The Best Things To Do In LA And SoCal This Weekend: March 18 - 20

Welcome to the weekend.

Listen to the music of Stephen Sondheim in the darkly comic Assassins. Thrill to the funk of Prince in Secret Movie Club's double feature. See a comedy show about losing a father to COVID. The list looks a little thin this week, but we've still got you covered with navigating the streets during the LA Marathon -- that's if you're not involved in the road running.

Our outdoor pick is an urban conservation talk at Arlington Garden in Pasadena.

*With COVID variants still out there, it's best to check ahead of time to confirm entry/vaccine requirements.

(

Courtesy East West Players

)

Through Sunday, March 20

Assassins
East West Players
120 N. Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles 90012

Featuring music and lyrics by the late Stephen Sondheim, Assassins is a darkly comic look at the people who either assassinated or attempted to assassinate presidents throughout American history. You’ll smile, while also feeling heartbroken as you hear the words to “Unworthy of Your Love,” an ode to Jodie Foster from the perspective of attempted Ronald Reagan assassin John Hinckley Jr. The Tony-award winning show is being performed by the excellent East West Players, the Asian American L.A. theater troupe that’s been producing shows for more than 50 years. This is Assassins’ closing weekend, but tickets were still available at press time for Friday’s show. The other shows are sold out, but a cash-only waitlist is available before each performance.
COST: $50 - $75; MORE INFO

Two images side by side of Prince and the Sign of the Times cover, where a person is holding a guitar.

(

Courtesy of Secret Movie Club

)

Saturday, March 19: 7:30 p.m.

35mm Purple Rain & Sign O' The Times double feature
The Secret Movie Club Theater
1917 Bay St, 2nd Fl, Los Angeles 90021

Dearly beloved, gather together this Saturday for an experience of His Purpleness himself, four hours of Prince on beautiful 35 millimeter film. The experience is a tribute to the Purple King’s style of playing a stadium show, then finding a club and playing into the early morning. It starts with Purple Rain, the character-defining film with Prince as The Kid in a semi-autobiographical story, laying down some 1980s funk realness alongside The Revolution as they take on Morris Day and The Time. Then you get Sign O’ The Times, the epic 1987 concert film letting you experience some of that dynamic stage energy that made Prince a legend. The screening is part of Secret Movie Club’s March Musical Madness series, so jump in and bathe in the waters of Lake Minnetonka via film.
COST: Tickets range from $14 for one to $24 for both, plus fees; MORE INFO 

(

Courtesy Dynasty Typewriter

)

Sunday, March 20: 8 p.m.

Ties (Or A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To My Dad Died Of COVID)
Dynasty Typewriter at The Hayworth
2511 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90057

Charlie Chaplin said that life is tragedy in close-up, but comedy in the long-shot. Come watch Christine Bullen turn her own tragedy into a comedy all about her father’s death, despite the lack of much passage of time. Doors open at 7 p.m.
COST: $20 in advance, $25 day of the show, or $15 for the livestream; MORE INFO

(

William Hallstrom/Courtesy Arlington Garden in Pasadena

)

Saturday, March 19: 9 a.m.

Urban Conservation
Arlington Garden in Pasadena
275 Arlington Dr, Pasadena, CA 91105

Come out for a walk and a talk with the Los Angeles Audubon Society’s Emily Cobar at Arlington Garden in Pasadena. This is a free event — they’ll even provide binoculars — with Emily talking about Southern California’s natural history and how you can help local wildlife by contributing to wildlife corridors. She’ll be sharing how to restore and provide habitat for wildlife in the city.
Registration is free; MORE INFO