Posts Tagged ‘Santa Monica’

In the past decade, the writings of Jane Austen have been adapted and re-adapted for film and television so many times that you wouldn’t even recognize the young Emma Woodhouse unless she called you from UTA with an offer for the next “Pride and Prejudice” miniseries. What is it about this early 19th century woman of letters that we just can’t seem to get enough of? The charming prudery of English Regency-era manners and lovely Empire-style fashions? The repeated–and maddeningly provacative–deferal of love’s consummation? Maybe it’s just Austen’s good ol’ sly sense of humor? Whatever it may be, Hollywood is back for more–but this time, it’s on stage. And with improv comedy.

That’s right. If you thought Jane Austen couldn’t get any better than Kiera Knightley’s making out with Matthew MacFadyen while the sun sets on some English moor, think again. Beginning this Friday, the Impro Theater will be bringing its holiday showcase of their improvisational play “Jane Austen Unscripted” to the Broad Stage in Santa Monica. The Impro Theater is already famous for it’s comedic adaptations of the works of Shakespeare, Dickens, Sondheim, and Tennessee Williams, and promises to deliver Austen with expertly swift, comic severity. You’ll be sure to roll in the aisles–while Austen rolls in her grave!

-By Helen Kearns

“Jane Austen Unscripted” runs through December 20, 2009 at the Broad Stage.  For more information, please call (310) 434-3200 or click here.

How many appointments have you made in the last week?  There’s the hair appointment, waxing, and obviously – therapy.  None of that, while necessary, sounds all too fun.  We think it’s time to make an appointment that not only brings you somewhere much more interesting, but that is also free.

Welcome to Marine, a private art salon that opened in July of this year.  Bringing us back to the days when an art salon was, rather than an anomaly, a chic and inviting way of viewing group shows and discovering new artists, Marine hosts bi-monthly events and it’s only open to be viewed by appointment.  Current artists represented in the salon include Drew Beckmeyer, Val Britton, Seth Kaufman, Matt Klos, and many others.  Their work can be seen through November 7.   The domestic space focuses on bringing attention to emerging, contemporary artists and is curated by Claressinka Anderson who has worked with galleries across the city including Pharmaka, Tarryn Teresa Gallery, and even Barker Hangar.

Remember, this is the kind of salon for which you place the emphasis on the first syllable – it’s not the kind of salon where you’ve got to choose a polish color.  We suggest putting their number in your phone with the name Marine – that way you can pretend she’s just a friend of yours with an enormous, amazing, rotating art collection.

Marine is a salon located in Santa Monica, CA.  For more information, please click here.

As a young ballet student, it’s not easy to forget the first time you see an unparalleled performance – on tape, on stage, or in the studio.  I won’t forget the first time I saw the pointed toes, spectacular leaps, and turns of one Mikhail Baryshnikov, easily classified as unparalleled in every sense of the word.  Sitting in the ballet studio all huddled around the TV in tights and ballet shoes, we watched a video of Baryshnikov in a pas de deux, lifting Gelsey Kirkland with grace, ease, and his boyish charm.  It was one of those moments where, even as young boys and girls, we realized what we were working toward. Even those who aren’t ballet fanatics will remember fondly when they saw Baryshnikov light up their screens as the elusive artist Mr. Aleksandr Petrovksy in Sex and the City.

Kicking off the Broad Stage’s second season is a performance that, like Baryshnikov himself, inspires the word  ‘unparalleled.’  Dancing with Ana Laguna, the performance will see the start of their limited engagement tour of “Three Solos and a Duet” across the US.  They’re performing new works by contemporary choreographers like Mats Ek, Alexei Ratmansky (formerly of the Bolshoi Ballet), and New York City Ballet’s Benjamin Millepied.  

If there was any way to otherwise convey my excitement about a performance as groundbreaking and enticing as this one, I’d take it.  Once you move past Baryshnikov’s casual good looks, confidence, impeccable technique, and spectacular artistry, you’ll be faced with the performance itself, which marks four premieres as danced by a living legend. Ana Laguna, truly not to be overlooked, will hold her own next to Mr. Baryshnikov with ease – she’s long been Mats Ek’s muse (and wife),  danced with the Cullberg Ballet, and staged a number of Ek’s works at the Opera de Paris and the Compania Nacional de Danza in Spain.  Her career has also been studded with awards from around the world.  I’ll reason with you – they’re not exactly lithe twenty-year-olds up on stage.  But remember how good Something’s Gotta Give was?  Enough said – certain things really are better with age (and the wisdom that comes with it.)  They say that youth is wasted on the young for a reason…

Mikhail Baryshnikov and Ana Laguna are performing their “Three Solos and a Duet” at the Broad Stage on Friday, September 4 at 8pm and on Saturday, September 5 at 7:30pm.  For more information, please call (310) 434-3200 or click here.