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Fabulous IRL And Online Events This Weekend: March 19 - 21

Raya seeks the help of legendary dragon Sisu to reunite the lands of Kumandra in "The Last Dragon." (Disney)
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Take in a drag show at the drive-in. Watch a a family-friendly flick inside a theater. Celebrate Nowruz online. View portraits by artist Amy Sherald. Learn Irish dance for St. "Catrick's" Day. Take a sound walk in Griffith Park or a sound bath at the Arboretum.

Friday, March 19 - Sunday, March 28


Raya and the Last Dragon
El Capitan Theatre
6838 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
The theater welcomes guests back to watch movies... indoors. Catch Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon, featuring the voices of Kelly Marie Tran as Raya and Awkwafina as Sisu. They live in Kumandra, a place where humans and dragons coexist. Showtimes and dates are subject to change. All guests must follow posted safety protocols while visiting the El Capitan.
COST: $12 - $20; MORE INFO

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Ashley Shaw stars as Victoria Page and Adam Cooper as Boris Lermontov in Matthew Bourne's production of 'The Red Shoes.' (Johan Persson)

Friday, March 19 - Sunday, March 21


Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes
Center Theatre Group presents the premiere of the English choreographer's dance adaptation of the film, which was based on a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale. The story focuses on a woman's dream to become a great dancer and the two men who inspire her passion. The production is set to the music of Hollywood composer Bernard Herrmann.
COST: $10; MORE INFO

The Milky Way's Galactic Centre and Jupiter (brightest spot at centre top) are seen from the countryside near the small town of Reboledo, Uruguay. (MARIANA SUAREZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Friday, March 19; 8 p.m. PT


TILT! Equinoxes and Solstices Explained
Following The Night Sky Show at 7 p.m., Santa Monica College's John Drescher Planetarium presents Jim Mahon, who will discuss the vernal equinox, which takes place the following day. Learn about what equinoxes and solstices actually are as Mahon also dispels myths, like the egg-standing-on-end story.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Comedy queen and RuPaul's Drag Race champion, Bianca Del Rio, appears at SSE Arena Wembley ahead of her September 2019 UK arena tour in London. (Neil P. Mockford/Getty Images)

Friday, March 19 - Sunday, March 21


Drive N' Drag Saves 2021
Rose Bowl Stadium
1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena
Bianca del Rio and the super queens of RuPaul's Drag Race are in the driver's seat, entertaining guests during the show. Suit up, grab your sidekick and get ready to see and be seen -- from a safe distance.
COST: Tickets start at $75 per car; MORE INFO

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Friday, March 19; 8 p.m. PT


King Kong (1933) + Godzilla (1954) Double Feature
Drive-In at Mess Hall Market
1705 Flight Way, Tustin
The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana hits the road for this creature double feature drive-in with two classic monsters. Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack directed King Kong while Ishiro Honda directed Godzilla (aka Gojira). Parking opens at 6 p.m. so you have plenty of time to pick up food from Mess Hall.
COST: $30 per car; MORE INFO

The Fowler Museum's Disrupt series welcomes Mister Cartoon to talk about his art practice. (Photo by Estevan Oriol, courtesy Mister Cartoon)

Friday, March 19; 4 p.m. PT


Mister Cartoon
The Fowler Museum's Disrupt series presents a conversation with Mister Cartoon (aka Mark Machado), an L.A.-based tattoo and graffiti artist known for bringing street art into galleries and corporate design.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

The Getty Villa Museum presents a feminist retelling of Pandora's box in a virtual play-reading. (Den Legaspi)

Through Friday, March 19 at 11:59 p.m.


Pandora
It's your last chance to catch the Getty Museum's virtual reading of Laurel Ollstein's play about Pandora's box -- from a feminist perspective.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Friday, March 19 - Saturday, March 20; 7:30 p.m.


Poolside Dinner & A Movie
JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE
900 West Olympic Blvd., downtown L.A.
Watch films under the stars as the hotel screens The Invisible Man (2020) on Friday night and Knives Out (2019) on Saturday. Check in at the rooftop pool deck on the hotel's 4th floor. Ticket prices include one appetizer, one entree and unlimited popcorn. A full bar is also available (21+) but not included in the ticket price. Bring your own blankets/jackets as outdoor heaters are not available.
COST: Tickets start at $45 per person; MORE INFO

Saturday, March 20 - Tuesday, March 30


Cinequest
The indie film festival, based in San Jose and Redwood City, reaches a larger audience this year as an online celebration. It opens on Saturday night with Death of a Ladies' Man, directed by Matt Bissonnette and starring Gabriel Byrne as a man recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. He suffers from hallucinations that usually take the form of song and dance numbers (inspired by Leonard Cohen songs). A conversation with Byrne precedes the 5:15 p.m. screening.
COST: Varies - $199 (all-access passes); MORE INFO

Saturday, March 20; 5 p.m.


Wild Horses! with Special Guest Sunita Mani!
Dynasty Typewriter presents the show where four BFFs sit down with someone wonderful to ask hard-hitting questions like, "Have you ever seen a ghost?" This week, Stephanie Allynne, Mary Holland, Lauren Lapkus and Erin Whitehead chat with guest Sunita Mani (GLOW, Mr. Robot, Cocoon Central Dance Team).
COST: $5 - $10; MORE INFO

Learn how to Irish dance in a virtual program while raising funds for the SPCALA. (Courtesy of SPCALA)

Saturday, March 20; 9 a.m. PT


St. Catrick's Day Irish Dance Fundraiser
The SPCALA presents an Irish dance and music lesson from instructor Courtney Jay, who studied Irish dance at the University of Limerick. Learn from the comfort of home. All skill levels are welcome. All donations for the class will benefit spcaLA.
COST: $6 suggested donation; MORE INFO

Saturday, March 20; 11:30 a.m.


Women Who Shaped LA (virtual)
Hear the stories of women from L.A.'s history, from a woman who believed Los Angeles should be the next Paris to a vaudeville actress who campaigned for women's suffrage.
COST: $10; MORE INFO

Saturday, March 20; 8 p.m. PT


Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles: The California Sound
This one-hour virtual concert features all-new video performances from the GMCLA with director and conductor Ernest H. Harrison. The event celebrates the harmonies that put California on the map, from The Mamas and The Papas' "California Dreaming" and The Beach Boys' "Surfing USA" to Aloe Blacc's "Wake Me Up" and Billie Eillish's "Bad Guy." Special guests include Carnie and Wendy Wilson of Wilson Phillips.
COST: FREE, but suggested donation $20; MORE INFO

From the Midnight Mission's annual Nowruz celebration on March 14, 2014 in Los Angeles. (Rich Polk/Getty Images)

Saturday, March 20; 7 p.m.


12th Annual Nowruz Celebration
The Farhang Foundation holds a music and dance-filled virtual celebration of the Persian New Year featuring artists from around the world. The program includes the Atine Ensemble from France, the Istgah Orchestra from Iran and the S.F./L.A.-based Melieka Fathi Dance Company.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Saturday, March 20 - Sunday, March 21


Nowruz Celebration
Beverly Center
8500 Beverly Blvd., Beverly Grove
The shopping destination celebrates the Persian New Year with events both online and in person (face coverings required). At 2 and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday only, Iranian performers dance through levels 6 and 7 of the mall. Get free hyacinths and sprouts at the Concierge Desk on Saturday and Sunday while supplies last. If you don't feel like venturing out, head to the Beverly Center's Instagram @beverlycenter for cultural storytelling from L.A.-based influencers.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

The L.A. Arboretum holds special forest bathing sessions that may help relieve stress and anxiety. (Courtesy of the LA Arboretum)

Saturday, March 20; 8 a.m. or 5 p.m. PT


Forest Bathing
Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden
301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia
Experience the Japanese-inspired practice of shinrin yoku aka forest bathing. This form of nature therapy is said to boost immunity, reduce stress and improve cognitive functioning. Attend a guided walk that explains how best to interact with the land. Limited to 15 people. Face masks and social distancing are required.
COST: $35; MORE INFO

Hauser & Wirth opens an Amy Sherald show that includes "A bucket full of treasures (Papa gave me sunshine to put in my pockets...) (Detail), 2020. (Photo: Joseph Hyde)

Saturday, March 20 - Sunday, June 6


Amy Sherald: The Great American Fact
Hauser & Wirth
901 E. Third St., downtown LA
The painter, known for her official portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama and her painting of Breonna Taylor for Vanity Fair, has her first West Coast solo show at the DTLA gallery. There is a standby line on weekends. Weekday viewing is by appointment.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Sunday, March 21; 7:30 p.m. PT


Up
Electric Dusk Drive-in
Glendale Sears Parking Lot
211 W. California Ave., Glendale
Gather the family for a drive-in screening of the 2009 Pixar movie about Carl and his stowaway Russell's adventures in a balloon-powered house.
COST: Tickets $23, plus $8 per person after the driver; MORE INFO

Sunday, March 21; 6 p.m. PT


Inside the Rendon: Artists Salon
Art at the Rendon is a series of ongoing art and music programming series at the Rendon Gallery (located inside the namesake hotel in which it resides). The series presents its first virtual project via Zoom. It features Q&As and interviews with local artists, musicians and actors. The online program reunites artists from the Rendon's immersive events.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Sunday, March 21; 10 a.m. PT


Improv For Parents
For parents who want to learn new techniques for dealing with their kids, the Groundlings Theatre & School presents a workshop that applies the foundations of improv to parenting. Improve children's listening skills, help manage anxiety and improve self-confidence and interpersonal skills. Open to parents of kids of all ages, Groundlings Main Company member and instructor Lauren Burns has two children (an 11-year-old and 6-year-old) and is passionate about improv in parenting.
COST: $45; MORE INFO

Streaming Pick


City of Ghosts
In this animated Netflix series, showrunner Elizabeth Ito weaves documentary and ghost stories through the diverse neighborhoods of L.A. The show follows the adventures of the Ghost Club: Zelda of Boyle Heights, Eva of Leimert Park, Thomas of Santa Monica-Venice, Peter of Koreatown and Jasper of the Tongva tribe as they track ghosts and listen to their life stories. The Ghost Club learns about L.A.'s history and communities along the way. Watch on Netflix now.

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and sound artist Ellen Reid has created a GPS-enabled work of public art in Griffith Park. (Courtesy of CAP UCLA)

Outdoor pick


Ellen Reid: Soundwalk
Griffith Park
4730 Crystal Springs Dr., Griffith Park
UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance launched a free app that you can use to illuminate Griffith Park in a GPS-enabled work of public art. Created by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and sound artist Ellen Reid, you choose a path, which dictates the music and sounds you hear. No two walks or hikes will be the same. Listen to music by the Kronos Quartet and the Soundwalk Ensemble. The installation will be available through 2023.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Harold & Belle's in Jefferson Park are serving up crawfish every Saturday in March. (Courtesy of Harold & Belle's)

Dine & Drink Deals

Who doesn't miss going out to eat or stopping by a bar for a drink? Here are a few options from restaurants and bars as we work our way back toward normal.

  • Harold & Belle's in Jefferson Park hosts a crawfish boil and beer garden with live music every Saturday in March from 11:30 a.m. until they run out of food. Sit at one of four socially distanced tables as you enjoy crawfish, anything off the regular menu, Hurricanes and beer specials from Crowns & Hops Brewing.
  • The Szechuan fried chicken sandwiches at Chef Mei Lin's Daybird in Silver Lake are selling like (spicy) hotcakes. The new fast-casual eatery is currently open from Wednesdays through Saturdays from noon until whenever the food runs out.
  • LA Cha Cha Cha�?, a sister to the famed Mexico City restaurant, opens in DTLA for rooftop dining on Friday with chef Alejandro Guzman (formerly of Sqirl and Le Comptoir) in the kitchen. The restaurant will offer dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays and will open earlier (2:30 p.m.) on Sundays.
  • Covina-based beer and sake brewery Nova hosts a Taste of Japan pop-up on Saturday. Pre-order DIY ramen kits by Ramen District, grilled yakitori by Shin-Sen-Gumi and Japanese snacks. The foods and drinks will be available for pickup from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 20.
  • The East Coast Italian deli Ggiata has moved from a cloud concept to a brick-and-mortar eatery at 5009 Melrose in Hollywood. It opened earlier this week serving sandwiches and Italian dishes such as eggplant and chicken parm, arancini and meatballs.
  • Platform in Culver City hosts a series featuring homegrown culinary talents who are reshaping L.A.'s food scene. On Saturday, March 20 from 12 to 3 p.m., learn about Caribbean cuisine from Guyanese chef Yonette Alleyne. The demo and talk will happen on Platform's back patio.
  • ROW DTLA is giving back to frontline workers through a new Buy A Meal, Give A Meal campaign. For every meal purchased at Rappahannock Oyster Bar, Go Get 'Em Tiger, Pikunico or Café Dulce between March 20 and April 16, one meal will be donated to essential healthcare workers at the nearby Keck Hospital of USC. Phil Rosenthal (creator of Everybody Loves Raymond and host of Netflix hit Somebody Feed Phil) kicks off the program at noon on Saturday, tasting food from the participating restaurants.

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