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Best things to do this week in Los Angeles and Southern California: May 27 - 29
'Trauma Play' on stage at Atwater Village Theatre.
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Makela Yepez
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IAMA Theatre Company
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Our Picks
Hey there and welcome to best things to do!
We made it, friends. Memorial Day weekend is ending, and it is officially summer — I mean, at least until "June Gloom" inevitably shows up, ruining all your beach plans as soon as you cross the 405. But still, the days are longer, and the events keep coming.
This week, our own Roy Lenn checked out Gang of Four in Salt Lake City and highly recommends catching their show at the Fonda on Wednesday. And I’ll be at the beach for the start of the Venice Summer Concert Series on Thursday.
For more to explore, visit LAist.com, where you can read up on Phil Rosenthal’s new diner opening in Larchmont, grab tickets to the FilmWeek screening of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane with host Larry Mantle in Long Beach on May 31, and check out Dr. Dre joining the celebration of the reopening of Compton High School.
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Events
Tuesday, May 27, 8 p.m.
Soul Boom Live
Largo at the Coronet
366 N. La Cienega Blvd., Mid-City
COST: $50; MORE INFO
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Soul Boom
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Dig deep with The Office star Rainn Wilson at a live taping of his podcast, Soul Boom, which fosters conversation with celebs and experts around spirituality, creativity, and the human experience. Comedian Pete Holmes was just announced as Wilson’s special guest for the show at the Largo.
Thursday, May 29, 4:15 to 8 p.m.
Venice Summer Concert Series
Dudley Pagodas
Dudley Ave. and Oceanfront Walk, Venice
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Last summer, the north end of Oceanfront Walk became a big beach party on the last Thursday of each month. This year is set to bring more fun, kicking off the Venice Summer Concert Series with a showcase from School of Rock, followed by tribute rock band and Venice locals The Brobots at 6:30 p.m. Grab your flip flops, a beach blanket and a sneaky drink (I would NEVER) and catch some tunes by the ocean.
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Through Sunday, August 17
Marvelocity: The Art of Alex Ross
Muzeo
241 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim
COST: $10; MORE INFO
It’s a comic book summer across SoCal! There’s the big Jack Kirby show at the Skirball, and now Orange County folks can check out Marvel universe art at the Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center’s new exhibition, Marvelocity: The Art of Alex Ross. The exhibit showcases more than 50 original artworks from Ross, who created Marvels, developed the concept art for the Spider-Man movies, and much more.
Tuesday, May 27, 7:30 p.m.
Fighting Two Battles: Inside California’s Inmate Firefighting Program
Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Incarcerated firefighters hike up a mountain to create a containment fire line to control the Hughes Fire in Castaic on January 23, 2025.
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Apu Gomes
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AFP via Getty Images
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During January’s devastating wildfires, a pressing question came up again: Who is actually on the front lines battling California’s blazes? California’s controversial inmate firefighting program is the centerpiece of a conversation at the Hammer with Romarilyn Ralson, head of the Justice Education Center for the Claremont Colleges; Cody Ridley, Lead Captain of the Golden Eagles Hotshots at Sycuan Indian Reservation and a former inmate firefighter; and Amika Mota, Executive Director of Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition and a former incarcerated firefighter who authored a recent op-ed in Teen Vogue about her experiences.
Wednesday, May 28, 8:30 p.m.
Gang of Four
The Fonda Theatre
6126 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
COST: $81.58; MORE INFO
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Jon King of Gang of Four band, performs during Festival Hipnosis 2024 at Fray Nano Stadium on November 2, 2024 in Mexico City, Mexico.
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Medios y Media/Getty Images
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Getty Images South America
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English rockers Gang of Four influenced everyone from Kurt Cobain to LCD Soundsystem with their socially conscious and highly danceable post-punk. Now, 45 years since the release of the classic album Entertainment!, the group says that 2025 will be their final year as a band: “It’s been wonderful, but all things must end. We want to go out with a bang and celebrate with our fans and friends.”
With original members Jon King and Hugo Burnham joined by guitarist Ted Leo and Gail Greenwood of Belly and L7 on bass, recent shows have been cathartic affairs energized by enthusiastic fans across generations. Don’t miss your last chance to see this still-thrilling band; they play the Fonda on Wednesday and head to San Diego’s Music Box on Thursday. – LAist's Roy Lenn
Through Monday, June 2
Trauma Play
Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave., Atwater Village
COST: $35; MORE INFO
Trauma Play stage production directed by Diana Wyenn.
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Makela Yepez
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IAMA Theatre Company
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Abigail Miller’s Trauma Play was a hit at 2023’s annual IAMA New Works Festival, and now it’s getting a full workshop production, which is a fun way to see an early version of a stage production and get the chance to provide audience input. The show, a dark comedy about a woman whose childhood sexual assault becomes the focus of stories about her autobiographical play, is more than a little meta. Sharon Lawrence (NYPD Blue), Tessa Hope Slovis and Alaska Jackson star.
Thursday, May 29, 7 to 9 p.m.
2025 Zócalo Book Prize: Can we reimagine how we feed ourselves?
ASU California Center
111 S. Broadway, Downtown L.A.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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It’s reading hour as Zócalo Public Square celebrates its book prize winners for 2025: Jean-Martin Bauer, author of The New Breadline: Hunger and Hope in the Twenty-First Century. Bauer has managed food programs and worked as a food security analyst for the United Nations World Food Programme around the globe. The first 20 attendees will receive Bauer’s book. Following the reading, there’s a free reception and signing.
Thursday, May 29, 1 p.m.
Recovering Innocence documentary screening
Santa Monica College – Orientation Hall
1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Noom Peerapong
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Unsplash
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I was recently introduced to the organization Kids in the Spotlight, which is helping foster youth transition into careers in film and entertainment. It’s pretty amazing to hear their stories, and the new documentary Recovering Innocence, produced by former foster youth, focuses on the issue of the overmedication of foster youth while offering hope and suggested solutions. The young people who made the film will host a discussion after the screening.
Viewing Pick
Thursday, May 29, 7 p.m.
The Sugarland Express (1974), with Goldie Hawn in person
The Academy Museum
6067 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile
COST: $5; MORE INFO
The Academy Museum is hosting a screening and Q&A with actress Goldie Hawn, the star of Steven Spielberg’s directing debut, 1974 crime comedy-drama The Sugarland Express. In it, Hawn and William Atherton portray a couple who hold a police officer hostage as they flee across Texas in an attempt to get their child before he’s placed into foster care. The film is also Spielberg’s first collaboration with composer John Williams.
Dine & Drink Deals
Tuesday, May 27, 7 p.m.
La Pizza & La Pasta Roman Nights
Eataly
0250 Santa Monica Blvd., Century City
COST: $30; MORE INFO
Pasta and fresh ingredients spread out on top of a dark table.
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Hector Farahani
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Unsplash
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If your Instagram, like mine, is full of friends’ sneaky Europe trips, get a taste of that Italian sunset with Roman Nights at Eataly. The menu for the communal dining experience features classic bruschetta and a range of pastas.
Thursday, May 29, 5 to 8 p.m.
Stir Crazy x Now Serving: How to Drink Australian
Stir Crazy
6903 Melrose Ave., Melrose
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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@nowservingla
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Instagram
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In my experience, the Aussies sure know how to throw a party, and this sounds like a great one. Curated wines celebrating the new book, How to Drink Australian? A patio party with cookbook store Now Serving at the delicious Stir Crazy on Melrose.
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