You’ve had two weekends to recover from ugly Xmas sweaters, eggnog, and futile resolution-making.
Time for art and theater plus liquor and lots of it.
Chop, chop….
Beyond the Photo Booth
January = art month in Los Angeles and photo l.a., the first of four heavy-hitter art fairs, is the perfect symbolic bridge between the new and the old with its mix of past and present, vintage and contemporary.
The 25th Anniversary edition of the four-day photography expo kicks off Thursday evening with an Opening Gala honoring Los Angeles artist James Welling, benefiting Best Buddies International, and featuring food by Escuela Taqueria, cocktails by The Spare Room, and desserts by the Confection Co-op.
Also, bragging rights for first peek at the exhibit….
photo l.a. opens to the public on Friday with 70+ booths from galleries, dealers, museums, nonprofits, vendors, and schools featuring contemporary photography and photo-based art to classic, vintage, and vernacular photos.
Of course, you’ll want to dive deeper….
Lucky you: photo l.a. has tons of special programming on every one of its four days including: lectures (Backstage Pass with Music Photographer Rob Shanahan); panel discussions (The Golden Decade); special installations (Gala honoree James Welling); and docent tours (Ivan Shaw, Executive Photography Director, Vogue)
Start your eyeball calisthenics now….
photo l.a. — Thurs, 1/21; 7-10pm. Fri 1/22 & Sat 1/23; 11am-7pm. Sun, 1/24; 11am-6m. $20-$450 — The REEF/LA Mart, 1933 S Broadway, LA 90007. Tix & more info HERE.
Golden Drinking
You are feeling thirsty…very, very thirsty.
Just in time, Golden State of Cocktails lights up the glorious Majestic starting this weekend.
Initially conceived as a to-the-trade show — and still with a couple of bar-industry-only events — the four-day cocktail-a-ganza is now open to the 21+ responsible drinking public.
That’s you, right? Right?!?!
Whether you sling or sip, check out seminars ($40) from: spirits giants (Broad Spectrum – tastings across Beam Suntory’s whiskey portfolio); indies (Classic Gin Cocktails – Sipsmith Gin); specialists (The Pharmacology of Flavor Part II: Enter the Matrix – Culinary Scientist Larrian Gillespie, M.D.); and a museum (The Spirit of New Spirits – The Museum of the American Cocktail/MOTAC.)
Improved cocktail party libations and banter pretty much guaranteed…..
Free options with seminar purchase include: lunches with Don Q rum, Revel Avila agave and Hendricks Gin & Samovar Tea; the Museum of the American Cocktail Agave Gallery Opening and Happy Hour at Las Perlas (open to the public; no ticket required); and Ludlows Cocktail Co. Spritz Happy Hour (sip early samples of their Spring Spritz line: Grapefruit Elderflower, Golden Apple Pear and Birch Tonic).
The Luxardo cherry on top: bar crawls in Downtown LA and Hollywood ($65) and a series of upscale dinners ($100) at Girasol, Faith and Flower, and Hatchet Hall presented by MUNCHIES and Crown Royal Canadian Whiskey (whose Northern Harvest Rye was just awarded best whiskey of 2015.)
Come be the judge of that.
GOLDEN STATE OF COCKTAILS — Sat, Jan 23 – Tues, Jan 26; various times. FREE – $100/21+ — The Majestic Downtown, 650 S Spring St, DTLA 90014. NOTE: Evening events take place across the city; check event description for location. Tix & more info HERE.
Speed Racer
Producing, writing, directing, rehearsing and performing a play is hard.
Producing, writing, directing, rehearsing and performing four plays in 5o hours is certifiable.
You’ll be the happy beneficiary of this madness when ZJU unveils its 15th Annual 50 Hour Drive-by Theatre Festival.
Yes, they’ve been taking on this insanity for 15 years.
Drive-By by the numbers: 15 performers, 4 writers, 4 directors, 1 musician, 3 performances/1 weekend only.
This is one driving ticket you’ll be happy to get.
ZJU’S 15TH ANNUAL 50 HOUR DRIVE-BY THEATRE FESTIVAL — Sat, Jan 23 – Mon, Jan 24; 8:30pm. $15/12+ — ZJU Theatre Group, 4850 Lankershim Blvd, NoHo 91601. For Reservations, call 818-202-4120. Tix & more info HERE.
Ready? U Know U Want 2 Go Go….
