Rain Room
Through March 6. Random International’s Rain Room (2012), is an immersive environment of perpetually falling water that pauses wherever a human body is detected. The hugely popular installation—people waited hours to see it at New York’s MoMA and London’s Barbican Centre—allows visitors to experience the seemingly impossible: the ability to control rain. Founded in 2005, Random International is a studio using science and technology to challenge the human experience in a machine-led world. Capacity is limited. Reserve tickets are available online. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 323.857.6000. lacma.org
Hopscotch
Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 7-8 and 14-15. An audacious new operatic experience about a disappearance across time, takes place in a network of crisscrossing cars throughout the city. The work can be experienced in the intimacy of a car, with artists and audience members sharing a confined space, or for free at the Central Hub, a large outdoor pop-up structure at the Southern California Institute of Architecture. At the Hub, 24 journeys are live-streamed simultaneously to create a dizzying panorama of life in Los Angeles. The experience is a collaboration of the Industry and its artistic director Yuval Sharon with six L.A.-based composers, six writers, more than 100 artists, Sennheiser, Southern California Institute for Architecture and 5D Global Studio. (Departure points vary with the route.) Central Hub, 960 E. Third St., downtown. hopscotchopera.com
Ice at Santa Monica
Opening Nov. 1. Holiday spirit by the beach: an 8,000-square-foot outdoor skating rink in downtown Santa Monica. M-Th 2-10 pm; F 2 pm-midnight; Sa 10 am-midnight; Su 10 am-10 pm. Admission, including skate rental, $15. 1324 5th St., Santa Monica, 310.260.1199. downtownsm.com/ice
Kathy Griffin: Like a Boss
Nov. 4-7. Reality star, TV host and stand-up comedian Kathy Griffin takes over the Mark Taper Forum for four nights, bringing her quick wit and pull-no-punches comedy with her. Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.628.2772. centertheatregroup.org
Only in Hollywood Music + Arts Festival
Nov. 5-8. This neighborhood festival features live music and performances by established and up-and-coming Hollywood talent. Find a curated selection of acts and artistic expressions at top venues throughout the area, including Amoeba Music, Sassafras Saloon and the Fonda Theatre. See website for a full schedule and ticket prices. 323.463.6767. onlyinhollywood.org/festival
AFI Fest
Nov. 5–12. The American Film Institute’s annual film festival offers screenings and events at Dolby Theatre, TCL Chinese Theatre, TCL Chinese 6 Theatres at Hollywood & Highland Center, Egyptian Theatre and Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Tickets at afi.com/afifest or box office. Free. See website for fest-passes pricing. Hollywood & Highland Center, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323.856.7600. afi.com
Día de los Muertos Altars at Grand Park
Through Nov. 2. Grand Park expands the celebration and traditions of Día de los Muertos with multiple ways to experience and learn about the holiday. At the center of the festivities is the park’s presentation of more than 50 altars and art installations in honor of Día de los Muertos in partnership with Self-Help Graphics & Art. The altars, which remain in the park all week long, will focus on both traditional and contemporary topics and explore the connections between the holidays origins and the daily lives of Angelenos. Altar subjects range from personal stories that celebrate families and lost loved ones, to more contemporary expressions of current affairs and community challenges, such as gang violence, immigration reform and education. 200 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.972.8080. grandparkla.org
Kansas City Choir Boy
Through Nov. 8. Courtney Love stars as the lover-muse in this intimate musical, written by and co-starring Todd Almond. His character looks back at their time as small-town lovers before she moved on to bigger things. Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 213.628.2772. Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 213.628.2772. centertheatregroup.org
Holiday Ice Rink in Pershing Square
Nov. 12-Jan. 18. Skate among the skyscrapers at this pristine ice-skating rink, which materializes every holiday season at Pershing Square, in the heart of downtown L.A. See website for hours and skate-session schedule. $9, skate rental $4. 532 S. Olive St., downtown. holidayicerinkdowntownla.com
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
Nov. 13-22. The hit Broadway musical arrives in Hollywood for a limited run. Expect the animated film’s Academy Award-winning score, plus some additional songs to accompany Belle’s revelation that love is blind. Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323.468.1770. hollywoodpantages.com
Diem: Talks Design
Nov. 13. Fourth annual design symposium offers discussions, panels and more from leaders in the fields of design, decorative and fine arts, fashion and architecture. This year’s theme is “The Future Is Now.” See website for schedule and ticket information. 10 am-6 pm. Free. West Hollywood Design District showrooms located at the intersections of Robertson and Beverly boulevards and Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood. diemevent.com
Los Angeles Auto Show
Nov. 20-29. Debuts of production and concept vehicles from the world’s top automakers. Hours vary; visit laautoshow.com for details. $5-$15, under 6 free. Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St., downtown, 310.444.1850. laautoshow.com
CHILL
Nov. 20-Jan. 10. The Queen Mary’s adjacent dome is filled with 2 million pounds of ice for tubing, skating (in front of the ship) and more. Walk among 2.5-story-tall ice sculptures at a frigid 9 degrees. Hours vary; visit queenmary.com/chill for details. $24.99-$44.99. 1126 Queens Hwy., Long Beach, 877.342.0752. queenmary.com
Turkey Trot Los Angeles
Nov. 26. Spend Thanksgiving morning in downtown L.A., partaking in a scenic 5K or 10K route through the area’s historic streets. The race starts at City Hall and takes runners past Grand Park and Walt Disney Concert Hall. There is also a Widdle Wobble 1K for kids. Take a photo with the 20-foot-tall turkey at the finish line. Proceeds benefit charity Midnight Mission. 5K: 8 am; 10K 8:30 am; Wibble Wobble 10 am. $25-$70. 200 N. Spring St., downtown, 310.821.7898. turkeytrot.la
A World of Strangers: Crowds in American Art
Continuing. Crowds are the temporary groups that strangers form. They take shape at baseball games and in subway stations, at patriotic parades and in angry riots. Fickle and ephemeral, crowds can be joyous, destructive or somber. A World of Strangers: Crowds in American Art, a loan exhibition of about 20 works at the Huntington Art Gallery, explores how artists have variously represented these teeming and fluid masses from the early 20th century to today: as patterns of dots, for example, murky silhouettes and teeming, river-like currents of cars and machinery. Artists include George Bellows, Walker Evans, Armin Landeck, George Luks, Benton Murdoch Spruance and Weegee. 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, 626.405.2100. huntington.org
Life: A Journey Through Time
Through March 20. Acclaimed National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting made it his mission to interpret life on Earth from the Big Bang through the present. The result? An epic collection of more than 70 images accompanied by texts and stories about them now at the Annenberg Space for Photography. Also find a timeline of life on our planet as well as an original documentary short film and four short videos that explore the human connection to life around us. Annenberg Space for Photography, 2000 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, 213.403.3000. annenbergphotospace.org
Sinatra: An American Icon
Through Feb. 15. Celebrate 100 years of Frank Sinatra at The Grammy Museum. The official exhibit of the Frank Sinatra Centennial examines the Sinatra legacy from Hoboken, N.J., through superstardom, chronicling the rise of his music career, his Hollywood success, personal life and humanitarian work. See artifacts like a recreation of a Hoboken trolley car, similar to one Sinatra used to travel to Jersey City to see his idol, Bing Crosby; photos, family mementos, rare correspondence, personal items, artwork and recordings from the Sinatra family’s personal collection; an original Philco radio that plays an episode of Songs by Sinatra featuring Sinatra, Jane Powell and Irving Berlin; and more. You will also be able to step inside a recreation of the historic Studio A at the Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood as it was during one of Sinatra’s recordings sessions in the ’60s, and take control of the soundboard to “re-produce” the arrangement for one of his classic hits. Grammy Museum, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., downtown, 213.765.6800. grammymuseum.org
Moby-Dick
Through Nov. 28. Epic in every sense, Moby-Dick comes to Los Angeles after a series of triumphs around the world. In it, a fanatical sea captain’s unrelenting obsession drives his crew into the face of death and destruction as they search the vast oceans for a monster. Returning as Captain Ahab is the sensational Jay Hunter Morris. Based on Herman Melville’s classic novel, Jake Heggie’s sweeping, gorgeously detailed opera has taken its place as a contemporary masterpiece. “Sumptuous and stirring! Theatrically stunning,” enthused the San Francisco Chronicle. “An undeniable success,” opined the New York Times. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.972.0711. laopera.org
Carrie—The Killer Music Experience
Through Nov. 22. Theater fans are abuzz with the October premiere of a cult classic that’s being billed as “the immersive Carrie experience.” Carrie: The Killer Musical Experience takes the stage at the lavishly decorated 1931 Los Angeles Theatre on downtown’s Broadway, reimagines the supernatural 1976 horror film starring Sissy Spacek and drags audiences back to the high school prom. There will be blood. 615 S. Broadway, downtown. experiencecarrie.com
New Acquisitions Featuring the Kaufman Collection
Continuing. Focusing on recent gifts of mostly 20th century Western art to the Autry National Center of the American West, New Acquisitions Featuring the Kaufman Collection spotlights 60 paintings, sculptures and works on paper. Included are bronzes by Frederic Remington, Allan Houser and Tammy Garcia; paintings by Rick Bartow and Eanger Irving Couse; lithographs by Fritz Scholder; and watercolors by David Einstein. The exhibition, says Autry president and CEO W. Richard West Jr., “includes many perspectives, particularly with regard to how artists throughout history have romanticized and stereotyped Native peoples—and how contemporary Native artists are using art to regain control of their image.” 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, 323.667.2000. theautry.org