EVENTS
Shatner’s World: We Just Live In It
Mar. 10. William Shatner, best known for his varying roles as Cpt. James T. Kirk, T.J. Hooker and Attorney Denny Crane, arrives at the Pantages Theatre for a two-hour show that will take you on a voyage through Shatner’s life and career, from Shakespearean stage actor to internationally known icon and raconteur, known as much for his unique persona as for his expansive body of work on television and film. Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., L.A., 800.982.2787. broadwayla.org
PPLA Food Fare
Mar. 8. This celebrated culinary event began in 1979 with a cooking demonstration by Julia Child. It’s since expanded to a festival offering bites from more than 150 restaurants, such as Waterloo & City, Ammo and Salt’s Cure; plus sips from a variety of wineries and food-truck grub. Benefits Planned Parenthood. Day session 10:30 am–2 pm; evening session 6:30–9:30 pm. $150–$225. Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St., Santa Monica, 213.284.3316. pplafoodfare.com
Paleyfest
Through Mar. 14. Celebrate the small screen at the 29th annual event, taking place at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. Screenings and panel discussions with the casts and creative teams of hit shows such as Modern Family, New Girl and Mad Men offer fans a chance to hear from their TV heroes. All panels at 7 pm except for Revenge and Once Upon a Time (1 pm). $15–$75. Saban Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.786.1010. paleycenter.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 + DANCE
Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
Mar. 9. Groundbreaking banjoist/composer/bandleader Béla Fleck has reconvened the original ‘Béla Fleck & The Flecktones’, the extraordinary initial line-up of his incredible combo. They stop by the Orpheum Theatre downtown for a rare Los Angeles appearance. 842 South Broadway, downtown. livenation.com
Evidence, A Dance Company
Mar. 9-11. With an energetic integration of traditional African dance and contemporary choreography, Evidence, A Dance Company makes their West Coast premiere of “On Earth Together,” set to the music of R&B legend Stevie Wonder. Director/choreographer Ronald K. Brown’s critically acclaimed Grace, a powerful work created for the Alvin Ailey® American Dance Theater, will also be performed. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.972.0711. musiccenter.org
Trey Anastasio with the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Mar. 10. Phish frontman Trey Anastasio performs orchestrations of classic Phish tunes and solo compositions in this one-night-only concert event. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown, 323.850.2000. laphil.com
Billy Childs Quartet and Kronos Quartet
Mar. 11. Fearless San Francisco-based string quartet Kronos and L.A.’s own modern jazz pianist/composer Billy Childs each play their own sets and then collaborate on a piece written by Childs to stunning effect. “The most innovative and influential jazz guitarist of the past 25 years” (Wall Street Journal), Bill Frisell begins the evening with his spacious jazz & country-inflected drum/viola trio. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown, 323.850.2000. laphil.com
Swan Lake
Mar. 10. Thanks in no small part to the film Black Swan, Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet Swan Lake is cool again, and Los Angeles Ballet is one of the companies bringing it back to the stage. New principal dancer Allynne Noelle, formerly a soloist for the Miami City Ballet, is among the dancers featured in the L.A. Ballet premiere of Swan Lake, the tale of a swan queen, a prince, an evil spell and an eternal love. It features choreography from artistic directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary. Performances take place March 10 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center; March 17 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale; March 24 at Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach; and March 31 at the Valley Performing Arts Center at California State University, Northridge. losangelesballet.org
SPA
Ciel Spa Birthday Celebration
What better way to pamper yourself than a trip to Ciel Spa at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills. When you visit Ciel on your actual birthday and book a 60-minute spa service, present your ID and you can deduct your age from the price of the treatment. See, there are benefits for turning a year older. 465 South La Cienega Blvd., L.A., 310.246.5560. www.cielatsls.com
PARTNER LOVE
Doin’ It For Love
Mar. 9-10. Hollywood and Broadway award winners Kaye Ballard, Liliane Montevecchi, and Lee Roy Reams perform newly staged performances of some of their most memorable musical numbers and to share the stories behind the music in a Broadway-style revue. profits from both performances benefit PETA. Wilshire Ebell Theatre, 4401 West 8th St., L.A. ticketmaster.com
SPORTS
Clippers vs. Warriors
Mar. 11. For the first time in years, tickets for Los Angeles Clippers games are selling out as audiences pack into Staples Center downtown to see how new acquisition Chris Paul performs. Watch the home-state rivalry ignite when the Clippers face off against Oakland’s Golden State Warriors. 1111 S. Figueroa St., downtown, 800.745.3000. nba.com/clippers
THEATER
American Night: The Ballad of Juan Jose
Opening Mar. 9. Comedy from Chicano theater troupe Culture Clash: Mexican national Juan José wants to become a U.S. citizen, but first he must discover the true American identify by examining the underbelly of American history with teachers like Teddy Roosevelt, Sacagawea, Jackie Robinson and Bob Dylan. Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 213.628.2772. centertheatregroup.org
American Idiot
Opening Mar. 13. Slinging razor guitars , thundering drums and an antihero named Johnny: not the prelude of typical entries in the canon of musical theater. But the musical based on Green Day’s 2004 rock album American Idiot was a hit on Broadway, and it travels to downtown’s Ahmanson Theatre on a 15-city national tour. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.628.2772. centertheatregroup.org
Antony and Cleopatra
Through May 13. Shakespeare’s seminal tragedy is based on larger-than-life figures caught up in an empire-shattering dance of lust, love, politics and war. “Its appeal is the fascinating relationship between Antony and Cleopatra, who love each other deeply but in a way that is not sustainable… Because of their flaws, we can identify with the lovers and see a part of ourselves in them,” muses director Julia Rodriguez-Elliott. A Noise Within, 3352 East Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, 626.356.3100 x1. ANoiseWithin.org
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
EAT | DRINK
Fight for Foie Dinner
Mar. 12. With the foie gras ban looming in the distance, Haven Gastropub + Brewery hosts of LA’s most prominent young chefs offer seven-course foie gras dinner to support humane and ethical farming. Enjoy special preparations of foie gras including za’atar crusted squab with foie gras pastilla; wild escolar with roasted foie gras; foie gras cheesecake with foie gras bon bon, and more. Chefs include Greg Daniels (Haven Gastropub +Brewery), Brendan Collins (Waterloo & City), Jordan Toft (Eveleigh), Vartan Abgaryan (Public Bar and Kitchen), David Coleman (Michaels on Naples), and Alex Reznik (La Seine). All proceeds benefit The Coalition for Humane and Ethical Farming Standards. $100/pp; $130 with beer, wine, cocktail pairings. havengastropub.com
Good Things Come in Threes
Through Mar. 31. Chaya Downtown turns three and offers a happy hour menu of $3 drink and appetizer specials, in addition to a special three-course prix-fixe dinner menu featuring selections like roasted heirloom beets alongside baked cana de cabra; Grilled Wagyu flank steak and Belgian chocolate fondant with raspberry coulees. 525 S. Flower St., downtown, 213.236.9577. thechaya.com/downtownLosAngeles
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
OPERA
Albert Herring
Mar. 8, 11, 14, 17. It’s spring in a bucolic English country village; time to choose a May Queen from the lovely local maidens. But the only virgin to be found is Albert Herring, a meek mama’s boy who reluctantly becomes Loxford’s first May King. After his friends surreptitiously ply him with liquid courage at the coronation ceremony, Albert discovers the nerve to assert himself for the first time in his life. Tenor charmer Alek Shrader will make his LA Opera debut in the title role. Albert Herring is the second in a series of operas celebrating the upcoming centenary of the legendary English-language composer, Benjamin Britten. LA Opera, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.972.7211. LAOpera.com
ART
Ansel Adams Los Angeles
Through 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. 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. redcat.org