Weekend Roundup

Find the best Los Angeles things to do for the weekend of 5.18.12

MUSIC + DANCE
Saturdays Off The 405: Dum Dum Girls
May 19. Enjoy outdoor music and evening views of the city along with summer exhibitions in a casual and spontaneous atmosphere. Kicking off the 2012 Saturdays Off the 405 series are the pop-rock darlings the Dum Dum Girls. Also performing: DJ Neil Schield, owner of Origami Vinyl spins from his impressive record collection. While you’re up there, check out the Spotlight After Dark Tours in the Herb Ritts: L.A. Style galleries. 6-9 p.m. 1200 Getty Center Drive, L.A., 310.440.7300. getty.edu

 

Through the Mic at LACMA
May 17. To kick off the series Through the Mic, 3MG reunites for their first performance together in more than five years. 3MG’s Murs, Eligh, and Scarub met as students at Los Angeles’s Hamilton High and released Gypsy’s Luck before joining forces with The Mystik Journeymen and The Grouch to form The Living Legends. 3MG went back to the studio in 2005 to record Grand Caravan to the End of the World and have since been on hiatus to work on solo projects. The local trio returns to the stage less than four miles from where it all began. KCRW DJ Dan Wilcox opens. Series continues Jun. 21, with Dumbfoundead with Medusa and Gizzle. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 323.857.6000. lacma.org

 

Plants and Animals
May 19. Plants and Animals’ latest release, The End of That, is palatable in both its slack-jawed poetry and innovative indie rock riffs. The album offers familiar paeans to lost youth, broken hearts and the desire to make art out your ashes. It’s some heady stuff on the page, but the music never gets bogged down in the slightest. “Well holy matrimony! / Everyone is gettin’ married or breaking up / And the stroller situation on the sidewalk is way out of control!” Kicks off the third track Crisis! a toe-tapper of life’s myriad contradictions. Their sound lands somewhere between The Rolling Stones’ Let It Bleed and Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Fox Trot. Think those are some big shoes to fill? Better catch them while you can in a small venue like The Satellite. $10-$12. 1717 Silverlake Blvd., Silver Lake. thesatellitela.com

 

Mozart / da Ponte Trilogy: Don Giovanni
May 18, 20, 24, 26. Gustavo Dudamel leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the first installment of a three-year Mozart/Da Ponte opera project at downtown’s Walt Disney Concert Hall. Its production team includes architect Frank Gehry and couture designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown, 323.850.2000. laphil.com

 

LA Boheme
May 20. LA Opera presents Giacomo Puccini’s classic love story about four young artists living in poverty together in a Paris garret, circa 1830. The production stars Ailyn Pérez and Stephen Costello-married in real life—as young lovers Mimi and Rodolfo. 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.972.8001. laopera.com

 

 

Music Center
May 18-19. Start your weekend with live bands and DJs on downtown’s only open air dance floor at 80s night. Then continue on Saturday at a free performance and art-making workshop series that celebrates artistic traditions from around the globe. experience native Hawaiian dance and music by Halau O’ Keikiali i. Featuring dance and music linked to ancestral heritage, the company dazzles audiences with authentic footwork and mesmerizing melodies in this celebration of Hawaiian culture. 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown. musiccenter.org

 

EVENTS
Amgen Tour of California’s “Nissan Ride Before the Pros”
May 20. For the first time in the Amgen Tour of California’s history, cycling fans and enthusiasts have the opportunity to participate in the Amgen Tour of California by riding on the actual race course just prior to the eighth and final stage of the 750-mile, Tour de France-style competition. The ‘Nissan Ride Before the Pros’ event taking place in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday May 20, 2012 from 8-9:30 a.m., allows cyclists of all levels to ride on a 5-mile, closed-circuit course that will be part of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California’s eighth and final stage taking place that same day. Free to participants of all experience levels, the ‘Nissan Ride Before the Pros’ begins and ends at the official finish line where the professional riders competing in the 2012 Amgen Tour of California will cross to complete the 42.6-mile stage they started in Beverly Hills on Rodeo Drive earlier in the day. You must register prior to the event on the Amgen Tour of California website at amgentourofcalifornia.com/nissan. Participants must be over the age of 18 or receive permission from a parent or legal guardian.

 

Bug Fair
May 19-20. Cradle a bug or two in your palms and learn about the homes and habits of a wide variety of roaming insects from Entomology Curator Dr. Brian Brown (one of the Museum’s fly experts). Experts will also be on hand to answer bug-related questions. Also find exhibitors, displaying everything from live specimens to bug-related products, such as honey, silk, and wax as well as bug-inspired artwork. 900 Exposition Blvd., downtown, 213.763.3466. nhm.org

 

Hudson Block Party
May 20. White Rabbits top off a stellar lineup of 25 bands and DJs showcased at the second annual block party. Other highlights include four full bars, 30 vendors and lots of eats from The Hudson and The Churchill. $10/before 2 p.m.; $15 after. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. 1114 North Crescent Heights Blvd., West Hollywood. on.fb.me/KmvLOT

 

Santa Monica Festival
May 19. 21st annual festival features highlights including performances by Dustbowl Revival, La Santa Cecilia, Lux Aeterna and Vaud and The Villains, fitness classes, eco-friendly workshops and a Santa Monica Farmers Market “Chef Challenge” cooking competition. Other offerings include a culinary stage with cooking demos; more than a dozen food trucks; market place and eco zone. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Clover Park, 2600 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica. smgov.net/festival

 

Venice Art Walk & Auctions
May 19-20. The self-proclaimed “original L.A.-area art walk” celebrates creativity with studio and artist-in-residence tours, gallery shows, art auctions, artist meet-and-greets and live entertainment. Proceeds benefit the Venice Family Clinic. May 19, 6 pm. Artist studio (noon–3 pm), architecture tours (noon–4 pm), and silent auction and post-party (3–7 pm): May 20. $50–$125. theveniceartwalk.org

 

Apt2B Pop-Up Shop
Through May 31. Your favorite one-stop online furniture, design and housewares store celebrates their first anniversary with a pop-up shop at Alpha. This is the first time you’ll be able to see things in person that have only ever been featured online. On May 19, Broke Girl’s Guide will be hosting an afternoon of shopping, discounts, and light bites; in addition to that mobile shops: Le Fashion Truck, Bath Petals and B Sweek Mobile will be parked outside. Stop by for exclusive in-store specials and to get dibs on several new furniture pieces and other additions to the Apt2B brand. Apt2B also offers their virtual online happy hour in the pop-up space every friday from 3-7 p.m. 8654 Melrose Ave., L.A. Apt2B.com

 

ART
Rebel
Through Jun. 23. Exhibition—conceived by James Franco to embrace and mine the main themes and events in the original Rebel Without A Cause—reinterprets the film’s legends, people behind-the-scenes footage and more, in a new, unconventional presentation of film, video installation, photography, painting, drawing, and sculpture. The exhibition is housed in and framed by iconic, Hollywood structures. Tues.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 941 North Highland Ave., Hollywood. moca.org

 

EAT | DRINK
Smog City at The Triple
May 21. To celebrate the culmination of American Craft Beer Week, Tustin, CA-based craft brewery Smog City Brewery and The Tripel team up for a night of big brews and fantastic food. The evening kicks off with a cocktail beer hour, followed by a special four-course tasting menu featuring highlights like beet pasta with wild boar ragout, black bread with rabbit and more. Each course will be paired with a limited edition Smog City beer. $65/pp. 6:30-9 p.m. 333 Culver Blvd., Playa del Rey, 310.821.0333. thetripel.com

 

Sunday Roasts at Hotel Bel-Air
The Bar at Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air serves up Sunday Roasts that highlight the best California produce in a casual setting. The rotating menu features items such as Whole Roasted Jidori Chicken with rosemary natural jus, smoked potato puree and wild field mushrooms; Prime Rib with goat cheese potato gratin, horseradish and rosemary jus; Slow Braised Short Ribs with Yukon gold potato puree, horseradish and fuji apple compote; and Fried Buttermilk-Marinated Jidori Chicken with coleslaw and creamed summer corn. 11 a.m.-2 a.m.. Reservations not required. 701 Stone Canyon Rd., Bel Air, 310.909.1644. hotelbelair.com

 

Dominick’s Crawfish Boil
Saturdays in May. Celebrated West Hollywood Italian eatery Dominick’s brings back a festive local favorite: its annual crawfish boils. Drawing upon his New Orleans heritage, chef Brandon Boudet takes over the eatery’s patio on Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. to boil 300 pounds of Louisiana crawfish. In addition to the crawfish, available for $10.99 per pound, diners can enjoy a selection of Boudet’s Big Easy-inspired dishes, including Po’ Boy sub sandwiches, Creole boiled artichokes with remoulade and Dominick’s Dago red and white wines by the bottle. For dessert, the chef offers New Orleans Sno Balls—snow cones drizzled with house-made syrups—in multiple flavors, served with an optional shot of Old New Orleans spiced rum. Space is limited; reservations for the crawfish boils are recommended. 8715 Beverly Blvd., L.A., 310.652.2335. dominicksrestaurant.com

 

THEATER
Follies
Through Jun. 9. A 28-piece orchestra and a cast of 41 bring to life the Broadway production about two couples remembering their past and facing the harsher realities of the present. The show is at the Ahmanson Theatre downtown for a six-week run. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.628.2772. centertheatregroup.org

 

The Heiress
Through May 20. Catherine Sloper, who stands to inherit a fortune from her ailing physician father, is a plain-looking young woman living under his malevolent scrutiny, as well as his well-meaning but cold-hearted demeanor. Dr. Sloper disapproves of Catherine’s passionate suitor Morris Townsend, certain that the penniless young man has proposed marriage to win Catherine’s inheritance. Catherine’s too much in love to consider this potential betrayal. Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, 626.356.7529. Click here: pasadenaplayhouse.org to use code HEPC10 for 10% off tickets.

 

The Convert
Through May 19. he Center Theatre Group commissioned Obie Award-winning playwright Danai Gurira to write this powerful new play about a teenage girl in colonial southern Africa torn between family and faith. Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 213.628.2772. centertheatregroup.org

 

 

The Bungler
Through May 27. The Bungler is comic genius. Moliere’s first romp written in verse, and one of the greatest hits of his lifetime. This rarely produced gem is a non-stop cavalcade of wily servants, dim-witted young lovers and avaricious old men on a bumbling, tumbling, tackling, wild and woolly ride. A Noise Within, 3352 East Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, 626.356.3100 x1. ANoiseWithin.org