7pm: Theater

The Colony Studio Theatre’s 1999 second-stage season kicks off with Sean O’Casey’s classic tragicomedy, “The Shadow of a Gunman,” about poor working-class Irish people and an innocent poet who’s pegged as an IRA gunman and caught up in the civil unrest in turbulent 1920 Dublin.

* “The Shadow of a Gunman,” Colony Studio Theatre, 1944 Riverside Drive, Los Angeles. Sundays, 7 p.m.; Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 p.m. Ends April 3. $10. (323) 665-3011.

2pm: Festivals

There’s a lot of drama in the Bible, but Queen Esther’s rescue of the Jews from the evil plot of Haman is one for the ages. Maybe that’s why it has its own holiday--Purim. At the Skirball Cultural Center, “Profiles of Purim” begins with a family tour of the art exhibition “Larry Rivers--the History of Matzah: The Story of the Jews,” and then kids can make Purim masks and enjoy treats.

* “Profiles of Purim,” Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A. 2 p.m. $5. (310) 440-4636.

8pm: Theater

A special “MGM--That’s Entertainment” edition of Eugene Pack’s comedy, “Eugene Pack’s in Their Own Words: Celebrity Autobiographies”--actual excepts read by actors and comedians--will spotlight Joan Crawford, Ginger Rogers, Mickey Rooney, Katharine Hepburn, Zsa Zsa Gabor and others. Betty Garrett guest stars in the show, which benefits Theatre West.

* “Eugene Pack’s in Their Own Words: Celebrity Autobiographies,” Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Universal City. 8 p.m. $15. (888) 551-WEST.

1 and 4pm: Family

Tears of Joy Theatre, a Portland, Ore.-based national touring puppet company, explores the Indian jungle with Mowgli as it presents its version of Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book.”

* “The Jungle Book,” Norris Theatre for the Performing Arts, Crossfield Drive and Indian Peak Road, Rolling Hills Estates. 1 and 4 p.m. $13. (310) 544-0403.

all day: Fair

Even usually arid Los Angeles County is home to wild mushrooms--and now, during the rainy season, is the time to look for them. Just make sure you know where to find them, which ones are edible and how to cook them. You can find all that out at the Wild Mushroom Fair at the Arboretum of Los Angeles County, where experts from the Los Angeles Mycological Society will be on hand to answer all questions about the fungus among us.

* Wild Mushroom Fair, Los Angeles County Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. $5; $3, seniors; $1, ages 5 to 12; free for kids under 5. Also three free mushroom-hunting forays on Saturday. (323) 292-1900.

7pm: Music

With American musicians in principal roles, the Padua Chamber Orchestra from Italy makes its first U.S. tour this month, arriving at the El Camino Center for the Arts this week. Guest conductor and pianist is David Golub; the clarinet soloist is David Shifrin. The ensemble’s program lists familiar works by Dvorak, Mozart and Bach.

* The Padua Chamber Orchestra, Marsee Auditorium at El Camino College, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance. 7 p.m. $18 to $21. (310) 329-5345.

Freebies: Chinese New Year Family Free Days happen 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena. (626) 449-2742.

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Concert by the L.A. Children’s Chorus and the Central California Children’s Choir, Pasadena Presbyterian Church, corner of Colorado and Madison, Pasadena, 7 p.m. (626) 793-4231.