Arts & Entertainment

Maestro Farewell Bow

After two decades of artistic leadership, internationally acclaimed conductor and organist Martin Haselböck will take his final bow as Music Director of Musica Angelica at a special farewell benefit concert on Wednesday, March 25, in the First Congregational Church of Long Beach’s sanctuary. The performance will feature Haselböck leading Musica Angelica in a program honoring the baroque tradition that has defined his tenure.

Titled “Auf Wiedersehen Maestro Haselböck,” the evening celebrates Haselböck’s 20th season with Southern California’s premier historical performance ensemble. In a fitting artistic full circle, Haselböck steps away from the podium and returns to his roots at the keyboard. The 7-rank “Mighty Möller” pipe organ, comprising 427 pipes across 61-note ranks, will resound under his command, filling the sanctuary with the brilliance and depth that have defined his international career.

He will be joined by renowned soprano Nola Richardson for a featured aria, and later by a quartet of Musica Angelica’s principal and founding musicians (Ilia Korol, Alexa Haynes Pilon, Gonzalo Ruiz, and Stephen Schultz) for a Telemann work with Haselböck at the harpsichord following an onstage interview reflecting on highlights from his distinguished career and two decades at the helm of the ensemble.

The event will include the pre-concert interview with Alan Chapman of KUSC at 5:30 p.m., the benefit concert at 6 p.m., and a reception and dinner at La Traviata Restaurant beginning at 7:30 p.m. Space for the dinner is limited.

Under Haselböck’s leadership, Musica Angelica has flourished artistically and expanded its reputation throughout Southern California and beyond. Known worldwide for his work as a conductor and organ virtuoso, Haselböck has guided the ensemble through ambitious programming, international collaborations and performances that have deepened audiences’ appreciation for historically informed performance.

“This evening is both a celebration and a heartfelt farewell,” said Matthew Faulkner, executive director of Musica Angelica. “Martin Haselböck’s 20 seasons with Musica Angelica have elevated the ensemble to extraordinary artistic heights. His musical excellence, artistic leadership and vision have left an indelible mark on our organization and our community.”

The farewell concert also serves as a benefit supporting Musica Angelica’s ongoing artistic and community engagement programs. Sponsorship opportunities range from $250 to $5,000 and include concert tickets, recognition in the printed program and digital promotions, onstage acknowledgment and VIP dinner access with Maestro Haselböck. Proceeds will help sustain the ensemble’s performances in Long Beach and Los Angeles as well as its educational and outreach initiatives.

Now in its 32nd season, Musica Angelica is firmly established as Southern California’s preeminent historical performance ensemble. Led for 20 years by Haselböck, the ensemble performs on authentic period instruments or carefully crafted replicas, presenting concerts in Long Beach and Los Angeles and collaborating with organizations including LA Opera, the LA Master Chorale, Pacific Chorale, Long Beach Camerata Singers and Long Beach Opera.

Tickets and sponsorship information are available at https://www.musicaangelica.org or by calling the box office at (562) 276-0865.

Afrique en Cirque

Cirque Kalabanté’s Afrique en Cirque celebrates contemporary African cirque at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on Saturday, March 21, at 8 p.m. Created and directed by Guinean-born multidisciplinary artist and former Cirque du Soleil performer Yamoussa Bangoura, the Afrique en Cirque is inspired by daily life in Guinea. Featuring gravity-defying acrobatics and human pyramids, all set to live Afro-jazz, percussion, and kora, Afrique en Cirque vividly communicates the strength, agility and communal traditions of West African culture in a performance for all ages.

Kalabanté Productions has toured extensively across Canada, the United States, and internationally. Their appearance at the Carpenter Center offers SoCal audiences an electrifying evening of acrobatics, music and cultural storytelling. Tickets to see Cirque Kalabanté start at $43.75. Families save with a buy three, get one free offer at online checkout with code FAMILY4PACK.

About Cirque Kalabanté

Yamoussa Bangoura began studying circus arts in the 1990s in Conakry, Guinea, drawing inspiration from European circus broadcasts and training independently on local beaches and open spaces. He also studied the Nyamakala tradition of circus practiced by the Fula people of West Africa and later joined Guinea’s original circus company, Circus Baobab, touring Africa and Europe.

In the early 2000s, Bangoura joined Cirque Éloize, the Montreal-based contemporary circus company. He subsequently performed with Cirque du Soleil and Cavalia. In 2007, he founded Kalabanté Productions in Montreal, establishing a multidisciplinary company dedicated to African circus arts and recruiting members of his extended family – including siblings and cousins – to join the ensemble. In 2018, the company opened a studio and school in Montreal offering training in African dance, circus and drumming.

Tickets: start at $43.75, available at carpenterarts.org.

Antony and Cleopatra

The Long Beach Shakespeare Company returns with Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare’s most dangerous love story – an epic collision of empire and intimacy where devotion becomes destiny.

Directed by Christian Lee Navarro, this bold reimagining of William Shakespeare’s tragedy strips away spectacle to reveal the raw human core beneath the legend. Rome and Egypt do not merely clash as superpowers – they fracture inside the hearts of two rulers trying to be everything at once: warrior and lover, sovereign and soul.

Navarro said “It has been an honor to collaborate with such a talented and dedicated group of actors on A & C. Thank you to LBSC for the opportunity to give back to the community he has lived in and loved for the past six years.”

At its heart, Antony and Cleopatra is an exploration of love and duty – and how devotion to one demands the sacrifice of the other. The greatest soldier of the ancient world and its most powerful queen bind their empires – and their fates – together, chasing a fleeting sense of eternity found only in the quiet of midnight.

Their incendiary romance reshaped the ancient world, sending shockwaves through courts and battlefields alike, echoing across centuries until it reached Shakespeare’s quill. This adaptation strips the legend to its core, focusing on the volatile intimacy between two titans – and the collateral damage of loving without restraint.

Performances run Friday through Sunday, March 7–22 with a general admission price of $30 and student admission price of $20. Tickets available at LBShakespeare.org or at the Helen Borgers Theater.

Red Carpet Fundraiser

The Art Theatre Long Beach announces its annual fundraiser, which coincides with the broadcast of the 98th Annual Academy Awards.

The gala will feature a livestream of the Red Carpet program beginning at 2:30 p.m., continuing with the Oscars broadcast at 4 p.m. This will be the first year the live ABC broadcast will be presented on the 101-year-old Retro Row showpiece’s new 4K digital projector and screen, promising a dazzling, big screen experience for the occasion.

The event includes its own Red Carpet and photo booth, a silent auction, catering from Miller Butler, wine and beer from Wine on 2nd and Radiant Beer, and numerous prizes awarded to guests throughout the evening.

Ticket prices for the event are $50 ($40 for Art Theatre members). The fundraiser is sponsored by numerous Long Beach and area businesses and individuals, including the Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Port of Long Beach, Seeds Marketing, Seeket Design, Coffee Drunk, Halbert Hargrove, Studio One Eleven, J Loop Digital Design, Olives Gourmet Grocer, Kihon and Tanuki restaurants, among many others.

California District 33 Senator Lena Gonzalez and Long Beach District 2 Councilwoman Cindy Allen also sponsor the event, according to Art Theatre Board President Kirk Jordan. Tickets, memberships and sponsorship opportunities are available on the Art’s website at arttheatrelongbeach.org.

Dear Dead Drug Lord

On March 6, The Garage Theatre kicks off their 26th season with Our Dear Dead Drug Lord, a dark and feverish coming-of-age comedy written by Alexis Scheer and directed by Skylar Alexis.

Suspended high above 2008 reality in a Florida treehouse, four girls will do all the things normal teenagers do – fall in love, experiment with drugs, hold a seance to communicate with the spirit of Pablo Escobar. But what happens when their idea of fun and games turns into something they never bargained for? No one said growing up as a girl would be easy. Join them on a wild rollercoaster ride that blurs the lines between imagination and reality, girlhood and womanhood.

This production contains strong language and deals with the subjects of self-harm, sexual assault, contains herbal cigarette smoke, depictions of drug use, sexual content, animal abuse, animal death and abortion. Viewer discretion advised.

Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, March 6 - April 4; doors open at 7:30 p.m. with the show at 8 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at www.thegaragetheatre.org or at the theatre box office (251 E 7th Street) 30-minutes prior to each night’s performance.