It’s a ‘Wicked’ ‘Wicked’ world: L.A. arts and culture this week
Los Angeles hit its “Wicked” saturation point on Thursday as the musical opened at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre while the film version continued its global box office success. “Wicked” merchandise is towering on shelves at Costco and Target, and the color green is everywhere — emblazoned with the “Wicked” logo, of course.
With the movie-driven commercial frenzy defying gravity, it was refreshing to see the actual stage version of the mega-hit up close and personal. The original Broadway production opened more than 20 years ago, starring Idina Menzel (a decade before she let it go in “Frozen”) as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda. It won three Tony Awards, and in 2016 became one of only three shows to surpass $1 billion in total Broadway revenue. The other two are (you guessed it) “The Phantom of the Opera” and “The Lion King.”
The touring production currently at the Pantages stars Lauren Samuels as Elphaba and Austen Danielle Bohmer as Glinda. It’s not worth trying to compare the stage show to the film — or anyone to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande — but seeing the musical live takes on new meaning after watching it in a movie theater. For one thing, the stage show encompasses the entirety of the story — with the second act taking up where the movie leaves off on a dramatic “To Be Continued” note.
But it’s the synergy of the cultural moment that feels striking. During an era notoriously defined by its fractured nature and siloed interests, the dominance of “Wicked” across stage, screen and satellite radio recalls a different time reminiscent of the old water-cooler days. Remember those? When people actually went to the office and everyone was talking about the same show or movie because everyone had seen it? There are many unpleasant things to not miss about the monoculture of our increasingly distant past — but coalescing around a unified interest, and the feeling of togetherness arising from that act, is not one of them.
I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt inviting you to join me in wearing green. My colleague Ashley Lee and I are here with your arts and culture rundown for the week.
Best bets: On our radar this week
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‘Once Upon a Mattress’
Sutton Foster, Michael Urie and Ana Gasteyer lead the musical comedy take on “The Princess and the Pea,” which arrives in L.A. after a limited Broadway engagement. The revival, directed by Lear deBessonet, features a revised book by Amy Sherman-Palladino, creator of “Gilmore Girls” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” “We wanted to lean more into the naivete of Winnifred, somebody who has a vision in her mind of what happily ever after is,” Sherman-Palladino told me earlier this year regarding the show’s updates. “That journey of love and acceptance, of wanting to belong someplace and having someone see you for the greatness that you are, even if you did crawl out of the slime — that’s the princess journey.” Performances begin Tuesday and run through Jan. 5. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. centertheatregroup.org
‘A Concert for Susan and Rick’
Piano Spheres pays tribute to founding pianist Susan Svrček and influential composer Frederick Lesemann, who were married for 32 years and died in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The program will feature works by Charles Ives, Arnold Schoenberg and John Cage (pieces often performed by Svrček) as well as music Lesemann wrote for her. Additionally, three of their fellow composers — Donald Crockett, Thomas Flaherty and Bill Alves — have written pieces for this concert. Monday, 8 p.m. Zipper Concert Hall and the Colburn Plaza, 200 S. Grand Ave, downtown L.A. pianospheres.org
Zheng Bo Garden Exercises
As part of the Huntington’s “Growing and Knowing in the Gardens of China,” which highlights how Chinese gardens have served as transformative spaces, contemporary artist Zheng Bo leads visitors through the traditional Chinese practice of qigong, featured in their video piece for the exhibition. These 30-minute sessions of mind-body exercises (Monday, Wednesday-Friday, 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.) can be adapted for people of all abilities and are meant to be practiced alongside the various fragrances of the surrounding landscape. Additionally, Bo is in conversation with Huntington curator Phillip Bloom on Thursday afternoon. The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. huntington.org
— Ashley Lee
The week ahead: A curated calendar
MONDAY
LAFCA Presents A double feature of Todd Haynes’ “Safe” and “Carol,” plus a Q&A with the filmmaker moderated by The Times’ film editor, Joshua Rothkopf.
7 p.m. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. egyptiantheatre.com
TUESDAY
Iris Dement The Americana singer-songwriter’s latest album is “Workin’ on a World.”
7:30 p.m. El Rey Theatre, 5515 Wilshire Blvd. theelrey.com
WEDNESDAY
Day With(out) Art Visual AIDS, MOCA and the Los Angeles LGBT Center partner for “Red Reminds Me …,” a program of seven videos reflecting the emotional spectrum of living with HIV today.
7 p.m. L.A. LGBT Center Renberg Theatre , 1125 N. McCadden Place. moca.org
A Drag Queen Christmas Hosted by Nina West, the longest-running drag tour in America arrives for the holidays.
6 p.m. meet-and-greet; 8 p.m. show. Dolby Theatre, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. dragfans.com
THURSDAY
Not That Jewish A solo show starring Emmy Award-winning writer and comedian Monica Piper.
Through Dec. 29. The Braid, 3435 Ocean Park Blvd., #105, Santa Monica. the-braid.org
FRIDAY
Solomon Northup’s Odyssey The world premiere of a 4K restoration of Gordon Parks’ 1984 film based on the same material as Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave,” with filmmakers Warrington Hudlin and Mario Van Peebles and director of photography Hiro Narita in conversation with Jon-Sesrie Goff.
7:30 p.m. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org
Gurrelieder Zubin Mehta conducts Arnold Schoenberg’s gigantic, glorious post-Wagnerian masterwork to cap the L.A. Phil’s Schoenberg at 150 festival.
8 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
Mariana: Velázquez’s Portrait of a Queen From the Museo Nacional del Prado The life-size canvas “Queen Mariana of Austria” (1652–53), a portrait of the 18-year-old monarch by 17th century Spanish painter Diego Velázquez, has never been exhibited on the West Coast until now.
Through March 24. Norton Simon Museum, 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. nortonsimon.org
Correction: An earlier version of this newsletter erroneously said “Queen Mariana of Austria” was one of several Velázquez works that will be on view. “Mariana” is the only Velázquez work on view.
Metallica Helping Hands Concert & Auction The group’s biannual acoustic/electric benefit show, which aims to raise money to fight hunger and to support technical education, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel with special guests.
6 p.m. YouTube Theater, 1011 Stadium Drive, Inglewood. youtubetheater.com
Culture news and the SoCal scene
It’s the time of year when The Times begins rolling out its annual “best of” lists. In that spirit, I give you the first such list from the Arts team. Classical music critic Mark Swed’s “Eleven bright spots in classical music during a dark, complicated year.” At the risk of giving too much away, the list includes obvious contenders like Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s production of “Das Rheingold” but also some stunning entries that you might not have considered. You’ll have to click here to find out more.
Opera disrupter Yuval Sharon is stepping down from the position of artistic director at the Industry and transitioning to the role of “founder” of the groundbreaking company he established more than a decade ago. The move comes as Sharon is summoned to New York, where he is set to direct the Metropolitan Opera’s next “Ring” cycle beginning in 2028. Sharon will make his debut with the Met next season with a new production of “Tristan und Isolde.” Industry executive director Tim Griffin, who came on board in summer 2023, will expand his title to become both executive and artistic director. The Industry’s co-artistic directors, Ash Fure and Malik Gaines, who joined forces in an artistic director cooperative with Sharon in 2021, will form the company’s new artistic advisory council.
There are few things more joyful than watching young people engage in art, especially when they are exceedingly good at it. In a new column, Swed discusses “How youth orchestras delivered the three most powerful performances of 2024.” The orchestras in question are National Children’s Symphony of Venezuela (under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel), West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (under Daniel Barenboim) and the Colburn Orchestra (with Esa-Pekka Salonen). “Hope and unity can be found in youth orchestras with galvanizing conductors around the world,” writes Swed. “And with the evidence of these three incredible symphony performances in 2024, one world we get to keep for at least a little while longer is utopia.”
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Marshall A. Rutter, one of the founders of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and a longtime champion of choral music through his leadership of Chorus America, has died. He was 93. In announcing Rutter’s death, the Master Chorale’s artistic director, Grant Gershon, said, “I first met Marshall in the early 1990s when he was one of the early and most passionate supporters of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella new music series. Marshall loved music deeply, and was especially committed to encouraging living composers to stretch their wings. He commissioned countless composers over the years, perhaps most notably Morten Lauridsen, whose O Magnum Mysterium (commissioned by Marshall in honor of his wife, Terry Knowles) has become the most beloved and iconic American choral work of the last 50 years. Marshall was brilliant, funny, endlessly self-deprecating, and a wonderful friend. We will all miss him deeply.”
The fantastical downtown L.A. warren of bibliophilic joy, the Last Bookstore, has set an opening date for its new sister store in Studio City: Dec. 12 for customers enrolled in a membership program, with a Dec. 14 grand opening. Expect nearly 500,000 books on the shelf.
And last but not least
This quickie video of Gustavo Dudamel and the National Children’s Symphony of Venezuela playing at Carnegie Hall makes me get all teary, in a good way.
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