The heist seemed ripped from the script of a Hollywood blockbuster \u2014 something along the lines of \u201cOcean\u2019s Eleven,\u201d starring Vincent Cassel and Omar Sy instead of George Clooney and Matt Damon. As such, it spawned a paroxysm of frenetic, click-sticky activity on social and legacy media alike. Newly-minted CBS news chief Bari Weiss reportedly suggested to staff that they interview \u201cThe Da Vinci Code\u201d author Dan Brown about the heist. And an online platform called Action Network that analyzes odds, mostly for betting and sports books, released a new U.S. study called \u201cTop 10 Museums Most Vulnerable to a Heist.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cThe study estimates each museum\u2019s implied probability of a heist, showing how visibility, value, and public access combine into a theoretical \u2018heist appeal.\u2019 It reflects exposure, not vulnerability. To be clear: we\u2019re not predicting theft. We\u2019re measuring where culture meets risk,\u201d Action Network explained on its website.<\/p>\n It turns out that in Los Angeles, Getty Center and Los Angeles County Museum of Art have the most \u201cheist-appeal,\u201d according to the study. The former comes in at No. 4 on the list, and the latter at No. 7. New York\u2019s Metropolitan Museum of Art sits in the top place, followed by Washington D.C.\u2019s National Gallery of Art.<\/p>\n The study puts the implied probability of a heist at Getty Center at 3.9%, and gives this sunny description of the campus, \u201cA hilltop postcard with galleries. Open vistas, bright courtyards, and art that draws camera phones nonstop, all under movie-worthy security.\u201d<\/p>\n Movie-worthy security has me thinking: I might write a screenplay featuring a gang of criminals who make a daring escape on the Getty tram with Titian\u2019s Venus and Adonis.<\/p>\n I\u2019m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, planning my next great adventure. Here\u2019s your arts and culture news for the week.<\/p>\n On our radar Composer Sarah Kirkland Snider\u2019s opera \u201cHildegard\u201d will be performed at the Wallis.<\/p>\n (Sarah Kirkland Snider)<\/p>\n Hildegard<\/b> Janet Leigh in the famous shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock\u2019s 1960 classic thriller \u201cPsycho.\u201d <\/p>\n (Associated Press)<\/p>\n Psycho<\/b> Gail Bean, Biko Eisen-Martin, seated, and Michael Rishawn, standing, star in \u201cTable 17\u201d at Geffen Playhouse.<\/p>\n (Corey Olsen)<\/p>\n Table 17<\/b> You\u2019re reading Essential Arts The week ahead: A curated calendar<\/p>\n FRIDAY<\/b> SATURDAY<\/b> D\u00eda de Los Muertos<\/b> The People\u2019s Party<\/b> Pony Cam<\/b> \u201cWhat we lost in the Ocean,\u201d 2022 (video still) by Ann Le.<\/p>\n (Ann Le)<\/p>\n A Tender Excavation <\/b> Faye Webster performs Saturday and Sunday at Walt Disney Concert Hall.<\/p>\n (Michael Blackshire \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Faye Webster<\/b> SUNDAY<\/b> MONDAY<\/b><\/p>\n Actor Jeff Goldblum.<\/p>\n (Scott A Garfitt \/ AP)<\/p>\n An Evening with Jeff Goldblum<\/b> TUESDAY<\/b> WEDNESDAY<\/b> Mariology<\/b> THURSDAY<\/b> Music Restored<\/b> New Original Works (NOW) <\/b> Culture news and the SoCal scene Alan Edmunds, a psychologist, is the librettist and writer of \u201cPerfect World,\u201d a musical that tells the story of literary child prodigy Barbara Follet, at the El Portal Theatre.<\/p>\n (Carlin Stiehl \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n A \u2018Perfect\u2019 mystery<\/b> Pasadena Playhouse classes ramp up<\/b> LACMA unionizes<\/b> Suntory time for Dudamel<\/b> Manuel Oliver is photographed at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. Oliver lost his son Joaquin \u201cGuac\u201d Oliver in the Parkland shooting. Manuel Oliver is now bringing his love of his son and his gun-reform activism to the stage in a one-man show called \u201cGuac.\u201d<\/p>\n (Christina House \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n A father grieves<\/b> Theater hot spot<\/b> The girl is still having fun<\/b> Wine meets art<\/b> Enjoying this newsletter? Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times<\/p>\n Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a subscriber.<\/a><\/p>\n La Jolla Playhouse<\/p>\n (File)<\/p>\n La Jolla, launchpad of musicals<\/b> D.C. arts purge continues<\/b> Nobel laureate stripped of visa<\/b> \u2014 Jessica Gelt<\/p>\n And last but not least<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
With her new opera, \u201cHildegard,\u201d which has its West Coast premiere as part of Los Angeles Opera\u2019s Off-Grand series, Sarah Kirkland Snider joins a broad range of artists enraptured by the earliest remembered composer, Hildegard von Bingen. Her otherworldly sacred vocal music, along with her visionary writing, has made the 12th century mystic philosopher, medical doctor, natural historian and Benedictine abbess a source of late 20th and 21st century fascination. She shows up in texts about gardening, numinous Christianity and the Kabbalah. David Lynch was not the only filmmaker obsessed with the abbess. Her 900th birthday in 1998 was observed by a feminist composer and singer collective, Hildegurls, by inventively staging Hildegard\u2019s luminous \u201cOrdo Virtutum.\u201d Now it is Snider\u2019s turn, assisted by Elkhanah Pulitzer, for a full-scale Hildegard opera.
\u2013 Mark Swed
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Nov. 8; 2 p.m. Nov. 9. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. laopera.org<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The American Cinematheque celebrates the 65th anniversary of the unleashing of Norman Bates on moviegoers. \u201cAlfred Hitchcock\u2019s terrifying 1960 landmark forever upended the audience\u2019s narrative expectations, changed theatrical exhibition models and probably led to reduced water bills nationwide,\u201d wrote former Times film critic Justin Chang in 2016. \u201cAccept no substitutes.\u201d
7:30 p.m. Friday. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. americancinematheque.com<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The West Coast premiere of this rom-com by Douglas Lyons (author of the Broadway comedy \u201cChicken & Biscuits\u201d) concerns a formerly engaged man and woman who reunite at a restaurant to sift through the past with calm, friendly, objective detachment. What could possibly go wrong? This MCC Theater production, directed by Zhailon Levingston (\u201cCats: The Jellicle Ball\u201d) features Gail Bean, Biko Eisen-Martin and Michael Rishawn in a play the New York Times described as \u201ccomfort food\u201d that \u201csatisfies a genuine craving.\u201d
\u2013 Charles McNulty
Wednesday through Dec. 7. Geffen Playhouse\u2019s Gil Cates Theater, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. geffenplayhouse.org<\/a><\/p>\n
Halloween<\/b>
What better way to experience \u201cAll Hallows\u2019 Eve\u201d than by gorging on John Carpenter\u2019s 1978 horror classic and its chillingly insistent piano score with a group of like-minded souls. Jamie Lee Curtis laid the groundwork for the generations of scream queens to follow.
4:15 and 7 p.m. Vidiots, Eagle Theatre, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd. vidiotsfoundation.org<\/a><\/p>\n
Bluebeard\u2019s Castle<\/b>
The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble presents the American debut of this dark musical thriller laced with romance and horror. A hit in Europe and based on a medieval French fairy tale, it was written and directed by Sofia Streisand and features music by Sergey Rubalsky and Artem Petaykin; lyrics by Elena Hanpira; and choreography by Irina Lyahovskaya, with songs adapted for the English production by Nancy Magarill and Terra Naomi.
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; through Nov. 23. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. odysseytheatre.com<\/a><\/p>\n
The Wallis delivers its first Family Fest of the season with a free celebration of the holiday featuring story time with Lil\u2019 Libros authors, plus arts, crafts and learning activities; altar-building workshops with Self Help Graphics & Art; face painting by Color Me Face Painting; and a dance workshop and performance by the Pacifico Dance Company, highlighting traditional styles.
11 a.m. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. thewallis.org<\/a><\/p>\n
Civics Is Sexy and the NAACP bring together artists, activists and community leaders for two days of film, music and comedy featuring Yasmin Elhady, Chris Dowd of Fishbone, Nic Novicki, Peyton Edmonds and many more.
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. NAACP Hollywood Bureau, 5757 Wilshire Blvd. peoplesparty.civicsissexy.co<\/a><\/p>\n
The experimental Australian collective presents \u201cBurnout Paradise,\u201d in which four performers on treadmills attempt to complete a series of increasingly difficult, boundary-testing tasks in a comedic absurdist interpretation of overachievement.
8 p.m. Saturday; 6 p.m. Sunday. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. cap.ucla.edu<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions presents a group show of artists working from historical and familial photographic archives to create transformative new stories from Afro-Latinx, African American, Chinese American, Gabrielino\/Tongva Nation, Korean American, Iraqi American, Latinx, Mexican, Mexican American, Peruvian American, Thai, Turkish American and Vietnamese American cultures and communities.
Opening reception, 2-5 p.m. Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, through Feb. 21, 2026. Cal State L.A., Luckman Gallery, 5151 State University Drive. theluckman.org<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The Atlanta-based singer-songwriter, backed by the 40-piece Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Wilkins, performs her indie-folk, alt-country and jazz R&B-infused songs.
8 p.m. Saturday; 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com<\/a><\/p>\n
Written On Heaven<\/b>
A musical portrait of Emahoy Tsege-Mariam Gebru, an Ethiopian nun and composer who died in 2023, featuring performances by pianists Thomas Feng and Gloria Cheng.
8 p.m. Sunday and Monday. Shatto Chapel at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, 540 S. Commonwealth Ave. mondayeveningconcerts.org<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
A conversation with the popular actor, musician and raconteur is followed by a 4K screening of Robert Altman\u2019s 1976 country and gospel music epic \u201cNashville.\u201d
7 p.m. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org<\/a><\/p>\n
Moulin Rouge! The Musical<\/b>
This Tony-winning jukebox spectacle inspired by the 2001 Baz Luhrmann movie, adapted for the stage by John Logan featuring anachronistic pop hits Elton John, Beyonc\u00e9, Madonna, Rihanna, Katy Perry and more, focuses on the star-crossed romance between a songwriter from a Ohio and the star of the titular nightclub.
7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, through Nov. 16. Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd. broadwayinhollywood.com<\/a><\/p>\n
Listening by Moonrise <\/b>
This seasonal series returns for an evening of music, culture and community with performances by Azucar LA, Juan Gabriel impersonator Marco Ortiz and King Dance.
6:30-9 p.m. Wednesday. Los Candiles Night Club, 2100 Cypress Ave., Glassell Park. clockshop.org<\/a><\/p>\n
The West Coast premiere of this collaboration between playwright Nancy Keystone and Critical Mass Performance Group explores all things Virgin Mary in a fifth-grade classroom that erupts into fantasy and rebellion.
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, through Dec. 7 (check days and times). Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave. bostoncourtpasadena.org<\/a><\/p>\n
Marilyn Minter<\/b>
A solo exhibition of the artist\u2019s work features paintings from four separate but related bodies of work: large-scale portraits (including Nick Cave, Jane Fonda, Jeff Koons and Cindy Sherman), the \u201cOdalisque\u201d and \u201cAfter Guston\u201d series, and a selection of Minter\u2019s signature magnified mouths.
Opening, 6-8 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday\u2013Saturday, through Dec. 20. Regen Projects, 6750 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. regenprojects.com<\/a><\/p>\n
Violinist Adam Millstein and pianist Dominic Cheli perform works by Martin\u016f, Kapr\u00e1lov\u00e1, Smetana and Schulhoff.
7 p.m. Colburn School, Thayer Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. colburnschool.edu<\/a><\/p>\n
REDCAT\u2019s annual festival of experimental performance kicks off with a program of works by Maylee Todd, Jacob Wolff, Diana Wyenn and Ammunition Theatre Company. NOW 2025 continues with additional programming Nov. 13-15 and Nov. 20-22.
8 p.m Thursday-Saturday. REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., downtown L.A. redcat.org<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The little-known story of a child literary prodigy named Barbara Follett \u2014 who published her first novel at 12 and disappeared without a trace at 25 \u2014 is the subject of a world-premiere musical, \u201cPerfect World,\u201d <\/a>at El Portal Theatre. I sat down with librettist and co-lyricist Alan Edmunds to talk about his interest in Follett\u2019s story, and how a deep dive into her archives at Columbia University led him to believe it would be a good candidate for the stage.<\/p>\n
A bustling theater school is rising <\/a>on the century-old campus of the Pasadena Playhouse. More than 400 students per semester are now participating in 14 classes tailored for kids as young as 4 years old, as well as adults in their 80s and everyone in-between. \u201cEducation is as core to us as the shows on stage,\u201d producing artistic director Danny Feldman told me in a recent interview.<\/p>\n
Employees at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced earlier this week that they are forming a union,<\/a> LACMA United, representing more than 300 workers from across all departments, including curators, educators, guest relations associates and others. The move comes just six months before the museum is scheduled to open its new $720-million David Geffen Galleries<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Times classical music critic Mark Swed flew to Tokyo to watch Gustavo Dudamel <\/a>and the Los Angeles Philharmonic perform two concerts of works by John Adams, Stravinsky and Mahler in Suntory Hall. The stop was part of an Asian tour that also includes Seoul and Taipei.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Times theater critic Charles McNulty caught a performance of \u201cGuac\u201d <\/a>at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Manuel Oliver\u2019s powerful one-man show examines the death \u2014 and celebrates the life \u2014 of his son, 17-year-old Joaqu\u00edn Oliver, who was one of 17 people killed in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. \u201cThe production, written and performed by Oliver, turns a parent\u2019s grief into a theatrical work of activism,\u201d writes McNulty.<\/p>\n
If you know, you know \u2014 that\u2019s the verdict on tiny New Theater Hollywood<\/a>, which has lately taken on an outsize presence on formerly sleepy Theatre Row. \u201cOpening post-pandemic, at a time of rising costs, dwindling audiences and little financial aid, New Theater Hollywood feels like an anomaly. It\u2019s an intricate support system for practitioners to hone their craft in a space dedicated to original theatrical work,\u201d writes Times contributor Emma Madden.<\/p>\n
A new musical adaptation of the 1988 film \u201cWorking Girl\u201d is premiering at La Jolla Playhouse with score by \u201880s pop icon Cyndi Lauper. Ashley Lee has the scoop<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The Donum Estate is home to 60 monumental sculptures by artists including Jaume Plensa, Louise Bourgeois, Ai Weiwei, Yayoi Kusama, Keith Haring, Doug Aitken, Robert Indiana and Anselm Kiefer, making it quite possibly \u201cthe largest private sculpture collection of any winery in the world<\/a>,\u201d writes Times contributor Sam Lubell in a story about the unique vineyard in California\u2019s Carneros wine region.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
La Jolla Playhouse <\/a> announced its 2026\/2027 season, featuring three world-premiere musicals: The Playhouse-commissioned \u201cThe Family Album\u201d (book by Sam Chanse and music and lyrics by MILCK, a.k.a. Connie Lim); \u201cGRIM\u201d (book by Joey Orton and Brad Silnutzer, music and lyrics by Petro AP, Scott Hoying, Joey Orton and Brad Silnutzer): and David Henry Hwang\u2019s \u201cParticle Fever,\u201d with music and lyrics by Bear McCreary and Zoe Sarnak, directed by Tony Award nominee Leigh Silverman.<\/p>\n
The White House fired all six members <\/a>of the Commission of Fine Arts earlier this week, according to an exclusive in the Washington Post. That independent federal agency would have reviewed a number of President Trump\u2019s construction projects, \u201cincluding his planned triumphal arch and White House ballroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first African writer to win the Nobel Prize for literature has been stripped of his U.S. visa <\/a>by the Trump administration. The Nigerian author and playwright, Wole Soyinka, received notice of the decision from a U.S. consulate in Lagos on Oct. 23, calling it a \u201crather curious love letter.\u201d<\/p>\n