Posts by Bondo Wyszpolski
Happy Days: Samuel Beckett’s trouble in paradise, at the Taper
The Woman in the Dunes Dianne Wiest is splendid in Samuel Beckett’s “Happy Days” Where are we? On a scraggly, sandy, near-barren hill, with a corseted woman buried up to her waist. She’s dressed entirely in black. It’s a very bright day, the sky as blue as can be, the sun unrelenting. Samuel Beckett wrote…
Read MoreSouth Bay art calendar for May 30 to June 5
Thursday, May 30 They’ve got a special guest The Mira Costa High School Band Boosters have landed jazz artist David Benoit for their annual Pops concert, taking place at 7 p.m. in the school’s auditorium at 1401 Artesia Blvd, Manhattan Beach. In addition to some of Benoit’s classic songs, the group will feature hits by…
Read MoreArvo Pärt – a cinematic view of the renowned composer
“That Pärt Feeling – The Universe of Arvo Pärt” (film review) If you don’t know much about Estonian composer Arvo Pärt (b.1935), Paul Hegeman’s new film won’t provide a great deal of insight. However, the 78-minute documentary will at least introduce the viewer to Pärt’s numinous music, and to several ensembles in various countries of…
Read MoreSouth Bay arts calendar for May 23 to 29
Friday, May 24 A fond farewell Maestro Barry Brisk conducts his last concert for the Beach Cities Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. in Marsee Auditorium at El Camino College, Crenshaw and Redondo Beach boulevards, Torrance. He’s retiring from the ensemble after 25 years. The concert highlights four local student soloists as well as selections from…
Read MoreMaestro Barry Brisk conducts his last concert for Beach Cities Symphony
A musical flourish, and a fond farewell Barry Brisk of the Beach Cities Symphony sets down his baton Eventually the train comes to the station, and after 25 years and 100 concerts Maestro Barry Brisk of the Beach Cities Symphony is handing in his baton and stepping down. He’s conducted works by over 80 different…
Read MorePacific Visions: More than just a fish story
Our ocean… and our sustainable future Aquarium of the Pacific gets bigger and better Twenty-one years after opening, the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach has just completed its first major expansion project, a new wing (or fin, in this case) called Pacific Visions. It’s a two-story, 29,000 square foot building with a blue-paneled…
Read MoreOscar Rejlander: Godfather of Photoshop
One step ahead “Oscar G. Rejlander: Artist Photographer” at the Getty Some artists are born a little too late and some are born a little too soon. Those born at just the right moment can hold out their arms and receive the accolades. Oscar Gustaf Rejlander (1813-1875) might have found a job in the motion…
Read MoreNew Mohan Bhasker photos going on view
Journey to the Centers of the Earth No place is inaccessible to photographer (and doctor) Mohan Bhasker There’s something to be said for digging in your heels, whether it’s solving math problems or, literally in the case of Mohan Bhasker, trying to keep from sliding off a mountain trail in the Himalayas. Bhasker is comparable…
Read MoreSouth Bay arts calendar for May 16 to 22
Thursday, May 16 He’ll ruin your masterpiece! Steven Rowley discusses “The Editor,” his new novel, at 7 p.m. in {pages} a bookstore, 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach. The book is about an author whose famous editor changes him forever, both as a writer and as a son. (310) 318-0900 or go to pagesabookstore.com. Now it’s…
Read MoreLA Opera’s “El Gato Montés: The Wildcat”
Plácido Domingo brings zarzuela gem to L.A. Opera “El Gato Montés: The Wildcat” (a review) Spain is known for many things, from sangria to Segovia, but not for its operas. Oh, but what about “Carmen”? “Carmen,” my friend, is French. There is, however, the zarzuela, which is closer to an old Spanish version of musical…
Read MoreThe art of a more pleasant hospital stay
Hospitalized, yet barely stressed? It now seems possible The USC Institute for Arts in Medicine launches on the Peninsula Given a choice, most of us would rather be vacationing in Tahiti than undergoing a bone marrow biopsy or a lumbar puncture. While the first is optional, the second sometimes is not, but the mission of…
Read MoreSouth Bay arts calendar for May 9 to 15
Thursday, May 9 Seaside resort Chip Creek, author of the novel “Cape May,” described as “Rules of Civility” meets “Revolutionary Road,” discusses his book at 7 p.m. in {pages}: a bookstore, 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach. Free. (310) 318-0900 or go to pagesabookstore.com. Going around the bend “Hot Flashin’,” a musical comedy written by Gina…
Read MoreBeastly Ball: responsibility for all species
A planet for all species, not just ours The LA Zoo’s Beastly Ball What’s better than roaming around the zoo after the public has gone home? Roaming around the zoo and knowing it’s for a noble cause. The Beastly Ball is L.A.’s biggest fundraiser devoted to wildlife conservation, and each year those with deep pockets…
Read More“Falsettos” – family, and extended family
Hitting the high notes “Falsettos” on stage at the Ahmanson Theatre, a review To some extent, you get double your money’s worth with “Falsettos,” currently through May 19 at the Ahmanson Theatre. This sung-through musical, a modern day light opera, has a book written by William Finn and James Lapine, with Finn also composing the…
Read More“In the Penal Colony” – Kafka, Glass, and Long Beach Opera
Crime and Punishment “In the Penal Colony” – Long Beach Opera tackles Philip Glass by way of Franz Kafka Before one of last weekend’s performances of “In the Penal Colony,” the short but intense opera by Philip Glass based on the Franz Kafka story of the same name, Long Beach Opera artistic director Andreas Mitisek…
Read MoreCirque du Soleil’s “Amaluna” in San Pedro
The daring, the graceful, the imaginative Cirque du Soleil’s “Amaluna” at the waterfront in San Pedro Cirque du Soleil shows tend to conjure up vague worlds that border on the Tolkienesque and pseudo-mythic, with ample servings of the magical, exotic, and sensual, all of it anchored by a cadre of dancers and gymnasts in colorful,…
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