Stars to take the stage in L.A. Performs

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For visitors seeking some of the best in Los Angeles’ performing arts scene, 1 February to 13 March 2016 is the time to visit. Travellers who book a minimum of two nights in a participating Los Angeles hotel via Hotels.com or Priceline.com will receive an electronic voucher that provides promotional codes for a two-for-one ticket purchase offer at 14 of L.A.’s top performing arts companies. In its inaugural year, L.A. Performs is designed to grow awareness and appreciation of the city as one of the world’s premier cultural destinations. The program is sponsored by Discover Los Angeles, which is run by the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (L.A. Tourism). “As the home to nearly 1,000 professional performing arts companies, Los Angeles offers an unrivalled abundance, diversity and quality of performance experiences,” said Michael McDowell, vice president for Cultural Tourism at Discover Los Angeles. “In this new, unprecedented promotion of L.A. Performs, visitors are invited to sample a wide range of outstanding performances at substantial savings.” Highlights of L.A. Performs:

• Geffen Playhouse, Thom Pain (based on nothing), featuring Rainn Wilson, 8 January – 14 February

Directed by OBIE Award winner, Oliver Butler, the play concerns the life of a tragic and funny character named Thom, who has been described as, “Just like you, except worse. He is trying to save his life, to save your life — in that order. In his quest for salvation, he’ll stop at nothing, be distracted by nothing, except maybe a piece of lint, or the woman in the second row.”

• Los Angeles Ballet, Don Quixote (world premiere), 27 February and 26 March

Based on Cervantes’ iconic Spanish novel and choreographed by Los Angeles Ballet’s Christensen and Neary (after Petipa), Don Quixote weaves a splendid tapestry of love, illusion, daring, and adventure. Gypsies, matadors, and windmills result in a profusion of excitement, humour, and family fun.

• L.A. Opera, The Magic Flute, conducted by James Conlon, 13 February – 6 March

The Magic Flute returns to L.A. Opera. Mozart’s popular opera is reborn using projected hand drawn animation inspired by silent-film era that interacts with on-stage performers. A celebration of true love conquering all, The Magic Flute transports us into an enchanted world where good faces the forces of darkness. Packed with exquisite singing and stage wizardry, Mozart’s delightful blend of high comedy and serious drama enchants young and old alike.

• Los Angeles Philharmonic, CITY OF LIGHT series, 12 February – 12 March

Under the leadership of Esa-Pekka Salonen, The New York Times proclaimed the Los Angeles Philharmonic to be “the most important orchestra in America.” Esa-Pekka Salonen’s natural tendencies make him an ideal interpreter of this music. His festival will feature Ravel’s delicate and enchanting Mother Goose – to be enhanced with a newly created multi-disciplinary installation – and Debussy’s influential opera Pelléas et Mélisande, for which Salonen has received ecstatic reviews. Chamber music, Symphonies for Youth and a Green Umbrella concert round out this special event.

• Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center, An Evening with Lily Tomlin, 11 March

Armed with more than a dozen of her timeless characters from Ernestine to Mrs. Beasley to Edith Ann, the incomparable Lily Tomlin returns to provide comical insights and wildly witty observations about the human condition while taking her audience on what The Washington Post calls a “wise and howlingly funny” trip. As one of the most celebrated comedians in American comedy, Tomlin is an entertainer of the highest calibre!

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