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Pencil This In: Randy Newman Musical at the Mark Taper Forum, The Secret Life of Drawings at the Getty, and Sedaris's Santaland Diaries

MUSICAL*
A new musical Harps and Angels, conceived by Jack Viertel, features music by and lyrics by Randy Newman. We don’t know much about the plot, but that it’s an “honest and humorous commentary on what it is like to be born, grow up, fall in love, and live and die in America.” We just wonder if they’re short people who love LA (we love it). 8 pm at the Mark Taper Forum. Through Dec. 22. $35-$55.
ART
The exhibit, The Secret Life of Drawings, opens today at the Getty Center. It brings together 30 drawings from the Getty's collection to “explore the role played by paper conservators in reducing the effects of handling and the passage of time...” The exhibition also uncovers secrets conservators might find, such as hidden drawings or watermarks that help authenticate artists and the date of the paper. Through Feb. 13.
THEATER
Catch a preview tonight for Nicholas Brendon taking on David Sedaris’sThe Santaland Diaries. The show officially opens on Saturday night, but catch it before it sells out. It did last year. Limited engagement through Dec. 19 at Stella Adler Theatre. Tickets: $30.
*Pencil pick of the day
Want more events? Follow me on Twitter: @christineziemba.
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