By CHARLES ANDREWS
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
TONIGHT! – VERDI “FALSTAFF,” L.A. OPERA – Drink it in, the incomparable Romantic Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi borrows a really good story from the British Bard. Expect comic mayhem, disguises and mistaken identities, merry wives and a knight not quite up to it all. Verdi doing Shakespeare, an all-star jam! Last two performances this week. Don’t wait to get tickets, or you may be drinking alone. Wed 7:30 p.m., Sun 2 p.m., Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, LA, $44-400.
Well, this is a little different: a comedy festival, top names, at different venues, different days. I have chosen my favorites, especially the ones in all caps. Various times and ticket prices.
Tonight! – Netflix Is A Joke: NIKKI GLAZER, SARAH SILVERMAN, Nick Kroll, Michael Buble – Wed, Greek Theatre, LA
Tonight! – Netflix Is A Joke: CHELSEA HANDLER – Wed, Saban Theatre, Beverly Hills
Netflix Is A Joke: WANDA SYKES – Thurs, Dolby Theatre, Hollywood
Netflix Is A Joke: RONNY CHIENG, Hasan Minhaj – Fri, Sat, Sun, Dolby Theatre, Hollywood
SANTA MONICA INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL – This is weekend two of the first rollout of what we hope will become an institution. It has the potential to put Santa Monica on the international music map, and you’ll want to be able to say you were there at the very first one. It’s the brainchild of the legendary bassist- composer-educator Stanley Clarke, who has been hanging around our town a lot the last few years, particularly around SMC and the BroadStage. The powerful sax man Kamasi Washington is headlining the final day; I caught him recently at the Blue Note, first time (for me) leading his own band, and he is indeed a force of nature. Don’t miss this, also because Clarke is on that bill, with the Renaissance man Stewart Copeland on drums (more than just The Police, he has written books, operas, produced and directed films, TV and film soundtracks, ballets, and more). You should go just to see him. There are several other bands that day, celebrating the centennial of Miles Davis. The day before they are noting 100 years of John Coltrane, with Isaiah Collier, Lakecia Benjamin, Hubert Laws, Smitty Smith, and a familiar face on bass, indoors on the BroadStage. For details, go to the festival website: https://www.smjazzfest.com/#faq. Fri, Sat, various times and ticket prices.
“BLUE KISS,” Ruskin Group Theatre – Playwright Stephen Fife has meticulously constructed a bizarre family odyssey that peels off layer by layer, with surprises and even shock. This one is not an easy ride for the audience, not many smiles, but well worth it. They’ve got another winner here, more proof of what an artistic gold mine lil ol’ Santa Monica is. Only an idiot wouldn’t want to preserve and nurture all this. It’s a perfect opportunity to experience the beautiful new Ruskin Group Arts Center, just a couple of buildings down from the old one. This play is in the smaller room, the 55-seat Audre Theatre. Their bar is now open at the Ruskin, so sit back and dig the ride. Fri, Sat 8 p.m., Sun 2 p.m., Ruskin Group Theatre, SM Airport, $30-35.
LIBRARY GIRL presents “Mama, You Been On My Mind” – This truly is the way to top off a perfect Mother’s Day celebration. I can guarantee you, all these performers are either mothers, or they had mothers, so they know the heart of the matter. Will you cry? Probably. Laugh? Maybe. I am pretty sure you will dig it so much that you will be back next month, maybe every month. Readings by Debbon Ayer, Chanel Brenner, Jane Cantillon, Karen Croner, Jen Cheng, Alexis Rhone Fancher, Cassandra Lane, Jason Luckett, Steven Meloan, and Pat Thomas. Featuring music by Julianne Glass. Sun 7 p.m., Ruskin Group Theatre, SM Airport, $20.
HOT CLUB OF LOS ANGELES – This rockin’ quintet, known for Django Reinhardt-style ‘30s-’40s jazz (for starters, but they go way beyond), whose across-the-board virtuosity never fails to bring a smile. I have never heard anyone walk away from one of the HCOLA shows and say, “They’re pretty good!” Usually, it’s hard to say anything when your jaw is on the floor. Still at their years-long residency at the intimate Cinema Bar just outside Santa Monica, every Monday night. Lucky us. Take advantage. Mon 9 p.m., Cinema Bar, Culver City, no cover.
RECOMMENDED:
TOLEDO DIAMOND – Who’s been showing up even longer than the Hot Club, with a very different but also virtuosic show? 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 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. Toledo is perhaps the longest-running proof that Santa Monica is a City of the Arts. (Yes, you bet, this is art.) Sun 9 p.m., Harvelle’s, Santa Monica, $13.
TV RECOMMENDATIONS:
“THE DAILY SHOW” – I think they now have the best cast ever. (Apologies to Roy Wood Jr.) In fact… yelling, wildly gesticulating Jon Stewart is my least favorite host. Mon – Thurs 11 p.m., COMEDY CENTRAL.
“HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU” – You can learn a lot from this show, but, nah, it’s all about the newsworthy jokes and satire. On leave until the fall.
COMING ATTRACTIONS (also recommended): VERDI “FALSTAFF,” L.A. OPERA, 5/6, 10; “BLUE KISS,” Ruskin Group Theatre, 5/8-17; LA SANTA CECILIA, Fonda Theatre, 5/7; STANLEY CLARKE’S SANTA MONICA INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL, BroadStage, Tongva Park, 5/8, 9; TOLEDO DIAMOND, Harvelle’s Santa Monica, 5/10, 17, 24, 31; LORDE, Kia Forum, 5/14; PACIFIC OPERA PROJECT, “ZORRO,” San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, 5/16, 17; TOPANGA BANJO FIDDLE CONTEST & FOLK FESTIVAL, King Gilette Ranch, 5/17 ;
DOWN THE ROAD (also recommended): MOZART “THE MAGIC FLUTE,” L.A. OPERA, 5/30, 6/6, 11, 14, 17, 21: PAUL SIMON, Hwd Bowl, 6/7.
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 40 years and wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world. Really. Send love and/or hate mail to: therealmrmusic@gmail.com.
