8 pm: Theater

When veteran character actor and Los Angeles Repertory Company artistic director Robert Ellenstein takes on the title role in Shakespeare’s epic tragedy “King Lear,” it will be a family affair: He’ll be directed by his son, LA Rep producing director Peter Ellenstein, in the pair’s first such collaboration since the company’s award-winning production of Clifford Odets’ “Rocket to the Moon.”

* “King Lear,” Los Angeles Repertory Company, Met Theatre, 1089 N. Oxford St. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. (except this Saturday, 7:30 p.m. benefit show and gala) and Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends Oct. 3. $18 to $20; benefit and gala, $50. (323) 782-5565.

8 p.m.: Pop Music

Andy, the Glendale-based Iranian-Armenian pop star, stirs up the cultural pot in his latest Greek Theatre appearance, sharing the stage with mariachi singer Nydia Rojas, eclectic vocalist Shani and rock violinist Lili Haydn.

* Andy, Greek Theatre, 2700 Vermont Canyon Road, 8 p.m. $18 to $55. (213) 480-3232.

2 pm: Museum

Auto lovers of all ages will create their own model racetrack and race car at Race Along, a family-oriented event at the Petersen Automotive Museum. Materials such as foam, film canisters and colorful stickers to customize a racing scene will be provided.

* Race Along, Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd., 2-4 p.m. Museum admission: adults, $7; senior citizens and students, $5; children 5-12, $3. (323) 930-CARS.

all day: Art

Beginning in the Depression and continuing through the 1950s, artists at L.A.’s renowned Chouinard Institute used watercolors in innovative ways that led to a statewide California Watercolor School. “The California Watercolor Movement,” a new exhibition opening at the Orange County Museum of Art / South Coast Plaza, will feature watercolors from this period, including works by prominent artists Emil Kosa Jr., Phil Dike and Millard Sheets.

* “The California Watercolor Movement,” Orange County Museum of Art / South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa. Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Ends Oct. 31. Admission free. (714) 662-3366.

4 pm: Theater

Comic complications ensue in “Charley’s Aunt,” Brandon Thomas’ turn-of-the-century classic, when Lord Fancourt Babberly puts on a skirt and helps out his Oxford chums and their girlfriends by pretending to be their female chaperon, earning himself an elderly wealthy suitor in the process.

* “Charley’s Aunt,” Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. Saturdays, 4 p.m., through Sept. 18; Fridays, 8 p.m., Sept. 3-17; Sundays, 3 p.m., Sept. 26-Oct. 17. Also Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. Ends Oct. 17. $12 to $17. (310) 455-3723.

7:30 p.m.: Music

Victor Vener leads his California Philharmonic Orchestra in music by Mozart, Haydn, Schubert and Pedro Eustache at the ensemble’s outdoor venue in Arcadia. Soloist is flutist Pedro Eustache.

* The California Philharmonic, L.A. County Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, 7:30 p.m. $10 to $47. (626) 844-6600.

all day: Festival

Russia’s Catherine the Great is one of the historical figures looking for South Orange County property to develop in the original musical “Capistrano.” The outdoor evening performance, narrated by Ricardo Montalban, is the kicker to The Capistrano Pageant, a Renaissance Pleasure Faire-style expo featuring more than 100 living-history actors presenting scenes from the daily lives of early Californians.

* The Capistrano Pageant, at Oaks Blenheim Outdoor Park, Ortega Highway at La Plata Road, San Juan Capistrano. Expo opens at noon, “Capistrano” begins at 7:30 p.m. Also Sunday. $14-$20. (714) 979-1190.

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Freebies: The Craft and Folk Art Museum concludes its summer festival of music, workshops and refreshments, at 5814 Wilshire Blvd., Museum Row, Los Angeles. 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (323) 937-4230.

Guitarist Ronald Muldrow’s quartet plays the California African-American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park. 1 p.m. (213) 744-7432.