By CHARLES ANDREWS
IN CASE YOU WONDER
Why I keep pounding on the City Council vote last month to abandon an extraordinary, exciting possibility to bring our famous Civic Auditorium back to performance status, at zero cost to the city or residents, there are a couple of reasons.
One, it was a vote rooted in a philosophy of dense development embraced by at least a majority of our Council, specifically –
NATALYA ZERNITSKAYA – CAROLINE TOROSIS – DAN HALL – JESSE ZWICK
Now the Civic may be scraped away for more housing, probably very tall apartment/condo buildings, so desirable that close to the beach, they will be very expensive – so, obviously, a solution to our affordability and homeless crises. Maybe also a tall hotel, and some retail – all things we are in desperate need of here, right? Tomorrow, no single-family home or parking lot (Vons on Broadway) will be safe from their desired shoehorned, crammed-in housing. If you think this makes no sense, just ask developers and speculators.
Jesse Zwick, in fact, very recently accepted a high-paid position as the Southern CA Director of the Housing Action Coalition, which advocates for building more housing and changing laws to facilitate that. Sounds like a clear conflict of interest to me. And to a lot of other folks, too. A petition calling for his resignation from Council quickly gathered more than 400 signatures. State and local laws define clearly that officials with such conflicts must recuse themselves from discussions or voting on any related measures, but Zwick has not done so. Another example, I feel, of local “progressive” Democrats acting Trumpish. I will defy the law until you stop me. Build, build, build, drill, baby, drill.
A restored Santa Monica Civic would be a linchpin, a magnet for more arts proliferation, a clean industry, and powerful economic driver. So, of course, this monumental mistake by a deeply flawed City Council deserves examination in this performing arts column.
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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
LA OPERA, “LA BOHEME,” PUCCINI – Think of it as “Friends,” two centuries ago, having more raucous fun on a lot less money. Sure, it’s a “warhorse,” but that just means it’s really popular, standing the test of time, across borders. The story is realistic and involving (LA audiences can relate to starving young artists), a heartbreaker, but the key, of course, is Puccini’s score. You probably wouldn’t recognize the Italian titles, but there are a couple of arias and a duet in the first two acts that may have you humming along. This is an original LA Opera production that I saw nine years ago, so definitely I’m ready again. Only on Sunday this week, but two performances in each of the next two weeks. No excuse for missing this classic. Sun 2 p.m., Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, LA, $176-435.
“HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU” – Panel game show format takes on politics and current events, but it’s more important to be funny than right. Often hilarious. The chaos is overseen by one of my favorites, Roy Wood Jr., but his two team captains, Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black, dish up the biggest laughs, most of them spontaneously. Sometimes they have a lame guest panelist on, but Michael, Amber, and Roy carry the show. Every Sat, 9 p.m., CNN
HOT CLUB OF LOS ANGELES – You can go to the Cinema Bar any Monday night, 9-11:30, free, for almost 14 years now, and hear these hot players run through Django Reinhardt-style ‘30s jazz. This amazing ensemble is a treasure. Mon 9 p.m., Cinema Bar, Culver City, free.
RECOMMENDED:
HOLY TOLEDO!
TOLEDO DIAMOND – His decades-long Sunday night residency at Santa Monica’s Harvelle’s, the oldest blues bar in LA (almost a century!), is the stuff of myth. Toledo choreographs (literally) a truly unique show, a blend of ‘50s hipster jazz and his dancing dames and a most modern smokin’ hot band that gets better all the time. Sun 9 p.m., Harvelle’s, Santa Monica, $13.
COMING ATTRACTIONS (also recommended): TOLEDO DIAMOND, Harvelle’s Santa Monica, 11/30, 12/7, 14, 21, 28; LA OPERA’s “LA BOHEME,” Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 11/30, 12/4, 6, 10, 14; HOT CLUB OF LOS ANGELES, Cinema Bar, 12/1, 8, 15, 22, 29; DENGUE FEVER, Venice West, 12/5; JACKY TERRASSON TRIO, Sam First, 12/5, 6.
DOWN THE ROAD (also recommended): JACKSHIT, McCabe’s, 12/9, 10, 11; LA PHIL, MOZART, SIBELIUS, Disney Hall, 12/12, 13, 14; CHARLES LLOYD QUARTET w/ GERALD CLAYTON, Blue Note, 12/15; ALLMAN BETTS FAMILY REVIVAL, Orpheum Theatre, 12/20.
Charles Andrews has listened to a lot of music of all kinds, including more than 3,500 live shows. He has lived in Santa Monica for 39 years and wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world. Really. Send love and/or hate mail to: therealmrmusic@gmail.com
