Bekah Brunstetter’s “Be a Good Little Widow” at The Old Globe is an interesting juxtaposition of happy and sad, reality and romanticism. The dialogue sometimes comes off as stilted, and I often felt that Melody’s character seemed very immature. However, the cast as a whole is terrific, and Hal Brooks’ direction centers the story well between the bookends of humor and pain.
Through May, the La Jolla Art Association (LJAA) is showing a collection of paintings submitted to its annual Plein Air Juried Competition. The show was judged by Andrea Gaye and curated by Rae Ann Marks, with assistance from Salli Sachse and Mike Morse.
Jenn Lyon takes on the role of Hildy, a hardcore newswoman who will stop at nothing to get the story in “His Girl Friday.”
This year will be the last under festival artistic director Adrian Noble, who has been at the helm since 2010.
MasterChef, a new reality-competition show on FOX featuring judges Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliott and Joe Bastianich, will air May 22 with two La Jolla contestants: stay-at-home mom Natasha Crnjac and financial advisor Eli Moeller.
Band members Mike and Yvonne Tatar, Kit Birkett and Jon Cherry (San Diego’s Virtual Strangers) will present a three- part, lecture-concert series on bluegrass music at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, May 21, May 28 and June 4 at 1008 Wall St.
Diavolo — the name, a mix of Spanish, Greek and Latin roughly meaning “I will fly through the day” — sounds about right for Diavolo Dance Theater, coming to La Jolla’s Jewish Community Center May 18 and 19. The company has been hailed by reviewers around the world for “leaping, flying, and spinning … with astounding athleticism and infinite grace.”
Here’s how Diavolo defines itself: “An internationally renowned dance company that reinvents dance, re-imagines theater, and redefines thrills, Diavolo takes movement, athletics, and daring to the extreme, creating abstract narratives about the human experience through surreal tableaux.”
The boldly colored mural, “Tail Whip,” by Silver Lake graffiti artist Gajin Fujita, is No. 11 in the project.
Hear Mendelssohn’s masterwork, “Elijah” (1846), with the Chancel Choir and a professional orchestra under the direction of Keith Pedersen, and many soloists, 4 p.m. Sunday, May 19 at La Jolla Presbyterian Church, 7715 Draper Ave. The concert marks the finale of the church’s 51st Concert Season. Freewill offering, free parking. (858) 729-5531. ljpresmusic.com
Coming to the Auditorium at TSRI on May 21 is an unusual concert by Grammy-nominated mandolin virtuoso Avi Avital and members of the San Diego Symphony. The concert, part of the Symphony’s chamber music series, will feature the world premiere of a piece for mandolin and strings by David Bruce, the Symphony’s Associate Composer for 2013-14.
North Coastal News
