Los Angeles

Weekend roundup

LA Weekend Events Roundup Jan. 12-15

Find the best Los Angeles things to do for Jan. 12-15

Edited by Christina Xenos


Winter dineLAEVENTS
Winter dineL.A.
Jan. 13-27. More than 300 of the county’s top restaurants offer specially priced menus for lunch and dinner. Discover new restaurants like Geoffrey Zakarian’s Georgie, Plan Do See’s Paley and Tony Esnault’s Spring, or revisit notable favorites like Lucques and CUT. You can also splurge on fine dining with dineL.A.’s exclusive series at Providence, Melissé and Patina. See website for all participating eateries. Lunch menus are $15, $20 and $25, with dinner menus priced at $29, $39 and $49, or beginning at $95 for the exclusive series. discoverlosangeles.com

 

 

L.A. Art ShowL.A. Art Show
Jan. 11-15. At one of the nation’s largest international art fairs, the downtown Los Angeles Convention Center transforms its West Hall into a public showcase of paintings, sculptures, photographs, videos and installations, displayed by more than 100 galleries hailing from as far off as China. The focus is on postwar modern and contemporary artworks, and this year also launches Roots, a curated display of 18th century European, contemporary realism, California Plein Air and Hudson River School paintings from historical dealers of the old Los Angeles Fine Art Show. One-day pass $30; four-day $60. Receive a $5 discount by booking online. (Photo courtesy of Eckert Fine Art.) 1201 S. Figueroa St., downtown, 310.822.9145. laartshow.com

 

 

Photo L.A.Photo L.A.
Jan. 12-15. For 26 years, photography enthusiasts and serious collectors have converged at the international art exposition—the city’s longest-running art fair—held at downtown’s Reef/LA Mart. This year’s highlights include a travel-photography workshop led by Mark Edward Harris and a curated display of images by Life magazine photographer Grey Villet featuring Richard and Mildred Loving, subjects of Jeff Nichols’ new film, Loving. This year’s fair coincides with the first four days of Month of Photography Los Angeles and kicks off Converge: 11 Days of Featured Photographic Programming, an initiative of Photo L.A. and the Lucie Foundation. Three-day Photo L.A. pass $40, seniors and students $35. Purchase tickets in advance for a $10 discount. (Photo ©Grey Villet.) 1933 S. Broadway, downtown, 323.965.1000. photola.com

 

 

TorukCirque du Soleil Toruk—The First Flight
Jan. 12-15. The new Cirque du Soleil touring show is inspired by James Cameron’s movie Avatar. Set thousands of years before Avatar, the show transports audiences to the world of Pandora through cutting-edge visuals, puppetry and stagecraft and a soaring cinematic score. The immersive experience is an ode to the Na’vis’ symbiotic coexistence with nature and their belief in the interconnectedness of all living things. When a natural catastrophe threatens to destroy the sacred Tree of Souls, two Omaticaya boys fearlessly take matters into their own hands. (Photo by Jesse Faatz.) The Forum, 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood, 310.330.7300. cirquedusoleil.com

 

 

The Bad PlusThe Bad Plus
Jan. 15. A dynamic and idiosyncratic jazz trio without frontiers, The Bad Plus delves deep into thoughtful exploration with every live performance. $45. (Photo by Jay Fram.) The Broad Stage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica, 310.434.3200. thebroadstage.com

 

 

Where Is Rocky II?Where Is Rocky II?
Jan. 13. From Academy Award winner Pierre Bismuth (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) comes this inventive documentary-comedy-mystery hybrid, which follows the hunt for a fake rock that artist Ed Ruscha made and hid in the Mojave Desert back in 1979. The film features Ruscha, screenwriters D.V. DeVincentis, Anthony Peckham and Mike White, actors Robert Knepper and Milo Ventimiglia and detective Michael Scott. After the screening, stick around for a Q&A with the filmmaker and cast. Free; sold out, standby line forms at 7 p.m. outside the Bing Center building. (Photo courtesy Where Is Rocky II?) 7:30 p.m. Bing Theater, LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 323.857.6000, lacma.org

 

 

The Peppermint ClubNIGHTLIFE
The Peppermint Club
The new ’60s-inspired live music lounge is a partnership between The h.wood Group and Interscope Records. The setting feels like hanging out in a VIP penthouse with soft, lush materials, luxury furniture and high end finishes filling out the 2,000 square-foot space. Come for live music from a variety of different talents, from emerging artists to A-listers. Also enjoy craft cocktails and noshes like panini sandwiches and other finger foods. Guest list only. (Photo by Elizabeth Daniels.) 8713 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood. hwoodgroup.com

 

 

Drago RistoranteFOOD + DRINK
Drago Ristorante
Fast cars and Italian food go hand-in-hand, especially at new Drago Ristorante onsite at the Petersen Automotive Museum. The dining destination is a collaboration between brothers Celestino, Calogero, Tanino and Giacomino Drago. Go for housemade pastas, wood-fired pizzas, an innovative assortment of Italian entrees, artisanal breads and pastries from Drago’s Dolce Forno bakery and produce from Drago Farms in Santa Ynez—basically, the best of the Drago concepts in one space. Highlights of the menu include Aragosta Panzanella with spelt, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and lobster; Pappardelle con Pagiano e Morelle, wide-cut housemade fettuccine, pheasant and morel mushroom sauce; and Lombata di Vitello, a pan-roasted veal chop with truffle potato puree and roasted mushrooms. Felderman Keatinge + Associates designed the dining room, which blends seamlessly with the museum lobby and boasts rugged design elements of blackened steel and hammered copper with refined finishes incorporating curves and fluid lines. Lunch and dinner daily. 6060 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.,323.800.2244. dragoristorante.com

 

 

The Mar VistaThe Mar Vista
Pioneering its namesake neighborhood restaurant scene, The Mar Vista offers progressive Los Angeles cuisine inspired by the city’s diverse communities. Indulge in daily specials, a Brazilian churrasco and granita made tableside. Signature dishes include ceviche of Peruvian bay scallops with aji amarillo and Fresno chili; black barley hot pot with shiitake mushrooms, rapini and arbol chilies; and lamb churrasco with curried couscous, crispy kale and mint chimichurri. The restaurant also offers live music on Fridays and Saturdays beginning at 10 p.m., accompanied by a late-night menu. Dinner nightly from 5:30 p.m. 12249 Venice Blvd., L.A., 310.751.6773. themarvista.com

 

 

FrankieLucy bakeshopFrankieLucy Bakeshop
Opens Jan. 14. The new Silver Lake cafe blends the passions of proprietors Kristine de la Cruz (Crème Caramel LA) and Annie Choi (Found Coffee)—custard and coffee. Stop by the modern airy space for sweet and savory custards, traditional and whimsical confections, craft coffee and specialty beverages. On opening day the cafe offers $1 coffees and complimentary pavlovas starting at noon until supplies last. 3116 1/2 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A., 323.285.1458. frankielucybakeshop.com

 

 

Diamonds nhmMUSEUMS
Diamonds: Rare Brilliance
Through March 19. Get your bling on. The U.S. debut of the gemstone exhibition at the Natural History Museum features a stunning 30+ carat Juliet Pink diamond, an exceptionally rare Argyle Violet diamond and other outstanding gems. Diamonds brings to light the rare properties of colored gemstones, the science behind natural colored diamonds and how the interplay of light and chemistry gives diamonds color. 900 Exposition Blvd., downtown, 213.763.3466. nhm.org

 

 

Picasso and Rivera: Conversations Across TimePicasso and Rivera: Conversations Across Time
Through May 7. See more than 100 paintings, etchings and watercolors by artistic giants Pablo Picasso and Diego Rivera at this new exhibition presented by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art with Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. The exhibit examines how both artists evolved from their classical training into modernism, with one of the galleries featuring works they created while living in Paris where they became participants of the avant-garde movement. LACMA presents their works in dialog with with dozens of ancient Greco-Roman, Iberian and Aztec objects to explore how the artists were influenced by antiquity. See paintings like Picasso’s first monumental neoclassical painting, Three Women at the Spring (1921) and Rivera’s Cubist Composition: Still Life with Bottle of Anis and Inkwell (1914-15), a painting owned by Picasso and never before displayed publicly. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 323.857.6000. lacma.org

 

 

Bakersfield MistTHEATER
Bakersfield Mist
Through Feb. 26. Jenny O’Hara and Nick Ullett reprise the roles they created in Stephen Sachs’ hit comedy, which premiered at the Fountain Theatre and went to London’s West End and around the world. Maude Gutman, an unemployed, chain-smoking ex-bartender living in a run down California trailer park, believes the painting she bought in a thrift store for $3 is really an undiscovered masterpiece worth millions. When stuffy New York art expert Lionel Percy arrives to evaluate the work, the result is a fiery and often hilarious debate over class, truth, value and the meaning of art. Inspired by true events. $15–$35. (Photo by Ed Krieger.) The Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., L.A., 323.663.1525. fountaintheatre.com

 

 

The LionThe Lion
Through Feb. 19. The Drama Desk Award-winning piece written and performed by Benjamin Scheuer, has redefined the genre of musical theater. Scheuer tells, sings, and plays the turbulent story of his family and his own brush with mortality, with his supporting cast of six guitars. $60. (Photo by Matthew Murphy.) Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., L.A., 310.208.5454. geffenplayhouse.com

 

 

The King and IRodgers & Hammerstein’s The King and I
Through Jan. 21. Set in 1860s Bangkok, this musical tells the story of the relationship between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher. It also features classic songs like “Getting to Know You” and “I Whistle a Happy Tune.” Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323.468.1770. hollywoodpantages.com

 

 

AmelieAmelie, A New Musical
Through Jan. 14. This mesmerizing new musical is based on the beloved Oscar-nominated French film of the same name. Hamilton’s Phillipa Soo stars as the quirky Amélie in this pre-Broadway production. Pre- or post-show, keep the Parisian theme by dining on French favorites from Kendall’s Brasserie and Bar, on-site at the Music Center. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.628.2772. centertheatregroup.org

 

 

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