6pmDanceIn the ancient Hindu epic “Mahabharata,” a...

6pm

Dance

In the ancient Hindu epic “Mahabharata,” a great hero weighs the moral costs of a just but catastrophic war in a celebrated passage called “Bhagvad Gita.” This extended meditation on the devastating consequences of power politics couldn’t be more relevant to the current debate on a U.S. war with Iraq, but it might also seem the most unlikely subject imaginable for a dance drama. However, choreographer Viji Prakash and her locally based Shakti Dance Company are adapting “Bhagvad Gita” into a narrative to be danced in one of the oldest and most revered classical idioms of India, Bharata Natyam. Guests Ajit Bhaskaran Das of Malaysia, Harikrishnan of India and vocalist Lakshmi Shankar are featured in the production, which is also scheduled to be seen in San Francisco, Bakersfield, San Diego, Houston and Vancouver.

“Bhagvad Gita,” with Viji Prakash, her Shakti Dance Company and guests. Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine.

6 p.m. $20 to $50. (949) 854-4646.

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1pm

Theater

“The Woody Guthrie Show,” an annual tribute to the legendary songwriter, folklorist and labor leader and originally developed by Theatricum Botanicum founder Will Geer, will be performed by the Geer family and friends.

“The Woody Guthrie Show,” Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga.

1 p.m. $10 to $15.

(310) 455-3723.

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all day

Photography

Sunday is a busy day at Museum of Contemporary Art as the museum plays host to three new exhibitions. First up: “Thomas Struth,” a survey of contemporary photographs spanning 1977 to the present by the noted German artist. Also opening : “Conversations,” a rotating exhibition of recent additions to the permanent collection including contemporary works by Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Robert Frank and Lari Pittman, among others. And a flamboyant monumental sculpture by Nancy Rubins titled “Chas’ Stainless Steel, Mark Thompson’s Airplane Parts, About 1000 Pounds of Stainless Steel Wire and Gagosian’s Beverly Hills Space” will be installed beginning Sunday.

“Thomas Struth” ends Jan. 5; “Conversations” through summer 2003; Nancy Rubin’s sculpture will be on view indefinitely. Museum of Contemporary Art, 250 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Tuesdays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-

5 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m.-

8 p.m. Adults, $8; students and seniors, $5; children under 12 are free.

(213) 626-6222.

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all day

Art

“George Romney 1734-1802: British Art’s Forgotten Genius,” a large retrospective opening at the Huntington Library, focuses on this key figure in 18th century British art. Romney was a leading rival of Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough and one of the most sought-after portrait painters in London. Henry Huntington assembled a large holding of Romney’s grand manner portraits in the U.S., which will go on view Sunday along with full-length portraits, sketches, cartoons and impromptu studies.

“George Romney 1734-1802: British Art’s Forgotten Genius,” Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. Tuesday-Friday, noon to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Adults, $10; seniors, $8.50; students, $7; youth 5-11, $4; children under 5 are free.

(626) 405-2100.