15 picks for weekend culture, from ‘Towering Disaster’ laughs to Frida Kahlo
Live solo shows by Broadway stars Megan Hilty and Audra McDonald, a Frida Kahlo museum talk and a disaster-flick Zoom parody starring Ben Stiller, Don Cheadle and Kristen Wiig: These are among the promising cultural events for your calendar consideration this weekend.
As the surge in coronavirus cases makes staying at home look a lot more attractive, we’ll keep offering lists of streaming theater, online musicals, virtual art exhibitions and more. Here’s our latest rundown, all times Pacific.
“The Towering Disaster”
Ben Stiller, David Cross, Michael Cera, Don Cheadle, Will Forte, Regina Hall, Michael McKean, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Silverman, Kristen Wiig and Henry Winkler take part in a live Zoom reading of this parody of 1970s-era disaster flicks. 5 p.m. Saturday; available for 48 hours. $12.50. TheToweringDisaster.com
“I, My Ruination”
Paul Giamatti is filmmaker Elia Kazan and Giamatti’s “Billions” costar Corey Stoll is playwright Arthur Miller in a live reading of Kevin Artigue’s fact-based drama about the anti-communist witch hunts of the 1950s. Pedro Pascal (“The Mandalorian”) also stars. 4 p.m. Thursday and Saturday. $100 and up. capecodtheatreproject.org
“Live With Carnegie Hall: Audra McDonald”
The six-time Tony winner performs a varied program in this live recital that also features McDonald in conversation with humorist Mo Rocca. 2 p.m. Thursday. Free. youtube.com/carnegiehall, facebook.com
Paul Giamatti has spent two decades bringing his flawed-everyman charm to diverse roles: frustrated writer, Founding Father, even God.
“Under 30 Playwrights Lab Virtual Series”
IAMA Theatre Company presents a virtual four-day festival featuring live readings of new works by six up-and-coming local writers. 6 p.m. Thursday-Friday, noon and 5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Free. Register at iamatheatre.com
“Coded Bias”
The Orange County Museum of Art streams this documentary about design flaws that can cause facial-recognition software to misidentify women and people of color. Available noon Thursday to 11:59 p.m. Saturday. Free. RSVP at ocmaexpand.org
“Move Me”
Heidi Duckler Dance streams a re-imagining of this site-specific, automotive-themed work exploring the concept of mobility. A Q&A follows. 5 p.m. Friday. Free with RSVP. eventbrite.com
“Summer Nights at Home”
The online version of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County’s Friday-night series continues with a discussion of the prehistoric flora and fauna at the La Brea Tar Pits, plus a DJ set by Rani de Leon. 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Free. nhm.org
Digital Dance DTLA
The Music Center’s virtual summer series continues with an evening of line dancing led by instructor Rick Dominguez. 7 to 8 p.m. Friday. Free. musiccenter.org
“Mike Lang: This Moment in Time, Part 1”
The jazz pianist performs with bassist Michael Valerio, drummer Jim Keltner and vocalist-percussionist Deborah Pearl in this 2019 concert presented by Piano Spheres. Anytime beginning Saturday; available for one week. Part 2 streams beginning Aug. 1. Free. pianospheres.org
Two longtime music series, Piano Spheres and Monday Evening Concerts, expand into summer with jazz pianist Mike Lang and a packed show at Hauser & Wirth.
“Der Ring des Nibelungen”
Los Angeles Opera marks the 10th anniversary of its first presentation of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle with a daylong audio-stream starting with “Das Rheingold” at 8 a.m. Saturday followed by “Die Walküre” at 11 a.m., “Siegfried” at 3 p.m. and “Götterdämmerung” at 7 p.m. Free. laopera.org
“Frida Kahlo by Gregorio Luke”
Art historian Gregorio Luke celebrates the life and times of the Mexican painter in this Zoom lecture presented by Catalina Island Museum. 11 a.m. Saturday. $5, $17. catalinamuseum.org
“In These Uncertain Times”
Source Material premieres this Chekhov-inspired work about the future of live theater after the COVID-19 pandemic. 4 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. Sunday; also Aug. 1-2. Pay what you can, $10-$25 recommended donation. sourcematerialcollective.com
“Disability Unite Festival”
Tony winner Ali Stroker (“Oklahoma!”), comedian Josh Blue (“Last Comic Standing”) and vocal group the Blind Boys of Alabama are among the performers in this livestream event marking the 30th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Free. disabilityunite.org
“The Seth Concert Series”
Megan Hilty (“Wicked,” “Smash”) performs an intimate set in this live online showcase hosted by Seth Rudetsky. 5 p.m. Sunday; replays noon Monday. $20, $25. thesethconcertseries.com
“Penetrable BBL Bleu”
This documentary short profiles Jesús Rafael Soto, the late Venezuelan artist whose interactive kinetic sculpture known colloquially as the “yellow spaghetti” was a fixture in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art courtyard. Available anytime. Free. lacma.org
Our recurring coronavirus-era recommendations are indexed in the same place arts event listings (sigh) used to post.
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