San Diego arts roundup: Local theater star to cook up some tunes in Carlsbad

Erica Marie Weisz stars this month in her solo cabaret show “I Can Cook, Too!” at New Village Arts in Carlsbad. (Erica Marie Weisz)

UPDATED: May 8, 2025 at 6:03 AM PDT

What’s it like to perform a one-person show and carry it for 90 minutes onstage?

“It’s incredibly exciting and empowering to be able to write my own material and pick out my own music and words,” said Erica Marie Weisz. “On the flip side, it’s terrifying. Well, it’s both scary and very rewarding because it’s born from your heart and your mind.”

Weisz’s cabaret show, opening Sunday night at New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad, is “I Can Cook, Too!” Backed by a live band, Weisz will be singing her favorite jazz and Broadway-standard tunes. The night will also be peppered with lots of jokes and more than a few costume changes into glamorous gowns.

The show was inspired by Weisz’s “Quarantine Cooking with Erica Marie” that she streamed from her home during COVID lockdown. That initially became a one-hour live cabaret staged in 2021 and again in 2022 at Vista’s Broadway Theater.

For the NVA engagement — five performances are on tap through May 26 — “I really dismantled the whole thing and rebuilt it with brand-new eyes,” said Weisz. “I kept a couple things that I felt were the heart of my show, but everything else I completely rewrote inspired by Carlsbad Village.”

If you saw Weisz in NVA’s “The 39 Steps” or “The Thanksgiving Play” or you’ve seen her portrayal of Morticia Addams at multiple regional venues, you know she can command a stage — and entertain. She really can cook, too. Google her quarantine frittatas episode. For tickets, visit newvillagearts.org.

Film

What’s your longest stop at the San Diego Zoo? You know, the spot where you spend the most time appreciating a creature from the animal kingdom? For me, it’s where the elephants are. I stand there, always in awe.

If you’re like me, you’ll want to head to another Balboa Park location: the San Diego Natural History Museum, where Friday at 5:30 p.m. the film “A Life Among Elephants” will be screened. It’s a chronicle of Iain Douglas-Hamilton, the Scottish researcher who founded the Save the Elephants organization.

Following the screening will be a reception featuring Douglas-Hamilton’s daughter and other conservation activists. Tickets at missionwildlifeconservation.org/events.

Jazz

I don’t know if there’s a perfect performer for the laid-back setting that is Humphreys Concerts by the Bay on Shelter Island, but Diana Krall is a candidate. The Canadian jazz crooner once again brings her lush contralto and lilting piano to the cozy waterside locale on Tuesday night.

San Diego is stop No. 12 on Krall’s current 35-city tour. Her arrival means I can renew my argument with certain jazz purist acquaintances over her cred in the genre. Like I keep telling them, Krall’s a stylist with her own sound and not trying to be Ella Fitzgerald or Dinah Washington.

Or maybe she is, if you ask her, but either way a Diana Krall show is a treat. Tickets at humphreysconcerts.com.

Music photographer Henry Diltz, seen here in 2018, will talk about his work on May 11 at the Belly Up in Solana Beach. AP

Photography

If a picture is worth a thousand words, the stories behind music photographer Henry Diltz’s gallery of stars must number in the millions and millions. A onetime musician himself, Diltz was the official photographer at both Woodstock and the storied Monterey Pop Festival, and his portraits and album covers of artists are iconic.

As for the aforementioned stories, Diltz will recount many of them on Sunday night at the Belly Up in Solana Beach. You’ll also get to see timeless images of musicians he’s photographed including The Doors and Crosby Stills & Nash.

I memorably met Diltz years ago at the onetime Morrison Hotel Gallery in La Jolla. He’s quite the raconteur as well as the photographer. Tickets at bellyup.com.

More film

The ing of filmmaker David Lynch in January spurred memories of and tributes to so many of his famous works, not the least of which was the quirky (at times bizarre) early-‘90s television series “Twin Peaks.” Among that show’s most memorable characters was Margaret Lanterman, known as “The Log Lady.” If you watched “Twin Peaks, you know why.

“The Log Lady” was played by the late Catherine E. Coulson. If you want to know her better, check out Digital Gym Cinema’s screening Friday at 4:25 p.m. of director Richard Green’s documentary “I Know Catherine, the Log Lady.” Among those interviewed in the film is Kyle MacLachlan, “Twin Peaks’” FBI agent Dale Cooper.

The film will screen through May 15 at Digital Gym Cinema’s downtown venue. Tickets at digitalgym.org.

U-T arts stories you may have missed this week

Elton John is shown here at his 2022 farewell tour show at Petco Park seen at Petco Park from the Ultimate Skybox at Diamondview Tower on Wednesday, November 9, 2022 in San Diego, CA. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune) — Elton John is returning Friday to Petco Park for a Curebound benefit concert. He is shown here at Petco Park during his 2022 “Farewell Yellow Brick Road: The Final Tour.” concert (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

UCTV

University of California Television invites you to enjoy this special selection of programs from throughout the University of California. Descriptions courtesy of and text written by UCTV staff:

“The Scripps Ocean-Atmosphere Research Simulator”

Take a behind-the-scenes look at the Scripps Ocean-Atmosphere Research Simulator (SOARS), a one-of-a-kind facility at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. At 120 feet long and holding 36,000 gallons of water, SOARS goes far beyond generating waves — it replicates key ocean conditions such as wind, temperature, light, and water chemistry in a controlled setting. Lead engineer Douglas Alden and Researcher Grant Deane explain how this powerful tool helps scientists study ocean-atmosphere interactions, climate change, and the effects of human activity on marine ecosystems. From global climate to human health, SOARS offers critical insights into the forces shaping our planet’s future.

“Discussion of the Film ‘Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans’”

Nicholas Baer, author of “Historical Turns: Weimar Cinema and the Crisis of Historicism,” s Carsey-Wolf Center Director Patrice Petro for a discussion of “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans,” F.W. Murnau’s 1927 silent film. “Sunrise,” Murnau’s American debut, is celebrated for its innovative cinematography and emotional depth, earning three Academy Awards at the inaugural ceremony, including Best Unique and Artistic Picture. Baer, a scholar of German cinema and cultural history, explores how “Sunrise” reflects the aesthetic and philosophical concerns of the Weimar era, particularly the crisis of historicism — a theme central to his book. This conversation delves into the film’s stylistic innovations and its place within the broader context of early 20th-century cinematic and intellectual movements.

“Love, Monogamy and Fatherhood in Latin American Monkeys”

Titi and owl monkeys in South America form socially monogamous pairs, with males and females establishing long-term bonds and sharing in the care of their young. But why do males of these species commit to monogamous relationships and invest so heavily in offspring they can’t confirm are their own? Drawing on 28 years of ecological, behavioral, and genetic research from wild populations in Argentina, Peru and Ecuador, this lecture explores the evolutionary drivers of pair-bonding, monogamy, and paternal care. Topics include the role of food distribution, mate guarding, and infant care, offering insight into how environmental and social factors shape family structures in primates—and what that may tell us about the evolution of parenting.