigel Trio at 5:30 p.m. Free with admission.
July 14 — Drummer Sammy Miller and his band perform danceable jazz and soul at 5:30 p.m.
July 19 — The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum pre-sents The Merry Wives of Windsor at 5:30 p.m. Free with admission. Guests may bring picnics.
July 21 — Mitchell Long and Café Atlantico perform Brazilian music at 5:30 p.m.
July 28 — At “Music on the Main,” bassist and vocalist Kristin Korb plays California cool jazz at 5:30 p.m.
Descanso Gardens is located at 1418 Descanso Dr., La Cañada Flintridge. Call (818) 949-4200 or visit descansogardens.org.
Soul, Samba, Surf Rock and Global Sounds at Levitt Pavilion
Through July — The Levitt Pavilion's eclectic Summer Concert Series is in full swing on Pasadena’s Memorial Park stage Wednesdays through Sundays. The free music and dance concerts start at 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Sundays and at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays until Aug. 28. Wednesdays feature children’s entertainment, from music to puppet shows. A few of this month’s highlights:
July 1 — Grammy Award–nominated percussionist Souhail Kaspar performs traditional Armenian music at 8 p.m.
July 8 — Sambadá fuses Brazilian funk, samba, reggae and surf rock, creating a beach party atmosphere, at 8 p.m.
July 13 — Pasadena’s Theatre 360 pre-sents a family-friendly version of the hit
musical Hairspray at 7 p.m.
July 14 — Salaam Ensemble aims to promote peace and coexistence through its performance of Middle Eastern music, at 8 p.m.
July 21 — Grammy Award–nominated singer/songwriter Ximena Sariñana plays pop rock with Mexican contemporary soul and folk artist Carla Morrison at 8 p.m.
July 23 — Singer/songwriter Bettye Lavette (pictured) performs classic soul, blues and rock at 8 p.m.
July 30 — Pasadena’s Lineage Dance Company performs Defining Moments, a joyful journey through life-changing interludes, with live music by soul singer Chris Pierce at 8 p.m. The Levitt Pavilion is located in Memorial Park, at Raymond Avenue and Holly Street, Pasadena. Call (626) 683-3230 or visit levittpavilionpasadena.org.
Arcadia Parade Takes Lead for Fourth Festivities
July 2 — “Arcadia’s Best Patriotic Festival,” a parade and street fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., offers an early start on Independence Day in the city’s downtown area, on First Avenue south of Huntington Drive. The parade, starting at 10 a.m., will include a dozen former Rose Parade queens who represented the city from the 1940s through the 2000s, plus a team of Clydesdale horses, the Arcadia Mounted Enforcement Team, a car show with classics and antiques, motorcycle units and more. A baby photo contest, performances by local bands and a song-and-dance group from Theaters of Vision Productions are all part of the free event.
Call (626) 538-5431 or visit arcadiasbestfoundation.org.
A Fiery Fourth at Rose Bowl
July 4— The Fourth of July means fireworks, food and fun at the Rose Bowl, site of “Americafest 2011,” Pasadena’s 85th annual Independence Day celebration. The event opens at 2 p.m. with the Family Fun Festival and Food Court in Rose Bowl Area H and continues until 9 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m., and the live show starts at 7 p.m., featuring the Jan & Dean Show with Dean Torrance plus Mariachi Divas, Drum Corps International with five top units performing, the Ives Brothers and an FMX motorcycle stunt show. At 9:05 p.m., Southern California’s biggest fireworks show explodes with a pyrotechnic display by PyroSpectaculars by Souza. Tickets cost $13, free for children 7 and under and for active-duty military personnel; they're on sale at the Rose Bowl ticket booth, Gate B. Parking, opening at 8 a.m., costs $20.
The Rose Bowl is located at 1001 Rose Bowl Dr., Pasadena. Call (626) 577-3101 or visit rosebowlstadium.com.
Sizzling Salsa, Smoking Guns at the Autry
The Autry National Center in Griffith Park offers “Sizzling Summer Nights,” a season of Thursday twilight dance parties with top L.A. salsa bands, food and drink, a separate children’s dance floor, dance lessons and fun. Dances run from 6 to 9 p.m.; the museum and store stay open until 8 p.m. for the festivities. This month's lineup:
July 7 — Octavio Figueroa and La Combinación Salsa Band open the series.
July 14 — Johnny Polanco y su Conjunto Amistad
July 21 — Orquesta Son Mayor
July 28 — Yari Moré y su Orquesta
Admission is free for Autry members and children under 3, $10 for adult non-
members, $6 for students and seniors, and $4 for children ages 3 to 12.
July 23 — A permanent gallery installation on “The Colt Revolver and the American West” opens in the Greg Martin Colt Gallery. The exhibition looks at the history of Samuel Colt’s revolutionary weapon and its impact on the American frontier and the contemporary West. A special section is devoted to the Colt Single Action Army Model Revolver, the so-called “handgun that won the West.” All the firearms featured are of historical significance, finely engraved and extremely rare, such as Theodore Roosevelt’s Single Action Army Model Revolver. A large array of Colt-related art and artifacts will be on display, including Samuel Colt’s first patent. The Autry National Center is located at 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park. Call (323) 667-200 or visit theautry.org.A Vermeer Comes to Visit
July 9 — Woman with a Lute, an oil painting by Johannes Vermeer on loan from the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, goes on display at the Norton Simon Museum. At 4 p.m., Walter Liedtke, the New York
museum's curator of European paintings, speaks on “Vermeer’s Women: Discreet Objects of Desire,” discussing the diverse women in Vermeer’s paintings and what they meant to him, as subjects in Dutch art and as reflections of his distinctive
approach to the visual experience.
The Norton Simon Museum is located at 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 449-6840 or visit nortonsimon.org.
Music and Discussion at the Huntington
July 9 and 10 — The Grammy Award– winning Southwest Chamber Music ensemble visits the Huntington Art Gallery's loggia at 7:30 p.m. This summer’s series is “Mozart and More,” a complete cycle of Mozart’s string quintets, plus works by living composers. Guests may bring a picnic or dine at the Rose Garden Tea Room. The concert costs $45 for loggia seating, $28 for lawn. Call (800) 726-7147 or visit swmusic.org.
July 10 — John Bidwell, Morgan Library and Museum curator of printed books and bindings, discusses “Early American Paper Mills: 500 and Still Counting,” drawing on his research into the nation’s paper mills from 1690 to 1832. He explores the history of the trade that provided an important source of cheap newsprint --- a vital aspect of book publishing in the early industrial era. The free lecture starts at 2 p.m. in Friends’ Hall. No reservations required.
July 21 — “An Evening with L.A. Opera: Music of the Regency” showcases company artists at 7 p.m. on the Art Gallery loggia. The performance is staged in conjunction with the “Revisiting the Regency” exhibition at the Huntington. Mary Robertson, exhibition curator, provides commentary on the works' historical context.
July 26 — Excerpts of Chinese Kun opera and conversation between impresario Peter Sellars and Kun opera star Hua Wenyi make for a special evening, exploring the art, expression and modern interpretation of the oldest and most refined form of Chinese opera. Admission to the 7:30 p.m. event is free, but reservations are required and can be made by visiting brownpapertickets.com or calling (800) 838-3006.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens is located at 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino. Call (626) 405-2100 or visit huntington.org.
A Watershed Anniversary
July 14 — The Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council, which works to improve water quality, monitors supply and leads efforts to end Southern California’s dependence on imported sources of water, celebrates its 15th anniversary with a fundraiser from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Metropolitan Water District Courtyard near downtown Los Angeles. Contributors toward an environmentally friendly future for the region will receive awards; the event will also honor Pasadena City College’s National Public Radio affiliate, KPCC-FM. The evening includes food, music, an auction and a historical re-enactment of career highlights of Southern California water pioneers like William Mulholland, architect of the California Aqueduct. Tickets cost $50.The Metropolitan Water District Courtyard is located at 700 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles, near Union Station, accessible by the Metro Gold Line. Call (213) 229-9945 or visit lasgrwc.org.
Join the Beasts, Hear the Beats
The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA) offers “Music in the L.A. Zoo” --- two nights of after-hours animal encounters against a backdrop of live music. The nonprofit GLAZA helps fund exhibits, plant and animal species conservation, capital projects and educational and community outreach programs. Food and beverages are available for purchase, and guests may bring picnics. The events run from 6 to 9 p.m., with animals on display until 8 p.m. Admission each night costs $17 for adults and $11 for children ages 6 to 15 ($13 for GLAZA members and $8 for their children).
July 15 — “Local Scene Night” offers
performances by some of L.A.’s top
indie bands.
July 28 — “Classic Rock Night” features cover bands playing music of icons like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin.
The Los Angeles Zoo is located at 5333 Zoo Dr., Griffith Park, Los Angeles. Call (323) 644-6042 or visit lazoo.org.
“Written in California” Series Closes at PMCA
July 21 — In the year’s last Pasadena Museum of California Art “Written in California” lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, Grace Krilanovich reads from her debut novel, The Orange Eats Creeps, a surreal coming-of-age horror story about teenage hobo vampires, heavy metal and punk rock. Galleries open at 6 p.m. Admission to the event and the museum are free.
The Pasadena Museum of California Art is located at 490 E. Union St., Pasadena. Call (626) 568-3665 or visit pmcaonline.org.
New Cirque Work Surveys Cinema
July 21 — Cirque du Soleil returns to the Kodak Theatre with its latest grand spectacle --- Iris: A Journey through the World of Cinema. The Quebec-based company’s circus theater production takes a lyrical, fanciful journey through the history of cinema in its various forms --- illustration, animation, silents and talkies, black-and-white and color. (“Iris” refers to the adjustable opening controlling the amount of light passing through a camera lens). The task is accomplished through acrobatics, dance, live video, filmed sequences and animation, using 72 performers, 200 costumes, 174 loudspeakers, more than 600 lighting features, 20 video projectors and 166,000 watts of sound. Philippe Decouflé, founder and artistic director of French dance troupe Compagnie DCA, wrote and directed the production. Grammy and Emmy Award–winner Danny Elfman composed the score. Performances begin at 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays through December. Tickets range from $43 to $253. The Kodak Theatre is located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Call (877) 943-IRIS or visit cirquedusoleil.com.“Heavier Than …” Remixes Myths at Boston Court
July 23 — The Main Stage at Boston Court Performing Arts Center opens a production of Heavier Than… by Steve Yockey (pictured). The play conflates several Greek myths, with action taking place in a labyrinth where Aster the Minotaur contemplates turning 30 in a world that sees him as a murderous oddity. He must deal with warriors out to kill him, a deceptively enticing chorus, a scheming sister and Icarus, a sexually obsessed boy with wings, all while longing to see his estranged mother. Dry wit, lyric text and legend combine to tell the story of the families we’d like to have, rather than the ones we actually have. Abigail Deser directs. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 21. Tickets cost $32; $27 for students and seniors.
Boston Court Performing Arts Center is located at 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena. Call (626) 683-6883 or visit bostoncourt.com
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