JASON ROBERT BROWN & FRIENDS and More Set for The Wallis 2026-2027 Season

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills revealed its 2026-2027 season, opening in the Bram Goldsmith Theater on September 25 with the Joshua Redman Quartet featuring pianist Paul Cornish, bassist Philip Norris, and drummer Nazir Ebo, with Skylar Tang (September 25), a Bay Area-born trumpeter and composer already established as one of the most compelling emerging voices in jazz today.  
 
Redman, widely regarded as the defining saxophonist of his generation, is one of many highlights of the upcoming Wallis season.  Direct from an acclaimed run at Edinburgh Fringe and two sold-out Off-Broadway engagements comes Nobody Cares, a one-woman comedy show from the hilarious mind of Tony Award winner Laura Benanti (October 1-4), a New York Times’ Critic’s Pick. 
 
Winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9 and one of the most acclaimed drag artists of their generation, Sasha Velour returns to The Wallis with Travesty (October 29-30), a bold new solo work that traces queer history across time. Through a series of lip-sync performances, Velour embodies a litany of personas from a witch burned in a field to a clown who builds a theater, and even patrons of an underground gay bar. A multidisciplinary artist, Velour blends costume design, choreography, and incisive cultural commentary, as she creates work that is as visually arresting as it is emotionally resonant.
 
Manual Cinema Presents: Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster (November 20-21) Created by Manual Cinema, this delightful family production brings Mo Willems’ beloved books Leonardo, the Terrible Monster and Sam, the Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World to life using hundreds of illustrated paper puppets, book pages, shadow play, and original music. In Manuel Cinema, the audience can watch the cinematic projection like a traditional film or look below to see the artists building the story in real time.
 
Jason Robert Brown & Friends (December 12) offers a rare opportunity to experience one of musical theatre’s most influential voices.  Brown has shaped the sound of contemporary musical theater with songs that are intimate, restless, funny, and deeply human. A three-time Tony Award winner, he brings audiences inside the music and stories behind a career that includes Parade, The Connector, The Last Five Years, Songs for a New World, 13, and The Bridges of Madison County.
 
The Shot (April 10-25) is a gripping one-woman play about Katharine Graham, the pioneering publisher of The Washington Post.  The Shot is written by Robin Gerber, directed by Michelle Joyner and stars Emmy-nominated actress Sharon Lawrence.  Before she became one of the most powerful figures in American journalism, Graham was a subservient wife hiding a terrible secret. What follows is a transformation forged after a great family tragedy. In the course of publishing the Pentagon Papers and pursuing the Watergate investigation, Graham established herself as a symbol of courage and integrity.
 
A breathtaking new musical-theater adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novella, The Old Man and the Sea (May 20-23), tells the story of an aging Cuban fisherman who refuses to yield to time, solitude, or the restless pull of the sea itself. Composed by Paola Prestini with libretto by Royce Vavrek, Sea is created by Beth Morrison Projects in collaboration with LA Opera -- a visually arresting production that turns eight pools of water into a living stage. With striking lighting, evocative costumes, and an immersive soundscape, it becomes a poetic meditation on endurance, loss, and the fierce, fragile dignity of being human.
 
Three Wallis classic performers make return visits to The Wallis: Sandra Bernhard (December 5) brings her signature blend of razor-sharp wit, social commentary, and unexpected tenderness. In these wild, how-low-can-we-go times, she meets the chaos head-on — often while admitting she’s caught completely off guard. While Isaac Mizrahi (April 17) is best known as an iconic fashion designer, he is also a disarmingly charming, quick-witted, and deeply engaging cabaret performer. In this intimate solo show, he weaves together classic standards, candid stories, and clever observations from his life in fashion, into an evening that is as stylish as it is funny and surprisingly moving.
 
Known for his hit portrayals of musical geniuses, Hershey Felder The Piano & Me (March 11-21) pulls back the curtain on his own story. Growing up in Montreal as the child of Polish and Hungarian immigrants, a young Felder discovers the piano, opening up a remarkable new world full of adventure, possibility, heartbreak, and connection. Featuring performances of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven,  Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and Bartók, Felder recounts the inspiration behind his more than 6,000 performances across the globe and offers a touching portrait of the power of music. 
 
The 2026-2027 season at The Wallis closes with a fourth Wallis classic -- Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet (June 3-5). LINES returns to The Wallis with a program of powerful, contemporary ballet by the visionary choreographer. Renowned for his sculptural and emotionally charged choreography, King blends classical ballet technique with a wide range of cultural and spiritual influences, creating movement that is both timeless and strikingly original. LINES offers an opportunity to experience ballet that is intellectually rigorous, emotionally resonant, and visually arresting. Whether exploring themes of humanity, connection, or the natural world, King’s work invites audiences into a profound and unforgettable dance experience.

More Dance in the 2026-2027 Wallis Season

The Wallis season includes Ronald K Brown/Evidence (October 8-10) one of the most powerful and emotionally resonant dance companies in America. Fusing contemporary movement with African and African-American traditions, the company creates work that is at once deeply personal and profoundly communal. Evidence is one of six dance attractions that includes CONTRA-TIEMPO: ¡azúcar! (December 17-19) under the direction of Ana Maria Alvarez, in collaboration with an ensemble including Afro-Cuban Master Teacher Kati Hernandez, combining Salsa, Afro-Cuban, hip-hop, and contemporary dance with theatrical storytelling; Passing the Crown: Celebrating the Queens of Hip Hop (January 29) a groundbreaking celebration of the queens of hip-hop, bringing together Olympic-level B-girls, orchestral musicians, MCs, and DJs.

Los Angeles Ballet (February 4-6) led by Artistic Director Melissa Barak and Executive Director Julia Rivera; and GALLIM (April 1-3) founded and directed by New York–based choreographer Andrea Miller, that has performed at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Jacob's Pillow, and The Joyce Theater. Known for its visceral physicality, emotional intensity, and cinematic sensibility, the Internationally acclaimed, GALLIM blends fierce athleticism with theatrical storytelling.

Music

Four additional Wallis music offerings define eclectic: Daymé Arocena’s Alkemi (September 26) – described by NPR as “a cross between Celia Cruz and Aretha Franklin,” fusing her Afro-Cuban roots with neo-soul, jazz, and contemporary Latin pop. Las Migas (November 12) a powerhouse all-woman quartet from Spain with “Flamencas”, a passionate tribute to the essence of flamenco reimagined through a strikingly modern lens. Expect soaring vocals, fierce guitar work, propulsive percussion, and a Stage Presence. The Naghash Ensemble (November 18) brings together the earthy spirituality of Armenian folk song, contemporary classical music, and post-minimalism with the driving energy of rock and jazz. Named after the medieval Armenian mystic poet and priest Mkrtich Naghash, the ensemble reimagines his sacred texts in a strikingly modern musical language; and finally The String Queens (December 11) are a D.C.-based string trio whose music blends classical training with the traditions of soul, jazz, and contemporary R&B, transforming music by Chick Corea, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, the Beatles, and John Coltrane.

Scott Dunn Orchestra

Three Wallis favorites return with two concerts each. Scott Dunn Orchestra continues its celebration of film music with The Eighties from Altered States to On Golden Pond (October 17) with music of John Williams (“The Empire Strikes Back,” “E.T.”), Danny Elfman (“Batman”), Ennio Morricone (“The Mission,” “Once Upon a Time in America”), alongside Randy Newman, Dave Grusin, John Corigliano, and Philip Glass —and By George! The British are Coming (April 24) with music of John Barry, Richard Rodney Bennett, George Fenton, David Arnold, and Rachel Portman from iconic films such as “Casino Royale,” “Out of Africa,” “Gandhi,” “Bridge on the River Kwai,” “Emma,” and “The Cider House Rules.”

MUSE/IQUE

MUSE/IQUE brings its one-of-a-kind blend of music, cultural exploration, and storytelling back to The Wallis. Under the visionary leadership of Artistic Director Rachael Worby, MUSE/IQUE crafts immersive experiences that cross genres and eras, illuminating the transformative power of the arts. Each performance is a curated journey, uniting diverse artists and audiences in a celebration of creativity and community.

In From Aaron Copland to Paul Simon - Our Musical Pursuit of Happiness (October 22-25), MUSE/IQUE asks what defines the sound of American music? Tracing the lineage from Aaron Copland’s groundbreaking vision to the artists who followed, this program celebrates an unmistakably American sound — open, optimistic, and rooted in folk traditions, from Copland’s Simple Gifts to Paul Simon’s American Tune.

A second MUSE/IQUE program in 2027 will be announced.

Pacific Jazz Orchestra

Pacific Jazz Orchestra presents acclaimed singer/pianist Kandace Springs (February 9), led by seven-time GRAMMY®-nominated composer and conductor Chris Walden. A Blue Note recording artist praised by Prince for having “a voice that could melt snow,” Springs captivates audiences worldwide with her smoky tone, emotional directness, and effortless ability to bridge classic jazz and contemporary soul.

LA Opera

LA OPERA presents three recitals:

One of the most exciting voices today, Jamie Barton, with Kathleen Kelly, piano (November 15) is fresh from performances at the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, and other leading houses worldwide; The Los Angeles Times said she is “the latest darling of the American opera scene” and Gramophone says she possesses “the sort of instrument you could listen to all day.”

Soprano Erin Morley and tenor Lawrence Brownlee return (April 22) to The Wallis celebrating the golden age of Bel Canto a program of beloved arias and duets by Donizetti, Rossini, Bizet, Delibes, and Verdi. Morley, praised by The New York Times for her “silken clarity” and “needlepoint precision,” is one of today’s most sought-after coloratura sopranos. Brownlee is hailed by The Guardian as “one of the world’s leading Bel Canto stars.”

One of the most commanding dramatic sopranos of our time, Sondra Radvanovsky returns (May 22) with Anthony V. Manoli, piano. Renowned worldwide for her sumptuous, expressive voice and electrifying Stage Presence, she has become a defining interpreter of Verdi’s great heroines, captivating audiences at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, the Royal Opera House, and beyond, in this rare, intimate recital.

Family

In addition to Manual Cinema Presents: Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster. (November 20-21), The Wallis presents Lightwire Theatre known for its innovative use of black light and LED technology in The Adventures of Tortoise and Hare: The Next Generation (February 20) a playful new spin to the classic Aesop fable. Founded by husband-and-wife team Ian and Eleanor Carney, the company blends storytelling, music, and illuminated puppetry to create visually inventive family productions seen everywhere from international stages to “America's Got Talent.” In this updated adventure, Tortoise and Hare are now parents whose children—Tortoise Junior and Lil’ Hare—have disappeared into a digital world of smartphones and video games, forcing the longtime rivals to team up once again. Using glowing LED puppets, immersive projections, and a lively score inspired by both classical and pop music, Lightwire Theatre brings this story to life with warmth, humor, and imagination.

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