ART
Ansel Adams Los Angeles
Feb. 18-Mar. 17. Known most prominently for capturing the beauty of the American West, photographer Ansel Adams also had other assignments. While he was working as a photojournalist for Fortune Magazine in 1940 he photographed the lost landscape and lifestyle of a prewar Los Angeles. More than 200 rarely seen images from the archives of the Los Angeles Public Library Ansel Adams Collection are now on view at Drkrm downtown. 727 S Spring St., downtown, 323.271.5635. www.drkrm.com
Ming Wong: Making Chinatown
Through Apr. 1. For his first solo exhibition in Los Angeles, Berlin-based Singaporean artist Ming Wong creates a series of videos and scenic backdrops that center around the making of Roman Polanski’s seminal 1974 film Chinatown. Shot on location in the Gallery at REDCAT, Wong’s reinterpretation, Making Chinatown, transforms the exhibition space into a studio backlot and examines the original film’s constructions of language, performance and identity. REDCAT | Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater, 631 West 2nd St., downtown, 213.237.2800. www.redcat.org
EVENTS
Winter ColLAboration
Feb. 26. The mobile craft beer garden (from the brains behind Tony’s Darts Away, Mohawk Bend, Golden Road Brewing, Verdugo Bar, Surly Goat, Blue Palms and 38 Degrees) emerges this Sunday at downtown’s Belasco Theater. Indulge in beer from Anchor Steam, Avery, Bootleggers, Bruery, Beachwood, Cismontane, Dogfish Head , Eagle Rock Brewery, Eel River, Firestone Walker, Hangar 24, Golden Road Brewing, Lost Abbey, New Belgium, Oskar Blues, Pliny the Younger, Russian River, Sierra Nevada, Smog City, Stone, TAPS and many more. Food is also available onsite. noon-5 p.m. The Belasco Theater, 1050 S. Hill Street, downtown, 213.746.5670. www.collaboration.la
Andy Borowitz with Patton Oswalt
Feb. 28. Perhaps one of the most important reporters on the election beat today, journalist and satirist Andy Borowitz (who the CBS News Sunday Morning says that Andy’s “one of the funniest people in America.”) distills the truth from the big story, and presents it to the American public in a way that the candidates can’t: truthfully. Borowitz talks politics and humor with comedian, author and actor Patton Oswalt– a stand-up comedian who has appeared in many of his own specials on HBO, Showtime and Comedy Central. $20. Saban Theater, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. www.brownpapertickets.com
Seth Rudetsky’s Deconstructing Broadway
Feb. 23. Enjoy a night of musical theatre, stand-up comedy, as Seth Rudetsky offers his insightful, affectionate and hysterical take on some of your favorite musical theatre moments. Best known to Los Angeles audiences as host of “Seth Speaks” on Sirius/XM radio, Rudetsky’s career has included performing in Broadway shows, playing piano in more than a dozen hit shows and more. $50. Freud Playhouse at UCLA, Westwood, 310.825.2101. www.reprise.org
Cirque du Soleil’s Ovo
Through Mar. 25. A blue-and-yellow “grand chapiteau” adjacent to Santa Monica Pier hosts Ovo. Meaning “egg” in Portuguese, Ovo delves into the insect ecosystem with 55 performers and a riot of colorful, evocative costumes. The main act, a trapeze stunt, features six “flyers,” and the finale features “20 artists running, jumping and leaping up against a 24-foot vertical wall.” Santa Monica Pier, 200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica. cirquedusoleil.com/ovo
MUSIC
Los Lonely Boys
Feb. 25. On the heels of their latest album release, Los Lonely Boys brings their pop-lyrical charm and grooves to The Broad Stage. Rockpango, a Spanglish term coined by the Tex-Mex triumvirate, is the band’s fourth studio album and embraces the spirit and sound of infectious Latin rhythms. An ode to fandango and huapango, Rockpangois the ultimate celebratory fiesta rock. 1310 11th St, Santa Monica, 310.434.3200. thebroadstage.com
Le Salon de Musiques
Feb. 26. Concert features Poulenc Flute Sonata with Piano, Arnold Bax Elegiac Trio for Flute, Harp and Viola and Faure Piano Quartet N.1 In C Minor Opus 15. Musicians are Steven Vanhauwaert on piano, Marcia Dickstein on harp, Pamela Vliek on flute, Tereza Stanislav on violin, Victoria Miskolczy on viola and John Walz on cello. This performance is accompanied by Champagne, food by Patina and informal conversation introduced by musicologist Julius Reder Carlson. $65/$45 students. 4-6 p.m. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 310.498.0257. www.lesalondemusiques.com
EAT | DRINK
3rd Street Station
Taking inspiration from nostalgic European train station cafes, 3rd Street Station, West 3rd Street’s newest gastropub, blends a menu of small plates with imported European draft beers, wine, curated cocktail selections and made-to-order coffee and espresso. Stop by for lunch, dinner or a late night snack and savor selections such as croque madame, wild rabbit cassoulet, pork belly panini, duck fat fries and more. 11-2 a.m. daily. 8486 W. 3rd, St., L.A., 323.782.8466. www.3rdstreetstationla.com
Summerland Winery Dinner at Napa Valley Grille
Feb. 24. Dine on an exclusive, five-course wine pairing dinner celebrating the assorted regional flavor profiles of the Central Coast produced at Summerland Winery. New executive chef Taylor Boudreaux (Wolfgang Puck Worldwide) and pastry chef Manuel Ortega have created a menu complementing the carefully curated wine selections. Sip an ’08 Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir paired with crispy duck breast and Chanterelles; ’09 Santa Ynez Valley Syrah matched to an oven-roasted venison chop with seared Foie Gras, and a Truffled Syrah Reduction, and more. $75/pp. 6:30 p.m. 1100 Glendon Ave., Westwood, 310.824.3322. www.napavalleygrille.com
Morso della Bestia at Locanda del Lago
Feb. 23. At Locanda del Lago’s monthly whole animal dinner, dine on a Northern Italian-inspired menu of Muscovy duck selections. Highlights of the five courses include housemade duck pâté with pink lady apple-mustard compote; suck and faro soup; housemade duck ravioli; roasted duck breast with espresso sauce and more. $54/pp. 231 Arizona Ave., Santa Monica, 310.451.3525. www.LagoSantaMonica.com
Oyster Fair at Chaya Venice
Feb. 16-Mar. 3. Located just steps from the California coast, Chaya Venice features its Oyster Fair menu and ode to the sea. The menu features hot and cold dishes, highlights of which include Angus beef tartare with fried oyster and sweet potato chips; oyster and citrus-cured salmon chowder with Tokyo winter Japanese leeks; striped bass and oyster papillote, leeks, shitake mushroom, black truffle, and vin blanc sauce. Oyster Fair menu is served during dinner, along with the regular menu. Chaya Venice, 110 Navy St., Venice, 310.396.1179. www.thechaya.com/venice
Pacific Standard Time: Art as an Appetizer
Through March 31. Dubbed the only event where you can literally eat Pacific Standard Time, Art as an Appetizer is a collaboration with chef John Sedlar, artist Ron Cooper, and mixologist Julian Cox who worked together to create a one-of-a-kind menu inspired by Pacific Standard Time works of art (the food is served on a plate showing the image of the art that inspired it). Ask for it at Playa and Rivera by showing Pacific Standard Time museum proof of admission or mentioning the “Pacific Standard Time Secret Menu”. Playa Restaurant, 7360 Beverly Blvd., L.A., playarivera.com; Rivera Restaurant, 1050 South Flower St., downtown, riverarestaurant.com
MUSEUMS
Art of Motion Picture Costume Design
Feb. 14-Apr. 28. The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising downtown offers its fascinating annual exhibition that looks at 100 diverse, sumptuous costumes from 20 films released in 2011. Classic film costumes from the archives are also included in this show in the FIDM Museum & Galleries. 919 South Grand Ave., downtown, 213.623.5821. Fidmmuseum.org
OPERA
Simon Boccanegra
Feb. 26. Giuseppe Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra has long fascinated Plácido Domingo, who has often performed its tenor role of Gabriele Adorno. He now performs the role for his “home” company in the work’s L.A. Opera premiere. James Conlon conducts; Elijah Moshinsky directs. Soprano Ana María Martínez, last here for La Bohème in 2004, returns as Boccanegra’s long-lost daughter, Amelia, and bass Vitalij Kowaljow, in his second appearance this season, returns as Fiesco. Italian tenor Stefano Secco makes his company debut as Gabriele, and Italian baritone Paolo Gavanelli returns as Paolo Albiani. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.972.7211. LAOpera.com
THEATER
The Jacksonian
Through Mar. 25. This eerie offering by Pulitzer Prize winner Beth Henley and directed by Tony Award winner Robert Falls transports us to a seedy motel in Jackson, Mississippi circa 1964. You go to The Jacksonian Cottages to bury your secrets, making the motel an unsettling world where the subversive becomes commonplace and the passage of time becomes hauntingly unpredictable. Revolving around the night of a murder, The Jacksonian is a surreal trip that is rife with disturbingly dark humor. Cast features Ed Harris, Glenne Headly, Amy Madigan and Bill Pullman. Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater, Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., L.A., 310.208.5454. geffenplayhouse.com
Clybourne Park
Through Feb. 26. In this play inspired by A Raisin in the Sun, jokes fly and hidden agendas unfold as two vastly different generations of characters tip-toe the delicate dance of social politics, pitting race against real estate at the crux of two seminal events —50 years apart —in the same north Chicago house. Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.628.2772. www.centertheatregroup.org