Culture Calendar: 23 Things to Do in June 2017

June 3 - 10, 2017

Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire is a play driven by physicality—the hulking Stanley’s looming threat, the sensual, lurking Blanche’s fretting, Stella’s palpable fragility—all throwing each other around both literally and figuratively. It’s ripe material for the contemporary ballet master John Neumeier, who sees Williams’ story as simply a starting point for a ballet evoking its raw emotions. The National Ballet of Canada brings some of the humidity of New Orleans to its Toronto stage in Neumeier’s haunting adaptation, with a harrowing score by Prokofiev and Schnittke.  Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. West; national.ballet.ca.

June 3 - November 13, 2017; Through October 29, 2017

For over 40 years, artist Dale Chihuly has crafted stunning installations in public spaces, using vividly hued glass and incorporating paint, plastics, neon, and ice. His sculptural creations, which often evoke nature in their depictions of blown-out blooms, feel especially at home in the outdoors, as two major showcases prove this summer.  At the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas, Chihuly’s works will populate both the indoor galleries and the surrounding Ozark woodlands. Meanwhile, at the New York Botanical Garden, the variety of his work is on full display, from ghostly white bulbs blooming in the tropical garden pool of the Haupt Conservatory to wildly zig-zagging, rainbow neon tubes outside it. Finding all the Chihuly pieces on the grounds feels a bit like a fine art treasure hunt. Crystal Bridges: 600 Museum Way, Bentonville; crystalbridges.org. NYBG: 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx; nybg.org.

June 3 - 25, 2017

With a total of 50 productions planned, including 17 world premieres, this year’s Holland Festival should present an especially enlightening variety of concerts, theatrical performances, and more. Several of the offerings focus on urgent issues in democracy now, ranging from Richard Nelson’s The Gabriels trilogy, which climaxes on the night of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, to Julian Rosefeldt’s collaboration with Cate Blanchett interpreting 52 artists’ manifestos. A focus on Indonesia celebrates new work and music in various forms, including an opera installation by Jompet Kuswidananto and a program of composers working with the Ensemble Modern. On the music front, Composer in Focus George Crumb gets the spotlight at age 90 for his innovative work (including the European premiere of a new piano cycle). Throughout the festival, visitors will also find work in public spaces, including an installation by the collective Ayr on the Museumplein and dance by Boris Charmatz in southeast Amsterdam. hollandfestival.nl.

June 7 - August 6, 2017

In the upper echelons of the art world, it’s rare to find collaborations as monumental and enduring as that between architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron and artist Ai Weiwei. The three maestros of their respective fields worked together on the 2012 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion and the National Stadium in Beijing, created for the 2008 Summer Olympics (and dubbed “the Bird’s Nest”). Now, they reunite for another powerful large-scale installation in the Park Avenue Armory’s immense Drill Hall: Hansel and Gretel, in which they’ll invert the dark using modern surveillance techniques (drones, infrared cameras) to track the every movement of visitors and broadcast those recordings back into the installation. 643 Park Ave.; armoryonpark.org.

June 8 - 11, 2017

The Grammy-nominated composer-pianist Vijay Iyer is renowned in the jazz and new music worlds for his all-encompassing worldview and approach to music as an art form that can unite diverse communities. It’s that vision that informs his approach in his first outing as music director of the Ojai Music Festival. While Iyer’s own music will be performed (including the world premiere of his violin concerto, played by Jennifer Koh), he’s also structured the four-day fest around the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, an organization founded in Chicago in 1965 by an experimental group of African-American musicians, some of whom will perform at the festival. Other highlights include appearances by flutist Claire Chase, the International Contemporary Ensemble, and the enterprising Brentano Quartet. ojaifestival.org.

June 8 - July 2, 2017

Like so many films that become cult favorites, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion seemed a bit silly back in 1997, when Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow first donned shiny minidresses and performed an interpretive dance to “Time After Time” that a generation of moviegoers would never forget. Over the years the movie has become a camp classic, and now, in perhaps the surest sign that it’s earned a firm place in the pop culture pantheon, it’s a new musical with Broadway ambitions.  For the world premiere at Seattle’s great 5^th Avenue Theatre, the creative team includes director Kristin Hanggi (an expert in enjoyable camp from her work on Rock of Ages) a book by the film’s screenwriter, Robin Schiff, and an ‘80s and ‘90s pop-inspired score by Orange is the New Black composers Gwendolyn Sanford and Brandon Jay. 1308 5th Ave.; 5thavenue.org.

June 10 - September 17

Europe’s economically entangled odd couple—are joining forces this spring for Documenta 14. The sprawling, twice-a-decade contemporary-art exhibition is normally held in the central German city of Kassel. This time, Documenta will unfurl in two overlapping acts, first in Athens (through July 16) and then in Kassel (June 10–September 17). “It’s not a political statement; it’s a political act,” says the show’s artistic director, Adam Szymczyk, “to physically situate our bodies in the place that is basically reduced to a kind of new ruin.” —Gabriella Fuller

June 11 - October 15, 2017

The concept of home has proven an increasingly complex one in today’s political atmosphere, a fact not lost on the Latin-American artists from the U.S. represented in LACMA’s new exhibition. Using the idea of home as a window into larger socioeconomic and political change over the past seven decades, the artists here, representing styles ranging from Conceptualism to Pop Art to “anarchitecture,” and including stars like Gordon Matta-Clark, Daniel Joseph Martinez, and Doris Salcedo alongside emerging artists like Carmen Argote and Camilo Ontiveros, reckon with how individuals, families, and even nations define what “home” means in the modern world. 5905 Wilshire Blvd.; lacma.org.

Through June 11, 2017

In the work of South Indian artist N.S. Harsha, traditional Indian painting techniques blend with a keen sense for the relationships between people, flora, and fauna in the contemporary world. The often repeated images in Harsha’s vivid paintings, works on paper, wall and floor works, and installations allude to the geopolitical order of society and the idea of interconnectedness—certainly a timely concept, and one on display in the mid-career retrospective the Mori Art Museum stages as part of a series devoted to contemporary artists from developing nations and regions in Asia. 53F, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower; mori.art.museum.

June 12 - October 1, 2017

To call architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s body of work far-flung would be an understatement: over six decades, he designed more than 1,000 projects across not only the United States, but countries as far as Japan and Iraq. His creations included iconic residences, furniture, light fixtures, rug patterns, skyscrapers, and much more. In honor of the 150^th anniversary of Wright’s birth, the Museum of Modern Art has taken on the gargantuan task of presenting the immense range of his output not as a traditional retrospective, but as a carefully organized archive. It’s divided into 12 sections, each investigating a key object or group of objects from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives, including works from both the MoMA and outside collections. The incredible 450 projects on view range from architectural drawings, models, building fragments, and films to tableware, textiles, and paintings—all contributing to an impressively multifaceted portrait of an artist, intellectual, and all-around modern radical. 11 W. 53^rd St.; moma.org.

June 13, 2017

In the ever-expanding world of opera, Los Angeles’ The Industry has emerged as one of the more visionary experimental groups, continually exploring the audience-performer relationship in works that aim to interact with viewers. Though the group has performed internationally, its focus remains on taking advantage of the riches in the Los Angeles arts community, which has meant collaborations with the Hammer Museum, L.A. Dance Project, and now the L.A. Philharmonic. Industry founder Yuval Sharon will oversee a new production of contemporary master Lou Harrison’s Young Caesar, incorporating dance, narration by Bruce Vilanch, the L.A. Master Chorale, and a new edition of Harrison’s score performed by the L.A. Phil New Music Group. The opera caused quite the scandal when it premiered in 1971 at Caltech—see how a modern audience reacts to the story of a teenage Gaius. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 South Grand Ave.; laphil.com.

June 13 - October 8

Fahrelnissa Zeid (1901–91) is one of the best abstract painters you’ve never heard of, a Paris-trained Turkish artist (and great-aunt of King Hussein of Jordan) who synthesized Islamic, Byzantine, and Cubist influences. Her dynamic geometric canvases went largely ignored in the male-dominated art world of postwar Paris; her retrospective at London’s Tate Modern should change that. (Think last year’s sleeper hit, “Carmen Herrera.”) —GF

June 15 - 18

The art fair that’s spawned so many international offspring makes its 48th annual return to its original site, Switzerland’s culture capital, with the works of over 4,000 artists from nearly 300 leading galleries the world over on display. Highlights this year include Unlimited, an exhibition platform that will feature large-scale sculptures and paintings, installations, and live performance; Parcours, a series of site-specific sculptures, interventions, and performances by both established and emerging artists; and Now I Won, an installation by Swiss artist Claudia Comte that will transform Basel’s Messeplatz into an immersive funfair. artbasel.com.

June 15 - 18

Modern chamber operas have lately engaged admirably with the real world issues often absent from the grander specimens of the genre, and Kamala Sankaram’s Thumbprint—which began as a song cycle and premiered in its current form at New York’s always eye-opening Prototype Festival in 2014—is no exception. It tells the true story of Mukhtar Mai, a Pakistani woman who went on to become a human rights activist after being gang-raped in 2002 as payback for an “honor crime” her brother allegedly committed. Another refreshing break from tradition: Sankaram herself stars as Mai in the production, which is now coming to Los Angeles with a score blending Hindustani and European opera influences. Redcat, 135 North Grand Ave.; laopera.org.

June 17 - October 22

Prepare ye, art lovers: the mother of all fairs is coming, and it keeps on growing. This year, expect offerings from 286 international galleries representing over 4,000 artists from 33 countries, including more from the Asia and Pacific region than in the past. Several events will take place within L.A.-based Oscar Tuazon’s architectural installation on the Messeplatz, and Basel itself will also serve as a kind of canvas. Around the city, look for an unprecedented 88 large-scale installations (including projections, performances, and paintings in addition to sculptures) and, via the “Parcours” section, site-specific sculptures, interventions and performances throughout Basel’s historic spaces. artbasel.com.

June 16 - 20

A month after the Cannes Film Festival honors the best in cinema, the Monte Carlo television festival—just a stunning 50-minute drive away—does the same for the small screen. The fest, which doles out Golden Nymphs, was founded 57 years ago by Prince Rainier III, who foresaw the primacy of TV despite his marriage to Hollywood royalty. tvfestival.com. —The Editors

June 17 - September 9

When it debuted in London last fall, the new musical adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s classic novel The Wind in the Willows charmed audiences with its colorful staging, madcap characters, and gentle evocation of pre-war Britain. With a book by Downton Abbey’s Julian Fellowes—who’s had great success lately writing for musicals including Mary Poppins and School of Rock—and tunes by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, the show now makes its West End debut. Of course, Mr. Toad (played by comedian Rufus Hound), Chief Weasel, and the rest of Grahame’s fantastical crew are in tow. The London Palladium, 8 Argyll St.; windinthewillowsthemusical.com.

Through June 18

Among the crop of notable male actors to emerge onscreen in recent years, Oscar Isaac is one of the most promising: in films like Inside Llewyn Davis, A Most Violent Year, and even Star Wars: The Force Awakens, he exudes a mixture of intelligence, wit, and mystique that’s never less than magnetic (he happens to be pretty easy on the eyes as well). That combination of qualities should serve him well when he plays the haunted prince of Denmark in the Public Theater’s new production of Shakespeare’s tragedy. He’ll be performing under the helm of one of Broadway’s most imaginative young directors, Sam Gold, and starring alongside Keegan-Michael Key (Horatio), Fun Home’s Roberta Colindrez (Rosencrantz) and the always solid Peter Friedman (Polonius). 425 Lafayette St.; publictheater.org.

June 20 - October 7

The initial production of Jez Butterworth’s The Ferryman sold out in one day for good reason: The acclaimed actor, director, and writer Paddy Considine led the cast, Butterworth himself is a star of modern theater, known for plays like Jerusalem and Mojo, and famed director Sam Mendes oversaw the whole affair. The production, centering around a farm family in 1981 Ireland, now transfers to the West End. Like most of Butterworth’s work, it’s a simple but boisterous story with far-reaching consequences. In his acting debut, Considine has garnered rave reviews—as has Butterworth’s continually surprising play. Gielgud Theatre, Shaftesbury Ave.; theferrymanplay.com.

June 20 - 24

Though it’s only existed for five seasons, New York’s On Site Opera has quickly established a reputation for powerfully evocative, imaginative productions, all of which place the performance in a setting matching the opera’s storyline. Their latest, the U.S. premiere of Darius Milhaud’s The Guilty Mother, celebrates the composer’s 125^th birthday and also completes the company’s three-year Figaro Project, for which they’ve staged rarely seen operatic adaptations of French playwright Pierre Beaumarchais’ Figaro plays. For this story, about the fast deteriorating world of the Almaviva family, audiences will be surrounded by the actors in an appropriately raw, imposing space. The Garage, 611 W. 50^th St.; osopera.org.

June 23 - 25

Jumping International of Monte Carlo is the most picturesque stop on the Longines Global Champions
Tour. The equestrian event takes place on a small, challenging course just off the Port Hercule. It’s a hop, skip, and a vault from the Prince’s Palace, which should be convenient for horse enthusiast Charlotte Casiraghi, Grace’s granddaughter. jumping-monaco.com. —The Editors

June 24 - October 9

Though he’s renowned for The Scream, Norwegian artist Edvard Munch was a prolific and innovative creator whose works included roughly 1,750 paintings, 4,500 watercolors, and forays into sculpture, graphic art, theater design and film—and he didn’t feel he truly hit his stride until his 50s. In an effort to expose American audiences to a far wider range of Munch’s work, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (in conjunction with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Munch Museum in Oslo) brings together 45 of the artist’s paintings, spanning the 1880s to the 1940s, seven of which are on view in the U.S. for the first time. Included is Despair, the earliest depiction of The Scream, which is being shown outside Europe for only the second time ever. The show travels to the Met Breuer in November. 151 Third St.; sfmoma.org.

June 27 - September 17

Wildlife photography can sometimes tend toward the inspirational-poster aesthetic, but Michael Nichols’ work brings it into the realm of fine art. The National Geographic editor-at-large is known for using inventive camera work and technology to photograph wildlife—from giant apes, big cats, and elephants to towering sequoias and redwoods—without disturbing it (a technique he calls “not being there”). In this first major Nichols survey, his extraordinary images are juxtaposed with the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s paintings, sculpture, and other media in an effort to emphasize the significance of the concept of the wild as an enduring one in art. Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. at 26^th St.; philamuseum.org.