Last Chance

Theater

The Moliere Comedies--From “Lysistrata” to “I Love Lucy” and beyond, the rebellion of women against self-serving male power has fueled some of the most memorable and improbable comedies of Western culture. It doesn’t matter that the men in question consider themselves loving husbands, fathers or guardians: The fact that they regard women as property makes them ripe for public ridicule.

It’s the special achievement of Brian Bedford’s staging of the two-play compendium that the rights of women--including women every bit as silly as their men--resonate so strongly in an evening anchored persuasively in the look and style of the 1660s.

“The School for Husbands” and “The Imaginary Cuckold” each turn on the prevention of a forced, unhappy marriage and involve self-infatuated characters named Sganarelle (one urban, one rural, both played by Bedford) who become victims of their own misconceptions.

Lewis Segal

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Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A., (213) 628-2722. Today and Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 2:30 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2:30. $30-$44.

Also closing this weekend:

The Dumb Waiter--This well-staged production of Pinter’s early one-act about working-class hit men ends Sunday at the Write Act Theatre at St. Stephen’s Church, 6128 Yucca, Hollywood, (323) 655-8587.

Doreen Gray--A Hollywood Story--This tale of a 1930s starlet who’s still playing ingenues in the 1950s ends Saturday at the Raven Playhouse, 5233 N. Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, (323) 883-0223.

Peaceful Warriors--The exhibit about lives and convictions of nonviolent heroes, including material from Cesar Chavez, Jane Addams and Desmond Tutu, closes today at the Museum of Tolerance, Simon Wiesenthal Plaza, 9786 W. Pico Blvd., L.A., (310) 553-8403.

The Kindness of Friends: A Selection of Gifts of Drawings and Prints, 1919-2001--A show of notable works on paper that have been given or bequeathed to the museum closes Sunday at the L.A. County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., (323) 857-6000.