Summer is finally here. I feel and know this time has come for sure when my kids are out of school and want to be entertained. When the floor in my house slowly feels like a beach in the making with all the sand and toys being carried in and out of the house.
But there is in fact some great stuff going on in and around LA: The German movie “John Rabe” by director Florian Gallenberger is out at the moment and can be seen in various theaters. It is “…a true-story account of a German businessman who saved more than 200,000 Chinese during the Nanjing massacre in 1937-38.” (IMDB). In the style of “Sophie Scholl – The final days” it tries to draw a more in depth picture of the person, who is willing to sacrifice his own life for the many lives of others. In this case here John Rabe survives, but later life has been very harsh to him and he eventually died forgotten in poverty. John Rabe is impressively played by the great German actor Ulrich Tukur.
If you feel more like theater then check out The Open Fist Theater in Los Angeles. On stage now, there is “The Good Woman of Setzuan” by Bertold Brecht. “The Open Fist Theatre Company presents a re-imagined version of Brecht’s classic play….The play is an alternately humorous and shocking look at how society deals with poverty and philanthropy.” (Goethe Institut) Perfomances: June 4 – July 17, 2010 – Fridays & Saturdays @ 8 pm, Sundays @ 7 pm –Tickets Adults $25 | Students & Seniors $20 – call (323) 882-6912
German Artist & Sculptor Joseph Beuys: The Multiples still shows at LACMA until July 18, 2010 on the third floor of the Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM). This exhibition features 572 of the artist’s works from the collection of The Broad Art Foundation. To get an impression of what this show has to offer and can communicate read an art review of “The Multiples” in The Student Life of Pomona College.
Music may not be missing in this potpourri of ‘How to kick of Summer’ around LA. The Summer Jazz concerts at the Hyatt Regency in Newport Beach will be starting June 25th . Tune in or buy your tickets online. It’s worth to make Newport Beach a day trip or stay for a weekend and enjoy the beaches around.
If you are staying around the beach, travel a bit more south and pay a visit to the Laguna Art Museum, which current show is “Art Shack”, presented by Hurley 30 different ‘shack-worlds’ will be featured. With some shacks including interactive components like video and music, this promises to be a fun art show.
For the kids there will be lots of attractions throughout the summer. To mention just a few famous ones, Disneyland in Anaheim, Legoland in Carlsbad, Sea World in San Diego are always sought after destinations, but let’s not forget the great museums around here. San Diego’s Natural History Museum will be kicking off its ‘Dinosaur Sundays‘ this June 28th, 11am-3pm.
“In celebration of the Museum’s current exhibition, Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries and our permanent exhibition, Fossil Mysteries, each Sunday afternoon will be dedicated to the mighty dinosaur. Meet dinosaur experts and friends, dig for fossils, create dinosaur art, and explore your love for all things dino! Dinosaur Sundays provide fun for the entire family.” (San Diego Natural History Museum website)
San Diego Natural History Museum is located in beautiful Balboa Park with plenty other museums to visit as well. Make it a great family outing. I am sure the kids will love it!
For some last minute or timely updates, visit CaliforniaGermans Twitter or become our friend on Facebook.