There’s quotable and there’s QUOTABLE.
And there’s Fran Lebowitz.
When it comes to social commentary, whether on weighty issues or the grating annoyances of everyday society, this New Yorker to beat all New Yorkers is in a class by herself, either in print or out loud.
Her 2021 Netflix docies “Pretend It’s a City,” directed by Martin Scorsese no less, was the second film he’d made about her and a catharsis for all of us mired at the time in pandemic-era anxiety.
Now Lebowitz is coming to town – next Thursday for a live show at the Balboa Theatre downtown. Presented by ArtPower UCSD it’s titled “An Evening with Fran Lebowitz.”
As a preview, here’s some quotable Lebowitz to savor:
“Your life story would not make a good book. Don’t even try.”
“All God’s children are not beautiful. Most of God’s children, in fact, are barely presentable.”
“Success didn’t spoil me. I’ve always been insufferable.”
“I believe in talking behind people’s backs. That way, they hear it more than once.”
“You’re only as good as your last haircut.”
Lebowitz has been known to include an audience Q&A during her performances. Brace yourself for some cutting comebacks.
Theater
Among the very best theatrical productions of 2024 in San Diego County was CCAE Theatricals’ “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” produced last February and March in Escondido. What starts out as a boy detective mystery becomes an immersive experience inside the mind of a teenager with unspecified “behavioral issues.” The lead performance by neurodivergent actor Daniel Patrick Russell was unforgettable.
Russell returns, along with the rest of the 2024 cast, in a remounted “Curious Incident” at the Lewis Family Playhouse at Victoria Gardens Cultural Center in Rancho Cucamonga. This three-week engagement opens Friday.
Why drive all the way Rancho Cucamonga? If you saw this moving and technically dazzling show last year, you’ll make the trip to see it again. If you missed it, this is your chance to see what so many people were talking about.
Music festival
The new Frontwave Arena in Oceanside is the site of this year’s Holo Holo Music Festival, a celebration of island and reggae music going down on Saturday. The Orange County-based Common Kings, whose roots are in Hawaiian, Samoan and American reggae, headline.
Also on the bill, among others, is Honolulu’s Josh Tatofi and reggae artist Spawnbreezie. This is an all-ages show that gets under way at 4 p.m. Have to say, it’s truly cool that Oceanside now has a venue like Frontwave Arena that can accommodate events like this one, not to mention providing a home for the NBA G League San Diego Clippers.
Comedy
Unpredictable is good, right? At least it is when it comes to Roustabouts Theatre Company’s “Comedy Smackdown Playoffs,” returning this weekend to Diversionary Theatre’s space in University Heights.
Audience participation is part of the fun, as comedic actors, furnished with never-before-seen scripts, take the stage to “audition.” Sometimes spontaneous shows like this go wrongly off the rails, but Saturday and Sunday nights’ performances feature so much area talent that there should be loads of laughter.
Saturday’s lineup includes, for example, Eileen Bowman, recently a rousing Tallulah Bankhead in Roustabouts’ “Looped,” while Sunday’s has David McBean, who has few rivals in town when it comes to memorable comic turns.
Rock music
It’s no longer a novel concept: a musical artist plucking from his/her/their catalogue a popular album and performing it beginning to end in concert. But Frank Black is reaching way back in his history – to 1994 – and his second solo album (away from the Pixies), “Teenager of the Year.”
The man also known as Black Francis brings his “Teenager of the Year Tour” to the Magnolia in El Cajon for a concert on Sunday night. Black says the album was named for an award he was given upon graduating from high school in Massachusetts in the early ’80s.
For this tour, “Teenager of the Year” is also being touted as “the best album the Pixies never made.”
U-T arts stories you may have missed this week
- Comic-Con agrees to stay in San Diego through 2027
- Grammy week events being trimmed back in wake of Los Angeles fire
- Prebys Foundation making $5.2 million bet on healing value of arts and nature
- NEA announces $36.8 million in funding nationwide. 16 San Diego County arts organizations are on the list.
- Was 1975 the fourth-best year ever for albums? From Bob Marley to Patti Smith, how would you vote?
- Review: Eating our way through newly opened Wildland’s all-day menu
- A guide to Southern California’s 80 independent bookstores
- Review: TuYo Theatre’s funny politics play an eye-opening look at Hispanic voters
- Review: North Coast Rep’s ‘Heart Sellers’ a touching universal story
UCTV
University of California Television invites you to enjoy this special selection of programs from throughout the University of California. Descriptions courtesy of and text written by UCTV staff:
Discover the fascinating intersection of music and oceanic soundscapes in this unique program. UC San Diego music professor and Qualcomm Institute Research Artist-in-Residence Lei Liang delves into his composition “Six Seasons,” inspired by underwater recordings from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. ing the conversation are Marco Fusi, a celebrated string player who has performed “Six Seasons,” and Joshua Jones, a project scientist whose lab captured the ocean’s rich soundscape. Together, they explore the creative process behind blending music with the rhythms of the natural world, offering insights into how art and science can collaborate to inspire and innovate.
“Black Holes, Spacetime and You”
How much do we truly understand about the quantum nature of space and time, the origins of the universe and black holes? Clifford Johnson, professor of physics at UC Santa Barbara, explores these profound mysteries, explaining how the laws of physics not only help us comprehend the world but also inspire creativity and innovation. Known for his ability to make complex ideas accessible, Johnson works to engage the public with science through various media, including serving as a science advisor for movies and TV shows. See how physics fuels both discovery and imagination in this captivating discussion.
“Restoring T-cells with Gene Editing
Gloria Yiu, M.D., Ph.D., explores the groundbreaking potential of genetic editing technologies for treating rare immune disorders, focusing on CD3δ severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). This life-threatening condition severely impairs T-cell development and immune function. As a physician-scientist, Yiu highlights how CRISPR and other precision gene-editing tools can correct genetic mutations at the cellular level, offering hope for restoring immune resilience in patients with CD3δ SCID. She discusses the challenges and breakthroughs in this cutting-edge field, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, clinical innovation and ethical considerations in shaping the future of personalized medicine.
And finally, top weekend events
