Out West Arts: Performance at the end of the world

Joey Arias in Arias with a Twist
Photo: Steve Menedez

So there are just a few bits and pieces I wanted to cover today before moving on. First, if you haven't seen Arias with a Twist over at the REDCAT, you’ve got one week left before this most excellent show closes shop and leaves town. Joey Arias has been taking drag to a new level longer than….well, you know. Now with the puppetry of Basil Twist in the mix, Arias is bolder and funnier than ever. (Twist is about to get sucked into the horrific Broadway version of The Addams Family so you may want to see his work now before seeing it co-opted for big ticket family fare.) Arias with a Twist has been imported completely intact from New York and I don’t necessarily have a lot new to add over my prior comments. There is really something for everyone in this show from fans of Eric Carmen to sci-fi enthusiasts.


In news pertinent to the upstairs of the Walt Disney Concert Hall…Alex Ross proves again that he is the most intelligent and reasoned writer on all topics classical in this week's New Yorker piece on Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Philharmonic. Ross is able to give a far more balanced perspective on the young maestros strengths and noticeable weaknesses without being blinded by the charming glint in anyone’s eyes. And while you’re coming up for air, the L.A. Philharmonic have also noted that French electronic outfit Air will perform at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on March 28 with tickets going on sale Saturday, December 12.


And speaking of L.A. and recent events at Walt Disney Concert Hall, superstar soprano Joyce DiDonato relates a very funny anecdote on her blog, Yankee Diva, of her meeting with composer John Adams following a recent L.A. Philharmonic show. “Meeting Mr. Adams afterwards, he asked me what I was doing in LA, and I simply said, ‘Ah, Barber over at the Pavillion.’ ‘Barber?’ he responded, ‘Which one - Vanessa?’" Ms. DiDonato continues as Rosina through the 19th of December with L.A. Opera.


Oh, and before I forget, both Alex Ross, and the Grammy voters agree with me – the DVD of Messiaen’s Saint Francois d’Assise with Rod Gilfry from De Nederlandse Opera and conductor Ingo Metzmacher is one of the years best. Told you so.