DON’T CRY FOR HER: After 15 years...

DON’T CRY FOR HER: After 15 years of playing the lead in “Evita,” Sherman Oaks resident Valerie Perri, above, never tires of portraying the charismatic former Argentine first lady (F1A). Of Eva Peron, Perri said: “She was ambitious, driven, passionate, persistent, calculating, manipulative, very spirited and a woman who succeeded against all odds.” . . . The show opens Tuesday at Glendale’s Alex Theatre.

TOGETHER AT LAST: The theory at CalArts in Valencia has been that student and faculty could collaborate regularly on projects, but reality was always more spotty. Now, the two groups are working on a production of William Butler Yeats’ “Deirdre” (F1A). . . . The hope is it’s the first of many.

PRAYER DAY: If folks seem particularly soulful today, maybe it’s because today is the National Day of Prayer. Several services to mark the occasion--established by Congress in 1952--are planned around the Valley. Christian ethicist Lewis Smedes will speak at the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast in Glendale. . . . In Van Nuys, the Declaration of Independence will be read.

GLOVES OFF: Playwright and Studio City resident Oliver Mayer’s boxing drama, “Blade to the Heat,” is running at the Mark Taper Forum through Sunday. . . . On Tuesday night, though, a surprise guest showed up: fighter Ray Mancini, who joined Mayer, the cast and the audience in a discussion of the play after the performance. Mancini spoke of the “noble art” of pugilism as Mayer, who boxed as a youth, nodded in agreement.