| Nearly 500 people have stopped to sign a giant replica of the birthday card President Trump gave to the convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday. The clandestine arts activism group Secret Handshake erected the pop-up monument Monday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. |
| The messages speak volumes about this singular moment in history, and the president who has consumed much of the world's oxygen for the past decade. Secret Handshake provided The Times with a sampling of its favorite offerings, which I'm listing below. Taken together with the 10-foot-tall card made of plywood and metal piping, the words of passersby represent their own form of protest art. |
| "Quiet Piggy" |
| "The Epstein Files is to Trump what Heel is to Achilles" |
| "Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that." |
| "You have ruined so many lives!" |
| "Shame to all who don't stand up to him" |
| "We are all immigrants!" |
| "CONGRESS - DO SOMETHING!" |
| "Your MAGA base is becoming disillusioned" |
| "Do not let the victims be forgotten" |
| "25th Amendment" |
| "Where are Republicans?" |
| "Listen to Women!" |
| "America's Worst President" |
| "The truth will be revealed. Justice will be served." |
| "Redacted!" |
| "It's WE the people!" |
| "This is how Trump's kids found out their dad does send birthday cards" |
| "We don't want GREENLAND, what we want is THE EPSTEIN FILES" |
| "Congress do better for the people - stand up!" |
| "Do not reject the evidence" |
| "I hope you get your 25th birthday present!" |
| "The time is always right to do what is right" |
| "SEND HELP!" |
| To date, Secret Handshake has claimed responsibility for five other subversive Trump-related artworks on the National Mall, including a 12-foot statue depicting Trump and Epstein holding hands, titled, "Why Can't We Be Friends," which was removed by the National Park Service less than 24 hours after it was put up — only to be reinstalled almost a week later after the group triumphed in a protracted permitting battle. There was also "Poop Desk," a bronze art installation featuring a pile of feces on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk. |
| "We're big fans of birthdays in general because they're really a time when you can take a moment to appreciate and celebrate the ones you love. And we believe President Trump is as well — he even had a big military parade for his own last year," Secret Handshake wrote in an email. "So taking a cue from his own seeming love of birthdays, we wanted to step in and help highlight another birthday he allegedly also took the time to celebrate — Jeffrey Epstein's — by giving it a proper public glow up." |
| And just like a birthday card you would pass around an office to sign with well wishes, we felt like this was a really organic opportunity to let the public in on the celebration and have their voice heard," the group continued. "And finally, we just want to thank President Trump personally for allegedly providing the artwork. It's not every day that a sitting President is also such a provocative and accomplished artist. Allegedly." |
| I'm arts editor Jessica Gelt, allegedly rounding up all this week's arts and culture news. And away we go! |
On our radar |
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| "Bouquet of White Roses" by Amoako Boafo, 2025. Oil on canvas 84.65 x 70.87 inches (215 x 180 cm). (Amoako Boafo/Roberts Projects) |
| Amoako Boafo
The exhibition "I Bring Home with Me" features new work by Ghanaian painter Amoako Boafo, exploring and celebrating Blackness and its perspectives, installed within an architectural re-creation of the artist's studio in Accra. The artist combines finger painting and collaging on the surface of his canvases to evoke vivid colors, bold compositions, patterns and textures.
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, through March 21. Roberts Projects, 442 South La Brea Ave. robertsprojectsla.com |
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| Aviva Gelfer-Mundl, center, with Marco Biella, from left, Cesar Ramirez, Jacob Soltero and Bryce Broedell, from "Rubies." (Nathan Carlson) |
| 20 Years of Los Angeles Ballet
In December of 2006, a fledgling company of dancers led by artistic directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary gave its first performances "The Nutcracker" (set in 1912 California) at the Wilshire Theatre, Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center and the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Now, all grown-up, the troupe kicks off 2026 with a triple-bill performance of George Balanchine's "Rubies," Hans van Manen's "Frank Bridge Variations" and a new work by current LAB artistic director Melissa Barak.
7:30 p.m. Thursday-Jan. 31. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd. Beverly Hills. thewallis.org |
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| Justin Tanner in "My Son the Playwright." (Jeff Lorch) |
| My Son the Playwright
Longtime L.A. theatergoers are very familiar with Justin Tanner, whom The Times' Don Shirley referred to in 1994 as "L.A.'s coolest, grooviest playwright." His mostly L.A.-set plays of comic dysfunctional suburbia with titles like "Pot Mom" and "Zombie Attack!," often attract stars or soon-to-be stars such as Mark Ruffalo, Laurie Metcalf and French Stewart. For his new play, Tanner is the star, taking on the roles of both his father and his younger self, in a deeply personal solo performance.
8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 5 p.m. Sundays; also Feb. 2, 16 and 23, Jan. 24 through March 1. Rogue Machine at the Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. roguemachinetheatre.org |
| — Kevin Crust |
| |
The week ahead: A curated calendar |
| FRIDAY
Adams, Ólafsson & Copland
John Adams conducts the L.A. Phil in a program made up entirely of American composers, including his own new piano concerto, "After the Fall," with soloist Víkingur Ólafsson, Charles Ives' "The Unanswered Question, Roy Harris' "Symphony No. 3" and Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring."
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com |
| Birdie
The Barcelona theater company Agrupación Señor Serrano juxtaposes two realities, one plagued by war and economic turbulence and another that enjoys leisure and prosperity, in this multimedia performance that utilizes live video, scale models, 2000 mini animals and Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds."
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. UCLA MacGowan Little Theater, 245 Charles E. Young Dr. East, Westwood. cap.ucla.edu |
| Brownstone
Playwright Catherine Butterfield's bittersweet comedic drama features three stories, set in 1978, 1937 and 1999, that all occur on the second floor of the same classic New York building. Directed by Ron West. Friday is a preview, Saturday is opening night.
8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays, through Feb. 28. Open Fist at Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave. openfist.org |
| Margaret Cho: Choligarchy
The comedian takes on racism, homophobia and sexism, while delivering singular takes on addiction, abuse, activism and Asianness on this stand-up tour.
7 p.m. Friday. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd. Beverly Hills. thewallis.org |
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| Brian Vaughn, from left, Kim Martin-Cotten, Elysia Roorbach and Gabriel Gaston in South Coast Repertory's production of Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (Jon White) |
| God of Carnage/Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Two classics of dysfunctional domestic drama by Yasmina Reza and Edward Albee, respectively, are presented in repertory with overlapping casts.
Through March 21. South Coast Repertory, Emmes/Benson Theatre Center, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scr.org |
| Walter Murch Retrospective
The American Cinematheque salutes the three-time Oscar-winning editor and sound designer. Murch will appear for three Q&As, as well as deliver a master class prior to the screening of "Apocalypse Now."
"The Conversation," 7 p.m. Friday. "THX 1138," 3 p.m. Saturday. "Return to Oz," 7 p.m. Saturday. "Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut," 5 p.m. Sunday. Jan. 23-25 Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. americancinematheque.com |
| Ryan Preciado
An exhibition of new and recent work by the artist, "Diary Of A Fly" includes an installation, plus sculptures and textiles that respond in part to the environment of Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House and its artistic history.
11 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, through April 25. Hollyhock House, 4800 Hollywood Blvd. hollyhockhouse.org |
| Steve Schapiro: Being Everywhere
An exhibition of photographs chronicles the work of the photojournalist whose adventures took him from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s to Hollywood film sets in the 1970s and 1980s. The show takes its title from Maura Smith's 2025 documentary on Schapiro, which screens with director Q&As at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Laemmle Monica (1332 2nd St., Santa Monica).
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, through March 21. Fahey/Klein Gallery 148 N. La Brea Ave. faheykleingallery.com |
| SATURDAY |
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| Vocalist Arooj Aftab in 2021. (Tonje Thilesen/For The Times) |
| The Pakistani-born, Brooklyn-based artist Arooj Aftab won a Grammy in 2022 for best global music performance for her song "Mohabbat." In 2024, she released her fourth album, "Night Reign," which was nominated for the best alternative jazz album Grammy.
7:30 p.m. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd. Beverly Hills. thewallis.org |
| Romantic Realms
Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Colburn Orchestra in Bruckner's "Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major." Also on the program, Salonen Conducting Fellows Aleksandra Melaniuk (Liszt's "Les Preludes") and Mert Yalniz (the world premiere of his own composition, "Limit") take the baton.
7 p.m. Saturday. UCLA Royce Hall, 10745 Dickson Court, Westwood. colburnschool.edu |
| TUESDAY |
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| Pianist Seong-Jin Cho performs with the Los Angeles Philharmonic last summer at the Hollywood Bowl. (Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times) |
| Seong-Jin Cho
The South Korean pianist performs selections from Liszt, Beethoven and Bartók, followed by 14 Chopin waltzes in a Colburn Celebrity Recital.
8 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com |
| Poetry for the People: The June Jordan Experience
A theatrical homage to the writer and human rights activist created by Fountain Theatre artistic director Raymond O. Caldwell and composer Adrienne Torf, who was Jordan's longtime collaborator and life partner.
Through March 29. Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave. fountaintheatre.com |
| — Kevin Crust |
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Culture news and the SoCal scene |
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| Patrick Page in "All The Devils Are Here." (Julieta Cervantes) |
| Inventing the modern villain
Times theater critic Charles McNulty weighed in on Patrick Page's traveling solo Shakespeare seminar, "All the Devils Are Here," which opened Jan. 15 at BroadStage in Santa Monica, calling it "refreshingly 19th century." McNulty also noted that villains come naturally to the veteran actor, who received a Tony nomination for playing Hades in "Hadestown." Page "might not smack his lips when impersonating evil, but he certainly doesn't stint on the flamboyant color. An American Shakespearean who can hold his own with the Brits, he combines mellifluous diction with muscular imagination," McNulty writes. |
| Extraordinary things
Times classical music critic Mark Swed caught the premiere of "From Ordinary Things" as part of CAP UCLA's series at the Nimoy Theater. The evening featured the latest project of singer Julia Bullock, who Swed calls "one of the least ordinary and most compelling singers of this new generation …. A rivetingly theatrical soprano, Bullock, in collaboration with percussionist/composer Tyshawn Sorey and director Peter Sellars, has developed a full-scale operatic evening." |
| Studying the big freeze
In breaking museum news, Times staffer Malia Mendez got the scoop Thursday that the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County announced its largest-ever donation — a gift from the Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation, which will be used to establish the Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research. The center will serve as the "intellectual backbone" of the La Brea Tar Pits' long-planned makeover, according to NHM President and Director Lori Bettison-Varga. To date, the board has raised $131 million toward its $240-million goal for the campaign. |
| Nature's theater
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum has announced its 2026 summer season. The otherworldly outdoor theater nestled in the cool woods of Topanga plans five mainstage plays, as well as a slate of family-friendly and music-centered satellite events. The plays are "Romeo and Juliet"; "A Midsummer Night's Dream"; Ellen Geer's reimagining of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island"; Noël Coward's "Waiting in the Wings"; and a new comedy titled "The People of Pompeii" by playwright and Topanga resident Bernardo Cubría. Satellite events include Family Fundays, described by the company as "a half-hour of interactive storytelling, music, and friendship for kids seven and under (but open to the whole family). These are set to take place every Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. from June 21 through August 9. For tickets and additional details, click here. |
| — Jessica Gelt |
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And last but not least |
| L.A.'s best cheesesteak is in Pasadena writes Times food critic Bill Addison. There's a catch, though: It's $24, and you have to stand in a line. Even though I will undoubtedly eat one of these, my husband, who is from Pennsylvania, says that's not how cheesesteaks are supposed to work. He remembers them being the go-to blue collar food of his coal-mining family members. |
