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Here are 22 of our favorite events happening in Los Angeles this week. We’ll be back on Thursday with our Weekend Planner column to help you plan—what else?— the weekend ahead. And don’t check out the April Guide or the Best Night Out in Los Angeles for other events.
MONDAY, APRIL 20
FILM: 5 Every Day presents its next L.A.-centric film party at Cinefamily on Monday (4/20) at 7:30 pm. They’re screening Who Framed Roger Rabbit on 35mm. DJ Adam Papagan spins tunes before the show. If you come early, there’s a screening of trippy animated shorts — and they'll have treats on the back patio by The Art of Edibles. Tickets: $12/free for members.
COMEDY: Super Secret Comedy Show presents The Goddamn Comedy Jam on Monday night at 9 pm at the Lyric Theatre. Hosted by Josh Adam Meyers and Elemenopy, the evening features comics talking about a special song—then launching into the song with the help of backing band Elemenopy. Monday’s guests include Jeff Ross, Fortune Feimster, Sean Patton and Chris Porter. Doors at 8 pm. Show at 9 pm. Tickets: $12.
BENEFIT: One Starry Night…from Broadway to Hollywood is a benefit for the Golden West Chapter of the ALS Association and the fight against ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) held at the Pasadena Playhouse on Monday night at 8 pm. The roster includes a number of singers, musicians, comedians and performers and a 16-piece orchestra. Expected to attend/perform are Ed Asner, Micky Dolenz, Jason Ritter, Richard M. Sherman, Bruce Vilanch and Renee Zellweger, among others. Tickets start at $75.
TUESDAY, APRIL 21
MUSIC: The Fontaines—a brother-sister new-wop duo—is at Harvard & Stone for its Tuesday night residency in advance of its self-titled EP. Joining them on the bill Tuesday are Street Joy and The Cerny Brothers. Free.
FILM: In celebration of LACMA's 50th anniversary, the museum and Film Independent screens Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game—the first filmmaker to have his work presented at LACMA. The French comedy/drama/romance will be shown in 35mm at 7:30 pm. Tickets: $10 for the general public.
MUSIC: The Cat Empire, an Australian ska/jazz/world band, plays the El Rey Theatre on Tuesday night and debuting new material from a forthcoming studio album. Current Swell opens. Doors at 8 pm and show at 9 pm. All ages. Tickets: $27.
COMEDY: The National Midnight Society is a weekly comedy show at the Lyric Theatre that encourages comics to work on “new, experimental, and dark material.” Featured comics are Natasha Leggero, Beth Stelling, Rick Shapiro and others. Doors at 9 pm, show at 9:30 pm. Tickets: $8.
COMEDY: The Victory Lap variety show returns to the Virgil on Tuesday at 8 pm. Hosted by Seth W. Owen (Movie Night @ The Roosevelt) and Stuart Jenkins (Associate Producer, BBC America’s The Nerdist), “the show with the wheel” has a lineup that features Dean Del Rey, David Huntsberger, Karl Hess, Joselyn Hughes and Mary Grill. Prizes from Boo's Philly, Electric Dusk Drive In, EatSeeHear, HacheLA and The Derby Dolls. There’s no cover, and the Virgil has great $8 premium cocktails during happy hour.
COMEDY: Who Am I And What The Hell Am Doing? is a solo show by Carmen Angelica, and directed by Rebecca Drysdale, that uses animation, music and attitude to answer life’s important questions. The show is paired with Danny Cohen's experimental theater piece Genius Genius (written by Cohen and directed by Joe Saunders of Comedy Bang Bang). Tickets: $5.
The Hammer Museum presents Matthew Barney’s epic film work 'The Cremaster Cycle' this week. (Still image: Courtesy of the artist and The Hammer)
FILM: The Hammer presents Matthew Barney’s masterwork The Cremaster Cycle, screened in its entirety Tuesday through Thursday in order in which the 35 mm films were made, followed by a conversation between the artist, composer Jonathan Bepler, and UCLA professor Kenneth Reinhard on Friday. From the Hammer: “The Cremaster Cycle is an evocation of the creative process by Barney, a sculptor and performance artist and arguably one of the most important artists of his generation. Visually arresting and often disturbing, The Cremaster Cycle is a grand mixture of history, mythology, and autobiography exploring the creation of form.” Each of the films as well as the conversation begins at 7:30 pm. All programs are free.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22
AVANT-GARDE: AvLA Avant Los Angeles is a night that celebrates L.A.’s avant-garde scene from visual art, interdisciplinary theater and music. Held at Club Monte Cristo in KTown on Wednesday night at 7:30 pm, the evening features eclectic jazz by Daniel Rosenboom, singer and composer Dorian Wood, interdisciplinary performance by Source Material and art by Kaliisa Conlon and Londubh Studio. Show at 8 pm, free. 21+.
LADIES’ NIGHT: Downtown's The Lash plays host to Siren, an LGBTQ dance party for the ladies, on Wednesday at 9 p.m. The free dance night features DJ Savannah headlining with guest DJs Eli M, LMK, Dred Foxx and Crichlow. Live art through the night by Lazy Mills. 21+. No cover.
PANEL DISCUSSION: As part of Anna Deavere Smith’s current production of Never Givin’ Up, which includes Martin Luther King Jr.’s seminal work on social justice, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” at the Broad Stage, the playwright/performer/educator takes part in the free community discussion, Finding Beauty through Struggle. Held at the California African American Museum on Wednesday at 7 pm, Deavere Smith and other artists discuss “the resilience of the human spirit and how adversity can give rise to creation.” The panel will be moderated by Los Angeles Times correspondent Sandy Banks. RSVP recommended.
FOOD/WINE: The fourth annual Taste of South Pasadena is a restaurant crawl from 6-9 pm on Wednesday that hits up 18 popular spots, including pizza from Momma's, vegan dishes from Grassroots and tacos from Senor Fish. Wristbands are $35 in advance/$40 night of event. If you're more interested in wine, then sign up for a $20 wine tasting from 5-7 pm hosted by The Garagiste Festival at the Canoe House. Presented by the Rotary Club of South Pasadena, all proceeds support local nonprofits.
EARTH DAY: Angel City hosts the Arts District Earth Day Community Cleanup from 5:30-6:30 pm on Wednesday. Join friends and brewers alike to help clean up the neighborhood. Get a volunteer t-shirt, gloves and trash pickers. Afterwards, reward yourself with something cold from the brewery. Register to participate.
LA RIVER TALK: The Occidental College/Southern California Public Radio series The Third Los Angeles Project explores the the cultural, political and policy changes that are changing the city. On Wednesday at 6:30 pm, the program What Do We Want the L.A. River to Be? is a walking tour along the Bowtie Project in the Glendale Narrows section of the L.A. River, followed by a discussion with Clockshop's Julia Meltzer, architect Michael Maltzan, Public Works Commissioner Barbara Romero and others who talk about the “river’s emerging role as public and park space for Los Angeles.” Register for the waitlist.
THURSDAY, APRIL 23
MUSIC: Matt Pond PA is on a 10 Year Anniversary tour to support of one their album, Several Arrows Later, which was the band’s sixth release. They’re also on tour in advance of the new album The State Of Gold, out in June 30. The five-piece band, Young Buffalo, hailing from Oxford, Mississippi, and Shawn Alpay opens the show on Thursday night at the Troubadour. Doors at 7 pm. Tickets: $17 in advance, $20 day of show.
FILM: American Cinematheque opens the series Space Invaders: Sci-Fi in the Arcade Age at the Egyptian on Thursday at 7:30 pm with the double feature: Nick Castle’s The Last Starfighter (1984), followed by Krull (1983), directed by Peter Yates. Rare behind-the-scenes material between will be shown between films, and discussion with The Last Starfighter’s director Nick Castle, cast members Lance Guest, Catherine Mary Stewart and Peter Nelson, composer Craig Safan and visual effects coordinator Jeffrey A. Okun. Tickets: $11.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Revealed is an exhibition that includes more than 30 images curated by Olivier Widmaier Picasso, grandson of Pablo Picasso, that features photographs of from the collection of masters Picasso, Chagall, Koons, Miró, Magritte and others at work. The images will be on view at Riviera 31 at Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. A reception with a Q&A with Olivier Widmaier Picasso is on Thursday.
ART: Visual Communications presents the 31st edition of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF), which runs April 23-30. More than 130 films from more than 20 countries will screen in various venues in Little Tokyo, the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles, Koreatown and West Hollywood. The festival opens on Thursday at 7 pm with the world premiere screening of Wong Fu Productions’ first feature film Everything Before Us, from directors Wesley Chan, Ted Fu and Philip Wang, at the Aratani Theatre at the JACCC in Little Tokyo. (Opening night tickets are $50-$100.) Screenings are generally $12-$14 per ticket.
BOOK SIGNING + EATING: Milk Bar's Chef-Owner Christina Tosi is holding a bake sale and book signing of Milk Bar Life at POT caFe in the Line Hotel on Thursday at 7 pm. The restaurant will offer the crack pie®, b'day cake truffles, assorted cookies and the greta (straight from Milk Bar Life). The sale and signing start at 7 pm until they run out.
Regen Projects opens a solo Raymond Pettibon show this week. [Image: Pettibon's 'No title (Crime does not),' 2015, courtesy of the gallery and the artist]
ART: Regen Projects presents an exhibition of new work by artist Raymond Pettibon. The show—From my bumbling attempt to write a disastrous musical, these illustrations muyst suffice—marks the Pettibon’s 10th solo presentation since joining the gallery in 1993. The show includes both drawing and collage in which the artist continues his exploration of pairing image and text. The opening reception is on Thursday from 6-8 pm, and the works will remain on view through May 30.
Related: April Events Guide: 20 of Our Favorite Events in L.A.
Want the 411 on additional events and happenings in LA? Follow @LAist or me (@christineziemba) on Twitter.
