T.B., A PRETTY NICE PLACE TO SEE GREAT THEATRE - courtesy photo
NASHVILLE REDUX
When I wrote a few weeks ago about our delightful trip there, I did not have the space to mention a do-not-miss stop that we would have missed without the insistence of our musician friends there (all LA transplants). Of course you should try to attend a concert at the Grand Ole Opry (we did) and the revered Ryman Auditorium, an elegant old red brick building in the heart of Nashville that was the home of the Opry for three decades. You will have to stroll Broadway and pick out a few of the dozens of bands playing there that pull you in (they keep the front windows open).
But do not miss a visit to THE MUSICIANS HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM, tucked away on Gay Street, not far from downtown. There’s a reason you don’t see the word "country" in their name, because this is a temple to all genres of music, and the history of it. It’s large and interesting enough that a few hours there will make you wish you had more time, but everything is broken up into rooms, small theaters, niches and other displays so you can cruise around and stop where your curiosity catches you. I will definitely return whenever I get back to Nashville.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Tonight - DUDAMEL & YUNCHAN LINN, LA PHIL - The dude is back! With a bang. With the youngest pianist to ever win the Van Cliburn competition, who seems up to all the dangerous territory Ludwig wrote into his "Emperor" Concerto, and the sentimentality and bold moments of Tchaikovski’s 5th. Man! Thurs 8 p.m., Hollywood Bowl, $17-119.
Tonight - THEATRICUM BOTANICUM: Premiered a new show last week, a political thought provoker – don’t be scared! They are always entertaining too, and another one of their strengths. Blacklisted Grandpa Walton would be proud. "The Winter’s Tale" is one of Willie the Shake’s last, a tragi-comedy in five acts. He had at that point moved away from telling the stories of royalty, writing more about the emotions and lives of more everyday people. A terrific production. TB’s ever-evolving staple "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" has been performed by them every season, for more than half a century now. I have been told it has been reworked interestingly.Molière’s classic "Tartuffe" is brought forward a few centuries, and right into today’s headlines. How do you rid yourself of a persistent and clever con man? "Wendy’s Peter Pan" is typical of how TB takes a fresh look at things. I plan to see it and report back (but don’t wait for that). "Midsummer" Thurs 7:30 p.m., "Tartuffe" Fri 7:30 p.m.,"Latin Vote" Sat 7:30 p.m., "Wendy"Sun 7:30 p.m., "Latin Vote" Mon 3 p.m.,"Midsummer" Mon 7 p.m., next Thurs"Midsummer" Thurs 7:30 p.m., $15-60.
HOT CLUB OF LOS ANGELES — You can go to the Cinema Bar any Monday night, 9-11:30, for more than a decade now, and hear these hot players run through Django Reinhart-style ‘30s jazz. This amazing ensemble is a treasure. Mon 9 p.m., Cinema Bar, Culver City, free.
RECOMMENDED:
Tonight - "THE SUBSTANCE OF FIRE" – is still getting glowing reviews, and packing them in at our local theater treasure, The Ruskin, at the airport, in this long run that ends soon. Written in 1991 by Jon Robin Baitz while still in his 20s, he drew his characters lovingly and skillfully, even those decades past his age. Directed here by Mike Reilly, the first NY production starred Rob Rifkin and Sarah Jessica Parker. Lead Rob Morrow first performed it years ago, as the youngest son, now he plays the aging Holocaust-survivor patriarch of a family book publishing business, not doing well and about to be taken over by a large foreign firm. His children want him to bend his principles and publish a best-seller, but he is intent on a six-book examination of Nazi medical experiments. It’s almost like two plays, first the family dynamics with his three very different shareholding children, and in the second part comes Marcia Cross as a psychiatric social worker, and a different territory opens up. Thurs, Fri, Sat 8p.m., Sun 2 p.m., Ruskin Group Theatre, SM Airport, $25-40..
WILD THINGS ARE HAPPENING: THE ART OF MAURICE SENDAK" – Now you can see them much bigger than a page in a book. This is the first complete retrospective of his art since his death in 2012, and includes his work in many areas of the arts. Ends Sunday! Run! 8/29 - 9/1, Skirball Museum, admission price? Parking fee - call for info and hours.
"FOOL IN LOVE" FESTIVAL – My radar was up for this, but I confirmed it at the Livenation site. They are going to need a huge turnout to pay for these acts. The website cautions they are not responsible for any cancellations, and no refunds. So: Diana Ross, Al Green, Santana, Gladys Knight, Los Lobos, Smokey Robinson, George Clinton & Funkadelic Parliament, Chaka Khan, Kool & The Gang, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Commodores, Eric Burdon, Dionne Warwick, Lionel Richie, Isleys, O’Jays, Jacksons, Pointer Sisters and more more more, a lot of them perhaps resurrected by one original member but, for example, I can tell you that Eric Burdon can still kill it, and many of them may feel they have something to prove and will give it their all – an extravaganza at a great price. Sat, Hollywood Park at SoFi Stafium, $100-225.
COMING ATTRACTIONS (also recommended): Dudamel & Yunchan Lim, Hollywood Bowl, 8/29; Theatricum Botanicum - "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" 8/29, 9/8, 23 - "Tartuffe -Born Again" 8/30, 9/9, 15, 22, 10/5 - "The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote" 8/31, 9/7, 14, 16, 22, 29, 10/3 - "Wendy’s Peter Pan" 9/1, 8, 14, 21, 28, 10/4 - "The Winter’s Tale" 9/7, 15, 30; "The Substance of Fire," Ruskin Group Theatre, 8/29, 30, 31, 9/1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15; "Fool in Love" Festival, Hollywood Park, 8/31; Jazzmeia Horn, Jazz Bakery, 9/7; Library Girl, Ruskin Theatre, 9/8; McCabe’s Americana in the Park, Los Straightjackets, Mariachi Los Catrines, Gandara Park, 9/8; Ringo Starr, Greek Theatre, 9/8; Kristin Korb Celebrates the Eurythmics, with Peter Erskine, Sam First, 9/11; Adrian Legg, McCabe’s, 9/13; Sturgill Simpson, Greek Theatre, 9/14; McCabe’s Americana in the Park, Rick Shea & Tony Gilkyson, Mustangs of the West, Gandara Park, 9/15; The Meditations, Venice West, 9/18; LA Opera "Madama Butterfly" live broadcast, Santa Monica Pier; Central Avenue Jazz Festival, 9/21.
Charles Andrews has listened to a lot of music of all kinds, including more than 3,000 live shows. He has lived in Santa Monica for 38 years and wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world. Really. Send love and/or hate mail to: therealmrmusic@gmail.com
