Every October, the Long Beach Shakespeare Company transports audiences back to the golden age of radio drama — and it’ll be no different this time around, with the organization offering a double feature of spine-tingling, beloved classics performed live on stage in old-time radio style.
First up, audiences can enjoy a wickedly funny murder farce in “Arsenic and Old Lace,” with shows running this Friday through Sunday and again next weekend. This show — written by Joseph Kesselring and adapted and directed by Joe Montanari — follows Mortimer Brewster, a young man whose plans for marriage are thrown into chaos when he discovers that his sweet elderly aunts are hiding a deadly secret.
The Long Beach Shakespeare Company will put on an old-time radio show of “Arsenic and Old Lace” this month. (Photo courtesy of LBSC).
The Long Beach Shakespeare Company will close out its season with a legendary broadcast that made history: “War of the Worlds,” H.G. Wells’ tale adapted for radio, this Oct.. (Photo courtesy of LBSC).
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The Long Beach Shakespeare Company will put on an old-time radio show of “Arsenic and Old Lace” this month. (Photo courtesy of LBSC).
Add in a psychopathic brother and a living room with a body or two too many, and you have a darkly comedic classic that’s as outrageous today as it was when it first hit the stage in the early 1940s.
Then, from Friday, Oct. 24 to Sunday, Oct. 26, LBSC will close out its season with a legendary broadcast that made history: “War of the Worlds,” H.G. Wells’ tale adapted for radio by Howard E. Koch and directed by Montanari.
The original 1938 performance by Orson Welles famously blurred the line between fiction and reality, sending listeners into panic as they believed Earth was truly under attack by martians.
This annual Long Beach tradition captures that same thrilling energy, complete with suspenseful sound effects and engaging live performances.
In other words, perfect for the start of spooky season.
“La Partida: Carcass to Mochima”
Explore migration, memory, and transformation at Munzón Gallery this fall with “La Partida: Carcass to Mochima,” a striking duo exhibition featuring the work of printmakers Pavel Acevedo and Reinaldo Gil Zambrano.
Together, these artists weave a visual dialogue about cultural identity and the shifting landscapes — both physical and emotional — that shape our human experience.
Through bold, tactile prints, Acevedo and Gil Zambrano explore the complexities of departure (partida) and arrival, and the challenges that come with leaving one world behind to build another.
Hosted in the heart of Cambodia Town, Munzón Gallery has quickly become a hub for contemporary printmaking and inclusive, socially resonant art since its founding by artist Elizabeth Munzón in 2022.
In addition to its curated exhibitions, the gallery offers studio space and printing press access for working artists and features an outdoor mural patio with rotating public artworks.
For more information (and to purchase prints from the exhibit), check out munzongallery.com.
Loiter Galleries
The boundless horizons and free-spirited creativity of California have inspired generations of artists of all sorts.
This fall, a new exhibition at Loiter Galleries tips its hat to these cherished qualities and hardworking artists of the Golden State.
On Saturday, Oct. 11, celebrate the grand opening of “California Dreaming,” a group show that coincides with both the DTLB Art and Design Walk and the Long Beach Open Studio Tour, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Curated to capture the inventive energy of California’s early 20th-century art movement — a time defined by experimentation, bold expression, and a “make your own rules” ethos — “California Dreaming” brings together an eclectic mix of photography, painting, mixed media, and sculpture.
One of the exhibition’s most poignant highlights is the work of painter Eduardo Rivera, who lives in Cuba and has long dreamed of exhibiting in California. His evocative landscapes echo the California Scene painting tradition and mark a major milestone: This is Rivera’s first-ever exhibition outside his home country.
He may be Cuban, but his art speaks an additional truth — he’s Californian, too.
Rivera is joined by four local artists — photographer and neurologist Dr. Barry Jordan, painter and mixed media artist Ann Nebolon, fine art photographer Vinny Picardi, and sculptor and mixed media artist Walter Focht — each bringing their unique voice to the collective vision.
Picardi, co-founder of Loiter Galleries, urges the Long Beach Community to attend this exhibition with an open mind and an open heart.
“Show support for local artists and local art,” Picardi said in a recent news release, “and support a Cuban artist who had a dream.”
The exhibition is only up until Saturday, Nov. 15, so head to Loiter Galleries soon. Check out their website, loitergalleries.com, for more information.