South Bay arts calendar for Nov. 9 to 15
“Duality,” featuring new work by fiber artist Amabelle Aguiluz, opens with a reception from 3 to 6 p.m. on Saturday at Branch Gallery in Inglewood. Site-specific installations explore concepts of light vs. dark, creation vs. destruction. A performance is scheduled for 5 p.m. Through Jan. 7. Details at thebranchgallery.com
From grim to grin
“I am Battle Comic,” a film by Jordan Brady, screens at 7 p.m. in the Hermosa Beach Community Theatre, 710 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach. Happy hour begins at 5:30. This is a fundraiser to benefit Team Rubicon. The documentary contains laughs, but also insight into the lives of troops, far from home. Q&A with director and comics to follow screening. Tickets, $25 in advance (like, right now) or $30 at the door. They’re at tinyurl.com/iambattlecomicHB.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10
Laugh-in
The improvisational comedy troupe Jump Start improvises funny scenes using audience suggestions, and they’re performing at 8 p.m. in the Second Story Theatre, 710 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach. Tickets, $10 general; $5 if you’re under 12. For further information, about the show or classes, call Julie Martin at (310) 697-3674 or go to JumpStartImprov.com.
Charlie Chaplin stars in “The Gold Rush,” screening Friday and Saturday at the Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo. The Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ serenades us. Tickets, $10 general; $8 seniors. (310) 322-2592 or go to OldTownMusicHall.org
Charlie Chaplin stars in “The Gold Rush,” screening at 8:15 p.m. on Friday and Saturday as well as 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Old Town Music Hall, 140 Richmond St., El Segundo. Live accompaniment on the Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ. Tickets, $10 general; $8 seniors. (310) 322-2592 or go to OldTownMusicHall.org.
Singer Jenna Esposito stars in a cabaret show (“Italian Undercover”) that features songs from the ‘50s and ‘60s by popular artists who happen to be of Italian descent but changed their name in order to sound less ethnic. Takes place at 8 p.m. on Friday in the James Armstrong Theatre, Torrance. Tickets, $30, $25, $20. Call (310) 781-7171 or go to TorranceArts.org
Singer Jenna Esposito stars in a cabaret show (“Italian Undercover”) that features songs from the ‘50s and ‘60s by popular artists who happen to be Italian or Italian-American, such as Frankie Laine and Lou Christie. The title of the show refers to the fact that many of them changed their names in order to sound less ethnic. Takes place at 8 p.m. in the James Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance. Tickets, $30, $25, $20. Call (310) 781-7171 or go to TorranceArts.org.
Guilty as all get-out?
The El Camino College Theatre Department presents “12 Angry Jurors,” a courtroom drama (often called “12 Angry Men”) directed by Scott Alan Smith, at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, as well as 3 p.m. on Sunday, in the school’s Campus Theatre,16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance. Tickets, $10 to $15 (Juror parking is $3). Call (800) 832-ARTS or go to centerforthearts.org.
Remembering those who served
Singing Joe (also known as Crossing Guard Joe) performs his Veterans Day Show from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Lighthouse Cafe, 30 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach. He’ll have a full band and will conclude with “Proud to Be an American.” (310) 376-9833 or go to thelighthousecafe.net.
Streetwise
“Avenue Q,” the musical about a recent college grad named Princeton which is told by way of puppets, opens Friday at 8 p.m. in the Westchester Playhouse, 8301 Hindry Ave., Westchester. This Kentwood Players production is onstage through Dec. 16 with shows on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Also, there’s one on Thursday, Dec. 14, at 8 p.m. Tickets, $25, less $2 seniors, students. Note: There’s some puppet sex and racy language. All the better, yes? (310) 645-5156 or go to kentwoodplayers.org.
Presented by the Kentwood Players, the musical “Avenue Q” opens Friday at 8 p.m. in the Westchester Playhouse. Performances Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., plus Thursday, Dec. 14, at 8 p.m. Tickets, $25, less $2 seniors, students. Through Dec. 16. Note: There’s some puppet sex and racy language. Pictured, Brandon Gomez and Megan Taylor Cormier, with friends. (310) 645-5156 or go to kentwoodplayers.org
Blues soul vocalist Raya Yarbrough is featured throughout the sci-fi hit “Battlestar Galactica,” and her voice is on the opening credits of the “Outlander” series also. Well, she’s performing at 8 p.m. in The Grand Annex, 434 W. Sixth St., San Pedro. Tickets, $20 to $42. Call (310) 833-4813 or go to grandvision.org.
Pop vocal group The Company Men perform at 8 p.m. on Saturday in the Norris Theatre, Rolling Hills Estates. The group specializes in vocal mashups and throwback sound, blending hit songs from different eras. Tickets, $30 to $75. Photo by Josh Reiss. (310) 544-0403 or go to palosverdesperformingarts.com
You’re in good company
Pop vocal group The Company Men perform at 8 p.m. in the Norris Theatre, 27570 Norris Center Drive, Rolling Hills Estates. The group specializes in vocal mashups and throwback sound, blending hit songs from different eras. Tickets, $30 to $75. Call (310) 544-0403 or go to palosverdesperformingarts.com.
Lipstick traces
“Sealed with a Kiss” is her most recent album, and Anne Farnsworth and her jazz quartet perform work from it, as well as tunes from the Great American Songbook, at 8 p.m. in Marsee Auditorium at El Camino College, Crenshaw and Redondo Beach boulevards, Torrance. Farnsworth is an accomplished jazz pianist and a 2012 Fulbright scholar. Tickets, $10 to $21. Call (800) 832-ARTS or go to centerforthearts.org.
Jazz through the ages
The Side Street Strutters celebrate 100 years of jazz music at 7:30 p.m. in the Redondo Union High School Auditorium, Vincent St. and Pacific Coast Hwy., Redondo Beach. For tickets, go to southbayconcerts.org.
Wise men, or wise guys?
“The Ultimate Christmas Show (Abridged”) opens at 8 p.m. in the Torrance Theatre Company, 1316 Cabrillo Ave., downtown Torrance. Two casts, alternating, a male cast and a female cast. Performances Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., plus Thursday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m., followed by a Q&A with the cast. Perry Shields directs. Through Dec. 17. Tickets, $30. Call (424) 243-6882 or go to TorranceTheatreCompany.com.
Unravel and re-knit
“Duality,” featuring new work by fiber artist Amabelle Aguiluz, opens with a reception from 3 to 6 p.m. at Branch Gallery, 1031 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood. The show consists of several site-specific installations, exploring the concepts of light vs. dark, creation vs. destruction. A performance is scheduled for 5 p.m. Through Jan. 7. Details at thebranchgallery.com.
The Side Street Strutters celebrate 100 years of jazz music at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday in the Redondo Union High School Auditorium in Redondo Beach. For tickets, go to southbayconcerts.org
Kentwood Players is holding auditions for Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 5 to 10 p.m. on Sunday. Callbacks are on Monday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. Non-equity, no $$$, but lots of fun. Where? The Westchester Playhouse, 8301 Hindry Ave., Westchester. Questions, concerns, contact crucible@kentwoodplayers.org.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12
Loud and clear
“Rockin’ 4 a Reason” is a charity event (all money raised goes to Give Back Homes) that takes place from 4 to 8 p.m. at Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach. The celebrity host and emcee is KTLA meteorologist Vera Jimenez, so you know the weather will be good. The Mothers of Pearl will perform. Tickets, $20; raffles, $5. Sponsorship opportunities available. Contact Vance Mizzi or go to RockinForAReason.com.
The spirit lives on
The South Bay New Orleans Jazz Club meets from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 214 Avenue I, Redondo Beach. This month they’re featuring an open jam session. Therefore, musicians bring your horns. Admission, $8 members, $12 non-members, and $10 members of other jazz clubs. Visiting musicians who come to play admitted free. (310) 376-2591.
Pianist Fabio Bidini and cellist Andrew Shulman perform at 2 p.m. on Sunday in the Rolling Hills United Methodist Church. The program features Beethoven and Rachmaninoff. Free; donations appreciated. Pictured, Fabio. (310) 316-5574
Andrew Schulman
“Your Name,” a Japanese film directed by Mikoto Shinkai (with English subtitles), screens at 2 p.m. in the James Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance. Two high school students, a boy and a girl, one day wake up and each is in the body of the other. It’s a fantasy, not a documentary. Tickets are free. (310) 781-7171 or go to TorranceArts.org.
Rollin’ down the river
The Riverboat Dixie Jazz Band performs at 2:30 p.m. in the Old Town Music Hall, 140 Richmond St., El Segundo. The tunes they’ll play were composed between 1897 and the 1920s. If that doesn’t take you back, what does? All seats, $20. Call (310) 322-2592 or go to OldTownMusicHall.org.
Masters of their craft
Pianist Fabio Bidini and cellist Andrew Shulman perform at 2 p.m. in the Rolling Hills United Methodist Church, 26438 Crenshaw Blvd., Rolling Hills Estates. The program features Beethoven’s “Twelve Variations on ‘See the conqu’ring hero comes’” (from Handel’s oratorio “Judas Maccabaeus”) and Rachmaninoff’s “Sonata in G Minor for cello and piano.” Free; donations appreciated. (310) 316-5574.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14
They’re on fire!
The jazz band Ignited performs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the second floor meeting room of the Redondo Beach Main Library, 303 N. Pacific Coast Hwy, Redondo Beach. Their music ranges from mellow jazz classics to modern funk. (310) 318-0675 or go to redondo.org/library.
Drop in some change
Solo guitarist TJ Brinjak performs from 12 to 1:30 p.m. at Suzy’s, 1141 Aviation Blvd., at Prospect, in Hermosa Beach. Have a beer; have a sandwich; look for the tip jar. Half of it goes to Hermosa Beach Public Works, earmarked for upkeep and maintenance of the Hermosa Beach Veterans Memorial. (310) 379-6171. ER