CINEMA
Newport Beach Film Festival
Apr. 26-May 3. Featuring over 400 films from 50 countries, the 13th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival allows a unique opportunity to view some of the finest films being made today and meet the directors, screenwriters and cinematographers behind them. Held in eight venues throughout the city, the festival features series such as the Environmental Film Series; Art, Architecture + Design Film Series; Family Film Series and for the first time ever, the Action Sports Film Series showcasing films celebrating athletes, visionaries, filmmakers, environmentalists, entrepreneurs and designers who have shaped the ever-evolving action sports culture. Consult the festival’s Website for show times and venues. newportbeachfilmfest.com
THEATER
Million Dollar Quartet
Through May 6. Million Dollar Quartet takes audiences back to December 4, 1956 when rock’n’roll icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins jammed in the recording studio for the first and only time. A fascinating tale of broken promises, secrets, betrayal and celebrations, the musical features rock classics such as “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Walk the Line,” and “Matchbox.” 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, 714.556.2787. scfta.org
Tickled Pink
Through May 20. Though Mindy Solomon left Miami for New York City to pursue a dancing career on Broadway, a sudden turn of events force her to rethink her grand plan. After spending many nights in the comedy club where her ex-boyfriend works, Mindy takes the mic and discovers her funny bone. Follow Mindy on her wild ride through the world of stand-up comedy, love, loss, friendship and forgiveness. Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, 949.497.2787. lagunaplayhouse.com
FOOD + DRINK
Artisan Food & Arts Festival
Apr. 28. Enjoy a day of arts activities and artisan cooking at the Orange County Great Park’s first ever Artisan Food & Arts Festival. Try your hand at baking bread, making jam and creating a more sustainable community during live demonstrations from celebrity chefs and local artisans. Favorite Orange County restaurants and gourmet food trucks such as Haven Gastropub, Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, The Lime Truck and Lola’s Ice Cream provide delicious food throughout the afternoon. Intersection of the I-5 and Sand Canyon Ave., 866.829.3829. ocgp.org
Taste of Huntington Beach
Apr. 29. Taste of Huntington Beach is a great opportunity to sample the delicious fare of local Huntington Beach eateries. Enjoy tastings of wine and beer from premium California wineries and craft breweries while listening to live entertainment all afternoon. Participating restaurants include The Corner, Slaters 50/50, Zimzala and Sandy’s Beach Grill. Bid on 70 decorative baskets filled with goods and services throughout Orange County in a silent auction benefitting the Huntington Beach Children’s Library. HB Sports Complex, 18100 Goldenwest St., Huntington Beach. tastehb.com
MUSIC
Nnenna Freelon & Earl Klugh
Apr. 27-28. Two of jazz music’s most phenomenal performers join forces for “An Intimate Evening” of jazz music. Earl Klugh, a virtuoso jazz guitarist, backs Grammy-nominated Nnenna Freelon’s sublime voice with his vocal-like string work to create a beautiful and unique sound. 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, 714.556.2787. scfta.org
Pacific Symphony featuring Karen Gomyo
Apr. 28. Violinist Karen Gomyo joins the Pacific Symphony for an exciting program featuring Beethoven’s Overture to Egmont, Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E Minor, Op. 64 and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64. Gomyo, who plays on a Stradivarus violin purchased for her exclusive use by a private sponsor, first caught public attention after winning the 1997 Young Concert Artists International Audtions at age 15. 1 University Drive, Aliso Viejo, 949.480.4000. performingarts.soka.edu
Long Beach Symphony Orchestra
Apr. 28. The Long Beach Symphony Orchestra performs “Suite for Double string Orchestra for Rancho Los Alamitos,” composed by three-time Pulitzer Prize-nominated composer Robert Cummings in honor of Rancho Los Alamitos. The piece serves as a prelude of sorts to the historical landmark’s grand opening of the new Rancho Center and restored Barns Area. The evening’s program also includes Brahms’ Hungarian Dance 5-7 and Symphony No. 3 as well as Dvorak’s Concerto for Violencello. 6400 E. Bixby Hill Road, Long Beach, 562.436.3203. lbso.org
DANCE
Kaba Modern LEGACY
Apr. 26. Kaba Modern LEGACY, one of California’s most cutting edge hip hop dance crews, brings its creative choreography to the Muckenthaler Cultural Center. Having risen to fame on the popular MTV show America’s Best Dance Crew, Kaba Modern LEGACY has toured with Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and Britney Spears and performed on Bravo’s Step It Up and Dance as well as Paula Abdul’s Live to Dance. 1201 W. Malvern Ave., Fullerton, 714.738.6595. themuck.org
ART
Victor Hugo Zayas: Mi Obra Lecture
Apr 29 Visit Laguna Art Museum for one last look at its current exhibitions The Postwar Era: From the Collection, 1945-1980 and Victor Hugo Zayas: Mi Obra. Guest curator and renowned speaker Gregorio Luke gives an insightful lecture Zayas’s gun sculpture series. Made from more than two tons of destroyed guns from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Gun Buyback Program, the thoughtful sculptures will be donated to the LAPD upon the exhibit’s closure. The Postwar Era: From the Collection, 1945-1980, which also closes this weekend, explores the explosion of artistic innovation and social change in post-World War II Southern California. 307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach, 949.494.8971. lagunaartmuseum.org