A new version of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" comes to town, the San Diego Museum of Art expands its notion of Spanish art, and an underrated 1990s band returns to town.
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"
Theater
Maybe you think you know the story of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," but there’s a new musical version that’s filled with sweet - and not so sweet - surprises.
Broadway San Diego presents a reimagined look at this popular Roald Dahl story - one where the spoiled children don’t get off as easy as they do in the movie versions.
Violet, Veruca, Mike and Augustus suffer pretty grisly endings, which is why all the roles except for Charlie are played by adults. It brings a new level of dark humor to the show. And it also features puppet Oompa Loompas designed by artist Basil Twist; ballet dancing squirrels; and new, catchy songs to go along with classics like "Pure Imagination."
Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6 p.m. Sunday. Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown. $26.50 to $205; find tickets to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and read the KPBS/Arts review for kid-friendly arts.
Art and Empire: Spain and the Golden Age
Visual Arts
This weekend, the San Diego Museum of Art opens a new exhibit: Art and Empire: The Golden Age Of Spain.
This is the first exhibition in the United States to include the notion of "The Golden Age" to include works not just from Spain, but also from Spanish territories like Mexico Peru and the Philippines.
You’ll see paintings, sculptures and other decorative arts from the years 1660 to 1750. It’s also the first time that all five of the Spanish masters you see on the building facade - Velázquez, Murillo, Zurbarán, Ribera and El Greco - will be shown together at the museum.
Details: Opens 10 a.m. Saturday, on view through Sept. 2. San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. Free for members to $20; find additional details.
The Dandy Warhols
Music
Because 1990s nostalgia is all the rage right now, why not revisit one of the decade’s more talented but underrated bands, The Dandy Warhols?
You may remember The Dandys because of the commercially popular song "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth" and because the song "We Used to Be Friends" was the theme song to the TV show Veronica Mars.
But since those days, the Portland-based band, led by Courtney Taylor-Taylor, has continued to record its experimental, psychedelic brand of indie rock. If you didn’t see them in the '90s, make sure to catch The Dandy Warhols this time around.
Details: 8 p.m. Friday. The Observatory, 2891 University Ave., North Park. $25; find tickets to Dandy Warhols.
