11:23am | I often feel overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of great stuff going on in our fair city. It is daunting, and humbling, to pick and choose a handful of culturally significant events to share with you here.
Even though I’m writing this bright and early this morning, in my mind I’m curled up in a tight little ball, rocking myself to the ‘Happy Place’ rather than give short shrift to any of the deserving events.
For example, Gatsby Books is hosting Neo-Noir Night, a reading by two local literary luminaries on Friday evening at 7 p.m. Raindog has been a powerful driving force in the local and regional poetry scene for as long as I can remember. Not only is he prolific, but he’s also spent much of his professional career supporting the writing of others. On Friday, he’ll be reading from his collection of short stories, The Manx Tales.
Lee Adams‘ prose is vibrant, her characters tangible and imperfect and her plot lines relentless. Readers have been known to scream warnings to the printed page: “No, Julie! Don’t open the door!!” Her novels 5th & Vanguard and Nighthawks, both part of the Julie Page Mystery series, lovingly embrace the noir aesthetic while remaining fresh and vital. She’ll be reading selections from her second novel, Nighthawks.
Across town at the Art Theatre on Sunday at 9 p.m., ArtfulThinking.org is presenting the documentary film Teach Your Children Well, which explores how teaching acceptance and respect can mitigate issues of homophobia and violence in our schools. The film is narrated by the legendary actress, comedian, author and playwright Lily Tomlin. Oh, and she is going to be there, in person. LILY FREAKIN TOMLIN!!!!
The 5th biennial Mid City Studio Tour, which takes place on June 4 and 5, is having a preview show on Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Greenly Art Space.
The Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular hits the Carpenter Center again, also on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Of course, being the second Saturday of May, you can check out the Long Beach Downtown Art Walk and Lyons at Night. There’s also the opening of Sipology Gallerie’s exhibition of work by artist Jack Rossi, and a unique performance by Shams 93 featuring the traditional old stylings of Brian Redfern and celebrated poet Charles Claymore (a.k.a. Askew).
If that weren’t enough, Gallery Expo and the Jones Studio Gallery (both in Bixby Knolls’ Expo Building) will be hosting opening receptions on Saturday. Of course, don’t forget Paige Bauer’s Ménage à Trois No. 4, taking place this Saturday at the 2nd City Council Art Gallery.
Of course, Long Beach is home to all kinds of theater, including The Taming of The Shrew on the Mainstage Theatre of the Long Beach Playhouse, and Alive Theatre’s Entropy General at The MADhouse. For those who prefer dinner with their theater, there’s the original All American Melodrama Theater production of Back From The Future (or Forward to the Pasture), and Much Ado About Murder, presented by Act Out Mystery Theatre at The Reef Restaurant.
On Sunday, if you can still lift your head, head down to the cozy perfection of the Center Theatre to catch LB Opera’s matinee production of Moscow, Cherry Town, a satiric, charming and irreverent operetta by the famed Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich, with a libretto by Vladimir Mass and Mikhail Chervinsky.
Then, stagger over to The Auld Dubliner for traditional Irish music, and many strong ales.
Again, this list is painfully inadequate. For a pretty good overview of what’s going on, visit LimeLightLB.com.