Cy Twombly: Something to be desired?

Classical gas Works by Cy Twombly at the Getty Center by Bondo Wyszpolski It would be fair to ask me, Why did you persist in reading through the entire catalogue for “Cy Twombly: Making Past Present” when you were all but convinced that he’s an overrated artist? It’s because I wanted one of the essay…

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Hot and heavenly: My Three Angels

Trouble in the tropics “My Three Angels” onstage in Manhattan Beach by Bondo Wyszpolski If we mix in a few ingredients — French Guiana, 1910, Christmas Eve, and 104 degree weather — I think we’ll have the makings of a compelling play. Samuel and Bella Spewick certainly thought so, and in 1953 they wrote a…

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Lucia di Lammermoor: A killer opera

It’ll get a little crazy “Lucia di Lammermoor” opens the new season at LA Opera by Bondo Wyszpolski Things are frenetic from the get-go in “Lucia di Lammermoor,” Gaetano Donizetti’s tale of murder, madness, and betrayal. Bolstered by Salvatore Cammarano’s smart libretto and based on Sir Walter Scott’s 1819 novel, “The Bride of Lammermoor,” the…

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There’s no getting out of this one

Trouble in the kingdom “Oedipus” at the Getty Villa by Bondo Wyszpolski It’s a story as old as the hills, but as presented by Deaf West Theatre and directed by Jenny Koons, who also adapted this ancient treasure, “Oedipus” springs to life in a way we assuredly have not seen before. That’s because the narrative…

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Precious metal at ShockBoxx in Hermosa

Heart of gold Christina Smith’s solo show “Integrated” opens Saturday at ShockBoxx by Bondo Wyszpolski Traumatic events can change a person for the worse and push them into a hole from which they may never emerge. But if a traumatic experience leads one to delve into the essence of who they are, and to explore…

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CA 101: an art extravaganza

Your highway to fine art CA 101 opens Friday evening in Redondo Beach by Bondo Wyszpolski Back with a vengeance, CA 101 returns to Redondo Beach, this time with 230 artworks by 73 different artists, and the opening is Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. in the historic library inside of Veterans Park. Curated by…

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Marion McCally’s soulful portraits

On the street, in the studio An afternoon chat with artist Marion McCally by Bondo Wyszpolski Less than three months ago, two things occurred, fairly insignificant at the time, but without them you wouldn’t be reading about Marion McCally and looking at her artwork in this magazine. Early in June, one of McCally’s neighbors invited…

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“Time” at ESMoA: Into the mind of movie production designer Rick Carter

Journeys past, present, and future ESMoA’s treasure trove of artwork by film production designer Rick Carter by Bondo Wyszpolski There must be hundreds of people named “Rick Carter” but there’s only one Rick Carter who’s worked as the production designer for cinematic heavyweights Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Robert Zemekis, and J.J. Abrams. And it’s this…

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In the garden of delights

Overseeing 87 acres of paradise In the summer sun with Adrienne Nakashima by Bondo Wyszpolski She’s lived most of her life in and around the South Bay, but right now Adrienne Nakashima is at the top of the world. I mean, how can anyone say otherwise when Nakashima heads up one of the loveliest spots…

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Long on activism, short on art

Loud voices for the voiceless Works by artist-activist Andrea Bowers at the Hammer Museum by Bondo Wyszpolski The causes she actively and tirelessly promotes are commendable — the rights of the undocumented, the marginalized, the bullied and abused, women’s autonomy over their own bodies, the preservation and dignity of nature, etc — but Andrea Bowers,…

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Scare tactics under the big top

It’s a nightmare in Redondo Anything goes under the black and red tent of “Paranormal Cirque” by Bondo Wyszpolski Leave the kiddies at home. On Thursday, August 11, the self-described thrilling, wicked, sexy, and even dangerous Paranormal Cirque opens the dark maw of its tent for six shows in Redondo Beach. They say it’s not…

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And then we’ll take tea

A walk in the park “Excursions of Imagination: 100 Great British Drawings from the Huntington’s Collection” by Bondo Wyszpolski The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens had begun to celebrate its centennial over the course of 2019 and 2020, and this show, “Excursions of Imagination,” was earmarked for that occasion. Like much else, it…

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Movie music with Peninsula Symphony

Dinosaurs! Superheroes! Pirates! Deserts and plantations! We’re almost at the movies with Maestro Gary Berkson and the Peninsula Symphony by Bondo Wyszpolski Close your eyes, and you’re halfway there. Although the lights won’t go down, theme music from such silver screen blockbusters as “Star Wars,” “Jurassic Park,” and “The Avengers” may induce a cinematic euphoria…

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Swagger and swish in the Middle Ages

“The Fantasy of the Middle Ages: An Epic Journey through Imaginary Medieval Worlds,” by Larisa Grollemond and Bryan C. Keene (Getty Publications, 134 pp, $29.95) by Bondo Wyszpolski The Middle Ages, or the Medieval period, fits roughly between 500 and 1500 AD, or from ancient Rome to the Renaissance. If you’re thinking 1200, 1300, you’re…

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Back to the jungle with Werner Herzog

“The Twilight World,” by Werner Herzog, trans. by Michael Hofmann (Penguin Press, 132 pp, $25) by Bondo Wyszpolski Twenty-nine years after the end of World War II, which he thought was still being fought, Hiroo Onoda emerged from the jungle of Lubang Island in the Philippines. He told Norio Suzuki, the young man who’d found…

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