Venues roll out the red carpet for the arts this fall
By Bridgette M. Redman
From live music series to musicals to world-premiere theatrical works to paintings classic and modern, the arts organizations in the Pasadena area are rolling out artistic works designed to comfort, challenge and entertain this fall and winter.
With the world a different place than it was even two years ago, arts organizations are inviting audiences in to take in art and to ask the questions great and small while connecting with others.
Here are some of the events taking place between now and the end of the year.
A Noise Within
3352 E. Foothill Boulevard, Pasadena
626-356-3100, anoisewithin.org
After the musical version of George Orwell’s “An Animal Farm” closes on October 2, A Noise Within is returning to August Wilson’s 10-play American Century Cycle, with the final installment, “Radio Golf,” from October 16 to November 13. Set in the 1990s, it examines the high price we pay for progress as Pittsburgh’s first Black mayoral candidate is faced with choices between his integrity and his personal aspirations.
Then, from December 3 to December 23, the theater’s co-artistic directors will bring back a Pasadena favorite — Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”
Alex Theatre
216 N. Brand Boulevard, Glendale
818-243-ALEX (2539), alextheatre.org
Alex Theatre brings diverse shows to its stage, from music to comedy to opera to musicals. This fall, it’s launching its programming with Lokillo Florez on October 1, followed by the Domination Tour featuring Gigi de Lana and the Gigi Vibes on October 15.
Come November, it will be home to four events. November 5 will see the Wild Honey Foundation and Jody Stephens presenting “Big Star #1,” a benefit celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Big Star “#1” album that will support the Autism Healthcare Cooperative. Performers include Big Star drummer Jody Stephens and Mike Mills of R.E.M.
On November 12, the Asian Hall of Fame will induct new members including Hiroshima, Olympian Chloe Kim, Daniel Ho and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, among others.
Then, the Musical Theatre Guild will present “Brigadoon” on November 14, the musical about a mystical land that only appears once every 100 years for a single day. On November 16 and November 17 there will be a tribute concert to singer and composer Hayko.
December heads east with The Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles presents “A Motown Holiday” on December 17 and December 18.
Antaeus Theatre Company
110 E. Broadway, Glendale
818-506-5436, antaeus.org
What happens when a modern playwright riffs on 15th century morality plays? Find out with “Everybody” through October 17 at Antaeus Theatre Company, a troupe that explores classics and new takes on classics. In it, five of the actors don’t find out what their roles are until a lottery takes place at the beginning of the play. In October they will also release a free podcast with three of their actors performing “Changeling” by Jennifer Rowland.
Boston Court Pasadena
70 N. Mentor Avenue, Pasadena
626-683-6801, bostoncourtpasadena.org
Whether you want theater, music or film, Boston Court Pasadena is the place to be this fall. It is developing two new works on its stages, both in workshop stage. The first is “Escapegoat: A Workshop Presentation” from October 27 to November 6, which has three actors playing humans, tortoises and goats in an eco-parable set on Galapagos Islands.
Then, on November 12 and November 13, it will host “Dojyoji: A New Opera Workshop” exploring the tragic Japanese love tale newly conceived by Kentaro Kameyama and featuring piano, two singers and Kameyama’s fashion designs.
Its live music series includes world-class cellist Anita Graef on October 15 and the Nolan Shaheed Quintet on December 3. Boston Court is also hosting a series of National Theatre Live film screenings of British theatrical performances. October 1 features Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones”) starring in Shakespeare’s “Henry V”; October 6 is “Jack Absolute Flies Again” by Richard Bean; and October 15, October 22, October 29 and October 30 are “Frankenstein” starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, who switch off the roles of monster and creator (Boston Court will alternate shows of Version A and Version B).
The Huntington
1151 Oxford Road, San Marino
The Huntington has had a lot to celebrate this fall with the return of “The Blue Boy” by Gainsborough, one of its best-known pieces, which is now being paired with Kehinde Wiley’s modern interpretation of it. Also showing throughout the fall is “Gee’s Bend: Shared Legacy,” made up of quilts and prints celebrating the work of the Alabama Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers’ Collective. Another temporary exhibit on display throughout the fall is “Method and Material: Tempera Painting in Focus” that looks at the history of tempera.
Two new exhibitions open this fall. On October 22, The Huntington will open “Crafting a Garden: Inside the Creation of Liu Fang Yuan,” which explores the intricacies of Chinese gardens through models, photographs, tools and videos. On December 10, it will welcome the traveling exhibition “Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts,” which explores Walt Disney’s fascination with European art and the use of French motifs in Disney films and theme parks.
Luckman Fine Arts Complex
Cal State LA, 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles
323-343-6600, luckmanarts.org
At the gateway to the San Gabriel Valley, The Luckman Fine Arts Complex sees the Yamma Ensemble visit on October 2. The internationally renowned musical group plays an array of music that sticks with the Middle East.
Singing fado — a traditional Portuguese genre — Mariza “embraces the new while never forsaking the old.” She comes to town October 7.
Legendary actress Isabella Rossellini brings her one-woman show “Darwin’s Smile” to the complex October 8 and October 9. The performance is said to “reconcile two worlds that are often at opposite ends: art and science.”
Diva Gloria Gaynor will offer a career-spanning set, including her Grammy-winning hit “I Will Survive,” on November 5. She has scored a hit in five decades.
CocoRosie blends indie, hip-hop, pop, blues, opera and electronica to develop an avant-garde sound. The group performs November 19.
Finally, Dionne Warwick will bring her hits — among them “Don’t Make Me Over,” “Walk on By,” “Say a Little Prayer,” “A House is Not a Home,” “Alfie,” “Heartbreaker” and Déjà Vu” — on December 17.
MUSE/ique
300 E. Green Street, Third Floor, Pasadena
626-844-7703, muse-ique.com
An organization that travels Los Angeles to pioneer new musical experiences through curated live music events and outreach programs, its only show in Pasadena this fall will feature “Grand Avenue” at The Huntington on October 6 in a concert that explores the worldwide influences of Downtown Los Angeles’ earliest days to now.
Norton Simon Museum
411 W. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena
626-449-6840, nortonsimon.org
From the masters to the moderns, Norton Simon Museum has memorable exhibitions planned for this fall. On loan from LACMA, Paul Gaugin’s “The Swineherd” will be on view until November 14 along with other pieces of post-Impressionist art. Opening October 14 and running through February 13 are the work of six women lithography artists working in ink, stone and paper. All six women visited Los Angeles in the 1960s on a two-month fellowship to study lithography.
From October 21 to January 30, “a” brings together for the first time (on loan from London’s National Gallery) Pablo Picasso’s “Woman with a Book” next to the painting that inspired it — Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres’ “Madame Moitessier.”
Open Fist Theatre Company
Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Avenue, Los Angeles
323-882-6912, openfist.org
A company that has worked to spread social awareness through art since its founding in 1990, Open Fist presents a “This Week This Week” sketch show about the week’s news every Thursday through November. Starting October 1 and running through November 5, it will present the world premiere of Catherine Butterfield’s “To the Bone” about the “hard girls” in high school — 20 years later when the party is over. Combining family, genetics and baseball, this is a dark comedy about the vagaries of life.
Pasadena Playhouse
39 S. El Mollino Avenue, Pasadena
626-356-7529, pasadenaplayhouse.org
The season opener, a new play by Martyna Majok, continues until October 9. “Sanctuary City” explores the American Dream from the viewpoint of those who were brought here in their youth and must fight to become citizens in the only land they know.
Pasadena Symphony Ambassador Auditorium
131 S. St. John Avenue, Pasadena
626-793-7172, pasadenasymphony-pops.org
Indoors and out, the Pasadena Symphony has a diverse menu of symphonic classic and pop music this fall, culminating in the ever-popular Holiday Candlelight Concert on December 17 at All Saints Church.
Leading up to that is the Symphony Series featuring Mozart and Saint-Saens on October 22 and Tchaikovsky and Sibelius on November 12.
On December 3 and December 4, the Women’s Committee of the Pasadena Symphony Association will host the 55th annual Holiday Look in Home Tour, showcasing tours of the architecture and gardens of four homes with symphony musicians providing live holiday music in the background.