Arts & Entertainment

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons

Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra is proud to bring one of the most celebrated concertos of the baroque period to the stage April 20 (Long Beach) and April 21 (Los Angeles) – Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

“Vivaldi Il Veneziano” or Vivaldi the Venetian, Antonio Vivaldi had red-hair and was ordained to the priesthood at age 25. Known as “The Red Priest,” he honed his musical craft while working at the Ospedale della Pietà (a convent and school in Venice), where he taught and composed for orphaned girls. His concertos, whether related to a season or not, are said to display countless examples of sequential mastery and technical bravado which regularly result in exciting moments for listener and performer alike.

The Long Beach concert will be on Saturday, April 20, 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Long Beach, 241 Cedar Ave.

The Los Angeles matinee concert begins at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 21, at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, 540 South Commonwealth Ave., Los Angeles.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.musicaangelica.org and follow them on Instagram @musicaangelica.

‘Hamlet’ at Playhouse

Playing at the Long Beach Playhouse’s Mainstage Theater, “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare runs through May 4.

As Hamlet experiences the death of his father, he is visited by his father’s ghost seeking justice for his murder. Hamlet is shaken by this experience as his potential madness is made tangible when other actors start to take on the aspects of his splintering mind.

The story proceeds as Shakespeare told it, but with a core Hamlet and four others playing his innocence, wisdom, justice, and vengeance. Come see the story you know and appreciate, but with an exciting twist that illuminates the play anew for those familiar and unfamiliar with this seminal tale.

ICT revives ‘What the Constitution Means to Me’

What if we were in charge of creating America today? What kind of future do we want for ourselves? International City Theatre artistic director caryn desai [sic] directs a new production of “What the Constitution Means to Me,” the hilarious, witty and refreshingly honest play by Heidi Schreck that garnered Obie and New York Drama Critics’ Circle awards for best new American play and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

The limited, three-week engagement takes place May 3 through May 19 at ICT’s home in the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, with two low-priced previews on May 1 and May 2.

Inspired by her experiences at age15 when she traveled the country entering Constitutional debate competitions to earn scholarship money for college, Schreck’s funny, hopeful and achingly human play digs deep into the document’s beauty and contradictions.

Actor Kelley Dorney (last seen at ICT in The Andrews Brothers) resurrects Schreck’s teenage and present self to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women in her family and the founding document that shaped their lives. Joining Dorney onstage are Tom Trudgeon (ICT’s The Legend of Georgia McBride) and Sheila Correa (Long Beach Shakespeare Company’s Love’s Labor’s Lost).

“Though the show is designed to feel spontaneous, it’s very carefully constructed and hasn’t really changed much, because everything that’s happening right now is a result of decisions that were made 400 years ago,” Schreck said in an interview with Time magazine.

“The big reckonings we’re having in terms of race and the original crimes of slavery; of women’s bodies and the law; of the co-equal branches of government and whether those are functioning well right now—these are all current, topical issues, but they were all set into motion so long ago.”

“This wonderfully entertaining play offers a fresh perspective and challenges us to reexamine our core values, which is more important than ever in this election year,” says desai.

The creative team for “What the Constitution Means to Me” includes set designer Tim Mueller, lighting designer Donny Jackson, costume designer Kim DeShazo, sound designer Dave Mickey and prop designer Patty Briles. Casting is by Michael Donovan, CSA and Richie Ferris, CSA.

“What the Constitution Means to Me” runs May 3 through May 19 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Two preview performances take place on Wednesday, May 1 and Thursday, May 2 both at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $49 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (except May 3, opening night, for which tickets are $55 and include a post-show reception), and $52 at Sunday matinees. Low-priced tickets to previews are $37.

International City Theatre is located in Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center’s Beverly O’Neill Theater at 330 East Seaside Way. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (562) 436-4610 or go to InternationalCityTheatre.org.

Classic Musical – ‘Grease’

With a cast and crew of over 80 people and a soaring production design, Act Out’s production of the classic musical “Grease” will open for public performances on May 10 and continues with an additional five performances on May 11, 17, 18 and 19. Ticket sales are open online at www.actoutlb.com.

The season continues throughout the year with a production of the play Frankenstein 1930 in July and then another hit musical in the fall with the production of Matilda. Summer arts camps for ages 7-17 will be running all of July and August and a new theatrical performance opportunity for 3-6 graders will launch in the fall.

“Many of our participants come from a place where they would never have imagined getting the kind of performance opportunities, leadership training, friendships and confidence like they get here,” says Founder and Executive Director Travis Wade. “This is truly a life-transforming experience for so many people…it goes way beyond just showing up for rehearsals and putting on a show.”

With sponsors such as the City of Long Beach, the Arts Council for Long Beach, the Port of Long Beach, the Genesis Inspiration Foundation, the Dwight Stuart Youth Fund, the LA County Department of Arts and Culture, and more, Act Out has been recognized as a premiere non-profit organization benefiting the entire community through their work.

Act Out Theatre Company will present “Grease” onsite on May 10, 11, 17, 18 and at 7 p.m. and May 11 and 19 at 2 p.m. Performances will be held at the Hamilton Auditorium, 1060 E. 70th St. Tickets are $15 and are available online at www.actoutlb.com or at the door.

Since 2012 the Act Out Theatre Company has quietly grown into one of the largest youth arts organizations in Long Beach. Committed to serving youth and families with their tuition-free program aimed at providing equal access to the performing arts to the talented and diverse communities throughout the city, Act Out now serves nearly 400 participants each year through a variety of programs.

Act Out has become a unique hybrid of youth and community theatre as well as a hot bed for talented young performers from Long Beach and beyond.

For more information, call (323) 920-5069.