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Archive for the ‘This Weekend in LA’ Category

Review: Bacchanalia at the Getty Villa: A Haunted House Party

Bacchanalia at the Getty Villa by Leticia Marie Sanchez Roman party god Bacchus would look down fondly at the revelry taking place this fall at the Getty Villa Theater. Wine, women, and song abound. Director Matt Walker and his engaging Troubador Theater Company have adapted the work of Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus, refreshing lines from 200 B.C. with contemporary, hilarious zingers. The age-old story involves a prodigal son, Philolaches, partying like a rock star while his unsuspecting father, Theopropiedes, travels abroad. Aptly entitled “The Haunted House Party,” the ambiance of the adaptation feels like a ninety-minute zany house party with characters rapping, breaking into dance routines, and even calling out late audience members. As Matt Walker declared to the audience, “there is no fourth wall.” The strength of this production lies in the talented cast, spontaneous ad libs, audience

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Invisible Chess Players

In the Sculpture Garden of the Norton Simon Museum during “Checkmate” August 27, 2016 All Photography© 2016 Leticia Marie Sanchez

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This week’s Top Pick: Pageant of the Masters, Laguna Beach

Painting +Music+ Dance + History= An entertaining Cultural Cocktail Top Pick! All Photography© 2016 Leticia Marie Sanchez

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Ticket to Nirvana- Buddhist Replica Caves at the Getty Center

By Leticia Marie Sanchez Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Buddhist Art on China’s Silk Road Exhibit Closes on September 4, 2016 Stepping into one of the Buddhist Replica Caves at the Getty Center- away from the never-ending traffic, unrelenting tragedy in the news, and ceaseless summer political diatribes- feels like a welcome taste of Nirvana.                   Ommmmmmm. Standing inside one of these exquisitely crafted jewel boxes, one can almost levitate- at least mentally- with the flights of fancy inspired by visions of colorful mountains, praying bodhisattvas, and winged spiritual beings that grace the ceiling. The Getty’s Julia Grimes provided enlightening details about the replica caves, modeled after caves on China’s Silk Road, some dating back to the 4th century. Grimes explained that at the time the caves were first designed, Buddhism was a

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Angels Vocal Art: A refreshing dose of opera in the summer

By Leticia Marie Sanchez During the summer, many LA opera lovers may feel pangs of withdrawal, the sense that autumn is too many weeks away to wait for the thrill of hearing an aria live. Cultural Cocktail Hour has discovered a cure for those craving an opera fix. Angels Vocal Art represents the only opera festival in Los Angeles this summer and last weekend presented the Gran Gala di Verdi at the State Playhouse Theater. Angels Vocals Arts allows emerging singers to perform alongside opera professionals, and on Saturday night, young students poured their hearts and souls into the works of the timeless maestro, Giuseppe Verdi. Moreover, the Verdi Chorus anchored the evening with the solemnity of seasoned performers. I will leave you with the resounding motto of the Verdi Chorus, included in the evening’s program: “We are The judgment of

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In honor of World Music Day today- June 21st

 Seen on a Pillow in Los Angeles:

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Photos: Season Finale- Salon de Musiques: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

  Photos taken at the Season Finale of the Salon De Musiques at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion   by Leticia Marie Sanchez Music has a healing power, and, in the wake of tragedies in the headlines, I felt particularly hopeful after listening to the uplifting program by Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara Schumann, and Robert Schumann at the Salon De Musiques Season Finale on June 12th. As Thomas Carlyle once remarked, music “leads us to the edge of the infinite, and lets us for a moment gaze into that.” Through the talented direction of Founder Francois Chouchan, the Salon embodied the restorative capacity and deep humanity of a language that needs no words.     

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“Duchamp to Pop”- A Must-See Exhibit

  by Leticia Marie Sanchez Cultural Cocktail Hour® is a registered Trademark This week’s Cultural Cocktail Hour involves a Pinch of Parody, a Dose of Double Entendre, and a Highball of Warhol- Bottom’s Up! “Duchamp to Pop” is a must-see exhibit in Southern California due to the wit of Marcel Duchamp and his influence on the Pop Art Movement. CCH loves any exhibit where you can unleash your inner art detective; “Duchamp to Pop” lends itself to peeling back layers of culture and indulging in wordplay and irony. Cheeky puns are the name of the game. For instance, when one usually thinks of the Mona Lisa, one imagines crowds of tourists lining up to see a dignified work encased behind glass, vigilantly guarded by museum security. Quite to the contrary, Marcel Duchamp’s mischievous Mona Lisa, La Joconde, bears an absurd mustache,

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Happy Cultural Valentine!

HAPPY’S VALENTINE’S DAY to my readers! Wishing you a day filled with love, art, and music! All Photography© 2016 Leticia Marie Sanchez Cultural escapade at the Getty Center Cultural Cocktail Hour® is a registered Trademark

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Sculptures taking Selfies?

When even the sculptures take selfies, you know that we are in trouble! What would Michelangelo say? by Leticia Marie Sanchez Kudos to these artists for providing a snapshot into today’s culture. Lines of tourists crowd Florence’s esteemed Uffizi Gallery, not necessarily to take the time to observe the art, but rather to take a quick selfie with Botticelli’s Birth of Venus before rushing onto the next Instagrammable moment. Today many individuals walk by masterpieces because they are too busy staring at their cellphones or getting ready for a closeup. Based on Bertel Thorvaldsen’s “Eve Holding an Apple,” “The Immortalization of  Self” by Jana Cruder and Matthew La Penta captures today’s self-obsessed culture with cheeky precision. CCH selects this work as the most timely at LA Art Show this week. Narcissistic statue seen at LA Art Show 2016      

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