11 best bets for your weekend: Ballet BC, Heartbeat Opera, Herbie Hancock and more
A ballet company from our neighbors to the north, a BLM-themed update of a Beethoven opera and an appearance by a living jazz legend lead our shortlist of cultural offerings this weekend. Before you go, remember to call or check online for reservation requirements and other COVID-19 protocols.
Ballet BC
The Vancouver-based troupe kicks off a stint as the Soraya’s resident ballet company for 2022 with a program that includes works by artistic director Medhi Walerski and choreographer Crystal Pite. Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge. 8 p.m. Saturday. $41-$86. thesoraya.org
Heartbeat Opera’s ‘Fidelio’
A Black woman dreams of rescuing her husband, a Black Lives Matter activist, from the clutches of a racist prison warden in the New York-based company’s reimagining of Beethoven’s only opera. The Broad Stage Main Stage, Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 4 p.m. Sunday. $45-$75. thebroadstage.org
Heartbeat Opera’s “Breathing Free†weaves music from Beethoven’s “Fidelio,†spirituals and works by Florence Price, Harry T. Burleigh and Anthony Davis.
Herbie Hancock
The Grammy-winning keyboardist and veteran jazz artist will rock it, and perhaps even bust out the old keytar, in a sure-to-be-eclectic concert. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. 7:30 p.m. Sunday. $102-$145. laphil.com
‘Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans’
Secret Movie Club screens legendary filmmaker F. W. Murnau’s 1927 masterpiece, a silent-era fable about love and forgiveness, with the Jack Curtis Dubowsky Ensemble on hand to supply an original score live to picture. Presented in 35mm. Million Dollar Theater, 307 S. Broadway, downtown L.A. 7:30 p.m. Saturday. $18. eventbrite.com
‘What I Learned in Paris’
Love, politics and social progress mingle in Pearl Cleage’s 2012 romantic comedy set in Atlanta following the election of the city’s first-ever Black mayor in 1973. South Coast Repertory, Segerstrom Stage, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; other dates through March 19. $20-$93. scr.org
‘Sahara: Acts of Memory’
It’s your last chance to catch this exhibition of works by graphic designer Amir Berbić recalling his family’s life in a camp for Bosnian refugees in Denmark in the 1990s. Benton Museum of Art, Pomona College, 120 W. Bonita Ave., Claremont. Ends Sunday. Free; reservations recommended, walkups welcome. pomona.edu
“City of Cinema: Paris 1850–1907†at LACMA, “Poussin and the Dance†at the Getty, Frieze Los Angeles and more.
‘Our American Roots’
The Force will be with New West Symphony as Michael Christie leads the orchestra in a program that includes Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,†Korngold’s Violin Concerto and John Williams’ Suite from “Star Wars.†Kavli Theatre, Bank of America Performing Arts Center, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. 7:30 p.m. Saturday. $30-$120. Also at Rancho Campana Performing Arts Center, 4235 Mar Vista Drive, Camarillo. 3 p.m. Sunday. $30-$96. newwestsymphony.org
Caissie Levy
The Broadway veteran, who originated the role of Elsa in the stage adaptation of Disney’s animated musical “Frozen,†chills out in an intimate cabaret show. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Samueli Theatre, 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. $89. scfta.org
Keiko Matsui
The veteran keyboardist brings her smooth jazz stylings back to SoCal for one night only. Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Drive, Cerritos. 8 p.m. Friday. $40-$70. cerritoscenter.com
Opera 101
Lyric Opera OC offers a crash course in all things operatic in this lighthearted, centuries-spanning survey of the musical art form. The Muckenthaler Cultural Center, 1201 W. Malvern Ave., Fullerton. 7:30 p.m. Thursday. $15-$30. themuck.org
‘The Science of Dance’
This two-day all-ages event features exhibits, hands-on activities, dance workshops and performances by local companies Solsinmotion, Gary Ferrer Dance Studio and Benita Bike’s DanceArt. Discovery Cube Los Angeles, 11800 Foothill Blvd., Sylmar. 10 a.m. Saturday-Sunday. Free with museum admission ($13.95, $15.95). discoverycube.org
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