Dance
Prance Through the Ages. In Paul Taylor Dance Company: Dance, Dance, Dance, the eponymous outfit presents Company B and a world premiere by resident choreographer Lauren Lovette. Featuring hit songs by the Andrews Sisters, Company B contrasts the excitement at the start of the 1940s with the tragedy of World War II. Lovette’s new piece is set to composer Michael Daugherty’s percussion concerto Dreamachine. Rounding out the program is choreographer Kurt Jooss’s The Green Table, featuring music by Fritz Cohen. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, April 28 through 30, paultaylordance.org
Food
Bountiful Feast. Diet be damned, it’s time for Masters of Taste, the city’s premiere luxury food fest, featuring some of L.A.’s finest bars, restaurants, and dessert shops. Chefs Michael and Kwini Reed of Poppy + Rose host roughly 100 venues with proceeds benefiting Union Station Homeless Services. Rose Bowl, April 2, mastersoftastela.com
Theater
Star Talk. Legendary screen siren Ava Gardner dishes on her marriages to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra as well as her rocky relationship with Howard Hughes in Ava: The Secret Conversations, a tour de force written by and starring Elizabeth McGovern, based on the memoir by Gardner and author Peter Evans. Geffen Playhouse, April 4 through May 7, avagardnerplay.com
Sports
Ice Kings. Feel like skidding uncontrollably into someone else’s vehicle but not suicidal? Then Go Karting on Ice has got your number. The whole family can enjoy gliding through a glacial obstacle course and, if everyone’s still in one piece, some off-ice games, too. L.A. Kings Valley Ice Center, April 14 through 16, lakingsvalleyicecenter.com
Film
Master and Servant. He’s Dracula’s right-hand man, but not for long. In the new comedy, Nicholas Hoult plays the title character in Renfield, whose attempts to get rid of the old bloodsucker, played by Nicolas Cage, lead to complications. Directed by Chris McKay (The Lego Batman Movie), it costars Awkwafina and Ben Schwartz. In theaters April 14.
Art
Delectable Paintings. German artist Isaak Soreau’s Still Life with Fruits and Flowers from 1638 is just one example of peaches and grapes that practically pop off the canvas and into your mouth. In All Consuming: Art and the Essence of Food, still lifes and other works showcase the tasty comestibles in the Norton Simon collection. Norton Simon Museum, April 14 through August 14, nortonsimon.org
Opera
Royal Haunt. A prince in the forest encounters an otherworldly woman whom he brings home to his family only to discover an attraction between her and his younger brother. The only completed opera by Claude Debussy, Pelléas and Mélisande stars soprano Sydney Mancasola, Grammy-winning baritone Will Liverman, and the legendary bass Ferruccio Furlanetto. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, through April 16, laopera.org
Concert
Pop Tart. “Godfather of Punk” Iggy Pop returns with a killer new backing band, the Losers, including producer Andrew Watt, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, and Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan playing tracks off the 75-year-old rocker’s new album, Every Loser. , The Regent, April 20; Orpheum Theatre, April 24; and Hollywood Palladium, April 27, iggypop.com
Books
What a Ladd. Following actor Diane Ladd’s life-threatening bout with pneumonia in 2018, daughter Laura Dern chose meaningful distraction by discussing love, life, and success in Honey, Baby, Mine, a new book that includes photos, family recipes, and a foreword by Reese Witherspoon. Out April 25.
Moving Tale. From author Joshilyn Jackson comes With My Little Eye, the chilling tale of a mother and daughter who move cross-country to escape a dangerous stalker. It’s yet another page-turner by the woman behind the New York Times best-seller, Mother May I. Out April 25.
Theater
Nocturnal Serenade. It’s been 50 years since Stephen Sondheim composed A Little Night Music, his musical adaptation of the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film, Smiles of a Summer Night. Since then, it’s become a classic, like its most famous song, “Send in the Clowns.” Pasadena Playhouse, April 25 through May 21, pasadenaplayhouse.org
Film
Growing Pains. Based on the beloved Judy Blume novel of the same name, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret stars Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret, an 11-year-old who relocates with her family from the city to the suburbs, where she navigates the pitfalls of adolescence. Written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, the film stars Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates. In theaters April 28.
Concert
On the Road Again. It’s three days of toe-tappin’, knee-slappin’, hand-clappin’ tunes at the Stagecoach Festival by a mix of contemporary and classic country artists like Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, and Chris Stapleton, to name the headliners. They’ll be joined by Brooks & Dunn, Nelly, Jon Pardi, Melissa Etheridge, Old Dominion, and others. Empire Polo Club, April 28 through 30,stagecoachfestival.com
Books
Family Guy. In An Evening with David Sedaris, the beloved raconteur and author of best-sellers Calypso, Naked, and Me Talk Pretty One Day reads from his latest anthology, Happy-Go-Lucky. Get to know The New Yorker satirist better at the book signing and Q&A afterward. Theatre at Ace, April 29 through 30, acehotel.com
Art
Unveiled. The world watched as Iranian women threw off their hijabs last autumn to protest their country’s draconian laws restricting freedom, especially for women. Women Defining Women in Contemporary Art of the Middle East and Beyond presents 75 works by women artists associated with Islamic societies. LACMA, April 23 through September 24, lacma.org
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