Six picks for your L.A. weekend: ‘Our Town,’ a timely opera, salsa music and more
A classic American drama, a Black Lives Matter-themed opera and the kickoff to a series of free salsa concerts make our short list of Southern California cultural offerings this weekend. Before you go, remember to call or check online for reservation requirements and other COVID-19 protocols.
‘Our Town’
Return with us now to Grover’s Corner, N.H., in a revival of Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning fable, presented as part of a nationwide celebration of the 125th anniversary of the playwright’s birth. For ages 12 and older. South Coast Repertory, Segerstrom Stage, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday; other dates through June 4. $26-$93; discounts available. scr.org
‘I Can’t Breathe’
Pacific Opera Project stages the West Coast Premiere of composer Leslie Burrs and librettist Brandon J. Gibson’s opera inspired by the tragic stories of Black Americans’ fatal encounters with police. El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. 8 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. $20-$60. Sunday’s performance will also be available as a free livestream on the company’s YouTube and Facebook pages. pacificoperaproject.com
‘Summer of Salsa’
Let Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca get you into a groove as the L.A.-based singer and his band help launch the seventh edition of this free annual concert series with a selection of Afro-Cuban sounds. The evening also features sets by DJ Robby. LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, 501 N. Main St., downtown L.A. 6 p.m. Friday. Free. lapca.org
A Takashi Murakami exhibit at the Broad. ‘The Lost Murals of Renaissance Rome’ at the Getty. ‘L.A. Underwater’ at the Natural History Museum
‘Newsies: The Broadway Musical’
3-D Theatricals stages Alan Menken, Jack Feldman and Harvey Fierstein’s Tony-winning, family-friendly adaptation of Disney’s 1992 film about young newspaper carriers who go on strike in late 19th century New York. Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Drive, Cerritos. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; other dates through May 29. $30-$95. cerritoscenter.com
‘Reid, Brahms + Beethoven’
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of guest conductor Stefan Asbury, wraps its season with a program that includes Beethoven’s 5th Symphony plus the world premiere of “Floodplain” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Reid. Reneé and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. 8 p.m. Thursday. Also at Ambassador Auditorium, 131 S. St. John Ave., Pasadena. 8 p.m. Saturday; and Royce Hall, 340 Royce Drive, Westwood. 7 p.m. Sunday. $29 and up; discounts available by phone for students and seniors. laco.org
PoetryFest at the L.A. Country Fair
This monthlong series continues and includes an afternoon of outdoor readings by poets laureate from cities across SoCal, curated by Pomona’s own poet laureate, David Judah Oliver. A panel discussion follows. Fairplex, Millard Sheets Art Center (patio), 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona. 4 p.m. Sunday. Free with fair admission ($10-$25). instagram.com/poetryfestlafair
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Updates
1:46 p.m. May 13, 2022: This post has been updated with new information about Sunday’s free livestream of Pacific Opera Project’s upcoming presentation “I Can’t Breathe.”
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