EIGHT DAYs IN L.A.
Edited by Tom Child
Reed Hutchinson
Saturday: The Los Angeles Ballet has a pointe
L.A. City Beat hand picks calendar selections from among the myriad events that happen weekly in Los Angeles. In order to be considered, please submit all information at least two weeks in advance to calendar@lacitybeat.com or write Calendar / L.A. City Beat / 5209 Wilshire Blvd. / Los Angeles, CA / 90036. No faxes or phone calls, please.
CLUBS
Compiled by Ron Garmon
Annihilate this Week is the entirely appropriate name for an evening of punk, postpunk, indie & psychobilly at “L.A.’s only log-cabin lounge.” Bigfoot Lodge, 3172 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 662-1611; bigfootlodge/LAhome. Every Fri., 10 p.m. Balance is your Church of Saturday Night Deep House, conveniently located on the same street as several other notable temples of booty-based faith. King King, 6555 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 9605765; kingkinghollywood.com. Sat., 10 p.m.4 a.m. $10 before 11 p.m. Club Underground sees to all Silver Lake’s punk/glam/twee/Madchester needs, thank ’ee. The Echoplex, 1154 Glendale Blvd., (213) 413-8200; attheecho.com. Sat., 9 p.m.-2 a.m. $7. 18+. Club Work It invites you to check out your favorite lesbians. The Medusa Lounge, 3211 Beverly Blvd., Silver Lake, (213) 382-5723; medusaloungela.com. Sun., 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Free. Giant presents their chilly majesties, legendary German trance double act Blank + Jones. The Vanguard, 6021 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 463-3331; vanguardla.com. Sun., 10 p.m.-4 a.m. $20 presale. Give Us Free Fridays spins the R&B, hiphop & dancehall. Carbon, 9300 Venice Blvd., Culver City, (310) 558-9302; carbonla.com. Fri., 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Free. Hot Butter Fridays puts the glide in yo’ stride with DJ Lady Sha. Dakota Music Lounge, 1026 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica; dakotalounge.com. Fri., 9:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Free before 11 p.m.; $5 after.
MUSIC
Compiled by Sarah Tressler John Carpenter,The Mighty Regis, Mandi Perkins, The Spies, Molly Malone’s Irish Pub, 575 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 935-1577; mollymalonesla.com. Thur., Mar. 12, 8 p.m. $12. 18+. The Subcity Take Action Tour with Cute is What We Aim For, House of Blues, 8430 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (323) 8485100; hob.com. Fri., 6 p.m. $18-$20. Tindersticks with Spain, The Music Box @ Henry Fonda Theater, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 464-0808; henryfondatheater.com. Fri., 8 p.m. $28. Pendulum, Club Nokia, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., downtown Los Angeles, (213) 765-7000; clubnokia.com. Sat., 9:30 p.m. $25-$28. Asobi Seksu with Resplandor, Troubadour, 9081 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, (310) 276-6168; troubadour.com. Sat., 8 p.m. $12. Common featuring Biz Markie, Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood, 1000 Universal Studios Blvd., #99, Universal City, (818) 622-7625; hardrock. com. Mon., 8 p.m. $25; $75, V.I.P. 21+. Steel Panther, Key Club, 9039 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (310) 786-1712; keyclub.com. Mon., 9 p.m. $18, 21+; $20, under 21. ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Echoplex, 1154 Glendale Blvd., Echo Park, (213) 413-8200; attheecho. com. Tue., 8:30 p.m. $15 in advance; $18 at the door. 18+. Amber Melody and Amber Ojeda, The Dakota Lounge, 1026 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 393-8200; dakotalounge.com. Wed., 9 p.m. $7. 21+. Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Conga Room, 5364 Wilshire Blvd., downtown Los Angeles, (213) 749-0445; congaroom.com. Thur., Mar. 19, 9 p.m. $33-$58.
THEATER
Compiled by Don Shirley
Double Indemnity. Kathrine Bates’ new dramatization of James M. Cain’s noir novel for Theatre 40 features throaty, eye-raising performances by Ed F. Martin as the lustful insurance agent and Nancy Young as the murderous, faithless wife. But Beverly Olevin’s staging isn’t helped by the modular, almost bare set, which has to make do without the brooding cinematography of the landmark film based on the same material. For that matter, Theatre 40’s own long-running production of another Bates true-crime script, The Manor, has a similar advantage over this production because it uses the actual mansion where the reallife crime took place. The lack of visual atmospherics here leaves the more unlikely elements of the story and the ripe dialogue in plain view, with all of their flaws exposed. Theatre 40, 241 Moreno Dr., Beverly Hills High School campus, (310) 364-0535; theatre40.org. Phone or check web site for schedule. $10-$22. Closes Sun., March 15. Hangin’ Out. Robert Schrock, whose Naked Boys Singing is a hit, apparently thought that heterosexuals might prefer a whimsical, allnude musical revue if both men and women were on stage. Hence this new show, with three of each gender in the cast, as well as some blatant gender stereotypes cropping up in the lyrics. The 19 songs by a bevy of writers, choreographed by Ken Roht, seem almost squeaky-clean at times, with hardly a trace of sexual interaction between the bodies, especially in the first act. Don’t expect a big sexual charge. Macha Theatre, West Hollywood, (323) 960-4443; plays411. com/hangin’out. Thur.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m. $34.95. Closes Sun., March 15. Ixnay. In Paul Kikuchi’s comedy for East West Players, an accident victim (Aaron Takahashi) enters an afterlife run by a fellow Japanese American (Gedde Watanabe) but
LACITYBEAT 24 March 12-18, 2009
balks at being reincarnated within the same culture, holding up the line for his fellow Asian or wannabe Asians who await their own next assignments. Despite individually strong performances, the conceit feels wobbly, especially as the author tries to balance arguments in favor of mixed marriages and pride in cultural heritage. Most of the characters sink into stereotype in Jeff Liu’s staging. Hwang Theater, 120 Judge John Aiso St., Little Tokyo, (213) 625-7000; eastwestplayers.org. Wed.-Sat, 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. $20-$35. Closes Sun., March 15. Twilight of the Golds. The Gold family fractures over a decision by Suzanne (Gretchen Koerner) to abort her pregnancy when advanced genetic testing indicates her boy will be gay. Her gay brother (Eli Kranski) interprets this as the ultimate insult. In T L Kolman’s revival for the Production Company, Jonathan Tolins’ 1993 play is a riveting portrait of well-meaning people agonizing over old prejudices and new technologies, with a layer of half-serious, half-whimsical comparisons of the Golds’ plight to that of the gods in Wagner’s Ring cycle. Chandler Studio, 12443 Chandler Blvd., Valley Village, (800) 838-3006; theprodco.com. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m. $22. Closes Sat., March 14. Violet Sharp. William Cameron’s script depicts the agonies that beset a maid (Meredith Bishop) for Charles Lindbergh’s in-laws, in the aftermath of the notorious Lindbergh baby kidnapping quality. An aggressive detective (David Hunt Stafford) considers her a prime suspect. The scenes feel like simulated re-enactments, with a docudramatic quality. As in many such stories, it isn’t easy to know how much is verified docu and how much is fabricated drama. Still, it’s an engaging demonstration of how seemingly innocent and anonymous bystanders can be drawn into the swath of a widely publicized news story. Theatre 40, 241 Moreno Dr., Beverly Hills High School campus, (310) 364-0535; theatre40.org. Check website for schedule. $10-$22. Closes Thur., March 12.