Hollywood Bowl audiences this summer will voyage into the romantic past with “West Side Story” and “Tosca,” both led by Gustavo Dudamel, while also blasting off into the future, preferably at light speed, with music from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” conducted by John Williams.
The Bowl is expected to announce its new season Tuesday, and the lineup is strong on movies and theater — a decision that the L.A. Philharmonic said was a nod to popular tastes.
“We find those visual elements have been working really well at the Bowl. People enjoy what they bring to the performance,” said Gail Samuel, executive director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Assn. The orchestra oversees programming and jointly manages the county-owned outdoor venue.
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The season will include “A Chorus Line” (July 29-31), a fully staged production that follows the Bowl’s presentation of “Spamalot” in 2015 and “Hair” in 2014.
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When the Mariinsky Ballet performed “Cinderella” at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Oct. 8, even the wondrous Diana Vishneva as Cinderella couldn’t bring unity to the movement, but she danced with flawless, fearless authority. Read more >>
(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Branden Jacobs-Jenkins leaves a rehearsal of his play “Appropriate,” opening Oct. 4 at the Mark Taper Forum, to eat first with a reporter, then later with his agent and some unspecified Hollywood people, who presumably hope to lure him away from the field and city where he has experienced meteoric success in the last five years. Read more >>
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Soprano Abigail Fischer performs Oct. 7 in the opera “Songs from the Uproar” at REDCAT in Los Angeles.
(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Moisés Kaufman’s muscular revival of “Bent,” which played at the Mark Taper Forum, opening on July 26, renders what many had written off as a parochial drama about the persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany into a gripping tale of love, courage and identity. Read review >>
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Malaviki Sarukkai performing at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica on July 19, 2015. Sarukkai is the best-known exponent of South Indian classical dance.
(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Bramwell Tovey conducts the L.A. Phil with pianist Garrick Ohlsson in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 at the Hollywood Bowl on July 14, 2015.
(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Argentine dancer Herman Cornejo performs in the West Coast premiere of “Tango y Yo” as part of the Latin portion of BalletNow.
Dancers rehearse a one-night-only performance choregraphed by Raiford Rogers, one of L.A.’s most-noted choreographers. This year the dance will be to a new original score by Czech composer Zbynek Mateju.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley in Los Angeles on July 9, 2015.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Mia Sinclair Jenness, left, Mabel Tyler and Gabby Gutierrez alternate playing the title role in the musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “Matilda” at the Ahmanson Theatre. The three are shown during a day at Santa Monica Pier on June 16, 2015.
(Christina House / For The Times)
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American Contemporary Ballet Company members Zsolt Banki and Cleo Magill perform a dance routine originally done by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. This performance was presented as part of “Music + Dance: L.A.” on Friday, June 19, 2015.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Miguel, a Grammy-winning guitarist, producer, singer and lyricist, is photographed in San Pedro on Wednesday, June 10, 2015. His new album “Wildheart,” explores L.A.’s “weird mix of hope and desperation.”
(Christina House / For The Times)
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Los Angeles-born artist Mark Bradford is photographed in front of “The Next Hot Line.” This piece is part of his show “Scorched Earth,” installed at the Hammer Museum in Westwood, June 11, 2015.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Paige Faure, center, plays Ella in “Cinderella,” which opened at the Ahmanson Theater on March 18. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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The Los Angeles Opera concluded its season with “The Marriage of Figaro,” with Roberto Tagliavini as Figaro and Pretty Yende as Susanna, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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“Trinket,” a monumental installation by Newark-born, Chicago-based artist William Pope.L, features an American flag that is 16 feet tall and 45 feet long. The work is on display at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA through June 28.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Conductor Gustavo Dudamel’s contract with the Los Angeles Philharmonic has been extended to mid-2022. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Alex Knox, from left, Carolyn Ratteray, Lynn Milgrim and Paige Lindsey White in “Pygmalion” in spring 2015 at the Pasadena Playhouse.
(Mariah Tauger / For The Times)
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On March 17, Google celebrated the addition of more than 5,000 images to its Google Street Art project with a launch party at the Container Yard in downtown Los Angeles.
(Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
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Los Angeles architect Jon Jerde, who was outspoken about his opinions on the state of public space, died on Feb. 9. The CityWalk at Universal Studios is among his famous designs. (Christina House / For The Times)
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Diana Vishneva as Princess Aurora in American Ballet Theatre‘s production of “Sleeping Beauty” that premiered at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in March. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)
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Los Angeles Philharmonic assistant conductor Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla leads the orchestra in her first L.A. Phil subscription concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall on March 1 in a program of Mozart, Beethoven and Stravinsky. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Rachele Gilmore as Alice and Christopher Lemmings as Mouse with supernumeraries in “Alice in Wonderland.” Susanna Malkki conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic in this collaboration with the L.A. Opera at Walt Disney Concert Hall. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Marcia Rodd, left, and Dick Cavett reprise their roles in “Hellman v. McCarthy,” a play inspired by actual events on “The Dick Cavett Show,” at Theatre 40 in February. The production starred Cavett as himself and Rodd as literary celebrity Mary McCarthy. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Irish playwright Conor McPherson‘s latest play, “The Night Alive,” ran at the Geffen Playhouse from Feb. 11 through March 15. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Ric Salinas, left, Herbert Siguenza and Richard Montoya, of the three-man Latino theater group Culture Clash, brought their “Chavez Ravine: An L.A. Revival” to the Kirk Douglas Theatre to mark the group’s 30th anniversary. The play ran from Feb. 4 through March 1.
The 2009 reboot of “Star Trek” (July 8 and 9) will screen with a live soundtrack accompaniment by the L.A. Philharmonic. Last season, the orchestra performed live during screenings of “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”
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The summer slate also features Culture Club and Boy George in an unorthodox pairing with the L.A. Phil and a 15-person band (Aug. 26 and 27). The L.A. Phil said it approached the British pop group famous for “Karma Chameleon” and “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” about appearing in concert.
“We’ve been talking about it for a few years,” Samuel said. “One of the things we can do at the Bowl is give them the opportunity to work with a full orchestra.”
Opening night on June 18 will feature Steely Dan, with founders Walter Becker and Donald Fagan. The annual July 4 fireworks spectacular (July 2-4) will include the rock band Chicago and the U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West.
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Other season highlights include a concert collaboration between the orchestra and Shakespeare’s Globe of London (Aug. 30 and Sept. 1) to mark the 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death. Actors will recite some of the Bard’s verse, while the orchestra will play music inspired by his plays. The innovative Handspring Puppet Co. also will collaborate on a concert (Aug. 4).
The season will feature performances by such notable soloists as pianists Lang Lang (July 12) and Yuja Wang (July 21) and cellist Gautier Capucon (Sept. 13). Yo-Yo Ma will appear with the Silk Road Ensemble in a concert (Aug. 21) of world music.
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Yuja Wang performs Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the L.A. Philharmonic led by conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Former L.A. Philharmonic music director Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting the orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Yuja Wang performs Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting the L.A. Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Pianist Yuja Wang on stage with the L.A. Philharmonic for Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Pianist Yuja Wang on stage with the L.A. Philharmonic for Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 1. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Williams will conduct the L.A. Philharmonic in the score for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” for which he received his 50th Academy Award nomination, as well as selections from other “Star Wars” movies (Sept. 2-4). The concerts will also feature conductor David Newman leading the orchestra in more soundtrack classics.
Williams is no stranger to the Bowl. He previously conducted there in 2014 in a concert series of his movie music, including “Superman,” “Jurassic Park” and “Star Wars.” In December, the composer said in an interview with The Times that he “felt a renewed energy, and a vitality, and a freshness” in creating music for “The Force Awakens.”
Dudamel will conduct several concerts throughout the summer, including performances of “West Side Story” (July 14 and 19) and “Tosca” (July 24).
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He will also lead a program (Aug. 2) of Latin music that will include the world premiere of a guitar concerto by “Mission: Impossible” composer Lalo Schifrin. “Concierto de la Amistad” will be performed by soloist Angel Romero.
Pop performances will include Sigur Rós (Sept. 24), Diana Ross (July 15 and 16) and Gladys Knight (Aug. 3). As previously announced, Jeff Lynne’s ELO will make a series of appearances (Sept. 9 to 11), with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra led by Thomas Wilkins.
“Weird Al” Yankovic will get his own concert series (July 22 and 23). The man famous for parodying pop songs previously appeared at the Bowl in 2014 during a tribute to “The Simpsons.”
