| If you're like me, you spent a lot of time over the last few weeks reading about the unbelievably brazen Louvre museum heist. Not only did it provide a welcome respite from obsessing over the destruction of the East Wing, it also supplied an adrenaline boost for the imagination: Who on earth had the nerve to literally cut through a window in broad daylight and leap into the world's most famous museum in order to grab nearly $102 million worth of crown jewels before escaping on a motor scooter? |
| My favorite article about the fiasco ran in the Atlantic under the headline "The Louvre Heist is Terrific," with the subhed, "Here was a dreamy little crime in which no one really got hurt." The French people beg to differ. In many circles, the crime signaled a glaring national failure. Either way, seven suspects have now been detained by police in connection with the crime, and we will have answers soon enough — even if nobody will ever see the jewels again. |
| The heist seemed ripped from the script of a Hollywood blockbuster — something along the lines of "Ocean's Eleven," starring Vincent Cassel and Omar Sy instead of George Clooney and Matt Damon. As such, it spawned a paroxysm of frenetic, click-sticky activity on social and legacy media alike. Newly-minted CBS news chief Bari Weiss reportedly suggested to staff that they interview "The Da Vinci Code" author Dan Brown about the heist. And an online platform called Action Network that analyzes odds, mostly for betting and sports books, released a new U.S. study called "Top 10 Museums Most Vulnerable to a Heist." |
| "The study estimates each museum's implied probability of a heist, showing how visibility, value, and public access combine into a theoretical 'heist appeal.' It reflects exposure, not vulnerability. To be clear: we're not predicting theft. We're measuring where culture meets risk," Action Network explained on its website. |
| It turns out that in Los Angeles, Getty Center and Los Angeles County Museum of Art have the most "heist-appeal," according to the study. The former comes in at No. 4 on the list, and the latter at No. 7. New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art sits in the top place, followed by Washington D.C.'s National Gallery of Art. |
| The study puts the implied probability of a heist at Getty Center at 3.9%, and gives this sunny description of the campus, "A hilltop postcard with galleries. Open vistas, bright courtyards, and art that draws camera phones nonstop, all under movie-worthy security." |
| Movie-worthy security has me thinking: I might write a screenplay featuring a gang of criminals who make a daring escape on the Getty tram with Titian's Venus and Adonis. |
| I'm arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, planning my next great adventure. Here's your arts and culture news for the week. |
On our radar |
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| Composer Sarah Kirkland Snider's opera "Hildegard" will be performed at the Wallis. (Sarah Kirkland Snider) |
| Hildegard
With her new opera, "Hildegard," which has its West Coast premiere as part of Los Angeles Opera's Off-Grand series, Sarah Kirkland Snider joins a broad range of artists enraptured by the earliest remembered composer, Hildegard von Bingen. Her otherworldly sacred vocal music, along with her visionary writing, has made the 12th century mystic philosopher, medical doctor, natural historian and Benedictine abbess a source of late 20th and 21st century fascination. She shows up in texts about gardening, numinous Christianity and the Kabbalah. David Lynch was not the only filmmaker obsessed with the abbess. Her 900th birthday in 1998 was observed by a feminist composer and singer collective, Hildegurls, by inventively staging Hildegard's luminous "Ordo Virtutum." Now it is Snider's turn, assisted by Elkhanah Pulitzer, for a full-scale Hildegard opera.
– Mark Swed
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Nov. 8; 2 p.m. Nov. 9. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. laopera.org |
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| Janet Leigh in the famous shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 classic thriller "Psycho." (Associated Press) |
| Psycho
The American Cinematheque celebrates the 65th anniversary of the unleashing of Norman Bates on moviegoers. "Alfred Hitchcock's terrifying 1960 landmark forever upended the audience's narrative expectations, changed theatrical exhibition models and probably led to reduced water bills nationwide," wrote former Times film critic Justin Chang in 2016. "Accept no substitutes."
7:30 p.m. Friday. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. americancinematheque.com |
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| Gail Bean, Biko Eisen-Martin, seated, and Michael Rishawn, standing, star in "Table 17" at Geffen Playhouse. (Corey Olsen) |
| Table 17
The West Coast premiere of this rom-com by Douglas Lyons (author of the Broadway comedy "Chicken & Biscuits") concerns a formerly engaged man and woman who reunite at a restaurant to sift through the past with calm, friendly, objective detachment. What could possibly go wrong? This MCC Theater production, directed by Zhailon Levingston ("Cats: The Jellicle Ball") features Gail Bean, Biko Eisen-Martin and Michael Rishawn in a play the New York Times described as "comfort food" that "satisfies a genuine craving."
– Charles McNulty
Wednesday through Dec. 7. Geffen Playhouse's Gil Cates Theater, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. geffenplayhouse.org |
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The week ahead: A curated calendar |
| FRIDAY
Halloween
What better way to experience "All Hallows' Eve" than by gorging on John Carpenter's 1978 horror classic and its chillingly insistent piano score with a group of like-minded souls. Jamie Lee Curtis laid the groundwork for the generations of scream queens to follow.
4:15 and 7 p.m. Vidiots, Eagle Theatre, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd. vidiotsfoundation.org |
| SATURDAY
Bluebeard's Castle
The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble presents the American debut of this dark musical thriller laced with romance and horror. A hit in Europe and based on a medieval French fairy tale, it was written and directed by Sofia Streisand and features music by Sergey Rubalsky and Artem Petaykin; lyrics by Elena Hanpira; and choreography by Irina Lyahovskaya, with songs adapted for the English production by Nancy Magarill and Terra Naomi.
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; through Nov. 23. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. odysseytheatre.com |
| Día de Los Muertos
The Wallis delivers its first Family Fest of the season with a free celebration of the holiday featuring story time with Lil' Libros authors, plus arts, crafts and learning activities; altar-building workshops with Self Help Graphics & Art; face painting by Color Me Face Painting; and a dance workshop and performance by the Pacifico Dance Company, highlighting traditional styles.
11 a.m. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. thewallis.org |
| The People's Party
Civics Is Sexy and the NAACP bring together artists, activists and community leaders for two days of film, music and comedy featuring Yasmin Elhady, Chris Dowd of Fishbone, Nic Novicki, Peyton Edmonds and many more.
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. NAACP Hollywood Bureau, 5757 Wilshire Blvd. peoplesparty.civicsissexy.co |
| Pony Cam
The experimental Australian collective presents "Burnout Paradise," in which four performers on treadmills attempt to complete a series of increasingly difficult, boundary-testing tasks in a comedic absurdist interpretation of overachievement.
8 p.m. Saturday; 6 p.m. Sunday. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. cap.ucla.edu |
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| "What we lost in the Ocean," 2022 (video still) by Ann Le. (Ann Le) |
| A Tender Excavation
Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions presents a group show of artists working from historical and familial photographic archives to create transformative new stories from Afro-Latinx, African American, Chinese American, Gabrielino/Tongva Nation, Korean American, Iraqi American, Latinx, Mexican, Mexican American, Peruvian American, Thai, Turkish American and Vietnamese American cultures and communities.
Opening reception, 2-5 p.m. Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, through Feb. 21, 2026. Cal State L.A., Luckman Gallery, 5151 State University Drive. theluckman.org |
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| Faye Webster performs Saturday and Sunday at Walt Disney Concert Hall. (Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times) |
| Faye Webster
The Atlanta-based singer-songwriter, backed by the 40-piece Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Wilkins, performs her indie-folk, alt-country and jazz R&B-infused songs.
8 p.m. Saturday; 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com |
| SUNDAY
Written On Heaven
A musical portrait of Emahoy Tsege-Mariam Gebru, an Ethiopian nun and composer who died in 2023, featuring performances by pianists Thomas Feng and Gloria Cheng.
8 p.m. Sunday and Monday. Shatto Chapel at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, 540 S. Commonwealth Ave. mondayeveningconcerts.org |
| MONDAY |
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| Actor Jeff Goldblum. (Scott A Garfitt / AP) |
| An Evening with Jeff Goldblum
A conversation with the popular actor, musician and raconteur is followed by a 4K screening of Robert Altman's 1976 country and gospel music epic "Nashville."
7 p.m. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org |
| TUESDAY
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
This Tony-winning jukebox spectacle inspired by the 2001 Baz Luhrmann movie, adapted for the stage by John Logan featuring anachronistic pop hits Elton John, Beyoncé, Madonna, Rihanna, Katy Perry and more, focuses on the star-crossed romance between a songwriter from a Ohio and the star of the titular nightclub.
7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, through Nov. 16. Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd. broadwayinhollywood.com |
| WEDNESDAY
Listening by Moonrise
This seasonal series returns for an evening of music, culture and community with performances by Azucar LA, Juan Gabriel impersonator Marco Ortiz and King Dance.
6:30-9 p.m. Wednesday. Los Candiles Night Club, 2100 Cypress Ave., Glassell Park. clockshop.org |
| Mariology
The West Coast premiere of this collaboration between playwright Nancy Keystone and Critical Mass Performance Group explores all things Virgin Mary in a fifth-grade classroom that erupts into fantasy and rebellion.
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, through Dec. 7 (check days and times). Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave. bostoncourtpasadena.org |
| THURSDAY
Marilyn Minter
A solo exhibition of the artist's work features paintings from four separate but related bodies of work: large-scale portraits (including Nick Cave, Jane Fonda, Jeff Koons and Cindy Sherman), the "Odalisque" and "After Guston" series, and a selection of Minter's signature magnified mouths.
Opening, 6-8 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday, through Dec. 20. Regen Projects, 6750 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. regenprojects.com |
| Music Restored
Violinist Adam Millstein and pianist Dominic Cheli perform works by Martinů, Kaprálová, Smetana and Schulhoff.
7 p.m. Colburn School, Thayer Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. colburnschool.edu |
| New Original Works (NOW)
REDCAT's annual festival of experimental performance kicks off with a program of works by Maylee Todd, Jacob Wolff, Diana Wyenn and Ammunition Theatre Company. NOW 2025 continues with additional programming Nov. 13-15 and Nov. 20-22.
8 p.m Thursday-Saturday. REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., downtown L.A. redcat.org |
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Culture news and the SoCal scene |
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| Alan Edmunds, a psychologist, is the librettist and writer of "Perfect World," a musical that tells the story of literary child prodigy Barbara Follet, at the El Portal Theatre. (Carlin Stiehl / For The Times) |
| A 'Perfect' mystery
The little-known story of a child literary prodigy named Barbara Follett — who published her first novel at 12 and disappeared without a trace at 25 — is the subject of a world-premiere musical, "Perfect World," at El Portal Theatre. I sat down with librettist and co-lyricist Alan Edmunds to talk about his interest in Follett's story, and how a deep dive into her archives at Columbia University led him to believe it would be a good candidate for the stage. |
| Pasadena Playhouse classes ramp up
A bustling theater school is rising on the century-old campus of the Pasadena Playhouse. More than 400 students per semester are now participating in 14 classes tailored for kids as young as 4 years old, as well as adults in their 80s and everyone in-between. "Education is as core to us as the shows on stage," producing artistic director Danny Feldman told me in a recent interview. |
| LACMA unionizes
Employees at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced earlier this week that they are forming a union, LACMA United, representing more than 300 workers from across all departments, including curators, educators, guest relations associates and others. The move comes just six months before the museum is scheduled to open its new $720-million David Geffen Galleries. |
| Suntory time for Dudamel
Times classical music critic Mark Swed flew to Tokyo to watch Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic perform two concerts of works by John Adams, Stravinsky and Mahler in Suntory Hall. The stop was part of an Asian tour that also includes Seoul and Taipei. |
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| Manuel Oliver is photographed at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. Oliver lost his son Joaquin "Guac" Oliver in the Parkland shooting. Manuel Oliver is now bringing his love of his son and his gun-reform activism to the stage in a one-man show called "Guac." (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) |
| A father grieves
Times theater critic Charles McNulty caught a performance of "Guac" at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Manuel Oliver's powerful one-man show examines the death — and celebrates the life — of his son, 17-year-old Joaquín Oliver, who was one of 17 people killed in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. "The production, written and performed by Oliver, turns a parent's grief into a theatrical work of activism," writes McNulty. |
| Theater hot spot
If you know, you know — that's the verdict on tiny New Theater Hollywood, which has lately taken on an outsize presence on formerly sleepy Theatre Row. "Opening post-pandemic, at a time of rising costs, dwindling audiences and little financial aid, New Theater Hollywood feels like an anomaly. It's an intricate support system for practitioners to hone their craft in a space dedicated to original theatrical work," writes Times contributor Emma Madden. |
| The girl is still having fun
A new musical adaptation of the 1988 film "Working Girl" is premiering at La Jolla Playhouse with score by '80s pop icon Cyndi Lauper. Ashley Lee has the scoop. |
| Wine meets art
The Donum Estate is home to 60 monumental sculptures by artists including Jaume Plensa, Louise Bourgeois, Ai Weiwei, Yayoi Kusama, Keith Haring, Doug Aitken, Robert Indiana and Anselm Kiefer, making it quite possibly "the largest private sculpture collection of any winery in the world," writes Times contributor Sam Lubell in a story about the unique vineyard in California's Carneros wine region. |
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| La Jolla Playhouse (File) |
| La Jolla, launchpad of musicals
La Jolla Playhouse announced its 2026/2027 season, featuring three world-premiere musicals: The Playhouse-commissioned "The Family Album" (book by Sam Chanse and music and lyrics by MILCK, a.k.a. Connie Lim); "GRIM" (book by Joey Orton and Brad Silnutzer, music and lyrics by Petro AP, Scott Hoying, Joey Orton and Brad Silnutzer): and David Henry Hwang's "Particle Fever," with music and lyrics by Bear McCreary and Zoe Sarnak, directed by Tony Award nominee Leigh Silverman. |
| D.C. arts purge continues
The White House fired all six members of the Commission of Fine Arts earlier this week, according to an exclusive in the Washington Post. That independent federal agency would have reviewed a number of President Trump's construction projects, "including his planned triumphal arch and White House ballroom." |
| Nobel laureate stripped of visa
The first African writer to win the Nobel Prize for literature has been stripped of his U.S. visa by the Trump administration. The Nigerian author and playwright, Wole Soyinka, received notice of the decision from a U.S. consulate in Lagos on Oct. 23, calling it a "rather curious love letter." |
| — Jessica Gelt |
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And last but not least |
| Happy Halloween! Looking for something truly scary to watch? Try Game 6 of the World Series, which takes place in Toronto tonight. |
