TODAY

ART

Painterly pop culture references

Artist Christopher Wool’s black-stenciled text paintings in the late 1980s referenced pop culture (including Francis Ford Coppola’s film “Apocalypse Now”) on a white canvas, a study of the painting process rather than the subject. In his first L.A. exhibition since his 1998 retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Wool continues his exploration of painterly techniques through the use of spray paint, silkscreen and hand painting.

Christopher Wool at Gagosian Gallery, 456 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills. Opens today. (310) 271-9400.

* Hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Ends April 8.

DANCE

A fusion

of diverse styles

Contemporary dancer-choreographer-improviser Stefan Fabry draws from a wide range of influences in his program “We Will Go Outside Where the Wild Wind Blows” at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica. Tai chi, tango, ballet, postmodern dance a la Rudy Perez: Fabry fuses them in intense, metaphoric performance experiences. The subjects or points of departure include poetry by Rainer Maria Rilke, stories by Franz Kafka and choreography by modern master Jiri Kylian. Collaborating with Fabry on the project are dancer-choreographer Debra Christie and tango specialist Mitra Martin.

“We Will Go Outside When the Wild Wind Blows,” Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St., Santa Monica. 8:30 tonight. $18. (310) 315-1459 or www.highwaysperformance.org.

* Also 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

MUSIC

Mahler’s swan song

Mahler’s Ninth Symphony is usually seen as his great farewell to life. It was composed in 1909-10, during years of ill health (he was

diagnosed in 1907 with a heart condition that four years later would kill him) and the busy demands of conducting at New York’s Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic.

Yet Mahler didn’t necessarily see it as the end.

He had a 10th Symphony in mind, although he

didn’t live to finish it. New York native Alan Gilbert, now chief conductor and

artistic advisor of the

Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, will lead the Los

Angeles Philharmonic in Mahler’s last completed symphony as the single work on the Philharmonic’s program.

Los Angeles Philharmonic, Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., L.A. 8 tonight. $15 to $129. (323) 850-2000; www.LAPhil.com.

* Also 8 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. Saturday.

FRIDAY

EVENTS

Dude, it’s

a big deal

Although it was not a blockbuster hit when it was first released in 1998, the Coen brothers’ film “The Big Lebowski” has spawned a cult following in the years since. Film critics did not get it, but fans connected to the story about Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski, a pot-smoking slacker and bowler who gets involved in a Philip Marlowe-style mystery after being mistaken for a millionaire who shares his surname. The cast included Jeff Bridges (as “The Dude”), John Goodman, Julianne Moore and Steve Buscemi. This weekend, the Lebowski Fest comes to Los Angeles with a pre-party at the Knitting Factory Friday night and the main event Saturday at the Cal Bowl. Both events will feature appearances by Lebowski celebs, live music, costume and trivia contests and a screening of the film. Saturday’s event will also include unlimited bowling.

Lebowski Fest, Knitting Factory, 7021 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday. $15. (323) 463-0204;

* Also Cal Bowl, 2500 E. Carson St. Lakewood. 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday. $25 includes bowling and shoe rental. (866) 468-3399.

MOVIES

A unique block party

In the summer of 2004, comedian Dave Chappelle gathered some of his favorite music artists -- Kanye West, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Dead Prez, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, the Roots, Cody Chesnutt, Big Daddy Kane and the reunited Fugees -- and put on a show on the streets of Brooklyn. Director Michel Gondry and ace cinematographer Ellen Kuras shot the collaboration of comedy and music and the result is the concert film, “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party.”

“Dave Chappelle’s Block Party,” R for language, opens Friday in selected theaters.

THEATER

Night owl lunacy

Night owls with a taste for the offbeat take note: “Late Night Magic,” a new series of entertainments featuring noted magicians and illusionists, launches this weekend at Theatre West, presented by Magic Castle veteran George Tovar. First up: the surreal physical illusions of Dan Sylvester, as he morphs his body into his loony alter-ego, “Sylvester the Jester: A Real Live Cartoon.”

“Late Night Magic,” Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Universal City, L.A. Opens 11:15 p.m. Friday. $12. (323) 851-7977. www.theatrewest.org* Runs 11:15 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; ends March 25.

SATURDAY

THEATER

An unlikely new king

An oafish nobody becomes the king of Poland in “Ubu Roi,” Alfred Jarry’s 19th century satire inspired by Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” The production features Alan Blumenfeld and Deborah Strang as Pa and Ma Ubu.

“Ubu Roi,” A Noise Within, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Opens 8 p.m. Saturday, $32 to $36, except opening night, including reception, $45. (818) 240-0910,

Ext. 1. www.anoisewithin.org.

* Continues in repertory 2 and 7 p.m. March 19, April 16, May 7; 8 p.m. March 23-24, April 15, 19-20; 2 and 8 p.m. May 6; ends May 7.

JAZZ

Virtuoso bassist

Bassist Victor Wooten is probably best known for his work with Grammy-winning banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. But Wooten also has performed with an eclectic variety of artists, including Branford Marsalis, Mike Stern, Chick Corea, Dave Matthews, Prince and Susan Tedeschi; as well as performing his own well-anchored music that showcases his prodigious talents. Wooten’s latest CD, “Soul Circus,” was released last year. Wooten performs at the

El Rey Theatre.

Victor Wooten, El Rey Theatre, 5515 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles. 8 p.m. Saturday. $24. (323)936-6400

POP MUSIC

Morrison’s new sound

There aren’t very many musical frontiers left for Van Morrison, who has dipped into blues, R&B;, mystical folk, skiffle, Celtic and more in his more than four-decade career. But he’s found one for his latest album. “Pay the Devil” (due Tuesday) points the Belfast Cowboy to Nashville, the source of the country music that fills the CD. Morrison adds three originals to a set that includes such classics as “Your Cheatin’ Heart.”

Van Morrison, Wiltern LG, 3790 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 7:30 p.m. Saturday. $85-$150. (213) 380-5005.

* Also 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

EVENTS

Lighter than air

When the Huntington Beach Kite Party was launched four years ago on the beach just north of the Huntington Beach Pier, it attracted about 50 local kite enthusiasts. Since then, the event has taken off, earning the distinction by the Kite Trade Assn. International as the nation’s best kite festival for 2005. When the Fourth Annual Huntington Beach Kite Party opens this weekend, more than 150 kite fliers from across the country, Japan, Canada and England will set their kites aloft. Spectators can expect to see bat-shaped, bird-shaped, fish-shaped and other kites performing high-flying aerobatics.

Huntington Beach Kite Party starts Saturday, 11 a.m. North of Huntington Beach Pier. Free. (714) 536-3630; www.surfcityevents.com/* Also 11 a.m. Sunday.

SUNDAY

MUSEUMS

A war’s aftermath

John Swope is best known for his photographs of Hollywood’s Golden Age, but some of his most poignant works are from his assignment in Japan just days after the Japanese surrender in 1945. The exhibition “A Letter From Japan: The Photographs of John Swope” highlights photographs documenting the aftermath of World War II and features a copy of the 144-page letter Swope wrote to his wife, actress Dorothy McGuire, during his stay in the country.

“A Letter From Japan: The Photographs of John Swope,” Armand Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. Opens Sunday. $3 to $5; 17 and younger, free. (310) 443-7000.

* Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, except 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays. Ends June 4.