The Wallis Presents THE SORTING ROOM: An Intimate Nightclub

The rustic elegance of The Wallis's Sorting Room continues its third season with nine eclectic programs from June 13 - 29, 2019. The Sorting Room transforms the Lovelace Studio Theater into a 140-seat custom built nightclub space that offers Los Angeles audiences a rare opportunity to experience some of the best and emerging talent in cabaret, live contemporary music, spoken word, and more. Named in honor of the room's original purpose as a mail sorting room during Hollywood's Golden Age, The Sorting Room's summer session includes:

EL HARU KUROI
June 13, 2019, 7 pm

El Haru Kuroi, is an East Los Angeles trio comprised of Eddika Edulé Organista, Michael Anthony Ibarra, and Dominque "Chief" Rodriguez, who draw their original musical style from their own experiences with life and music from which they are surrounded. Their music not only is a representation of their cultural upbringing, but also captures their individual style with a reminiscence of Mexican, South American, African, and American Jazz elements. Meeting in music school, they have evolved together and persisted in the creation of an original musical sound, which combines distinct melodic, polyrhythmic and multilingual aspects, resulting as a key ingredient for their sound. "Combining the snarling urgency of post-punk with the sensuality of bossa-nova, they've come upon something very different and exciting to listen to" - KCRW

Tickets: $15, $25, $35

Steve Ross: Cole Porter AND BEYOND
June 14-15, 2019, 7 pm

Steve Ross, labeled "the very personification of the spirit of Cole Porter" by New Yorker magazine, takes his audience on a musical and anecdotal journey through the songs of this most sophisticated composer - from his early successes in the Twenties ("I'm In Love Again," "You Do Something To Me," "Let's Do It") through his glory years in the Thirties ("It's D'Lovely," "In the Still of the Night"), the Forties (noted for his masterpiece Kiss Me Kate), and his later songs from the Fifties ("I Love Paris," "C'est Magnifique" and "It's Allright With Me"). There will also be songs by his contemporaries (and friends) the Gershwins, Jerome Kern, and Rodgers & Hart, ending with a tribute to the great Fred Astaire, for whom he wrote one of his undying classics, "Night and Day."

Tickets: $45, $55, $65

LOVE ALWAYS WINS: Daniel Beaty IN CONCERT WITH SPECIAL GUESTS LEDISI & Esperanza Spalding
June 20 & 27, 2019, 8 pm (please note later curtain time)

Following a sold-out performance of his solo show Emergency, the award-winning actor, singer, and composer returns to The Wallis to make his Sorting Room debut with special guests Esperanza Spalding and Ledisi. This intimate evening of song will explore the journey to conquer fear and pain through the power of love and authentic joy. "Astonishing wit, grit, & piercing lyricism" - The New York Times

Tickets: $15, $25, $35

THE John Holiday EXPERIENCE: LOVE & HAPPINESS
June 21, 2019, 7 pm

The John Holiday Experience: Love & Happiness is the culmination of a myriad of the award-winning operatic countertenor's experiences. Holiday's goal is to have the audience rediscover the ways in which they fell in love, how they perceive love, and what is it that makes us all feel love. The happiness comes from his joy in performing these beautiful works by African-American composers whom he loves and admires. Holiday endeavors to bridge the gap between classical and contemporary, jazz, and soul music - trying to get everyone to lean in and be immersed in the beauty of an experience.

Tickets: $25, $35, $45

PERLA BATALLA IN THE HOUSE OF COHEN: SONGS OF Leonard Cohen
June 22, 2019, 7 pm

As a Grammy-nominated singer and touring band member with the legendary songwriter Leonard Cohen, Perla Batalla knew there was much of Cohen's body of work she still wanted to perform and record. Cohen's passing in November 2016 reaffirmed Batalla's mission of sharing the lesser-known songs of Canada's poet laureate to a younger public mostly familiar with the well-covered, "Hallelujah." Perla Batalla In the House of Cohen features selected songs and rare personal anecdotes that serve to reveal the timelessness of Cohen's art through Perla Batalla's signature cross-cultural style.

Tickets: $25, $35, $45

Impro Theatre's
L.A. NOIR UNSCRIPTED
A completely improvised play in the style of film noir
Directed by Brian Lohmann
June 23, 2019, 7 pm

The dark and seedy underbelly of Los Angeles in the '40's and '50's is the setting for L.A. Noir UnScripted. Starting with audience suggestions, Impro Theatre uses authors like Raymond Chandler and James M. Cain as inspiration to embody private dicks, femme fatales, and a cadre of colorful characters. From the back alleys of Downtown to the manicured lawns of Beverly Hills, L.A. Noir UnScripted delivers hard hitting, completely improvised tales of seduction and murder.

Runtime: Approximately 1 hour 45 minutes, including a 15 minute intermission

Tickets: $15, $25, $35

The Wallis and The ASCAP Foundation
In Partnership with
A LITTLE NEW MUSIC
Presents an Evening of New Musical Theatre Songs
June 26, 2019, 7 pm

A Little New Music, in partnership with The ASCAP Foundation, returns to The Sorting Room after sold-out performances last summer and this past holiday season. Whether a premiere from an established ASCAP composer or an undiscovered tune from a promising up-and-comer, A Little New Music will keep your finger on the pulse of the musical theater scene.

Tickets: $15, $25, $35

FEELS LIKE LOVE: AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH CHRYSTA BELL
June 28, 2019, 7 pm

After returning stateside from an international headlining tour to support her new album, Feels Like Love, Chrysta Bell makes her Wallis debut in The Sorting Room's intimate environment to share up close and personal performances of songs from her new album, as well as selections from her album We Dissolve, produced by John Parish (PJ Harvey), and albums Somewhere In The Nowhere and This Train, both produced and co-written by auteur David Lynch. An Intimate Evening with Chrysta Bell promises glamour and mystery brought by a soulful performer whose enigmatic presence has captured the attention of audiences and media across the world. "Sensual, ethereal ... like a nightclub act from a shadow dimension, one that's glamorous and sexy but also on the cusp of cosmic chaos." - The Wall Street Journal

Tickets: $25, $35, $45

THE B.SLADE EXPERIENCE
June 29, 2019, 7 pm

Three-time Grammy nominee and two-time Emmy winner B.Slade brings you The B.Slade Experience, a sprawling, live multimedia journey through his remarkable career. A true veteran with rookie hunger who has worked with legends such as Snoop Dogg, Sheila E., Shanice, and Patti LaBelle, B.Slade has astonishingly racked up almost 20 albums in less than ten years. With fan favorites and hits from his albums DeLorean, B.Slade, his new album BLEU, as well as a few surprises, this experience will combine peerless vocals, sharp musicianship, masterful choreography, and stunning visuals to create an experience that is sure to excite fans (lovingly dubbed "Slayerz") and music lovers alike, and create new Slayerz along the way.

Tickets: $25, $35, $45

For more information about The Wallis, please visit: TheWallis.org.

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