Best Things To Do This Week In Los Angeles And Southern California: June 10 - 13

A Strange Loop is meta on meta on meta, using clever staging and a tongue-in-cheek approach to tell the story of Usher, an usher at The Lion King on Broadway, who’s trying to write a musical of his own about being a Black, queer 20-something in a musical about being a Black, queer 20-something. You follow? The touring cast of the show – which won the Tony, the Obie, and the Pulitzer – is strong and the timing of the L.A. run with Pride month and Juneteenth provides a meaningful backdrop for the show’s themes.

Book dinner and a show at nearby Abernathy’s on certain nights or get tickets for Wednesday, June 19, when a special Juneteenth performance will feature a talkback session moderated by Phill Wilson, co-founder of the Dance for Life Festival and a leader in the HIV/AIDS and Black LGBTQ+ movement.

DJ Lance Rock from Nickelodeon’s much-beloved and much-missed popular kids' show Yo Gabba Gabba is hitting the public library circuit for some jams this week, in Chatsworth on Tuesday, Silver Lake on Wednesday, and hosting a dance party in Woodland Hills on Saturday. DJ Lance Rock always brings his wacky and colorful blend of reading, dancing, and imagination to delight kids (and their parents, too).

The Exploding Kittens team is at it again with a new game – Why Are You Like This? – that combines elements of charades, pictionary, and 20 questions in a fun party game. Be one of the first to try it and take home a copy at the event. Plus, since their games are always interactive, it’s a great way to meet new people. Exploding Kittens reps will be on hand to provide some pro tips for the novice gamers among us!

Judith Hill is a survivor. The powerhouse singer and frequent collaborator with Michael Jackson and Prince has a new album out, Letters from a Black Widow, that addresses her experience working with these two legends, both gone too soon. She sits down with music journalist Lyndsey Parker for an in-depth talk about her career – including her Grammy-winning turn in the documentary Twenty Feet From Stardom – at the Grammy Museum.

LAist's resident City Treks expert Paul Haddad has a new book out on our fair city, Inventing Paradise: The Power Brokers Who Created the Dream of Los Angeles, focused on the moguls like Henry Huntington and William Mulholland who had an outsized effect on the shape of L.A. He’ll speak with journalist Josh Stephens at Skylight Books.

Can’t make it this week? Haddad continues his local book tour over the next few weeks, with appearances June 17 at Vroman's Books in Pasadena, June 27 at Village Well Books in Culver City and July 8 at Chevalier's Books in Larchmont Village.

Take a holiday to the Bowl for Vampire Weekend’s latest outing supporting their new album, Only God Was Above Us. Ezra Koenig and his merry crew will surely bop their way into the night, with mid-2000s hits like “A-Punk," “Oxford Comma," and “Contra," plus songs off the latest, which Pitchfork called “masterfully knotty.”

Itching to get your creative juices flowing? Head over to Venice where the good folks at Little Lunch Coffee are hosting an evening workshop with poet and writer Sian Camille, who will lead a guided writing exercise for attendees. There’s also an herbal tea tasting and sponsored gifts from Magic Mind, Firestone Walker, stationary brand Poketo, and more.

L.A.-based artist Rebecca Campbell’s work is modern but she uses traditional oil painting to create what art critic Shana Nys Dambrot calls a “wild, opulent, radiant, daring, poetically sighing, carefully considered… flat out gorgeous” use of the medium. If that’s not an endorsement, we don’t know what is. In this selection of recent work from 2023 and 2024, Campbell illustrates the “integration of theoretical investigation, psychic exploration and formal invention through her signature virtuosic style.” She even curated a Spotify playlist for the exhibit, so bring your headphones and be in the moment.

Absolute divas Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, and Olympia Dukakis star in this 1989 classic about the trials and heartbreaks of the Southern belles at Truvy’s Beauty Spot. Alamo is giving the film their immersive movie party treatment for these screenings, so expect props, interactivity, and folks who know Every. Single. Line. to be in attendance.

If you want to up your outdoor movie and snacks game this summer, look no further than Movies Under the Stars at the iconic Hotel Bel-Air. Snacks and popcorn are included in the ticket price, and there's a menu available from culinary director Joe Garcia, desserts from Bake Squad favorite Christophe Rull, and signature cocktails. If you really want to be a high roller, for $1000 you can enjoy a private fire pit for you and up to six guests. This week they are showing Dirty Dancing on Tuesday, Jurassic Park on Wednesday, and Back to the Future on Thursday.

Continuing in the vein of Caldo Verde's other popular Cookbook Dinner series events, James Beard Award-winning chef Suzanne Goin will take on recipes from Paris-based chef Rebekah Pepplar’s new book about cooking in the South of France, Le Sud. Menu highlights to transport you to Provence (ahh, take us with you!) include provençal fish stew, steak à la beurre d’anchois and cherry tomatoes with pistou and a strawberry gâteau for dessert.

Studio City will turn Ventura Place into a pedestrian market, closing off to traffic for the first annual Ventura Place Night Market featuring more than 20 local artisans and businesses. There will be food, wine, and shopping, hosted by the Ventura Place Business Collective and sponsored by City Councilwoman Nithya Ramen.