Tuesday, award-winning author Rebecca Skloot will read from her New York Times best-selling book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks at UCLA Live’s Royce Hall. The critically-acclaimed nonfiction book has been heralded for its intricate research and gripping story. more ›

Oft labeled a rising star in contemporary dance, Los Angeles-bred and European/Israeli infused choreographer Barak Marshall and UCLA Live bring a company of ten dancers to Royce Hall for two shows this weekend. Presenting the evening length physical theater work Monger, its sound score includes excerpts of Gypsy, Balkan, classical and rock music and a narrative drawn from sources such as artist/writer Bruno Shultz’ life and work, Jean Genet’sThe Maids and Robert Altman’s film Gosford Park. more ›

In the mood for something subversive? You're in luck. The ever-peculiar John Waters will be taking the Royce Hall stage on February 23rd as part of the ongoing UCLA Live season. Parents: you've been warned. more ›

It is almost impossible to overstate the effect that Ornette Coleman had on the world of American music in the late 1950s. Coleman’s early records for Atlantic - using a band formed in LA, with Don Cherry, Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins, trading the drum seat with Ed Blackwell - declared complete freedom from jazz convention, including the restrictions of tonality itself, while remaining rooted in the blues at its deepest level... more ›

John Cale’s return to Los Angeles for the first American performance of his landmark 1973 album Paris 1919 includes a reunion with the UCLA Philharmonia, the same group that gave the original recording its lush, expansive orchestration. While the evening promises guest appearances from alt-rock heartthrobs Ben Gibbard and Mark Lanegan, the real treat on offer is the rare opportunity to hear some of rock’s most incredibly ambitious, grandly realized songs performed properly. And as Cale reveals in an interview with LAist, he plans to make the most of the extra hands at his command, padding out the program with more material that’ll be suitable for the big band. more ›

UCLA Live Director David Sefton announced this week his resignation after controversy over the program's restructuring. Due to budget cuts the program that is known for having one the top international theatre festivals in Los Angeles is losing the man who made it what it is. more ›

Lloyd Newson is bringing his radical DV8 Physical Theatre to UCLA for two shows this weekend. For those not familiar, Newson and his troupe create some of the most interesting dance performances out there today (check out these three amazing YouTube clips). This Friday and Saturday, they will bring the controversial “To Be Straight With You,” which explores tolerance, intolerance, religion and sexuality based on 85 interviews with the pious and apostate, straight and gay, activists, among others. It ultimately asks how modern society will reconcile faith and human rights. more ›

Thursday night at Royce hall in UCLA was like the face melting "Stoned Again" poster. A great start, but it ended badly. It was hard to guess which R. Crumb would be on stage, the self-loathing, misogynistic misanthropic, insensitive curmudgeon or the boyishly endearing, insightful artist. more ›

In conjunction with “The Bible Illuminated: R. Crumb’s Book of Genesis,”, which opened at the Hammer Museum last Friday, UCLA Live this Thursday is hosting a rare appearance of the famous cult cartoonist in a conversation with Françoise Mouly, The New Yorker's Art Editor. A little about Crumb, via UCLA Live: In the late ’60s, R. Crumb’s psychedelic comics—including the characters Fritz the Cat, Mr. Natural, Devil Girl and the popular Keep on Truckin’ cartoon— propelled him overnight to celebrity status in San Francisco’s burgeoning underground scene... more ›

You know it's summer in LA when Highland in Hollywood becomes even more of a traffic nightmare than usual when the Hollywood Bowl "officially" opens. (We guess the annual Playboy Jazz Festival is the unofficial opening?) Tonight, there's a star-studded opening night gala with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Josh Groban, who'll be inducted during the 10th anniversary of the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra will be conducted by Thomas Wilkins, with guest performers Roger Daltrey, Angélique Kidjo, Frederica von Stade and Trisha Yearwood. Tickets are $17-$103. more ›

At the near-forty-year mark in their career, the bro-team of Ron and Russell Mael are finally receiving the kind of success that occasionally visits extremely unique musicians who hang in there for the long haul. Even if their music is so out-there as to only appeal to 1% of the listening audience, there’s a new potential audience every year as another crop of rock and roll kids sets out on their path to discovery, and the ones inclined to bizarre postmodern pop will eventually cross their path. Over time, those small numbers add up. So it was that Sparks sold out Royce Hall on Saturday by combining new and vintage material for a show that brought out the faithful in droves. more ›

Since their emergence at the beginning of the 1970s, Sparks has been an outsider act. But while commercial success has only struck a handful of times in the course of their twenty-one albums, everyone who grew up during that time seems to know who they are. There’s something about the sight of Ron Mael, the sinister, Chaplinesque accountant stoically rocking out behind the keyboard, that once seen is not easily forgotten. Of all the musicians in the world Paul McCartney could have picked to impersonate in his all-star band for the 1980 Coming Up video, Mael not only made the cut, his Fab doppelganger is easily the funniest and most memorable in the clip. When guys who used to be in the Beatles are making fun of you, you've made it. more ›

Royce Hall has always been the spot for the classical concerts in the Westside. This week, they host two world class events, with performances by the Takács Quartet and the Guarneri String Quartet. more ›

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Will it be pouring buckets tonight? If you aren't already planning on holing up with some popcorn and Netflix picks, you may want to get out and get your art & culture on. Let us help! more ›

This looks good -- an artist not yet heard in our neighborhood and a timeless theme. Plus references to things we may know something about. more ›

There's a lot of quality going on in classical this week in Los Angeles. Deaf percussionist superstar Evelyn Glennie is coming to UCLA Live, the Steven Stucky 20th Anniversary at the Green Umbrella Series with the LA Phil and a crazy four hour concert tonight featuring 18 Squared, LA's resident Steve Reich ensemble, among others. However, the obvious choice for this week is Monday Evening Concert's season opener, Primitive Force (we spoke about Sunday... more ›

Last week with the Holiday, we said it was slim pickings. This week, classical music in Los Angeles is bountiful and what has piqued our interest is Alternative Opera Theater's three performances this upcoming weekend at the intimate NoHo Arts District space, the Raven Playhouse. The performance will feature two chamber operas, the first being "The Telephone" by Gian Carlo Menotti where a man attempts to propose to the woman she loves. But there's... more ›

I cannot wish the fault undone, the issue of it being so proper ~ Earl of Kent in King Lear Last week, news broke over the consumer controversy of secondary sellers like Stubhub.com and TicketsNow being investigated by a few states about music fans not being able to purchase tickets to shows on Ticketmaster, even at the minute and second they go on sale. The problem came up with popular concerts like The Disney... more ›

It was unfortunate that we finally got to see Slava's Snowshow on closing night in January at UCLA Live because it was probably one of the coolest things and we wish we had time to warn you to go buy tickets. If it comes around again, you must see it. No questions asked. This video is taken after the show was over when Slava and the clowns let out these huge-ass balls that we... more ›

WEDNESDAY more ›

Over the past few years, string quartet tributes to pop culture have flourished and it can like it's more of a prolific commodity than an artistic endeavor. Vitamin Records are the ones responsible for those String Quartet Tributes you see out there and we are curious who in their right mind made the decision to make a Clay Aiken Tribute? The L.A. based, The Section Quartet (pictured above) participated on a good number of those albums (but not Clay's) and play tonight (think Radiohead) in a concert presented by KCRW at Largo. Some hate this type of strung out tribute music, some love it - we'll let you decide and chime in. more ›

FRIDAY more ›

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• Tonight at UCLA Live, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet will be speaking at 8 PM. Tickets range from $25-35, or $15 for UCLA students. more ›

At the New Beverly Cinema it's a Takashi Miike double feature, with his new film Gozu at 7:30 PM, followed by the wonderfully depraved Audition at 9:55 PM. more ›