The Altadena theater students who rose up after the Eaton fire; plus L.A. arts and culture this week
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If you’ve read enough of my newsletter intros, you know how much I love kids — and not just because I’m a mother. I love kids because they are unique and often fearless — they haven’t yet had socially accepted conformity hammered into them. Kids make the world seem new and full of possibility. If you spend enough time with kids, and if you really listen to them, you’ll learn so many wonderful things.
Which is why it was such a profound and moving experience for me to write about a group of 60 kids from Altadena Arts and Eliot Arts Magnet schools who — after losing their homes, neighborhoods and schools to the Eaton fire — went on to perform their spring show, “Shrek the Musical Jr.,” at the Ahmanson Theatre on April 18.
I was lucky enough to shadow these kids — who ranged in age from 11 to 14 — when they first stepped foot on the giant Ahmanson stage after their own theater had burned down. And I got to watch them rehearse at Pasadena’s McKinley School of the Arts, which has served as their temporary academic home since the fire. I also had the pleasure of interviewing some of them about their experiences, and I spent time with their incredible drama teacher, Mollie Lief, and their exacting choreographer, Billy Rugh. On show night, I got to watch them do their thing from the wings backstage. It was pure magic.
During each and every encounter with these incredible kids, I found myself wiping away tears. And after my story ran, online and later on the front page in print, I heard from readers and colleagues who also found themselves crying.
These young people have been through so much, but they have remained graceful, kind, passionate, dedicated and devoted to each other, their families, their teachers, their community and their craft. I’m grateful to them for letting me into their world for a brief period of time, and am so excited about the paths that they have yet to carve out for themselves in life.
We could all use a bit more of their spirit in our daily interactions.
I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, inviting you to spend some time talking with a kid today. Ashley Lee and I have you covered for arts news this week.
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‘Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity’
“He was known for drawing the square jaw and rippling muscles that became the prototype for the comic book hero, and for the perspective that made fists seem to fly off the page in dramatic battles,” wrote former Times staff writer Myrna Oliver of the Marvel Comics legend who brought Captain America, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, Black Panther and more to life. “Unlike many contemporaries, he gave his characters changing expressions and made them human and vulnerable despite their super-human abilities to thwart evil.”
The exhibition traces the life of Jack Kirby, from his experiences as a first-generation Jewish American and a World War II soldier to his six-decade career as an artist of both fine and commercial art. It opens Thursday and is on view Tuesday through Sunday. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. skirball.org
Alexander Shelley
The newly appointed artistic and music director of the Pacific Symphony — succeeding Carl St. Clair, the symphony’s music director for 35 years — makes his first appearance since the announcement leading the orchestra through Beethoven’s 5th Symphony and Emperor Concerto. Shelley will be just the third music director in the history of the symphony, beginning an initial five-year term in the 2026-27 season. The three concerts, taking place Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., include preperformance talks at 7 p.m. with KUSC midday host Alan Chapman. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. pacificsymphony.org
‘The Delicate Tears of the Waning Moon’
Playwright Rebeca Alemán stars alongside Eric K. Roberts in her drama about a Latin American human rights journalist fighting for justice after a violent attack. Based on the harrowing true stories of Mexican journalists Miroslava Breach and Anabel Flores, the production from Latino Theater Company and Chicago’s Water People Theater is directed by Iraida Tapias and will be performed in English with Spanish supertitles. Performances begin Thursday and run through May 25. Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., downtown. latinotheaterco.org
— Ashley Lee
The week ahead: A curated calendar
MONDAY
Beyoncé Three months after “Cowboy Carter” finally brought her a Grammy Award for album of the year, Queen Bey begins a five-night stand in Inglewood.
7 p.m. Monday, Thursday, May 4, 7 and 9. SoFi Stadium, 1001 S. Stadium Drive, Inglewood. sofistadium.com
TUESDAY
Eva Aguila: Vino de Sangre The artist’s first solo museum exhibition, an immersive installation of newly commissioned artworks, traces 500 years of the Mission grape, colonization, religious conversion and the subjugation of Indigenous peoples.
Noon-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, through Sept. 13. Vincent Price Art Museum, East Los Angeles College, 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park. vincentpriceartmuseum.org
Cataclysm: The 1972 Diane Arbus Retrospective Revisited The first major survey of the iconic photographer’s work in Los Angeles in more than 20 years re-creates the landmark exhibition from the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, through June 21. David Zwirner, 606 N. Western Ave. davidzwirner.com
Constance Brantley: The Island The painter explores her identity through two disparate locations that shaped it: Guimaras Island in Philippines and Long Island, New York.
Tuesday-Saturday, through May 24. Taylor Fine Art, 6039 Washington Blvd., Culver City. taylorfineart.art
Karin Gulbran: The Pink Pepper Tree A solo exhibition featuring the artist’s ceramic sculptures features a range of forms and motifs, alongside her first publicly exhibited painting in 25 years. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, through June 14. Parker Gallery, 6700 Melrose Ave. parkergallery.com
Elizabeth Paige Smith: unshade me of you Selections of recent work from the Venice-based artist and furniture designer.
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, through May 24. The Brick, 518 N. Western Ave. the-brick.org
Vocal Dimensions Icelandic musician Daníel Bjarnason leads the L.A. Phil New Music Group in premieres of Israeli American composer Chaya Czernowin’s “NO!” and his own new cycle “Hands on Me” for soprano and ensemble.
8 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
WEDNESDAY
Bonnie & Clyde J. Scott Lapp directs a new musical featuring the exploits of the Depression-era crime duo with a book by Ivan Menchell, lyrics by Don Black and a rockabilly-, blues- and gospel-themed score by Frank Wildhorn.
Through May 18. Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura. rubicontheatre.org
Celebrate L.A.! The nonprofit multicultural programmer Dance and Dialogue presents some of the city’s leading dance companies.
7:30 p.m. Wilshire Ebell Theatre, 4401 W. 8th St. danceanddialogue.org
Lights, Camera, Cabaret! The Epic Players present a neuro-inclusive celebration of Hollywood’s hit songs.
7:30 p.m. Dynasty Typewriter, 2511 Wilshire Blvd. squadup.com
Welcome to the Dream Factory MUSE/IQUE is joined by violinist Anne Akiko Meyers and vocalist Sy Smith to celebrate the Golden Age of Hollywood and the European immigrants who invented the modern art of film scoring.
7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino; 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. May 4. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. muse-ique.com
THURSDAY
Fostered A couple looking forward to their golden years instead have their house turned upside down by the return of their adult children in this comedy written by Chaya Doswell and directed by Andy Weyman.
8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday, through June 15. Pacific Resident Theatre, 703 Venice Blvd. pacificresidenttheatre.org
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance John Ford’s 1962 western classic features an all-star cast, including John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin and Edmond O’Brien.
7:30 p.m. New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd. thenewbev.com
24 to 24 Music The orchestral collective Wild Up performs Arthur Russell’s 1979 minimalist disco masterwork.
8:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., downtown L.A. redcat.org
Culture news and the SoCal scene
Italian pianist Alessandro Martire made a splash when he performed while floating on a platform in Lake Como — more than 5,000 people showed up to watch from the shore, and the spectacle proved so memorable that Martire continued to perform on the lake, including in small shows for guests on boats. He went on to found a biannual festival for the Lake Como region that welcomes artists to the area for shows in immersive or historic environments. Martire has made a career of holding concerts in unusual places including on a snowy hillside in the Alps, in an Australian desert at sunset, atop the Duomo in Milan and in Kazakhstan’s Charyn Canyon . He recently visited L.A. for a show at Barnsdall Gallery Theatre with the Orchid Quartet.
During Gustavo Dudamel’s penultimate season with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the music director and conductor continues to push boundaries and bend genres, writes Times classical music critic Mark Swed. Of particular note: “Friday night he premiered Carlos Simon’s stirring, gospel-inspired ‘Good News Mass,’ creating a near frenzy in Walt Disney Concert Hall. The next day, the L.A. Phil hopped on a bus for the second of its trailblazing appearances with Dudamel at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, where the week before its concert ended with thousands of fans chanting, ‘L.A. Phil! L.A. Phil! L.A. Phil!’” If you’ve ever spent a crazed weekend at the country’s most revered music festival, you know what a huge deal it is to have young rock fans freaking out for a classical set.
Famed Japanese artist Takashi Murakami has teamed up with the Los Angeles Dodgers on merch featuring Murakami’s signature flower designs. The items originally sold out in a pop-up on Fairfax before the two-game, season-opening series in Japan last month. But now the collection is back, and there is more on offer — for a price, of course. Here’s how to get it, writes Times staff writer Steve Henson.
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A new performing arts center is coming to Griffith Park. Late last week, the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks held a groundbreaking ceremony for the venue. The event was co-hosted by Councilmember Nithya Raman and the Independent Shakespeare Co. performed. (The company will use that stage for its annual summer Shakespeare festival.) The new project includes an outdoor stage, measuring 45 feet by 45 feet, in the Old Zoo area of the park, as well as a resurfaced parking lot, improvements to restrooms, path lighting, resurfaced walkways and a new path and bridge with added accessibility for the disabled.
Fourteen teens with a passion for the performing arts have been named the grand prize winners of the Music Center’s 37th Spotlight program — a competition and scholarship program that rewards top-notch talent in drama, dance, voice and music. This year’s winners were selected from more than 1,600 applicants. They each receive a $5,000 scholarship and the opportunity to perform at the Music Center’s Ahmanson Theatre during the Spotlight Grand Finale on Friday, June 6, at 8 p.m. To read all about the talented winners, and to reserve free tickets to the show, click here.
“A former Beverly Hills resident and owner of an L.A. pawnshop tried to sell stolen Andy Warhol art and lied about the scheme to federal agents,” writes Kaitlyn Huamani in a news story about the con.
— Jessica Gelt
And last but not least
I am currently engaged in a quest to check every taco off this list of the Food section’s 11 carne asada tacos to try.
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