The L.A. Times Food BowlNight Market is back! Now in its seventh year, The Times’ Night Market is bigger than ever, with three weekend days of food and drink festivities, from September 22-24.
Night Market is a unique opportunity to experience the enormous range of cultures and cuisines that make up LA’s diverse food scene… all in one place. Set at a historic spot – the backlot of Hollywood’s Paramount Studios – you’ll encounter unlimited tastings from more than 120 restaurants, live cooking demos from world-renowned chefs and culinary personalities, DJs, and more.
Friday night’s event, “Fiesta Friday,” will focus on restaurants and cocktails from Mexico, the Caribbean, and beyond. Bricia Lopez (co-owner of Guelaguetza and esteemed cookbook author) and Danny Trejo (actor, restauranteur, and activist) will be on The L.A. Times Food Stage for live demonstrations. Among the dozens of restaurants sharing samples: Holbox, Guelaguetza, Chichen Itza, Villa’s Tacos, Caviar Kaspia, Kogi BBQ, Fishing with Dynamite, Bridgetown Roti, East Side Cheesecakes, Ceviche Stop, Nossa Caipirinha Bar, and much more.
“Saturday Night Flavor,” on September 23 will include live on-stage demos from Food Network personality Aarti Sequeira, Chef Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn (chef/owner of Le Du in Bangkok, Thailand), Justin Pichetrungsi (chef/owner, Anajak Thai), Ahmad Alzahabi, a.k.a. “The Golden Balance”, and Nick DiGiovanni (author of “Knife Drop.”). Participating restaurants include Girl & the Goat, Camphor, Chao Krung, Tuk Tuk Thai, n/soto, Kinn, Sichuan Impression, STK Steakhouse, The Brothers Sushi, Osteria Mamma, Poncho’s Tlayudas, Salt & Straw, Loreto, Broad Street Oyster Company, and much more.
*indicates that this title is also available to rent, purchase from, or stream on various platforms.
“Black Circle” (2018, Synapse Films*) A self-help record from the 1970s which promises to reduce the negative elements in the listener’s life proves accurate for sisters Felice Jankell and Erika Midfjall, albeit with one unsettling side effect: said negative elements manifest as doppelgangers of the listener that gain more power with every spin of the LP. Mexican-Swedish horror from Spanish director Adrian Garcia Bogliano plays a neat trick with two well-worn genre tropes – the Undying Influence of the Forbidden Object (see: M.R. James, Clive Barker, etc.) and the Secret Danger of Cult Thought – and merges them together in a largely cohesive and creepy film; the disorienting audio/visual palette is its chief selling point, though Eurocult fans will appreciate the presence of ’60s/’70s era exploitation star Christina Lindberg as the record’s creator. Synapse’s Blu-ray includes commentary by Bogliano, who’s also featured in an interview with Lindberg; the disc also includes a making-of featurette, Bogliano’s short “Don’t Open Your Eyes” (on which “Black Circle” is based), and a CD of Rickard Gramfors’ unnerving score.
For those who are not particularly fans of Shakespeare, the bugbear is always the same: “I have no clue what they’re talking about!”
The immortal Bard’s poetic dialogue can indeed be daunting for some. It’s definitely flowery and verbose and can even be damned wordy and difficult at times to comprehend or follow. That being said, audiences checking out the Long Beach Playhouse’ current Shakespeare offering of his classic “As You Like It”( on the Studio Stage upstairs) will have no trouble thoroughly enjoying this delightful comedy set in 1955 Manhattan.
Standout direction by Michael Hernandez-Phillips keeps things moving quite well in spite of the two and a half hour running time. Excellent blocking and utilizing of the playing spaces with an ensemble cast that fills every square inch of the stage.
A very cleverly designed set design by Spencer Richardson is employed to full effect by most of the cast who all double as valued stagehands in moving set pieces, backdrops and the like around to coincide with each scene. Kudos for the teamwork that made the dream work!
Costume and wardrobe design Christina Bayer and team is equally on par with the proceedings. Everyone looks terrific and right out of the “Mad Men” TV show or a beatnik coffeehouse of the era.
Comprising the cast are many veterans of the Long Beach Playhouse and newcomers alike. David Clark Hutchison, Zion Aguilar, Jessica Plotin, Marco Estrada, Jared Gaxiola, Jacob Gerard Caldwell and Taylar Ann all play multiple roles and are never wasted in each respective role. There are quiet moments and, of course, bombastic moments applied equally with relish for the front seats and the back row. Lots of fun with much physical comedy that completely serves the play. Well done to all!
Standout performances by the lead cast are Andy Justus in the role of Oliver. His choreographed fight is great and his zeal is present in every scene! Zion Aguilar plays two roles but his Jaques is romantic and passionate whether quoting poetry or spitting out his contempt. Really fun to watch and his French accent is right on point.
Ryan Hollon is a joy to cheer on with her endless enthusiasm for Shakespeare as the dialogue rolls off of her tongue, matched with a humor that completely “gets” how to perform the Bard. Ben Trotter has the weight of playing “the straight man” as his long suffering Orlando patiently waits at the feet of love and its infinite possibilities of a happy future, but his performance is never boring as it propels the plot forward.
Courtney Johnson and Skylar Alexis respectively command their portrayals of Rosalind and Celia in their own right, but their stage time is so intertwined that it’s hard to come away with anything but that these two characters have known each other for so long that they can practically finish the others’ sentences. It’s magnificent to watch Johnson and Alexis; their razor sharp timing, the business of LISTENING when the other is speaking or the silent movements of each actress in moments where the focus is not on them. These two are total pros and THAT good in what they’re doing. There’s no doubt that each of them will hit loftier heights in their acting careers.
Whether you like Shakespeare or not, do yourself a favor and see this charming production at the Studio Stage. You’ll come away with a much larger appreciation for good local theater, a solid ensemble cast and how easily they’ll convince you that you suddenly became a Shakespeare fan.
Playing in the Long Beach Playhouse’s Studio Theater
Pete Shelley, The Buzzcocks, Boston, November 1980. Photo by Michael Grecco.
Set the date for Thursday, September 14, 2023, in Beverly Hills for two Los Angeles-based fine art photographers (and partners), Michael Grecco and Elizabeth Waterman, and their opening night receptions at the Leica Gallery LA in Beverly Hills.
Does Life House exist? If it does, what exactly is it?
What is the meaning of Life House?
These are questions that Who fans have asked since first hearing it described by Pete Townshend in interviews from the year 1971. Today, lots of people claim to know exactly what it was, and what the artist’s intent was, though these people can’t seem to agree on much. They don’t even agree on this question: Does Life House bloody exist?
How can a thing that thousands upon thousands have contemplated at length be said not to exist? But if it does exist definitively, what is it? And does this new ten-CD boxed set, with an additional BluRay disc of HD audio, get us any closer to a final answer? It has Life House in the title, so is this finally it? Or is it just “Who’s Next plus extras, with all the songs recorded after Tommy, that didn’t end up on Quadrophenia”? Can it be said to contain the completeness of the Life House thing that was never properly produced? Continue reading →
Carnaval de la Lune is happening for just one weekend, September 9th-10th, at Heritage Square. The walk-through event is peopled with sideshow performers ready to entertain and pose for photo ops. You can still attend today from 4PM-10PM. Tickets are $20. All ages. Heritage Square Museum 3510 Pasadena Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90031. If you can’t make it, here are some photos from Mike Guerena.
In the history of Great Second Acts for rock bands, one of the most rewarding returns to the stage has to be that of the Brazilian band Os Mutantes. Virtually unheard in the US from the time they started in Sao Paulo, they were genuinely trippy, melding sixties rock with the sounds of South America and their own twisted musical sensibilities. They were key contributors to the infamous 1969 compilation Tropicalia/ Ou Panis Et Circenses which announced a new generation of outspoken musicians that included Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, and led to the latter two musicians becoming exiles in the UK shortly thereafter. Praise from North American fans like Kurt Cobain and Beck introduced them by name to a curious audience starting in the 90’s, leading to a series of reissues and a handful of US dates in the mid 2000s. Every few years since, they’ve been back, led by original member Sergio Dias, occasionally producing new music, and always bringing the joy of life back into their catalog.
This headlining show at the Ford was clearly a joyous occasion for the band, who sold out three nights at Highland Park’s Lodge Room last fall. Led by Dias and lead singer Esmeria Bulgari, this latest collective of musicians is perhaps the best one yet to tour the States. They’re vocally and instrumentally well suited to tackle the group’s spaced-out sixties catalog (Fuga No. 2″, “Dois Mil E Um”, “Panis Et Circenses”) as well as the sophisticated pop numbers (“Ando Meio Desligado”, “Balada Do Luoco”, “Technicolor”), and Deep Purple-worthy biker rock of the 70s (“Jardim Electrico”, “A Hora E A Vez Do Cabelo Nascer (Cabeludo Patriota)”, which Sepultura cover without having to change anything in particular to make it sound more metal), and the newest music, “Beyond” from the album Zzyzx, and “Time and Space” from the previous effort Fool Metal Jack, which seems downright McCartney-esque in its sincerity and warmth. Continue reading →
Gosh Burning Man was fun . . . actually it was fine for me, I took off as soon as the rain started and got out before it was locked down, and here are some photos from two lovely days. As I was driving out the catastrophe was already unfolding, the ground was turning into quicksand and the road out was littered in cars that had already been stuck. As I passed them (thank you Jeep, thank you offroad tires) a man jumped out of a Mercedes that was stuck in the mud and started screaming at me and waving a handful of cash. He ran to my car and told me he’d give me a thousand dollars if I could get him off the playa in my Jeep and drop him off at the airport in Reno. Bribe accepted, and I spent the next two days exploring ghost towns. Enjoy the photos, the conditions were lovely during that brief period.
