RECOMMENDED FOR MAY 2013

David Mamet.

‘Glengarry Glen Ross,’ by David Mamet, L.A. Theatre Works May 16-May19, 2013 NOT TO BE MISSED

One word: Mamet. Two Words: Pulitzer Prize. Joe Mantegna returns to his original Tony® Award winning role as Ricky Roma, the smooth-talking ace among a team of tired real estate agents no longer able to turn leads into sales. As pressure to survive builds, ethics and rules start to slip in one of the few high-stakes dramas that could rival a Lakers’ game. A theatrical triumph that swept Mamet to the forefront of American playwrights. “Crackling tension…ferocious comedy and drama. A top American playwright in bristling form.” –The New York Times

‘The Grapes of Wrath,’ by John Steinbeck, A Noise Within, Directed by Michael Michetti, Feb 16 – May 11, 2013 WORTH THE RISK

A fundamental American tragedy.

‘Tell Tale Heart/Van Gogh,’ Long Beach Opera, May 11, 18, 19, 2013 WORTH THE RISK

Delirious. Manic. Damned. This double-bill features a boastful murderer and a self-condemned artist. Stewart Copeland, drummer/founder of the rock band The Police, elevates Poe’s story of a meticulous murderer betrayed by his own paranoia. Michael Gordon, Bang on a Can co-founder, dives into the restless soul of the brilliant painter Van Gogh, revealing his world through the raw emotions of his personal letters.  Both operas feature music at the edge of rock, jazz, and classical modernism.

‘Tosca,’ L.A. Opera, May 18-June 8, 2013, The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

A passionate prima donna is forced to play a role she never imagined when she becomes trapped between her allegiance to her rebel lover and the scheming of a treacherous police chief who will stop at nothing in his lust for her. The explosive triangle comes to a hair-raising conclusion in one of opera’s bloodiest, most intense dramas. New production to L.A.

Salon des Musiques, Sunday, May 19th 2013, 4.00 pm HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Always a charming afternoon of chamber music, including conversation and a light dinner overlooking the Music Center plaza. This concert: ROGER WILKIE Violin, HELEN S.CALLUS Viola, JOHN WALZ Cello, Edith ORLOFF Piano , ELISSA JOHNSTON Soprano

BRAHMS: Lieder for Soprano, Piano and Viola op 91

BRAHMS : Piano Quartet n.3 in C minor

MAHLER: Piano Quartet in A minor

‘Eurydice,’based on the Greek Orpheus Myth, By Sarah Ruhl, A Noise Within, Directed by Geoff Elliott  & Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, Mar 9 – May 19, 2013 WORTH THE  RISK

Pulitzer Prize Nominee Sarah Ruhl retells the classic Greek myth of Orpheus through the eyes of his new wife, Eurydice. ANW has handled Greek themes beautifully in the past.