Arts, music and culture

'Tis the season...

Ellen Alperstein | December 23, 2019 8:43 PM

Holiday greetings from a brass section of one.

Don Shirley's theatrical highlights of 2019

Don Shirley | December 17, 2019 1:11 PM

Looking for a New Year's resolution? Try seeing more LA theater in 2020.

Chaplin-esque opera, LA Phil party, a strange swan

Donna Perlmutter | December 10, 2019 10:41 PM

Some recent performances on the LA stage.

Grounded at CTG but making a 'Great Leap' in Pasadena

Don Shirley | November 22, 2019 3:20 PM

Anyone who cares about LA theater should have read Charles McNulty's recent essay. But perhaps you missed a couple of subsequent developments.

Lost lives, living music and La Bohème

Donna Perlmutter | October 13, 2019 10:16 PM

Jessye Norman, Martin Bernheimer, Plácido Domingo and more.

Beyond the bedroom scenes

Don Shirley | October 5, 2019 1:12 PM

You've heard of the old gimmick of beginning an ad (or an article) with the word "SEX" followed by the words "Now that I've got your attention..."

Four great American adventures, on stage

Don Shirley | July 27, 2019 5:41 PM

I've recently seen four productions around LA that succeed as great American adventure stories.

Triple header: Royal Ballet with LA Phil and Thomas Adès

Donna Perlmutter | July 27, 2019 4:19 PM

Donna Perlmutter: It was balletic and beyond. Bodies speaking with eloquence. All of it gorgeous.

Seeing 'Indecent', 'Happy Days' and 'Dana H.'

Don Shirley | June 15, 2019 8:40 PM

Women's voices dominate Center Theatre Group's June offerings -- but with a twist.

The stars come out: Nureyev and Domingo, and Kopatchinskaja

Donna Perlmutter | May 18, 2019 11:32 PM

A ballet movie, an opera and lots more going on around town.

LA Times' shrinking local theater coverage, 'Falsettos' and 'The Niceties'

Don Shirley | April 26, 2019 6:27 AM

The LAT's home-turf focus hasn't filtered down to its coverage of the topic that professionally interests me the most -- Southern California's vast and lively theater scene.

How to escape social grit and grime: hear the music, see the dance

Donna Perlmutter | April 11, 2019 10:23 PM

Our world can seem more simplistic and superficial, but not if you seek refuge in the right places.

Why aren't LA's blocks in CTG's 'Block Party'?

Don Shirley | March 23, 2019 2:48 PM

I'd like to propose a challenge to Center Theatre Group as it begins to consider which productions might make up the 2020 Block Party.

New at LACMA: Charles White and Central Asian Ikats

Judy Graeme | March 3, 2019 9:10 PM

Two exhibits featuring art from separate but equally captivating worlds have taken up residence until summer.

Cinderella goes to war, Benjamin Britten shares the blitz

Donna Perlmutter | February 24, 2019 10:03 PM

Matthew Bourne's 'Cinderella' is the choreographer's show-dance extravaganza that everyone must see.

Pianists in 'Ragtime' and 'Green Book' make history

Don Shirley | February 17, 2019 10:22 PM

"Ragtime" at the Pasadena Playhouse is, among other distinctions, a great way to observe Black History Month.

Molly Barnes

Gary Leonard | January 26, 2019 10:29 PM

Gary caught up with the curator at the West Los Angeles College Gallery.

Kosher Nostra reunites: Music makers in all their unfaded glory

Donna Perlmutter | January 13, 2019 11:08 PM

As a finale to the packed LA Philharmonic centennial, Zubin Mehta and other celebrated virtuosos of an earlier era came to Disney Hall.

Red Hot Chili Peppers and Santa

Gary Leonard | January 8, 2019 4:51 PM

Gary and the band outside his studio in DTLA

Don Shirley's theatrical highlights of 2018

Don Shirley | December 21, 2018 1:31 PM

Here are some of my personal favorites from 2018. But first my usual caveat. I've seen 155 productions in greater LA, fewer than half of those that were available.

Gandhi and Glass, Shakespeare and Prokofiev brought to life

Donna Perlmutter | November 18, 2018 9:55 PM

Observing and enjoying some downtown shows.

Photos: Joni Mitchell tribute concert downtown

Iris Schneider | November 8, 2018 9:34 PM

The big finale featured Mitchell herself coming out on stage and receiving a birthday cake.

Down the digital rabbit hole in two CTG productions

Don Shirley | November 4, 2018 4:43 PM

'Dear Evan Hansen' and 'Quack' show the power - and the problems -- of viral social media in two otherwise very different productions.

Sounds of silence

Ellen Alperstein | October 22, 2018 1:50 PM

The art of NASA is music to our ears.

'Don Carlo' speaks to today, as does Los Angeles Philharmonic at 100

Donna Perlmutter | October 6, 2018 5:36 PM

Verdi's words remain relevant in these political times. Plus: Refik Anadol's electronic kaleidoscope of Philharmonic moments.

Dos teatros and a resounding Echo

Don Shirley | September 26, 2018 10:40 PM

Don Shirley recommends "Native Gardens" in Pasadena, "The Cake" in Westwood Village and "Gloria" in Atwater Village.

The Theatricum and other summer hotspots

Don Shirley | August 12, 2018 7:22 PM

It's the season for outdoor productions that are worth the effort to go see.

Hollywood Bowl's summer scene and dance downtown

Donna Perlmutter | July 22, 2018 11:25 PM

Intimate big-screen close-ups and high-tech sonics at the Bowl, courtesy of the LA Philharmonic. Or the old-time glory of glittering Russian ballet downtown at the Chandler Pavilion.