Disaster is no stranger to longtime Porter Ranch residents. The community has been battered by brush fires, earthquakes and four years ago the largest natural gas leak in United States history.

Then on Thursday night another crisis appeared at the doorstep of the foothill community in northern San Fernando Valley.

Out of nowhere, spot fires ignited homes and sent hundreds of residents fleeing.

For many Porter Ranch residents, measuring the years is also about tallying calamity. They talk about the 2008 firestorm that caused evacuations and property losses. They talk about the long-term effects of the 2015 natural gas leak from the Aliso Canyon facility. Old-timers also talk about the 1971 and 1994 earthquakes, whose epicenters were not far from the community.

Resident David Lasher can still point to a stretch of his neighborhood where fires consumed homes.

“That one over there burned to the ground a decade ago, and that other one,” Lasher said. “The house behind me had the flames go over it and survived.”

On Thursday night, four houses on nearby Beaufait Avenue were consumed by flames as the fast-moving Saddleridge fire tore through the hills of the San Fernando Valley. Three of the scorched homes backed up to the now-blackened canyon wash.

Among them was Lasher’s father-in-law’s house.

One side of the house, where Lasher’s father-in-law has lived for 36 years, was charred by flames. The roof is gaping and buckled in places, while water sits an inch deep in the kitchen from a massive firefight that ultimately saved much of the structure.

Spared from the destruction was a grandfather clock, which sat near the curb of the damaged home Friday afternoon.

“That solid mahogany grandfather clock came through unscathed. It was in the corner,” Lasher, clad in a red U.S. Marine Corps T-shirt and goggles, said as he pointed into the living room.

Firefighters saved much of the house. The family plans to rebuild the rest, Lasher said.

Porter Ranch sits in a wind tunnel that during hot Santa Ana events erupt in flames. This week’s fire started in Sylmar and jumped the 5 Freeway and made a run at Granada Hills and Porter Ranch.

A huge fire in 1988 destroyed 13 homes and damaged 23 others. “It was raining fire, just orange everywhere,” Lasher said of the fire at the time. In 2008, the destructive Sayre fire caused evacuations.

Kim Thompson, who lives at the intersection of Sesnon Boulevard and Jolette Avenue in nearby Granada Hills, evacuated Thursday night with a sense of deja vu.

She thought back to the Sayre fires, which burned to the very edge of her cul-de-sac.

“We’ve been through a lot, but we choose to live here,” she said.

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“You’re on edge. You think you get used to it,” Thompson said, the wind whipping ash and through the air, watering the eyes with smoke, “but you can’t really get used to this.”

This fire burned close to the Aliso Canyon gas plant, where the gas leak sent residents fleeing from their homes for months. Officials shut down the facility and evacuated. Firefighters were on the scene for protection.

The Aliso Canyon gas blowout lasted nearly four months and was blamed for sickening thousands of Los Angeles residents, who moved out of their Porter Ranch homes to escape a sulfurous stench and a medley of maladies including headaches, nausea and nosebleeds.

Just down the street from Lasher’s home, Chris Harian stood in his own front yard Friday afternoon watching as fire trucks and news vans zipped by.

The 33-year-old moved in four months ago and now his new neighborhood was transformed. The nearby hills were bare and black and flecks of white ash were still raining down. Some of his neighbors lost their garages — others lost their backyard guest houses.

A woman up the street was standing on her front porch crying when firefighters approached her, asking if they could inspect her partially charred home.

Harian’s young daughter wandered outside and clung to his leg.

“Go back inside,” he warned. “Too much smoke!”

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Around 11:30 p.m., Harian said, police cars came through the neighborhood blaring their sirens and calling for residents to evacuate via loudspeakers.

The flames looked close. Some neighbors were panicking and blowing through stop signs. Harian — who works in marketing — dropped his two young children off at a friend’s house in La Crescenta, then returned home. He had left his gate open and wanted to check on the home one more time. It was around 1 a.m. when he returned and the situation looked dire.

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“That house was on fire,” he said, pointing at a tan, single-story home up the street. “And that one too.”

Embers were raining down on his roof and a couple of spots were smoldering, Harian noticed. So he propped a ladder against the wall, dragged the hose up to the roof and put out the hot spots.

“I don’t think there’s much left to burn,” Harian said Friday afternoon, covering his mouth and nose with a damp paper towel. But he knew fires are unpredictable.

“It’s good I have insurance,” he said.

Times staff writer Leila Miller contributed to this report.

Anaheim police have arrested a suspect in connection with a 19-year-old homicide case, officials announced this week.

Leopoldo Vargas Serrano, 47, was arrested at his Houston residence Sept. 11, Anaheim police said in a statement.

Serrano is a suspect in the fatal shooting of Luis Garcia Bucio, 21, a co-worker, after an argument Oct. 16, 2000, police said. The shooting occurred in front of a business in the 1600 block of North Miller Street in Anaheim.

An arrest warrant was issued a few days later for Serrano, charging him with one count of murder, officials said. But attempts to apprehend him were unsuccessful.

In early 2019, detectives working in collaboration with the Orange County district attorney’s office’s special TracKRS unit developed information that Serrano was living under an assumed name in Houston, police said.

Anaheim detectives, with the assistance of Houston police, served a search warrant at the residence last month and arrested Serrano. Serrano was also arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that day for unlawful entry into the U.S., officials said.

On Wednesday, Anaheim police took custody of Serrano from the U.S. Marshals Service in Houston and transported him back to Orange County, where is being held in lieu of $1-million bail, authorities said.

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All evacuation orders were lifted Saturday afternoon in the northwest San Fernando Valley as firefighters continued to make progress battling the 7,900 acre-Saddleridge fire that had shut down freeways and sent thousands fleeing from their homes.

Slightly cooler temperatures and lighter winds aided crews on their third day fighting the fire, which blackened hillsides from Porter Ranch to Sylmar, officials said. As of Saturday evening, the fire was 33% contained.

Red flag warnings remained in effect until 6 p.m. Saturday, but Santa Ana winds were replaced by onshore sea breezes by late afternoon, officials said. Humidity levels ranged from 20% down to 5% within the fire zone.

“We are prepared for any flareups as they occur,” Los Angeles Fire Capt. Branden Silverman said Saturday.

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The fire has destroyed or damaged at least 31 structures, officials said.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, officials said. But investigators are checking on reports that flames were seen coming from a power line as the fire started Thursday night, after Sylmar residents told KNBC and KABC that they saw a fire burning at the base of a transmission tower near Saddle Ridge Road, an area investigators are examining as a possible ignition point.

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“We are aware of a story out there in the media from a witness who saw fire … from a transmission tower,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said Friday night. “We believe that witness, and someone else who said something similar.”

Saddle Ridge Road resident Roberto Delgado, told The Times he saw an isolated patch of flames near the base of the tower Thursday night and called 911. Several neighbors said they too fled after seeing a wall of flames, but couldn’t identify the source.

The tower belongs to Southern California Edison and was energized Thursday night, said Edison spokeswoman Sally Jeun, who added it was too early to assign responsibility for the fire.

“Determining the cause and origin of the fire is a lengthy process. A priority right now is ensuring the safety of our customers, employees and first responders. SCE will fully cooperate with investigations,” she said Saturday.

Though the utility shut off power for thousands of customers beginning Wednesday specifically to lower the risk of destructive fires, the area where the fire started was not included in the shutdown.

“We did not deenergize any power for the Saddle Ridge fire area,” Jeun said.

As of Saturday morning about 870 Edison customers across four counties were still without power as a precaution, she said. Most are in Ventura County, though affected customers are also in Kern, L.A. and San Bernardino counties. After the Santa Ana wind event passes, crews must go out to check the power lines and ensure there’s no downed or damaged equipment before the lines can be reenergized, she said.

By 5 p.m. Saturday, fire officials had lifted all evacuation orders after clearing out about 23,000 homes over the last two days.

Some residents began returning to their homes Friday night and Saturday.

Others never left.

Porter Ranch resident Harout, 56, stayed behind in his Hampton Court home Thursday night when the fire in the canyons nearby exploded. Harout, who asked that his last name be withheld for privacy, said that if he hadn’t stayed behind to try to protect his two-story house, it would have burned like that of his next-door neighbor. That family’s house is now almost completely charred. Blackened pieces of wood litter the driveway.

Around noon Saturday, neighbors came by to the burned house — the only lost home on the block — and stuck posters with messages of support to the parts of the structure that were still standing. “We’re hugging you,” read one blue sign. Another said, “We love you & are here for you.”

A verse from the Book of Joshua inscribed above the wooden doorway had survived the flames: “As for me and my house, we will serve the lord.”

Some residents on Harout’s cul-de-sac said on Saturday they were furious that the Fire Department hadn’t come to the neighborhood when they called in the predawn hours on Friday.

Jaime Castiel, who lives across the street and also stayed behind to try to protect his house, said he called 911 three times — at 1:38, 1:55 and 2:02 a.m. His backyard had lit up with flames and he went to his pool to collect buckets of water to put it out.

“Nobody came!” he said.

A group of neighbors relayed their concerns to David Ortiz, a spokesman with the Los Angeles Fire Department who was in the neighborhood on Saturday. He said he would forward their information to their City Council member and that an investigation would be conducted to see how long it took firefighters to arrive to the street.

“We have to triage, we have to figure out where we have to place these people, where we have to place these resources,” Ortiz told them. “We’d love to put a fire truck in every cul-de-sac, in every neighborhood.”

Authorities recommend that residents heed mandatory evacuation orders for their own safety, instead of staying behind to try to protect their homes.

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and Gov. Gavin Newsom both issued emergency declarations. The governor’s office said it has obtained a federal grant to help offset the costs of fighting the Saddleridge fire and others in the state.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries while battling the blaze, one to his eye, and a man in his late 50s died after suffering a heart attack while talking with firefighters early Friday, officials said.

Friday afternoon, the wind was pushing the fire west into residential neighborhoods in Porter Ranch and farther west to less-populated areas approaching Rocky Peak Park near the Ventura County line, Silverman said.

He said the wildfire was similar to the 2008 Sayre fire, which leveled the Oakridge Estates mobile home park and was one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history.

Longtime Porter Ranch resident Caroline Walden, as she prepared Saturday morning to leave the emergency shelter in Granada Hills where she spent the night, said she had lost one home in a fire about a decade ago.

This time she was ready — the emergency kit of essentials was assembled and the photo albums were in the car. She and her two daughters left their home early Friday morning as the blaze marched toward more populated areas.

At the recreation center, her two daughters sat with their two pugs Franny and Albert along with their cat.

“I have my real children and fuzzy children,” said Walden, 56. “That’s what matters.”

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The Saddleridge fire broke out about 9 p.m. Thursday on the north side of the 210 Freeway in Sylmar. It has since at times forced shutdowns of portions of the 210, 5, 405, 14 and 118 freeways. Except for some truck routes and a few onramps and offramps, all freeways were reopened by Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, the 825-acre Sandalwood fire in Riverside County was 25% contained, officials said. The fire has burned more than 70 structures, mostly mobile homes, and claimed one life. Two smaller fires in Riverside County — the Wolf and Reche fires — were almost fully contained Saturday morning.

Farther north, the Briceburg fire in Mariposa County was at 5,190 acres as of Saturday morning with 49% containment.

Firefighters spent much of Friday working the interior of the Sandalwood blaze that engulfed a Calimesa mobile home park, Cal Fire Riverside spokesman Jeff LaRusso said. The fire damaged or destroyed more than 70 structures. Overnight they began establishing containment lines around the perimeter, he said, and expect to continue that work Saturday.

Though winds were expected to be calmer Saturday than the 30-mph gusts earlier in the week, there’s still danger, LaRusso said. When a Santa Ana wind event ends, as it is forecast to do today, “you get 100% reversal of the wind,” which can push flames in the opposite direction, LaRusso said.

“That’s going to transition today, on a wildlands fire that is one of the most dangerous times that we have.”

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Jesse Stancarone receives help from his grandson, Jesse Lasher, as they move a grandfather clock that received no damage after the Saddleridge fire burned along Beaufait Avenue in Porter Ranch. The clock has been through three fires and one earthquake, Stancarone said. 

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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An Orange County firefighter pulls hose into a damaged home after the Saddleridge fire burned along Beaufait Avenue in Porter Ranch. 

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Members of the Manokian family gather with friends as they watch firefighters mop up around their home, which was destroyed in the Saddleridge fire in Porter Ranch. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Both the 5 and 14 freeways were closed to traffic through Newhall Pass because of the Saddleridge fire. 

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters mop up around the Manokian home, which was destroyed in the Saddleridge fire in Porter Ranch. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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L.A. firefighters work to put out hot spots after the Saddleridge fire burned along Beaufait Avenue in Porter Ranch. 

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Clifford Mangang, 80, sits at the Sylmar Recreation Center with his dogs, Lola and Nina. He evacuated his home at 10 p.m. Thursday and slept in his car until 5 a.m. Friday, when he could get to the center. 

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

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Blondie, a yellow Labrador, and other pets are sheltered at the Sylmar Recreation Center.  

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters clear brush and mop up a hillside along the 14 Freeway, which was closed to traffic through Newhall Pass because of Saddleridge fire. 

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter drops water on a Saddleridge fire flare-up as brush crews clear fuel behind homes on Via Urbino in Porter Ranch. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Fire rages behind homes on Via Urbino as firefighters battle the Saddleridge fire in Porter Ranch. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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An LAFD brush crew heads out to clear fuel behind homes on Via Urbino as firefighters battle the Saddleridge fire in Porter Ranch. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters keep an eye on the Saddleridge fire burning behind Olive View Medical Center in Sylmar. 

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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The 5 Freeway is empty near the junction with the 14 Freeway as the Saddleridge fire closed both routes to all traffic. 

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

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A firefighting plane paints the hill with fire retardant to protect Olive View Medical Center from the wind-driven Saddleridge fire in Sylmar. 

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Los Angeles city firefighter Dennis DeGeeter hits a hot spot on a home on Hampton Court as firefighters battle the Saddleridge fire in Porter Ranch. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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A L.A. county firefighter sprays water on a condominium on Tampa Avenue engulfed by flames as the Saddleridge fire burns through Limekiln Canyon in Porter Ranch. 

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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The Saddleridge fire climbs the ridgeline in Sylmar, closing parts of the 210 and 118 freeways Friday morning. 

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Ozzy Butler throws water onto the deck of his parents’ house as the Saddleridge fire burns along Thunderbird Avenue in Porter Ranch early Friday morning. 

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Randy Butler tries to protect his home as the Saddleridge fire burns along Thunderbird Avenue in Porter Ranch on Friday morning. 

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Ozzy Butler talks on the phone as his father Randy tries to protect their house as the Saddleridge fire burns along Thunderbird Avenue in Porter Ranch on Friday morning. 

(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters work to contain the Saddleridge fire from spreading as a home burns in Porter Ranch. 

(Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)

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A firefighter uses a garden hose to douse flames in the backyard of a home to keep the Saddleridge fire from spreading in Porter Ranch. 

(Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)

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The Saddleridge fire burns in Wilbur Tampa Park near homes on Friday in the Porter Ranch neighborhood of Los Angeles. 

(Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)

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The Saddleridge fire burns behind homes on Friday in Porter Ranch. 

(Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)

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A firefighter works to contain the Saddleridge fire from spreading as structures burn in Porter Ranch. 

(Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)

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Residents evacuate as the Saddleridge fire creeps towards houses in the Oakridge Estates community in Sylmar late Thursday night. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters lay hose line to contain the Saddleridge fire just after midnight early Friday morning. 

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

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A helicopter makes a drop on the Saddleridge fire as people evacuate the Oakridge Estates. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

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A first responder stands in an intersection as people evacuate the Oakridge Estates during the Saddleridge fire. 

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

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Firefighters fight to contain the Saddleridge fire just after midnight early Friday morning. 

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

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Firefighters work to contain the Saddleridge fire late Thursday night. 

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

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Firefighters move out of the way of a dozer crew while working to contain the Saddleridge fire. 

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

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A firefighter makes sure residents evacuate from the Oakridge Estates in Sylmar late Thursday night. 

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

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A firefighter watches as a helicopter flies overhead. 

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

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Residents evacuate from the Oakridge Estates community late Thursday night. 

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

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Embers swarm around a burned-out truck trailer destroyed by the Saddleridge fire just after midnight early Friday morning in Sylmar. 

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

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Firefighters work to contain the Saddleridge fire late Thursday night. 

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

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Firefighters lay hose line to contain the Saddleridge fire late Thursday night. 

(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

The sensation was so familiar — the crackling wood, the helicopter rotors drumming through dread and adrenaline, dry wind and smoke and fire lighting the sky blood red.

Jackie Herrera was watching the flames in the hills above her home in Sylmar. She had known the Santa Ana winds were coming, and what that inevitably means this time of year: fire somewhere, maybe many places.

But she couldn’t believe it was here at this very spot again, where her home burned to the ground 11 years ago.

The Saddleridge fire ripped through the hills rimming the north edge of the San Fernando Valley on Thursday night and Friday, burning at least 31 structures, closing freeways and forcing the evacuations of thousands.

Peak winds above 50 mph drove embers hundreds of yards in front of the flames. The fire hopscotched west from Sylmar — leaping over the 5 Freeway into Granada Hills and Porter Ranch, at times consuming 800 acres an hour.

More than 1,000 firefighters from multiple agencies fought the sprawling blaze night and day, deploying eight helicopters and amphibious fixed-wing “super scoopers.” Ground crews manned bulldozers to cut containment lines into nearby hillsides. At least one air tanker blanketed fire retardant across the ridges between Granada Hills and Porter Ranch.

By Friday afternoon, 7,500 acres had burned.

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and Gov. Gavin Newsom both issued emergency declarations. The governor’s office said it has obtained a federal grant to help offset the costs of fighting the Saddleridge fire and others in the state.

Mandatory evacuations have been issued to roughly 23,000 homes north of the 118 Freeway from Tampa Avenue west to the Ventura County line. Officials warned that other communities near the fire need to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

Deputy Chief Jorge Rodriguez of the Los Angeles Police Department said the city sent alerts, used police public address systems and sent dozens of officers knocking on doors as the fire swept west. “A lot of people left, but some didn’t,” he said. “We aren’t going to force people to leave.”

It was depressingly familiar territory, not just because of the Sayre fire in Sylmar that burned 489 homes in 2008 but also the Aliso Canyon gas leak four years ago that forced the evacuation of 11,000 people in and around Porter Ranch, and the fire that destroyed 13 homes in Porter Ranch in 1988.

With the unrelenting wind, warm temperatures and low humidity, officials said they expect it will take days to get the blaze under control.

“Nobody is going home right away,” said Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas.

One firefighter suffered a minor injury to his eye while battling the blaze, and a man in his late 50s died after suffering a heart attack while talking with firefighters early Friday, officials said.

Friday afternoon, the wind was pushing the fire west into residential neighborhoods in Porter Ranch and farther west to less-populated areas approaching Rocky Peak Park near the Ventura County line, said Capt. Branden Silverman, an LAFD spokesman.

Porter Ranch is “basically the hot spot right now,” Silverman said. “We’re trying to keep it boxed in above the 118 Freeway. Obviously that’s a good fire break for us, but if the winds shift to the south, then that would be into Chatsworth.”

Silverman said the wildfire is similar to the 2008 Sayre fire, which leveled the Oakridge Estates mobile home park and was one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history.

The Saddleridge fire broke out about 9 p.m. Thursday on the north side of the 210 Freeway.

By early Friday, it was at the Oakridge community’s door again. Residents, including Herrera, were evacuated, and many waited in their cars nearby watching the flames’ hypnotic destruction.

“I can’t quite pull myself away,” Herrera said. Her cat Satchel, who survived the fire 11 years ago, was in her car. “I don’t want to go through this again, and he doesn’t either,” Herrera said.

Danny Rios, 59, lives in Oakridge with his father. His parents lost their home there in 2008 and Rios had lost his own, but they decided to return for the quiet natural setting. His mother has since died, and he didn’t know how his father might cope with another potential loss.

“It’s a horrible, horrible feeling to lose your home, to lose everything in it,” he said.

In Granada Hills, retired nurse Patricia Strucke, 79, watched the flames burn in Riverside County on the 9 p.m. news and felt sick thinking of the families some 90 miles away whose homes were at risk.

“Your house can be gone in five minutes,” she remembered thinking. “I can’t watch this. It’s too horrible.”

She walked into the kitchen and put her empty glass in the sink. Then, she looked up. Through her kitchen window, she saw a glowing red semicircle licking at the hills.

“My God!” she said. “There’s a fire in Sylmar.”

She rushed to wake her husband, Edward, 77, who uses a wheelchair, warning him they may need to evacuate. But it was still a good distance away, so she kept monitoring it.

Around 11:30 p.m., as the flames chewed down a hill about 200 yards from their home, Patricia barged into the couple’s bedroom. “Get up!” she told her husband. “We’re going.”

Edward slipped on shoes and got into his wheelchair. Outside, ash rained down on the home they’d lived in for 45 years. As they drove away, Patricia realized she’d forgotten her husband’s most important medication, an anti-coagulant, but it was too late to go back.

She thought, too, of the many memories they’d made inside the home.

She thought of her two grandchildren, now teenagers, and how they learned to swim in their backyard pool. She thought of the times they came over after school to work on homework or when they helped tend her tomato plants. “Am I going to have a home?” she thought.

Unsure of where to go, the couple pulled into a Ralphs parking lot to wait. Edward called the police, asking if they knew of any evacuation centers. Not yet, they said. When he called back, officials directed them to the Granada Hills Recreation Center. They arrived around 1:30 a.m. and spent the night on cots set up by the Red Cross.

About 8:30 a.m. Friday, a neighbor called to say that he’d managed to get close to their house. Everything was ashy and the air was still choked with smoke, but the home seemed safe, he told her. Relief washed over Patricia. But she said she knows embers can change things quickly.

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About 9:30 a.m., a Red Cross volunteer handed Edward a blue mask to block the smell of smoke. Another volunteer waved goodbye, saying her shift had ended. “Bye!” Edward said, waving. “No offense, but I hope I never have to see you again.”

Sitting nearby, Amelia Peters, 78, was a ball of nerves. She’d been in a panic the day before the fire after her landlord had given her a 60-day eviction notice. Worried about her future, her blood pressure spiked to 180 on Thursday, she said, and her husband took her to the emergency room.

She returned home that night only to find herself monitoring flames from her windows. “I’m packed and ready to go as soon as they give evacuation orders,” Peters texted a friend. They left around 4 a.m. and drove to the rec center with their chihuahua, Bambi.

She left behind her collection of blue-and-white ceramics and all of the paintings her three children had made over the years — her own little gallery, she said. But most of all, she was worried about her husband, a music producer, who didn’t want to leave all of his equipment and decided to wait it out at home.

At the evacuation site Friday morning, Peters looked down at her right arm, still bandaged from a blood draw at the hospital. “Yesterday I went to Kaiser, because I was so stressed,” she said, laughing softly. “Now, I’m way more stressed.”

Kim Thompson of Granada Hills evacuated at midnight and had enough time to return for a bottle of wine. Her neighbors were less willing to leave: “Up here, we’re stubborn. My neighbors are spraying their roofs right now.”

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A little after 1 a.m., Thompson heard from a friend that fire crews were allowing two homes on Jolette Avenue to burn to the ground. She thought back to the Aliso Canyon evacuation and the Sayre fire, which burned to the very edge of her cul-de-sac.

“We’ve been through a lot, but we choose to live here,” she said.

“You’re on edge. You think you get used to it,” Thompson said, eyes watering in the smoke, “but you can’t really get used to this.”

Times staff writers Hannah Fry, Colleen Shalby, Matthew Ormseth, Leila Miller, Matt Stiles and Alejandra Reyes-Velarde contributed to this report.

Most Angelenos can’t see the Saddleridge fire, but they have been breathing it as a dirty blanket of smoke settled over much of the city and raised air pollution levels.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District on Saturday issued a health advisory, urging people to limit their exposure to the smoke by remaining indoors and avoiding vigorous physical activity.

District monitors showed elevated levels of particle pollution throughout the San Fernando Valley, in the western areas of Los Angeles and coastal areas west of the 110 Freeway.

In Santa Monica, the weekly farmers market and other outdoor events were canceled because of the smoke and poor air quality.

A shift in the winds Saturday night and Sunday morning could push the smoke across much of the Los Angeles Basin and eastward as far as the San Bernardino Valley. The health advisory was expected to remain in effect through Sunday morning.

The fire is burning in hills bordering the northern edge of the San Fernando Valley. The fire’s growth slowed Saturday as winds diminished. As of Saturday evening, the fire had charred more than 7,900 acres and damaged or destroyed at least 31 buildings.

It was 33% contained.

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Smoke from wildfires contains extremely fine particles that can lodge in the lungs, potentially causing serious health problems.

Here are some tips for dealing with wildfire smoke from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Monitor air quality reports during a fire if you are:

• a person with heart or lung disease, such as heart failure, angina, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema or asthma.
• an older adult, which makes you more likely to have heart or lung disease than younger people.
• caring for children, including teenagers, because their respiratory systems are still developing, they breathe more air (and air pollution) per pound of body weight than adults, they’re more likely to be active outdoors, and they’re more likely to have asthma.
• a person with diabetes, because you are more likely to have underlying cardiovascular disease.
• a pregnant woman, because there could be potential health effects for both you and the developing fetus.

High concentrations of smoke can trigger a range of symptoms.

• Anyone may experience burning eyes, a runny nose, cough, phlegm, wheezing and difficulty breathing.
• If you have heart or lung disease, smoke may make your symptoms worse. People with heart disease might experience chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath or fatigue. People with lung disease may not be able to breathe as deeply as usual and may experience coughing, chest discomfort, wheezing and shortness of breath.

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P.J. Lennon had a plan for his retirement: To pay his bills, he would rent out the one-bedroom house that sits alongside his home in the Hollywood Hills.

He fixed it up with Buddha sculptures and artwork and began advertising it online through Airbnb and VRBO. Travelers paid up to $199 a night to sleep in the hideaway with banana trees and a show-stopping view.

He was banking on that money to pay the bills, he said, after a career as an actor, model and photographer. When he dies, Lennon said, “I just want to be carried out of my own home in a pine box.”

But he fears he may not be able to remain there under an ordinance that says Angelenos can rent out only their “primary residence” for short stays, not a second home or investment property. Lennon said those rules would eliminate his only source of income, likely forcing him to sell his house and move.

“I don’t want to be forced out by the government,” he said.

Tenant activists and other critics of short-term rentals argue the rules will help prevent apartment buildings from being bought up and run like hotels, pulling units off the market in the middle of a housing crisis. The Los Angeles City Council approved the rules in December after more than three years of debate over how to regulate night-to-night rentals.

But hosts like Lennon who rent out something other than their primary residence — a phenomenon the city has dubbed “vacation rentals” — have argued that an outright ban goes too far. As the city prepares to start enforcing the law in November, some are pleading with the city to rethink its plans.

A newly formed group called Homeshare Alliance Los Angeles has been pushing council members to permit some Angelenos to rent out a secondary unit to travelers. They argue that the city has unfairly lumped them in with “commercial operators” advertising dozens of units.

“They’re throwing the baby out with the bathwater,” said Chani Krich, one of the leaders of the alliance. “We support getting rid of commercial operators. … But thousands of mom-and-pops need to be protected.”

Tenant advocates have resisted that push, citing the dire need for housing.

“You’re pulling a unit off the market,” said Cynthia Strathmann, executive director of the nonprofit Strategic Actions for a Just Economy. “We’re allowing all this housing to funnel off the market so a few people can make money?”

City officials have estimated there are between 8,000 and 13,000 listings for “vacation rentals” in L.A. When the new law allowing people to rent out their primary residence for short stays was approved, several council members proposed a second ordinance that would permit people to do so with other properties as well. In February, city staffers tossed out a number of options, including capping the number of vacation rentals for each host.

“I assumed they were going to have everything in place by the time they started enforcing everything,” said Marta Cross, who lives in a Highland Park duplex and rents out the second unit for short stays.

But nothing has been drafted — and some council members don’t think it should be. Councilman Mike Bonin, who represents coastal areas including Venice, called permitting vacation rentals “nothing short of a full-frontal assault” on the rental rules and argued that doing so could fatally complicate the enforcement system before it had a chance to work.

Bonin added that if mom-and-pop operators are relying on income from a second unit, “it would be great if those units were being rented by people who live permanently in Los Angeles” as tenants.

As L.A. faces a housing crisis, “every second unit is a unit that could be made available for housing and should be made available for housing,” said James Elmendorf, policy director for the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, which advocated limiting short-term rentals.

Many hosts say that they can’t or won’t do that. Some rental operators say they need to be able to use a second unit from time to time to put up family or other visitors, making it impossible to bring in a longtime tenant. Others say it just won’t bring in enough money to cover their bills.

Lennon said he had rented his property to tenants before, only to end up with scofflaws who stopped paying the rent. When he went to court to eject them, “I lost what little savings I had,” he said.

In Eagle Rock, Peter Hwang bought a triplex and is living with his family in one unit, renting another to a longtime tenant, and advertising the third for short stays.

Hwang said that if he couldn’t rent out that third unit to travelers, there would be no way he could afford to keep renting to his tenant — an elderly woman whose rent he hasn’t raised.

Renting out both units to long-term tenants would mean “hemorrhaging money every month,” he said. If the city starts enforcing the rules, Hwang said he would have to consider selling the triplex.

Cross said that with her second child due in November, she is trying to get rid of the furniture in her second unit in Highland Park and find a tenant.

The higher rates she can get from short-term rentals — between $100 and $140 a night — have helped cushion the irregular income she and her husband bring in as an actress and jazz musician, she said.

“It’s going to be OK for a few months,” Cross said. “But I worry about the month after that.”

Hosts have also raised concerns about soon-to-be enforced restrictions on hosting such rentals in “granny flats” or accessory units, as well as a blanket ban on units that fall under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance, which limits rent hikes. Krich said that if those rules are not changed, she would likely have to sell her property and delay starting a family.

Online platforms like Airbnb and VRBO have urged the city to hold off on enforcing the rules. VRBO representatives have argued that L.A. should wait and continue to work on “holistic” rules that regulate night-to-night rentals in all kinds of properties, including “traditional vacation rentals.”

Homeshare Alliance Los Angeles, the recently formed group for hosts, has suggested allowing people to rent out two units — their primary residence and a second unit — on L.A. parcels with four units or fewer. It also wants people living in rent stabilized units to be allowed to offer up their own primary homes for short stays.

The push to delay enforcement and revisit the rental rules has worried tenant activists and other critics of Airbnb-type rentals. A coalition of tenant advocates, community groups and the hotel industry has urged city leaders to start enforcing the restrictions in November to “stop the bleeding of our housing stock.”

“If the city wants to strategically focus their enforcement resources on … corporate owned and operated short-term rentals, I don’t think you’re going to hear us complain,” said Bill Przylucki, executive director of the community organizing group People Organized for Westside Renewal.

But “this is the law,” he said. “There are elections in 2020 if you’re really that upset about it.”

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No week can be without artistic controversy — and this week offers one over a popular desert biennial and another over the Nobel Prize for literature. I’m Carolina A. Miranda, staff writer at the Los Angeles Times, with everything that’s simmering:

Desert X in Saudi Arabia

Desert X, the Coachella Valley art biennial, is headed to Saudi Arabia for its 2020 iteration, and the move has generated an outcry, especially in light of columnist Jamal Khashoggi‘s brutal assassination last year. The Times’ Deborah Vankin reports that three biennial board members have resigned in protest: artist Ed Ruscha, curator Yael Lipschutz and fashion designer Tristan Milanovich.

Lipschutz told Vankin that staging an exhibition in Saudi Arabia was “completely unethical.” And in an interview with the Desert Sun, Ruscha compared it to “inviting Hitler to a tea party.”

In the galleries

Times art critic Christopher Knight reviews the Hammer Museum’s retrospective on L.A. painter Lari Pittman (whom I profiled last month). Writes Knight: “Rather than one-dimensional agitprop, Pittman’s paintings offer complex states of agitated being. (Trauma is never fully assuaged.) At once sweet, sour and spicy, the flavor is Pachamama — ancient Andean goddess of immovable mountains, who also delivers earthquakes.”

Also on Knight’s docket: an exhibition of work by Philip Guston at Hauser & Wirth, which includes the artist’s scathing pen-and-ink drawings of Richard Nixon from the 1970s. “Today, in 2019,” writes Knight, “as presidential scandals erupt and an impeachment inquiry unfolds, be prepared for flashbacks.”

He also reports on an exhibition by Sayre Gomez at François Ghebaly Gallery, a “disconcerting show” that is “spot-on for the anxieties of life today,” as well as an immersive installation by Ernesto Neto at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. “The Amazon rainforest of Brazil, Bolivia and Peru is aflame from a greedy mix of agribusiness and climate change,” says Knight. “But in Neto’s art, a thoughtful space for absorbing the nutrients of social interaction unfurls.”

At Karma International L.A., contributor David Pagel checks out paintings of car wrecks by Alex Becerra that are “violent collisions of images,” as well as “thoughtful meditations on the way we make sense of modern life.”

Pagel also reports on L.A. painter Tomory Dodge’s “fresh and jaunty” abstractions at Philip Martin Gallery and a show by Dona Nelson at Michael Benevento Gallery that “scares off viewers who want abstract paintings — especially abstract paintings made by women — to be safe.”

The Times’ Makeda Easter charts the historical phenomena that shaped the work on view in “Where the Sea Remembers,” a show of contemporary art inspired by Vietnam at the Mistake Room. “The year 2007 — when Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization — is an important point of context for the exhibition,” she writes. “It marks a peak in the country’s efforts to open its economy, soften its borders.”

Contributor Sharon Mizota took a renegade tour of the Getty Center with a group called Bad Ass Bitches. “It is all about looking critically at traditional art history through the lens of female empowerment,” she writes.

Classical notes

Who will replace Plácido Domingo as general director at L.A. Opera? No one, reports The Times’ Jessica Gelt. “L.A. Opera’s board of directors announced that it will consolidate the role of general director with the duties of company president and chief executive officer Christopher Koelsch, whose title will remain the same.”

There are new faces in classical music around Southern California: American conductor Michael Christie began his tenure at the New West Symphony in Thousand Oaks, and Venezuelan Rafael Payare took over the baton at the San Diego Symphony. “Both orchestras are embracing the mission of refreshing the modern concert experience for a new generation,” writes Times classical music critic Mark Swed.

Swed also writes about performances by the L.A. Phil that reflect how director Gustavo Dudamel has refused to accept the singular “America” into his vocabulary — “only Américas or Americas.” The shows featured work by U.S. composers such as Barber, Gershwin, Previn and Copland alongside works by the Mexican Carlos Chávez and a new composition by Argentine composer Esteban Benzecry.

On the stage

At South Coast Repertory, Adam Bock’s “The Canadians” is receiving its world premiere under the direction of Jaime Castañeda.

The first half plays “like a Canadian version of ‘The Office,’” writes Times theater critic Charles McNulty, and the second is “a queer version of ‘The Love Boat.’” But “something real takes over,” says McNulty, “a quiet truth about the way strangers can enter our lives, even for a short time, and permanently extend their horizons.”

At the Hollywood Pantages, the national tour of “Anastasia” has landed. “Every backdrop is eye candy, saturated with luscious color,” writes Margaret Gray. But the narrative, based on the myth that the daughter of Czar Nicholas II survived the 1918 assassination of the Romanov family, needs work: “Even the best song in the world can be exasperating if it doesn’t seem to be taking the story anywhere.”

Santa Barbara Ensemble Theatre Company’s high-tech, modern-dress production of Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure,” a play at whose heart lies a sexual assault, makes a “chillingly effective” connection with the present, reports Philip Brandes.

Bekah Brunstetter‘s “Miss Lilly Gets Boned,” about the romantic travails of a 35-year-old virgin, got its West Coast premiere courtesy of Rogue Machine. And the results are mixed, writes F. Kathleen Foley, with action that “vaults from the twee to the dire.”

Lastly, The Times’ Ashley Lee has a report on how projection design, an area of theater that often goes unrecognized (it’s not traditional scenic or lighting design), is remaking works on stage. These special effects, which include projected animations, have “unlocked new storytelling possibilities for theatermakers,” she writes.

Ready for the weekend

Daryl H. Miller has the week’s guide to what’s doing in small theaters, including a haunted house version of “Macbeth.”

My weekly arts Datebook features a show at the MAK Center that provides a feminine lens through which to examine the work of Modernist architect R.M. Schindler.

And Matt Cooper rounds up nine great things to do in L.A. this week, including performances by soprano Renée Fleming and Dove Cameron in “The Light in the Piazza.”

Your support helps us deliver the news on culture — and this newsletter. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times.

In other news…

— Architectural Digest, which was founded in L.A., is celebrating its 100th year of publication.
— Times design writer Lisa Boone wraps up the San Fernando Valley’s best architecture in one four-hour tour.
— “It’s smart, surgical, sprawling and slightly soulless.” Critic Michael Kimmelman pays the newly revamped Museum of Modern Art a visit.
— Critic Wesley Morris says black theater is having a moment — and it’s thanks to Tyler Perry.
— How a new version of “Porgy and Bess” raises old questions about race and opera.
— Argentine feminists remake the tango.
— The Nobel Prize for literature was awarded to Polish author Olga Tokarczuk and Austrian novelist Peter Handke this week.
— The prizes are an attempt for the Nobel to reestablish credibility in the wake of a #MeToo scandal, but “it’s only been half successful,” writes former Times book editor Carolyn Kellogg in the Chicago Tribune. “These winners are a home run and a big miss. Handke is a disaster.”
— The Kennedy Center is displaying paintings by George W. Bush, and it’s “unfortunate,” writes Philip Kennicott.

And last but not least…

Fred Armisen, art aficionado.

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Here is a list of new plays, Critics’ Choices, etc. for Oct. 13-20. Capsule reviews are by Charles McNulty (C.M.), Philip Brandes (P.B.), F. Kathleen Foley (F.K.F.), Margaret Gray (M.G.) and Daryl H. Miller (D.H.M.).

Openings

Dear One: Love & Longing in Mid-Century Queer America Staged reading of Josh Irving Gershick’s fact-based epistolary drama. A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena. Sun., 1:30 p.m. $10-$20. (626) 356-3121. anoisewithin.org

Fritz Coleman’s Defying Gravity The comic and local weatherman performs a benefit show. Garry Marshall Theatre, 4252 W. Riverside Drive, Burbank. Sun., 3 p.m. $50. (818) 955-8101. garrymarshalltheatre.org

Story Pirates Musical sketch comedy show for ages 5 and up. Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Promenade Terrace, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. Sun., 11 a.m. $Free. (310) 746-4000. TheWallis.org

The Living Room Series Staged reading of Susan Ferrara’s “The Fall.” The Blank’s 2nd Stage Theatre, 6500 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Mon., 8 p.m. $15 suggested donation. (323) 661-9827. theblank.com

The Who’s Tommy Benefit concert-staged performance of the Tony-winning rock musical. La Jolla Playhouse, Mandell Weiss Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla. Mon.,t 7:30 p.m. $500-$1000. LaJollaPlayhouse.org

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Center Theatre Group Library Play Reading Series “Cosas Pequeñas y Extraordinarias” by Daniela Arroia and Michaela Gramajo; performed in Spanish. Benjamin Franklin Library, 2200 E. 1st St., L.A. Tue., 6 p.m. Also at Malabar Library, 2801 Wabash Ave., L.A. Wed., 6 p.m.; and Robert Louis Stevenson Library, 803 Spence St., L.A. Thu., 6 p.m. Free. CenterTheatreGroup.org

The Second City’s Greatest Hits (Vol. 59) Current company members revisit some of the storied Chicago-based comedy troupe’s classic routines. Musco Center for the Arts, Chapman University, 1 University Drive, Orange. Wed., 7:30 p.m. $25-$48. (844) 626-8726. muscocenter.org

The Bench, A Homeless Love Story Writer-performer Robert Galinsky explores homelessness and the AIDS crisis in the 1980s in this fact-based solo drama. Hudson Guild Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Thu., 8 p.m.; ends Nov. 19. $20. onstage411.com

Betty Buckley The Tony winner performs in this intimate cabaret show. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Samueli Theater, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Thu.-Sat., 7:30 p.m. $89 and up. (714) 556-2787. scfta.org

Little Women Brand new stage adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel about the hopes and dreams of four sisters living with their mother during the Civil War. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre. Thu.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2:30 and 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2:30 p.m.; ends Nov. 3. $15-$30. (626) 355-4318. sierramadreplayhouse.org

Los Angeles Diversity in Comedy Festival Fourth annual four-day festival presented by the Second City features stand-up, improv, workshops, panels and more; with the Prima Doñas, the Black Pantherettes, the Katydids, et al. Various locations. Starts Thu.-ends next Sun. Various times and prices; passes, $80, $100. secondcity.com

A Night With Janis Joplin Bio-musical celebrates the legendary 1960s rock singer. The Saban Theater, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. Thu., 8 p.m. $38-$98. wheremusicmeetsthesoul.com

Tarantina This burlesque show inspired by the films of Quentin Tarantino gets a “From Dusk Til Dawn”-style, Halloween-themed makeover. Club Bahia, 1130 Sunset Blvd., L.A. Thu., 8:15 p.m. $25-$300. tarantinashow.com

Without Walls (WOW) Festival This biennial presented by La Jolla Playhouse returns with a series of site-based and interactive performances by local companies, international guest artists and others. Arts District, Liberty Station, San Diego. Starts Thu.; ends next Sun. Free to $20. lajollaplayhouse.org

The Cockfight Play A gay man meets a woman and falls in love with her in Mike Bartlett’s comedy. The Beverly Hills Playhouse, 254 S. Robertson Ave., Beverly Hills. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 7 p.m.; ends Nov. 17. $25. (323) 348-4979. crimsonsquare.org

Death With Dignity … Comes in a Milkshake A therapist’s office is overrun by patients with all manner of issues in this new drama from Sam Henry Kass. Theatre 68, 5112 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; ends Nov. 16. $25. Theatre68.com

Dracula Radio-style presentation of the Bram Stoker terror tale about a Transylvanian vampire loose in London. Long Beach Shakespeare Company, Helen Borgers Theatre, 4250 Atlantic Blvd., Long Beach. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m. $12.50. (562) 997-1494. LBShakespeare.org

Gravity and Other Myths The acrobatic troupe from Australia performs. Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m. $25-$100. (949) 854-4646. thebarclay.org

Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill Jazz great Billie Holiday performs in a rundown bar in Philadelphia in 1959 near the end of her life in Lanie Robertson’s drama with music; for ages 16 and up; contains adult language and situations. International City Theatre, Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Nov. 3. $47, $49; opening night only, $55, $125. (562) 436-4610. InternationalCityTheatre.org

LGBTQ+ Live! The Short+Sweet Hollywood Festival presents three distinct programs of short plays. Marilyn Monroe Theatre, 7936 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. Fri., 7 p.m.; Sat., and next Sun., 2 and 7 p.m.; next Mon., 7 p.m. $20. Sweet-Tix.com

Love Connie 2: Electric Boogaloo Drag artists John Cantwell and Kelly Mantle return in this send-up of 1970s and ’80s women-in-prison exploitation flicks. The Cavern Club at Casita Del Campo, 1920 Hyperion Ave., L.A. Fri., 9 p.m.; next Sun., 7 p.m.; ends Oct. 27. $25. (800) 838-3006. brownpapertickets.com

Heather McDonald The comic and podcaster performs. Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Scherr Forum Theatre, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Fri.-Sat., 7:30 p.m. $29. (800) 745-3000. ticketmaster.com

The Music Man Broadway’s Adam Pascal heads the cast of 5-Star Theatricals’ staging of the classic Meredith Wilson musical about a con man who tries to swindle the good people of a small Iowa town. Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Kavli Theatre, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Oct. 27. $35-$83. (800) 745-3000. 5startheatricals.com

My Favorite Suicide Saudade Theatre presents Portuguese playwright Mickaël de Olivera’s new apocalyptic fable; for ages 16 and up. 905 Cole Theatre at Anthony Meindl’s Actor Workshop, 905 Cole Ave., L.A. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 7:30 p.m.; ends Nov. 3. $20. saudadetheatre.org

Take Me Nocturnal Fandango presents this immersive, Halloween-themed solo theatrical experience. Time and venue announced to ticket holders upon purchase. Starts Fri.; ends Oct. 27. $155. nocturnalfandango.org

Witkacy / Two-headed Calf Polish avant-garde playwright Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz is celebrated in this U.S. premiere co-presented by CalArts Center for New Performance and Warsaw’s Studio Teatrgaleria. REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., downtown L.A. Fri.,-Sat., 8:30 p.m.; next Sun., 3 p.m.; ends Oct. 25. $22-$32. (213) 237-2800. redcat.org

Things to do

Between Riverside and Crazy L.A. premiere of Stephen Adly Guirgis’ Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy-drama about a widowed former cop and his recently paroled son sharing a rent-controlled New York City apartment. The Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., L.A. Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Dec. 15. $25-$45. (323) 663-1525. FountainTheatre.com

Buried Child Dark secrets are revealed when a young man and his girlfriend pay an unexpected visit to his family’s farm in Sam Shepard’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena. Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Nov. 23. $25 and up; student rush, $20; group discounts available. (626) 356-3121. anoisewithin.org

Conversations ’Bout the Girls Towne Street Theatre presents by Sonia Jackson’s drama about customers at a small-town lingerie shop as part of its “Autumn Nights” series. Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 4 p.m. $10; packages available. townestreetla.org

Dirty Tricks W/ The New Bad Boys of Magic Daniel Donohue and Eric Siegel mix magic and comedy; ages 21 and up only. The Three Clubs, 1123 Vine St., Hollywood. Sat., 8 p.m. $10. badboysmagic.com

Ghosted! by Roz Drezfalez Live! The drag artist and podcaster shares the stage with special guests in this Halloween-themed show. The Cavern Club at Casita Del Campo, 1920 Hyperion Ave., L.A. Sat., 8 p.m. $20. (800) 838-3006. brownpapertickets.com

I Never Saw Another Butterfly A Jewish child who survived the Holocaust shares her story in Celeste Raspanti’s drama. Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. Sat., 1 and 5 p.m.; next Sun., 1 p.m.; ends Oct. 27. $15-$25; group discounts available. (949) 497-2787. lagunaplayhouse.com

Lila Downs’ Día de Muertos: Al Chile The Grammy-winning vocalist is joined by Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet Company and Mariachi Femenil Flores Mexicana for a celebration of Mexico’s Day of the Dead. Ford Theatres, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood. Sat., next Sun., 8 p.m. $35-$70. (323) 461-3673. FordTheatres.org (Also at Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa, Oct. 27)

The Music of Brian Gallagher Broadway veterans including Megan Hilty and Carly Hughes perform songs by the singer-songwriter and guitarist. The Colony Theatre, 555 N. 3rd St., Burbank. Oct. 19. Sat., 8 p.m. $45, $60. (866) 811-4111. colonytheatre.org

1984 The Actors’ Gang revives its 2006 stage adaptation of Orwell’s classic novel about life in a totalitarian dystopia. The Actors’ Gang Theater, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City. Sat., 8 p.m.; ends Dec. 7. $25-$50; Thursdays, pay what you can. (310) 838-4264. TheActorsGang.com

Ravenswood Manor Justin Sayre’s campy mix of horror and soap opera, told in 12 stand-alone episodes over the course of six weeks. Celebration Theatre, 6760 Lexington Ave., L.A. Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Nov. 24. $30, $40. (323) 957-1884. celebrationtheatre.com

Something Rotten! Musical Theatre West opens its 67th season with the West Coast regional-theater premiere of this musical comedy about two brothers in 16th-century London looking to create a show to compete with Shakespeare’s plays. With Davis Gaines. Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach. Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 1 p.m.; ends Nov. 3. $20 and up. (562) 856-1999. musical.org

Wicked Lit X8 Unbound Productions presents excerpts from eight of its site-specific terror tales in this fundraiser. Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery, 2300 N. Marengo Ave., Altadena. Sat., 6:30, 7:30, 9 and 10 p.m. $50. (323) 332-2065. wickedlit.org

Gene Kelly: The Legacy Patricia Ward Kelly, the entertainment legend’s widow, shares stories from his life and career. La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada. Next Sun., 2 p.m. $25-$46. (562) 944-9801. lamiradatheatre.com

Critics’ Choices

Almost Famous Spun from Cameron Crowe’s autobiographically inspired 2000 film about a teenage rock journalist’s freewheeling sentimental education while on the road with an up-and-coming band, this new musical (with original music by Tony winner Tom Kitt complementing the selection of 1970s rock classics) is as shimmering as a stadium of lighters during a Led Zeppelin encore. Crowe has adapted his Oscar-winning screenplay into the musical’s book, which preserves much of what was so appealing about the film without insisting on perfect fidelity. What is perfectly distilled is the chaotic, communal spirit of ’70s rock in a musical that seems destined to conquer Broadway. (C.M.) The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego. Sun., next Sun., 2 and 7 p.m.; Tue.-Wed., 7 p.m.; Thu.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 8 p.m.; ends Oct. 27. $70 and up. (619) 234-5623. TheOldGlobe.org

Andy Warhol’s Tomato In this deftly staged debut, Vince Melocchi’s two-hander imagines an encounter in 1946 Pittsburgh between 18-year old Warhol (only an aspiring commercial artist at that point) and a blue-collar barkeep harboring secret dreams of becoming a writer. Carefully researched factual accuracy notwithstanding, the play isn’t so much a biographical portrait as a touching exploration of cultural division bridged by a fundamental human need to create. (P.B.) Pacific Resident Theatre, 703 Venice Blvd., Venice. Sun., next Sun., 3 p.m.; Thu.-Sat., 8 p.m.; ends Oct. 27. $25-$34. (310) 822-8392. pacificresidenttheatre.com

In Circles David Schweizer directs a tantalizing revival of this 1967 work created by composer Al Carmines, a seminal figure in the off-off-Broadway movement, from Gertrude Stein’s 1920 “A Circular Play.” The austerity of this playful collage of wordplay is unusually amiable when set to music: Imagine Dr. Seuss as a cubist poet with a taste for avant-garde performance and a love for old-fashioned musical showmanship. The game cast and sharp design keep us in the eternal present, which was Stein’s theatrical goal in jettisoning all that we’ve come to expect from theater: definable character, linear dialogue and developing plot. What’s left is a shimmering sensibility that gambols freely in a new age. (C.M.) Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A. Sun., next Sun., 2 p.m.; Wed., Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; ends Nov. 10. $32-$37; discounts available; $10 tickets on select dates. (310) 477-2055. www.OdysseyTheatre.com

Little Shop of Horrors If “Sweeney Todd” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” mated, the offspring would look something like “Little Shop of Horrors,” the off-off-Broadway camp-thriller musical by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken that became a long-running off-Broadway hit in the 1980s. This new revival, directed by Mike Donahue, finds more realism than usual in this over-the-top doo-wop-infused tale about a clerk at a flower shop who makes a pact with a carnivorous, talking plant (powerfully voiced by “Glee’s” Amber Riley) that promises fame, fortune and romantic bliss for the price of his soul and flora world domination. The touching leads, George Salazar as Seymour, the nerdy flower shop drone with an unusual horticultural flair, and Mj Rodriguez (“Pose”) as Audrey, the delicate co-worker he would like to rescue from a malignant relationship, draw out the full humanity of their characters. (C.M.)The Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. Sun., next Sun., 2 and 7 p.m.; Tue.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 8 p.m.; ends Oct. 20. $25 and up. (626) 356-7529. pasadenaplayhouse.org

Here is a list of classical music performances in L.A. for Oct. 13-20:

Camera Lucida Chamber music by Shostakovich, Bartok and Bridge. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Samueli Theater, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Sun., 8 p.m. $38 and up. (949) 553-2422. PhilharmonicSociety.org

Dudamel Conducts Music from the Americas Gustavo Dudamel leads the LA Phil in Chávez’ Symphony No. 2, “Sinfonía India”; the world premiere of Esteban Benzecry’s “Universos infinitos” piano concerto with pianist Sergio Tiempo; and Copland’s “Rodeo” and “Fanfare for the Common Man.” Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Sun., 2 p.m. $72-$222. (323) 850-2000. laphil.com

The Every Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Music appreciation with KUSC’s Alan Chapman. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Samueli Theater, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Sun., 3 p.m. $15 and up. (949) 553-2422. PhilharmonicSociety.org

The Light in the Piazza LA Opera presents Renée Fleming, Dove Cameron and Brian Stokes Mitchell in the Craig Lucas-Adam Guettel romantic musical about a woman and her daughter on vacation in Florence, Italy in 1953. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Sun., next Sun., 2 p.m.; Thu.-Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 7:30 p.m.; ends Oct. 20. $29 and up. (213) 972-8001. LAOpera.org

Los Angeles Violoncello Society Works by Halsey Stevens, Andrew Norman, Tom Flaherty, Kristapor Najarian, and more. Sun., 4 p.m. Crossroads School, Roth Hall, 1714 21st St., Santa Monica. Free. lacello.org

Nicole’s Favorites Jouyssance Early Music Ensemble marks 20 years under artistic director Dr. Nicole Baker with a program of works by Tallis, Monteverdi and others. St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 122 S. California Ave., Monrovia. Sun., 4 p.m. $15-$25. (800) 838-3006. brownpapertickets.com

Restoration Concerts The New Hollywood String Quartet plays pieces by Beethoven, Schumann and Purcell. South Pasadena Public Library, Community Room, 1115 El Centro St., South Pasadena. Sun., 4 p.m. $20. (626) 799-6333. friendsofsopaslibrary.org

Second Sundays at Two Violinist Ken Aiso and pianist Valeria Morgovskaya plays pieces by Beethoven, De Falla and Ravel. Rolling Hills United Methodist Church, 26438 Crenshaw Blvd., Rolling Hills Estates. Sun., 2 p.m. Free. (310) 316-5574.

Beethoven 250 Six-day festival marking Beethoven’s 250th birthday showcases the composer’s string quartets; with the Calidore String Quartet, the Viano String Quartet, et al. Various times, Mon.-Sat. The Colburn School, Thayer Hall and Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. $15, $30; festival passes, $126; some free events. (213) 621-1050. colburnschool.edu

The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Octet Pieces by Brahms, Korngold and Mendelssohn, plus a new work by composer-in-residence Sally Beamish. Musco Center for the Arts, Chapman University, 1 University Drive, Orange. Tue., 7:30 p.m. $33-$63. (844) 626-8726. muscocenter.org

Jonathan Biss The pianist performs works by Beethoven, in an intimate setting with all seating on stage, in two concerts with distinct programs. Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge. Tue.-Wed., 8 p.m. $76 and up. (818) 677-3000. TheSoraya.org

Glendale Noon Concerts Pianist Brendan White plays solo works by L.A. composers Todd Mason, Mark Robson, George N. Gianopoulos and Stephen Cohn. Glendale City Church, 610 E. California Ave., Glendale. Wed., 12:10 p.m. Free. (818) 244-7241. glendalenoonconcerts.blogspot.com

Los Angeles Percussion Quartet The ensemble celebrates its 10th anniversary. Boston Court, 70 N. Mentor Ave. Pasadena. Thu., 8 p.m. $20-$30. (626) 683-6801. BostonCourtPasadena.org

The Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra Season opener includes Vivaldi’s Gloria in D with choir members from West High School and Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 2 featuring violinist Tina Chang Qu. West High School Performing Arts Center, 20401 Victor St., Torrance. Thu., 7 p.m. $15, $20. (310) 533-4299. gofan.co

Tchaikovsky’s Pathetique Pacific Symphony performs the composer’s Symphony No. 6 plus John Williams’ “Tributes! For Seiji” and Ravel’s “Tzigane” featuring violinist and concertmaster Dennis Kim. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Thu.-Sat., 8 p.m. $25 and up. (714) 755-5799. PacificSymphony.org

Rod Gilfry in Concert The operatic baritone perform in this new cabaret-style show. Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave. Pasadena. Fri., 8 p.m. Sold out; wait list available. (626) 683-6801. BostonCourtPasadena.org

Salonen Conducts Tchaikovsky & Bartók Conductor laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to lead the LA Phil in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto featuring violinist Daniel Lozakovich, Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra and the premiere of his new orchestral work “Castor.” Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., L.A. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m. $64-$209. (323) 850-2000. laphil.com

Things to do

Autumn 20: 20 Years in Culver City Culver City Symphony performs Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, Von Weber’s “Der Freischütz” Overture and Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 with pianist Malvyn Lai. Robert Frost Auditorium, 4401 Elenda St., Culver City. Sat., 7:30 p.m. $10, $20; K-12, free with paying adult. culvercitysymphony.org

Bridge to Everywhere The L.A.-based chamber ensemble performs contemporary by local composers Derrick Spiva, Jr., Reena Esmail, Juan Pablo Contreras and James Waterman. Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena. Sat., 8 p.m. $20-$30. (626) 683-6801. BostonCourtPasadena.org

Dia de los Muertos Celebration Pacific Symphony and its youth orchestra mark the holiday in this kid-friendly presentation. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. 10 and 11:30 a.m. $15 and up. (714) 755-5799. PacificSymphony.org

The Interludes Pianist Lukasz Yoder and soprano Roksana Zeinapur perform. First Lutheran Church & School, 2900 W. Carson St., Torrance. Sat., 3 p.m. Free. (310) 316-5574. palosverdes.com

Magnificent Mozart This entry in the Third@First series includes pianist Junko Ueno Garrett performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9 plus the composer’s Requiem featuring the church’s Chancel Choir and guest vocalists. First United Methodist Church, 500 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Sat., 7:30 p.m. Free; donations accepted. thirdatfirst.org

Pasadena Symphony Music director David Lockington and the orchestra open their season with Brahms’ Symphony No. 1, the world premiere of Sydney Wang’s “P (is for Play)” and Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with violinist Tessa Lark. Ambassador Auditorium, 131 S. St. John Ave., Pasadena. Sat., 2 and 8 p.m. $35 and up. (626) 793-7172. pasadenasymphony-pops.org

American Youth Symphony Season opener includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral,” plus Joan Tower’s “Sequoia” and Sibelius’ Violin Concerto with violinist Gallia Kastner. Royce Hall, UCLA, 10745 Dickson Court, Westwood. Next Sun., 7 p.m. Free. (310) 470-2332. AYSymphony.org

Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer Banjo player Fleck, tabla player Hussain and bassist Meyer perform. Soka Performing Arts Center, 1 University Drive, Aliso Viejo. Next Sun., 3 p.m. $35- $75. (949) 480-4278. soka.edu

Javier Camarena The Mexican tenor makes his LA Opera recital debut with bel canto favorites by Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini plus songs and arias from the Spanish-language repertoire. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A. Next Sun., 2 p.m. $14-$109. (213) 972-8001. LAOpera.org

Camerata Pacifica Chamber works by Copland, Harbison, Crumb and Bolcom. Museum of Ventura County, 100 E. Main St. Ventura. Oct. 20. Next Sun., 3 p.m. $58. (805) 884-8410. cameratapacifica.org (also in San Marino, Oct. 22; L.A., Oct. 24; Santa Barbara, Oct. 25)

Equal Sound Presents Thereminist Carolina Eyck and Sarah Belle Reid The duo performs to commemorate the release of their new double album “Elegies for Theremin & Voice.” Civic Center Studios, 207 S. Broadway, Suite 1, downtown L.A. Next Sun., 7 pm. $12-$20. eventbrite.com

LA Phil with Esa-Pekka Salonen Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, the O.C. premiere of Salonen’s “Castor,” and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D featuring violinist Daniel Lozakovich. Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Next Sun., 3 p.m. $48 and up. (949) 553-2422. PhilharmonicSociety.org

LACMA’s Sundays Live Ciaramella Early Music Ensemble performs. St. James’ in the City, 3903 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Next Sun., 6 p.m. Free. (323) 857-6234. lacma.org

Organic Jacaranda launches its new organ series with organist Ty Woodward, et al., performing works by Duruflé, Dupre, Alain, Hovhaness and Ives. First Presbyterian Church, 1220 2nd St., Santa Monica. Next Sun., 2 p.m. $10, $55. jacarandamusic.org

Santa Monica Symphony The orchestra launches its 75th season with Weber’s Overture to “Oberon,” Gershwin’s ‘An American in Paris” and Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B Minor featuring cellist Robert deMaine. Santa Monica High School, Barnum Hall, 600 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica. Next Sun., 7: 30 p.m. Free. (310) 395-6330. smsymphony.org

Step/Lively Rachel Worby’s Muse/Ique orchestra presents musical exploration of shoes. Athletic Garage Dance Center, 121 Waverly Drive, Pasadena. Next Sun., 7 p.m. For members only. (626) 539-7085. muse-ique.com

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Here is a list of dance performances in L.A. for Oct. 13-20:

The Firebird Festival Ballet Theatre presents the one-act Stravinsky ballet based on a Russian folk tale. Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine. Sun., 2 p.m. $35-$45. (949) 854-4646. thebarclay.org

L.A. Dances Two-month festival, with three distinct programs, features classic and contemporary works by Kyle Abraham, Bella Lewitzky, Benjamin Millepied and others. L.A. Dance Project, 2245 E. Washington Blvd., L.A. Sun., Thu.-next Sun., 8 p.m.; ends Nov. 24. $45. (213) 422-8762. ladanceproject.org

Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre Goes Broadway! Celebration of classic musicals including “Chicago,” “West Side Story” and “The Phantom of the Opera.” Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Sun., 5 p.m. $55-$125. (818) 243-2539. https://alextheatre.org

Terra Firma Closing night for L.A. Contemporary Dance Company’s new immersive multimedia-enhanced work includes a post-show celebration. Stomping Ground L.A., 5453 Alhambra Ave. L.A. Sun., 6 p.m. $150. lacontemporarydance.org

La Bayadère Mariinsky Ballet and Orchestra performs this classic romantic tragedy about a temple dancer in India. Segerstrom Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Wed.-Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 1 and 7:30 p.m.; next Sun., 1 p.m. $39 and up. (714) 556-2787. scfta.org

The Day Ballet star Wendy Whelan, cellist Maya Beiser, choreographer Lucinda Childs and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang join forces to explore the passage of time and the transit of the soul in this new collaborative work presented by CAP UCLA. Royce Hall, UCLA, 10745 Dickson Court, Westwood. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m. $28-$99. (310) 825-2101. cap.ucla.edu

Inferno & Burlesque American Contemporary Ballet opens its season with reprises of these works; contains nudity. The Metropolis, 877 S. Francisco St., Suite C-6, L.A. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; ends Nov. 2. $45-$500. acbdances.com

Things to do

casebolt and smith The duo of Liz Casebolt and Joel Smith present “close,” a new dance work about the healing power of music. Marsee Auditorium, Center for the Arts at El Camino College, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance. Sat., 8 p.m. $10, $22. (310) 329-5345. universitytickets.com

Louise Reichlin & Dancers / Los Angeles Choreographers & Dancers The company marks its 40th anniversary a program that includes “The Tennis Dances,” “Invasion” and the L.A. premiere. of “A Jewish Child’s Story.” Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, Barnsdall Art Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. Sat.-next Sun., 4 p.m. $20-$40; discounts available. (800) 838-3006. brownpapertickets.com

Nrityagram Dance Ensemble The classical dance troupe from India performs. Luckman Fine Arts Complex, Cal State LA, 5151 State University Drive, L.A. Sat., 8 p.m. $30-$50. (323) 343-6600. luckmanarts.org

The Patchwork Girl of Oz Multimedia-enhanced, family-friendly fable presented by Louise Reichlin & Dancers / Los Angeles Choreographers & Dancers. Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, Barnsdall Art Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. Sat., next Sun., 2 p.m. $8, $16. (800) 838-3006. brownpapertickets.com

Works 2019 — 10 Years and Counting! Nancy Evans Dance Theatre celebrates its 10th anniversary with new pieces including a collaborative multimedia work. ARC (A Room to Create), 1158 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 4 p.m. $20, $25. (323) 363-0830. nancyevansdancetheatre.com