Suicide and depression … no, they’re not the liberal response to the election but rather the subjects of an upcoming comedy—yes, comedy!—at the smaller black box theatre, The Edye at the Broad Stage. It’s called “Every Brilliant Thing,” written by award-winning playwright Duncan Macmillan, performed by Jonny Donahoe.
Macmillan co-adapted and directed the critically and popularly acclaimed production of “1984” that blew audiences away at the Broad last year. In this one-man show, performed by comedian and writer Donahoe, Macmillan tells the tale of a 6-year old boy whose mother has tried to kill herself. To cheer her up, he concocts a list of “every brilliant thing” in the world that’s worth living for. The list continues for three decades as the boy becomes a man and might even help him save himself. The play also boasts roles for audience participation; don’t worry, Jonny’s a pro at improvisation and he won’t let you embarrass yourself.
The show comes to Santa Monica after successful runs in London and New York. “Every Brilliant Thing” at the Edye takes place February 2 – 12; tickets at www.thebroadstage.com or the box office (310) 434-3200.
TRIAL OF THE CENTURY?
The Big Bad Wolf (again, not an election reference) is about to take the stand in Piggsylvania and finally gets his say. Will he get a fair trial in a corrupt piggy court, though? The pigs have a splashy puppet show to use as evidence, but the wolf will counter with a catchy song and dance about a sneeze gone wrong. Who will win this fraught trial?
Enter the jury box and help decide Big Bad’s fate in a musical adaptation of the classic children’s fable. “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” is the latest production in the Youth Education/Entertainment Series (Y.E.S.) at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre. Adapted by Robert Kauzlaric, it’s directed by Anne Gesling, choreographed by Eileen O'Donnell, and music by Paul Gilvary and William Rush.
Affordable tickets ($10 and $12) for performances at 11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays from Jan. 28 – Feb. 12. The theatre is located at 2627 Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica. Call (310) 828-7519 for info and tickets.
IRANIAN PHOTOGRAPHY
The Farhang Foundation (www.farhang.org) is a non-religious, non-political and non-profit foundation that celebrates and promotes Iranian art and culture. From Jan. 29 through May 7, the foundation sponsors a juried exhibition of contemporary Iranian photography at the Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM) on Wilshire in mid-city L.A.
Focus Iran 2: Contemporary Photography and Video is the second biennial juried exhibition of contemporary images that relate to Iranian culture and heritage. 33 photos and 9 video works feature an international selection of emerging and mid-career artists from around the world, showcasing a rare collection of diverse perspectives of contemporary Iranian life.
There are some images in the show that may challenge your pre-existing ideas of what life in Iran is like. The exhibition showcases the viewpoints of citizen journalists, personal archivists and storytellers who are connected to Iran either by heritage or admiration. The focus of the exhibition is on making connections between fixed cultural traditions and a contemporary society dealing with change.
Viewers will experience such works as Sanaz Khosravi’s digital photograph “False Roots,” which examines the struggles of women after the Iranian Revolution; Amir Amiri’s “Iranian Carpet,” which shows the craft of rugmaking, so important to Iran’s cultural heritage; Omid Sariri’s “Love,” capturing two lovers in a remote and colorful Iranian location; and Saeedeh Keshavarzi’s “Life of Things,” a photo taken in the oldest part of Shiraz, embodying a “compact collection of Iranian history, culture, religion, architecture, crafts and decorations, all in one room,” per the artist’s description.
CAFAM is located at 5814 Wilshire Blvd., across from LACMA; admission is free on Sundays, for further details visit www.CAFAM.org.
FREE FOR ALL
32 Southern California museums are offering free admission to all on Sunday, Jan. 29. Parking will still cost whatever it does at each venue unless you take public transport. Metro (which is sponsoring this day) is arranging for discounts at some museum shops if you show your TAP card. Some of the museums ask you to go to their websites to sign up for tickets and FYI: general admission doesn’t apply to special exhibitions, so do be sure you check individual websites for all details.
You’ll be able to visit Annenberg Space for Photography; Armory Center for the Arts; Bowers Museum, The Broad, California African American Museum, California Science Center; Craft and Folk Art Museum; Descanso Gardens; Fowler Museum at UCLA; Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine; Getty Center; Getty Villa; Hammer Museum; Japanese American National Museum; Kidspace Children’s Museum; Laguna Art Museum; La Brea Tar Pits and Museum; La Plaza de Cultura y Artes; Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA); Museum of Tolerance; Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County; Orange County Museum of Art; The Paley Center for Media; Pasadena Museum of California Art; Petersen Automotive Museum; Pomona College Museum of Art; Santa Barbara Museum of Art; Skirball Cultural Center; Sunnylands in Palm Springs; Zimmer Children’s Museum. The Columbia Memorial Space Center is offering free entry on Jan. 28 instead.
Sarah A. Spitz is an award-winning public radio producer, now retired from KCRW, where she also produced arts stories for NPR. She writes features and reviews for various print and online publications. Contact her at culturewatch@smdp.c
