5 pm: Theater

In the world premiere of Velina Hasu Houston’s “Ikebana (Living Flowers),” a doctor, his daughter and two suitors in 1957 Tokyo find the balance they’ve maintained between the traditional and modern worlds disintegrating into chaos under the spell of a beautiful and mysterious stranger.

* “Ikebana (Living Flowers),” Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. Sunday, 5 p.m. Regular schedule: Tuesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 5 and 9 p.m.; Sundays, 2 and 7 p.m. Ends Oct. 22. $15 to $42.50. (800) 233-3123.

7 pm: Theater

Jean Stapleton stars as Eleanor Roosevelt in “Eleanor: Her Secret Journey,” Rhonda Lerman’s one-woman play, directed by John Tillinger, that takes a journey through the first lady’s life as a socialite wife and mother to her transformation into activist, feminist and idealist, exploring the loneliness and doubt behind the public face.

* “Eleanor: Her Secret Journey,” Can~on Theatre, 205 N.Can~on Drive, Beverly Hills, Sunday, 7 p.m. Regular schedule: Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 3 p.m. Ends Oct. 8. $40 to $50. (310) 859-2830.

Noon: Fiesta

Mexican Independence Day never sounded so good. Top-rated radio stations KSCA-FM (101.9) and KLVE (107.5) have teamed to organize La Fiesta de Independencia, headlined by ranchera heartthrob Alejandro Fernandez. Also on the bill: Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Pedro Fernandez, Banda La Costena, Nydia Rojas, Mariachi Sol de America, Los Mueceas and Pere Torres. The event has drawn more than 100,000 people in past years.

* La Fiesta de Independencia, noon to 6 p.m. at Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, Rosemead Boulevard and the 60 Freeway, South El Monte. Free. (323) 692-9136.

All day: Movies

The Santa Monica Film Festival, in collaboration with the Italian Institute of Culture and Bergamot Station, presents “Outdoors Under the Stars,” two evenings featuring Oscar-winning Italian films. “Il Postino,” Michael Radford’s romance starring Massimo Troisi will screen Sunday and Federico Fellini’s “Nights of Cabiria” will be shown Sept. 24. The events include food, drinks and live music.

* “Outdoors Under the Stars,” Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica. “Il Postino,” Sunday, 8 p.m. “Nights of Cabiria,” Sept. 24. $20 to $25. (310) 264-4274.

All day: Carnival

More feathers than a Las Vegas revue . . . more drums than a marching band . . . it’s the fifth annual Brazilian Street Carnival in Long Beach. The parade starts around 1:30 p.m. with lots of costumes, music and dancing, and there’s a stage presenting more costumes, music and dancing until 10 p.m.

* Brazilian Street Carnival, noon to 10 p.m. at the Long Beach Promenade, 100 Promenade, Long Beach. Free admission. (562) 438-3669.

7 pm: Theater

Lee Blessing’s “Going to St. Ives,” with TV, film and Tony Award-winning actress L. Scott Caldwell (for “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”) and Steppenwolf Theatre’s Amy Morton, has its California premiere. It’s about the mother of a vicious African dictator and an English eye surgeon, whose meeting holds a hidden agenda.

* “Going to St. Ives,” La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla Village Drive and Torrey Pines Road. Sunday, 7 p.m. Regular schedule: Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends Oct. 15. $19 to $39. (858) 550-1010.

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FREEBIE: The Culver Chamber Series presents the Blackbird Trio--pianist Alan Steinberger, violinist Nancy Roth and cellist Mary Anne Steinberger--playing Haydn’s Trio No. 36 in E-flat, Barrows’ Duo for violin and cello and Mendelssohn’s Trio No. 2 in C minor, at 2 p.m. at Culver City Presbyterian Church, 11269 W. Washington Blvd. Information: (310) 859-4684.

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Pleasant Gehman will read from her new collection of stories, “Escape From Houdini Mountain” at Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz, 7 p.m. (323) 660-1175.