Performances
If the current economy has you feeling a little less "euro" and a little more "peon," you're not alone. Recession-weary workers and debt-wary travelers are postponing their European vacations this summer, but they still want a wonderful European experience.
This summer, enjoying a uniquely European experience is completely possible, especially with summer brimming with charming Continental accents just waiting for visitors of all interests, tastes and budgets. In fact, you can feel like your visiting Italy, France and England all in one weekend.
Consider these options:
The breathtaking exhibition features fine works of art from the imperial villa at Oplontis and from aristocratic villas such as the Villa San Marco at Stabiae and the Villa dei Papiri at Herculaneum (the residence that is the model for LA’s own Getty Villa), as well as works from the opulent houses of the urban elite in Pompeii.
As an added bonus, visitors to the LACMA exhibition will be granted any-time admission at the Getty Villa when they present their LACMA ticket stub. This summer, the Getty Villa will present a masterpiece of Etruscan bronzework known as the Chimaera of Arezzo: a large-scale sculpture of the legendary monster comprised of a lion, a fire-breathing goat and a serpent as part of an unprecedented exhibit organized with the National Archaeological Museum of Florence.
For Francophiles, The Getty Center is hosting Cast in Bronze: French Sculpture from Renaissance to Revolution from June 30-September 27. Organized by three of the world’s greatest museums (the Getty, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Paris’ Musée du Louvre), this exhibition brings together spectacular bronzes that have been described as "among the most splendid manifestations of artistic genius in France.” It is the first comprehensive exhibition on the art of French bronze sculpture from its beginnings during the Renaissance until the French Revolution.
If the British Isles are more your cup of tea, consider visiting the recently renovated and reopened Huntington Mansion, home to the finest collection of British aristocratic portraiture in North America. Located on the expansive grounds of the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, the beaux arts mansion boasts dozens of unrivaled, full-length portraits by Britain’s finest artists, including such legendary works as The Blue Boy and Pinkie.
While at the Huntington, be sure to stop into the Library to view one of the few existing Gutenberg Bibles, the world’s first published book, and the one of the earliest known copies of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Conclude your day with high tea in the Rose Garden Tea Room, near the Shakespearean Garden.
For more only-in-LA outings, it’s hard to beat a concert under the starts at the one-of-a-kind Hollywood Bowl. This summer’s offerings range from the classic to the cutting edge with performances by European headliners Eric Clapton, Adele and Depche Mode; an ABBA tribute; an compete orchestral works by Beethoven, Salonen, Mussorgsky, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Berlioz and Mendelssohn.
Through June 21, the LA Opera presents its critically acclaimed and lavish production of La Traviata. Verdi’s heart-rending story of a Parisian courtesan with a sordid past and no future features some of the composer’s most riveting and popular music.
And for big laughs and a great escape (and who doesn’t need both this summer), LA’s Center Theatre Group is presenting the multi-Tony Award winning musical comedy Monty Python’s Spamalot at the Ahmanson Theater July 7- September 6. Starring film, TV and Broadway veteran John O’Hurley, Spamalot brings the British madcap comedy of the classic film Monty Python and the Holy Grail to the musical stage with hilarious results.
There you have it: Your own European vacation right in Los Angeles.
Voi-LA!
