Since musicians are human and, as artists, maybe even more temperamental than most, it shouldn’t surprise us then to see a story about classical musicians going through that same kind of turmoil. Playwright Michael Hollinger ventured into that ripe territory with his award-winning “Opus,” which had its LA premiere at The Fountain Theatre in June and has been extended twice. The must-see production, directed by Simon Levy, continues through Sept. 26.

“Opus” is a fascinating glimpse into the fictitious Lazara String Quartet. At the outset, Elliot (Christian Lebano), Alan (Cooper Thornton) and Carl (Gregory G. Giles) audition Grace (Jia Doughman) to replace violist Dorian (Daniel Blinkoff) in time for a concert at the White House.

Dorian, who was unceremoniously fired and disappears, is a musical genius, who is also unstable and claimed to talk with dead composers. Plus, his romantic involvement with violinist Elliot did not make things any easier. The repercussions of that entanglement and Elliot’s take-charge attitude are also not necessarily healthy for the continuing quartet.

Violinist Alan is the most level-headed of the group, and adds a fair share of comic relief. Carl, who has been in remission from cancer, is a focused cellist who prefers a no-nonsense approach to rehearsals. The young Grace, fresh out of graduate school, holds her own with the men while feeling compelled to audition for the principal violist position of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra — despite comments from the quartet about the quality of life (and suicide rate) of unfulfilled orchestra members.

The characters are richly drawn, the dialogue true to life and the story compelling. The actors, all with exceptional credits in theater (and some having made recognizable TV appearances), make wonderful music together. They also do a convincing job of pantomiming on their instruments — not an easy task — thanks to music advisors Larry Sonderling, a violinist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 1976, and Roy Tanabe, a violinist who retired after 41 years with the LA Phil. The music is courtesy of the Vertigo String Quartet, recorded by Jorge Cousineau for the Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia, where the play saw its world premiere in 2006. At that time, by the way, the real-life Audubon Quartet suffered a high-profile split, complete with threatened lawsuits, proving just how true Hollinger’s premise is.

A violist trained at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Hollinger knows his classical music, and includes details like Dorian’s yearning to play the violin rather than viola, much to his lover’s exasperation. The musical context and the group’s struggles with Beethoven’s Opus 131 make the play new and interesting. But it is also more than a play about classical music. Director Levy, a former music major who played trumpet and sax and considered graduate studies in conducting before turning to theater, commented in press materials that “Opus” is “true to the world of classical music, but also very human.”

Hollinger portrays human relationships with an accuracy and sensitivity that give it a universal appeal. That’s what makes “Opus” compelling and assures its longevity.

Of course, the Lazara Quartet’s future is less certain.

“Opus” runs through Sept. 26 at The Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., (323) 663-1525 or www.FountainTheatre.com. On Sunday, Sept. 12, at 4:30 p.m., The Fountain Theatre presents LA-based string quartet Quartetto Fantastico (Chris Woods and Paul Cartwright, violin; Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, viola; Peter Jacobson, cello) for a live chamber music concert following the matinee performance of “Opus” (separate admission; discount available with “Opus” ticket stub).

Subscription and individual tickets are on sale now. UCLA Live is offering Culture Spot readers the chance to win a pair of tickets to the event of their choice. To be entered in a drawing for free tickets, send your name, event choice and the correct answer to the following trivia question to Editor@CultureSpotLA.com by Friday, Aug. 13, at midnight:

Which of the following famous artists performed at Royce Hall in the 1930s?

a) George Gershwin

b) Duke Ellington

c) Arnold Schoenberg

d) all of the above

UCLA Live’s Must-See Dance by Anna Reed

David Sefton, director of the UCLA Live performance series for a decade, resigned in May. And the reason for his departure – program “restructuring” due to budget constraints – along with the elimination of the International Theatre Festival from the 2010-11 schedule, has triggered some very legitimate concerns about LA’s access to the national and international arts scene. The 2010-11 dance series that Sefton leaves behind, however, continues the program’s tradition of curatorial excellence. If fiscal limitations motivated the inclusion of more domestic artists than usual, Sefton made good use of his reduced funds – bringing artists and works that LA has not seen, and needs to.

Feb. 25-26: Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM

Foremost is Canadian Crystal Pite’s company, Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM. Founded in 2001, Kidd Pivot’s international appearances have met with consistent critical acclaim, and in July The Observer called Pite’s Lost Action “the best dance work to visit London last year.” Superfast, impossibly fluid, almost inhuman manipulations reference Pite’s background as dancer with William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt. But it’s Pite’s own choreographic vision that’s recently landed her the position of Associate Choreographer for the prestigious Nederlands Dans Theater. Kidd Pivot makes its LA debut with Lost Action at UCLA Live Feb. 25-26, and look for another Pite work in March when NDT comes to the Music Center.

UCLA Live presents the world premiere of Helios Dance Theater's "Beautiful Monsters." / Photo courtesy of UCLA Live and Helios Dance Theater

May 6-7: Lucinda Childs

UCLA Live facilitates another long-overdue Los Angeles visit with the arrival of American Lucinda Childs’ Dance, a revival of the 1979 minimalist classic, May 6-7. Member of the postmodern breakaway collective Judson Dance Theater in the ’60s, Childs choreographed Dance as her first large-scale collaboration, working with minimalist icon and composer Philip Glass and visual artist Sol LeWitt. With tripping, skipping steps, dancers skim the stage in continuous crossings. And like the repeated notes in Glass’ score, these simple movements combine in space and time to weave patterns of tremendous complexity. In the revival, dancers leap and bound in front of LeWitt’s original film – the 1979 company performing Dance – so we see in side-by-side action dancers usually separated by decades.

March 11-12: Stephen Petronio Dance Company

Stephen Petronio came of choreographic age in Manhattan in the ’80s and ’90s, and his signature style – fast and furious, sexy and leggy, hip and restless – conveys the urban energy of his home base. His company, now an established international presence, celebrates its 25^th anniversary with the stormy new work I Drink the Air Before Me and performs the West Coast premiere at Royce Hall March 11-12.

April 15-16: Barak Marshall

Barak Marshall, born physically in LA but choreographically in Israel, brings Monger (2008) home for its West Coast debut April 15-16. Marshall draws movement and music from diverse cultural traditions (including his own – American, Yemeni, Israeli) to build this charging, driving exploration of power, free will, and survival.

Oct. 23: Helios Dance Theater

And with local and national critical acclaim for The Lotus Eaters (2008) under her belt, LA dancemaker Laura Gorenstein Miller and her company Helios Dance Theater open the dance season at UCLA Live with a one-night-only world-premiere performance of Beautiful Monsters on Oct. 23. For this work, Gorenstein Miller teams up with leading artists in the entertainment industry to craft a dreamscape inspired by childhood nightmares, and if The Lotus Eaters is any indication, it will be a world of physical daring, sensory thrills and riveting storytelling that we enter in October.

UCLA Live’s Must-Hear Classical by Julie Riggott

Nov. 4: Murray Perahia

Over the course of a 35-year career, Murray Perahia has established himself as one of the world’s most prized pianists. He returns to Royce Hall to perform works by the Three Bs: Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. In 1972, he was the first North American to win first prize at the Leeds Piano Competition, and he went on to work with the likes of composer Benjamin Britten and pianist Vladimir Horowitz, whom he considers a major influence on his style. Perahia, called a “poet of the piano” by The New York Times, also serves as the Principal Guest Conductor of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, with whom he has toured extensively as conductor and pianist.

Nov. 20: Menahem Pressler and Richard Stoltzman with the New York Chamber Soloists

Menahem Pressler and Richard Stoltzman sure make for a dynamic duo. Pressler is co-founder of the renowned Beaux Arts Trio, with whom he recorded nearly the entire piano chamber repertoire. Now an octogenarian with a five-decade career of distinction, he is recognized among the foremost pianists. Grammy-winning Richard Stoltzman is arguably the world’s most famous classical clarinetist. Together with the New York Chamber Soloists, they will perform Brahms’ Sonata No. 2 for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 120. Pressler will also play Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17, K.453, and Stoltzman will treat the audience to Mozart’s exquisite Clarinet Concerto, K. 622.

Daniel Hope joins Jeffrey Kahane at UCLA Live. / Photo by Marco Borggreve courtesy of UCLA Live

Feb. 11: Daniel Hope and Jeffrey Kahane

Violinist Daniel Hope, the youngest person to perform with the prestigious Beaux Arts Trio, joins pianist Jeffrey Kahane, music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, for a program featuring Brahms’ Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78, Regenlied, O. Messiaen’s Théme et Variations, Schulhoff’s Sonata No. 2, Sz. 76, and Franck’s Sonata in A Major. Hope, a champion of contemporary composers who has collaborated with many artists (including two Police: Sting and Stewart Copeland), has also made it a mission to revive music suppressed by the Nazis. Well-known as both a pianist and conductor, Kahane was a finalist at the 1981 Van Cliburn Competition and made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1983. In addition to his projects with LACO, extensive touring and recording, he has also collaborated with artists like Yo-Yo Ma and Joshua Bell.

March 3: Scharoun Ensemble Berlin

Founded in 1983 by members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Scharoun Ensemble Berlin is one of Germany’s most distinguished chamber music ensembles.  The group will perform three masterpieces: Mozart’s Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, Beethoven’s Septet in E flat major and Schubert’s Octet in F major. The Scharoun Ensemble is recognized as the leading interpreter of these three composers’ work.

April 3: Takács Quartet with Nobuyuki Tsujii

The Takács Quartet returns to UCLA Live for a program of Haydn’s String Quartet, Op. 74, No. 3, and Bartok’s String Quartet No. 1. Formed in 1975 at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest and now based at the University of Colorado, the Takács Quartet tours throughout the world and is known for its innovative programming. Joining the Takács Quartet for Schumann’s Piano Quintet is Nobuyuki Tsujii, making his Los Angeles premiere. Born blind, the 22-year-old prodigy won the gold medal in the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

All events are in Royce Hall on the UCLA campus; most start at 8 p.m. For a complete schedule and more details, visit: http://www.uclalive.org/calendar/. For tickets or more information, visit the individual links above or www.uclalive.org or call (310) 825-2101. Royce Hall is located at 340 Royce Drive, Westwood.

Main page image: Kidd Pivot performs Crystal Pite’s Lost Action at UCLA Live’s Royce Hall. / Photo by Chris Randle courtesy of UCLA Live

Dance Downtown at the Music Center is free throughout the summer. / photo by Alex Pitt

The Music Center offers free evenings of beginners’ dance lessons and dancing with DJs and live music throughout the summer. From 6:30 to 10 p.m., everyone is invited to Dance Downtown on the Music Center Plaza. Learn how to samba or relive the days of disco. The remaining dates are listed below.

If you are feeling adventurous and would like to show off your dance moves, try entering ExperienceLA.com’s video contest. You could win tickets to an upcoming dance performance at the Music Center, donated by Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center. The winner can choose to see Grupo Corpo, Nederlands Dans Theater, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater or Mark Morris Dance Group. For more details on the contest, visit ExperienceLA.com.

Upcoming free Dance Downtown events:

July 30:   Zydeco

Aug. 13:   Disco

Aug. 27:   Throwback Night: 60s Dance

Sept. 10:   Samba

The Music Center is located at 135 N. Grand Ave., LA.

Morlan Higgins as Kent, Ramon De Ocampo as Edgar, Dakin Matthews as Lear and Rebecca Mozo as Ophelia in Antaeus Company's "King Lear." / photo by Ed Krieger

Any Shakespeare production that leaves audiences clamoring for more after 2 hours and 40 minutes is a successful Shakespeare production — and obviously one that you should not miss. Such is the case with the Antaeus Company’s “King Lear,” onstage at the Deaf West Theatre in North Hollywood through Aug. 15.

The Antaeus Company, which was founded as a project of the Mark Taper Forum in 1991, is a classical theater ensemble dedicated to keeping “classical theater vibrantly alive in ourselves and in our community” through performance and education. Perhaps surprisingly, “King Lear,” the centerpiece of its fifth biennial ClassicsFest (offering a plethora of workshops and readings through Aug. 15), is the company’s first full Shakespeare production. And considering that it is regarded as Shakespeare’s greatest work, it is a smart choice.

But Antaeus was not content with one production of the masterpiece. Because the company double-casts all of its productions, audiences can enjoy two versions this summer. “The Fools” cast features Dakin Matthews, founding artistic director of the Antaeus Company and award-winning scholar-actor specializing in Shakespearean plays, as Lear; while “The Madmen” cast is led by founding member of the Antaeus Company, Broadway veteran and three-time Tony nominee Harry Groener. All of the actors have extensive theater, film and television credits.

At a recent July performance by “The Fools,” the acting was outstanding. Matthews captured every nuance of the role, alternately raging and whimpering as the King who misguidedly divides his kingdom, disowns the one daughter who truly loves him and descends into madness. Stephen Caffrey was remarkable as the clever and insightful Fool. In fact, all of the players deserve a shout out. When the lights came on for intermission and at the conclusion of the show, audience members were raving about the performances and curious to see the second ensemble.

Shakespeare plays never cease to amaze in the way they transcend time. During the show, there were a few instances when audience members responded quietly with an “ummm” to lines written centuries ago that still strike a chord today. And in the right company’s hands, of course, the audience never gets lost in the language; the superb actors of the Antaeus Company ensured that every line was comprehensible.

Director Bart DeLorenzo, founding artistic director of the Evidence Room in LA, remarked in his director’s note about the relevance of this 17th-century play to our times. “Many productions are opening in the U.S. and around the world this year, and that’s not a coincidence,” he added in a press statement. “Everything is in flux: the economy, health care, the political power structure. When the world is changing, theaters do ‘Lear.’”

The play leaves us with Edgar’s thoughtful words to ponder in our own lives: “The weight of this sad time we must obey,/ Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say:/ The oldest hath borne most; we that are young/ Shall never see so much, nor live so long.”

And the Antaeus Company leaves us with plenty to appreciate about the LA theater scene.

“King Lear” runs Thursdays through Sundays and ends Aug. 15. Visit the website for a complete schedule for “King Lear” and ClassicsFest. Deaf West Theatre is located at 5112 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, (818) 506-1983, www.Antaeus.org.

The Edye Second Space will be transformed into a “21st Century Cabaret” complete with a cash bar. The July 19 cast includes Scott Adsit (30 Rock), Lesley Ann Warren, Fred Willard, Dayle Reyfel, Eugene Pack, Brooke Shields and more interpreting celebrity memoirs in solo and ensemble performances. Some of the famous and infamous stars whose memoirs are comically employed in Celebrity Autobiography include Ivana Trump, Vanna White, Mr. T, Star Jones, Kenny Loggins, Tommy Lee, Sylvester Stallone, the Jonas Brothers, Zsa Zsa Gabor, David Cassidy, Neil Sedaka, Britney Spears, Madonna, Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson, Elizabeth Taylor, Eddie Fisher, and Debbie Reynolds.
New books for 2010 include Tiger Woods’ How I Play Golf and Carrie Prejean’s Still Standing.
The show returns on Sept. 26.

The Edye Second Space at The Broad Stage is located at 1310 11th St., Santa Monica, (310) 434-3200. Get more information about showtimes and order tickets ($45 to $65) at www.thebroadstage.com.

"Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands" / Photo by Michael Tulberg

Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands, an interdisciplinary opera playing for two weekends in Culver City, is the culmination of seven years of creative development and community workshops. If seven years sounds impressive, consider these equally spectacular numbers — and respected names — affiliated with the project: Director O-Lan Jones of the nonprofit Overtone Industries developed the opera in collaboration with 21 librettists, 11 composers, costume and scenic designer Snezana Petrovic, musical director David O, instrument inventor Bart Hopkin, choreographer Nina Winthrop, 20 performers, a nine-piece live orchestra, dozens of crew members, scores of community volunteers, and many others.

Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands integrates art installations, dance, voice, live and recorded music, projected video, costume, theater, and community participation in a story of a couple traveling to 21 imaginary lands to reclaim their identities. To that end, this massive creative undertaking incorporates a plethora of sets and costumes, song compositions and choreographed dances. The audience travels with the performers throughout a 25,000-square-foot former car dealership space via various modes of transportation, from a simple chair to “train cars” designed by product designer, engineer, artist, entrepreneur, and performer Gregg Emmel. The nine-piece orchestra performs live at most “lands.”

O-Lan Jones is an award-winning actress, composer, sound designer, and writer who has won Emmy and Dramalogue awards for her nonprofit Overtone Industries creations, and you might recognize her from her multiple roles in Tim Burton films and television appearances on Seinfeld, X-Files, and more.

The 28 songs in Songs and Dances incorporate electronic, traditional acoustic, and invented instruments in an array of recorded and live music performed by an orchestra under the direction of musical director David O, an award-winning composer whose work has been featured at Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Kennedy Center, The Mark Taper Forum and the Hollywood Bowl.  The live nine-piece orchestra features keyboards, violin, cello, upright and electric bass, electric and acoustic guitar, drums, percussion, clarinet, baritone sax, and instruments made by Bart Hopkin from found materials (including slide whistle, lyre, hurdy gurdy).

Performances started Thursday, July 8, and continue through Sunday, July 18, (Thursdays through Sundays, 8 p.m. nightly, with 2 p.m. matinees on Sundays). Ticket prices range from $25 to $50 and can be purchased at www.overtoneindustries.org/sdtickets.php.  Performances are suitable for mature teen and adult audiences. The warehouse is located at 8840 Washington St., Culver City, 90232; free parking.

The Southwest Chamber Music Summer Festival at The Huntington begins its 17th season on July 10. Southwest Chamber Music is offering Culture Spot readers complimentary lawn tickets to one summer concert of their choice. A limited number of tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. You may request tickets by e-mailing mail@swmusic.org. Please provide the following information:

Name

Address

Daytime phone number

Date of one concert and number of tickets

Be sure to mention Culture Spot LA in the subject line.

A return e-mail will confirm your reservation. Tickets will be held at the box office “will call.”  Children under the age of 8 will not be admitted.

Concerts are staged on the beautiful Loggia of The Huntington Art Gallery. Concertgoers can bring their own picnic or purchase pre-concert dinners at The Huntington Tea Room when they reserve their tickets. Patrons can also visit the spectacular Main Art Gallery before the concert and at intermission with no additional charge.

Concert Schedule:

July 10 & 11: Abel, Britten, Musgrave, Still and Dvorák

July 24 & 25: Revueltas, Ortiz and Beethoven

Aug. 7 & 8: Debussy, Satie, Le Baron and Ravel

Aug. 21 & 22: Schubert, du Bois, Mozart and Brahms

For programming details, a video preview and more, visit www.swmusic.org. All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. The Huntington is located at 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. Parking is free.

Wednesday’s concert features a compelling mix of African beats, dance and jazz. Nigerian Afrobeat superstar Femi Kuti returns with his explosive rhythms and invigorating dancers for a night that celebrates the foundation of jazz music.

Superlative jazz trumpeter and film composer Terence Blanchard and modern dance troupe Lula Washington Dance Theatre collaborate for the first time. This performance also marks the first time a dance company has choreographed a piece specifically for a body of Blanchard’s work. This performance is the first of several dance events at the Bowl this season. Cameroonian bassist and singer Richard Bona starts things off with his unique style that blends a horde of influences, including jazz, bossa nova, pop, afro-beat, traditional song and funk.

Herbie Hancock begins his tenure as the Bill and Carolyn Powers Creative Chair for Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the Hollywood Bowl 2010 season. His influence has produced a jazz series that is filled with an eclectic mix of musical contributions from African and pop to soul and big band, typical of Hancock’s diverse tastes.

Other concerts in this series include:

Smokey Robinson and Lizz Wright (July 14)

Lee Ritenour & Dave Grusin and Dianne Reeves (July 21)

Count Basie Orchestra, Dave Holland Big Band and Dave Douglas Big Band (July 28)

B.B. King and Buddy Guy (Aug. 11)

The Neville Brothers, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Trey McIntyre Dance Project and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band (Aug. 18)

Gershwin Across America (Aug. 25)

Herbie Hancock: Seven Decades – The Birthday Celebration (Sept. 1).

Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood

Tickets ($1 – $99) are on sale now at HollywoodBowl.com, by calling (323) 850-2000, in person at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office (Tuesday–Saturday, noon–6 p.m.), or through Ticketmaster. Groups of 10 or more may call (323) 850-2050 for information about special rates, subject to availability.

Salieri (Peter Swander) accidentally "meets" Mozart (Patrick Stafford) and Constanze (Danielle Doyen).

It’s Salieri’s play, but Mozart steals the show in The Production Company’s “Amadeus,” onstage at the Chandler Studio Theatre Center in North Hollywood, an intimate 33-seat venue that guarantees there is no bad seat.

Of course, Peter Shaffer’s Tony Award-winning play that premiered on Broadway in 1980 is a gem. And in the capable hands of The Production Company actors, Director August Viverito and Assistant Director T.L. Kolman, all the wit and psychological intensity shine through. In particular, Patrick Stafford gives a riveting performance as Mozart that surely will not disappoint fans of the 1984 Academy Award-winning film adaptation.

“Music is God’s art,” says court composer Antonio Salieri at the beginning of the play. Salieri believes he has made a pact with God to bring His music to the world. But his dreams are dashed when the young, celebrated Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart arrives in Vienna. Despite his own success and esteemed reputation, Salieri becomes consumed with poisonous envy, recognizing Mozart as the true “voice of God,” and sets out to wage war with God through Mozart by thwarting the young composer’s every attempt to be recognized and even earn a living.

Stafford’s Mozart, with his hair moussed high and wild, entertains as the vulgar, silly youth playing cat and mouse with Constanze and joyfully revising Salieri’s welcome march at the keyboard. Later, he mesmerizes as the tormented and impoverished composer/husband/father descending into madness. In the final scene, he looks absolutely feverish, his face flushed and sweating. Stafford’s command of the range of human emotions is remarkable, and his face is highly expressive and yet naturalistic.

Peter Swander’s Salieri lacks that same emotional depth, hitting some notes with ease but missing the subtleties of the character as jealousy eats away at his soul and his desire for fame eventually turns to a dying wish for infamy. Missing also is the outward expression of the ecstasy Salieri claims to feel at the very sound of Mozart’s notes (recordings are played in snippets throughout the show).

Other stand-outs in the show include Danielle Doyen’s Constanze, who easily turns from giddy to desperate to angry to nurturing. David Robert May’s has great comic timing in his portrayal of the effeminate, bejeweled (and musically clueless) Emperor Joseph II.

Set design is simple and effective for the tiny stage. Costumes capture the characters’ personalities with an upscale, modern flair; in one scene, Mozart sports a gold lame shirt, gold pants and a burgundy jacket.

The Production Company is the recipient of numerous awards, including two LA Drama Critics Circle Awards and a 2009 LA Weekly Theatre Award. It proves its worthiness of commendation with “Amadeus.”

The open engagement of “Amadeus” runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. at the Chandler Studio Theatre Center, 12443 Chandler Blvd., North Hollywood. Tickets are $25. (800) 838-3006 or (310) 869-7546, www.theprodco.com.

Here are the details from these two popular theaters:

“Opus”

Sex, drugs and chamber music! Talent and temperaments collide in this amusing and compelling behind-the-scenes look at a “high-strung” string quartet. A world-famous ensemble threatens to unravel as it prepares for a high-profile performance at the White House when its most talented member goes missing and a young woman is hired to take his place. Smart, funny, entertaining and insightful. You’ll never listen to a string quartet the same way again.

“Opus” was written by Michael Hollinger, a violist-turned playwright who graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and received a Master’s degree from Villanova University, where he is an associate professor of theater. It’s interesting to note that Director Simon Levy was a music major who played both trumpet and sax and considered graduate studies in conducting before turning to theater. “Opus” stars Daniel Blinkoff, Jia Doughman, Gregory G. Giles, Christian Lebano, and Cooper Thornton.

In conjunction with the Los Angeles premiere of Opus, The Fountain Theatre will present two live concerts by Los Angeles-based string quartets, on Sunday, June 27, (Quarteto Fantastico) and Sunday, July 11, (TBA) at 8 p.m.
 Quarteto Fantastico (Chris Woods and Paul Cartwright, violin; Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, viola; Peter Jacobson, cello) is known for the skill of its members in the art of improvisation on themes, or “quotations,” from classical pieces as well as from jazz, Indian ragas, hiphop, and world music.

“Opus” opens June 19 and runs through July 25 at The Fountain Theatre,
 5060 Fountain Ave., (323) 663-1525 or www.FountainTheatre.com.

“Master Class”

Ellen Geer stars as internationally renowned soprano Maria Callas, who had a legendary voice and an equally legendary life as one of the world’s most celebrated (and gossiped-about) opera stars.  In 1971, Callas taught a series of master classes at Juilliard.  Outspoken in her artistic beliefs and uncompromising in the musical understanding she sought to communicate to 25 fortunate students, Callas worked through her legendary arias from Mozart, Verdi, Rossini, Puccini, and others. Terrence McNally’s play finds Callas near the end of her career, her voice almost gone, as she instructs a group of young singers aspiring to the heights of fame and fortune with wicked humor, unrelenting criticism and deeply personal stories.

Heidi Helen Davis directs “Master Class,” starring Ellen Geer as Maria Callas, with Andreas Beckett, Meaghan Boeing, Bill Durham, Cody T. Gillette, Alice Sherman, Rachae Amber Thomas and Elizabeth Tobias.

“Master Class” opens July 3 and continues through Sept. 25 at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd.,
 Topanga,
 (310) 455-3723 or www.theatricum.com.

Theatricum Botanicum’s 2010 Summer Repertory Season also includes productions of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the world premiere of a new stage adaptation by Ellen Geer of Alexandre Dumas’ “The Three Musketeers,” and “Carry It On,” a rip-roaring tribute to the heroes of American history told in their own voices that will be presented as a fundraiser with celebrity guests on July 16, followed by an eight-performance run by members of the Theatricum company beginning Aug. 7.