8 pm: Theater

Damon Runyon’s ‘40s-era Broadway comes alive in “Guys and Dolls,” the Frank Loesser-Abe Burrows musical with all those great Loesser songs (“Luck Be a Lady,” “I’ll Know,” “If I Were a Bell”) presented by Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities.

* “Guys and Dolls,” Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 2 p.m. through March 15. $30-$45. (310) 372-4477.

7:30 pm Movies

The luminous Julie Christie will be feted with a film retrospective--”Looking at Julie Christie”--through March 21 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. “Far From the Madding Crowd” will screen Friday evening, and “Shampoo” and “Don’t Look Now” will screen on Saturday. Other screenings include “Doctor Zhivago,” “Petulia” and “Darling,” which won her the best actress Oscar in 1966. Christie’s current Oscar-nominated performance in “Afterglow” is still in selected theaters.

* “Looking at Julie Christie,” LACMA, Bing Theater, 5905 Wilshire Blvd. Fridays and Saturdays through March 21, 7:30 p.m. $4-$6. (213) 857-6010.

9 pm: Country Music

Buck Owens’ musical contributions have been overshadowed by his cornball “Hee Haw” persona, but to make his case, all he has to do is act naturally. The ‘60s hitmaker was the architect of the Bakersfield sound, a hard-edged brand of honky-tonk that ensnared Merle Haggard, captivated the Beatles and then two decades later inspired Dwight Yoakam, who coaxed Owens out of retirement and sometimes pops up at his shows.

* Buck Owens & His Buckaroos at the House of Blues. 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. $20. (213) 848-5100.

7 pm: Country Dance

Across the sea, the city of Avalon will be be filled with country and western dancers for the fifth annual Catalina Country Dance Celebration Friday and Saturday nights at the legendary Casino Ballroom. For dance wannabes, dance instructors Alan and Alise McLaughlin will be on hand both nights to teach everything from the two-step to country waltz. The celebration’s Stampede Street Dance takes place Saturday afternoon along Summer Avenue, adjacent to Avalon Bay.

* Fifth annual Catalina Country Dance Celebration, Casino Ballroom, Catalina Island, 7 p.m. Friday ($12.50) and Saturday ($22.50). Free Stampede Street Dance, Summer Avenue, noon-2 p.m. Saturday. (310) 510-1520.

All day: Games

Magic: The Gathering--the hottest thing to hit the gaming set since Dungeons and Dragons--mixes elements of chess and bridge, promotes strategy, mathematics and critical thinking and is set in an Arthurian science fiction world of beasts and spells. Professional, amateur and beginning players convene at Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour aboard the Queen Mary this weekend, with $150,000 in prize money up for grabs. Amateur tournaments, a junior series and artist appearances and card signings are scheduled.

* Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour, Hotel Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach. Friday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-midnight; Sunday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. $5 per day; additional fees for spectator tournaments. (206) 624-0933.

8 pm: Music

Organist James Kibbie, a professor at the University of Michigan, is the soloist opening the 65th Los Angeles Bach Festival at First Congregational Church. The festival continues with evening and daytime events through its finale of Bach cantatas on March 15.

* James Kibbie opens the L.A. Bach Festival at First Congregational Church. 540 S. Commonwealth Ave., Los Angeles. Subsequent festival events Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. and March 15 at 3 p.m., plus weekday noon concerts. $11. (213) 385-1345, Ext. 203.

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FREEBIE: Quattro Celli, Recital Hall, Harbor College, Wilmington, 8 p.m. (310) 374-2141.