WEEKEND FORECAST

TODAY

THEATER

A porcine premiere

“Pig Farm,” a darkly comic exploration of sustainable agriculture and mythic portrayals of the American hero, takes place on a struggling farm, where a couple and their hired hand fight to hold on to a herd of 15,000 restless pigs. Written by Greg Kotis (“Urinetown”), this production is a co-world premiere, in collaboration with New York’s Roundabout Theatre.

“Pig Farm,” Old Globe Theatre, Cassius Carter Centre Stage, Balboa Park, San Diego. Opens 8 tonight. $19 to $56. (619) 234-5623. www.theoldglobe.org.

* Runs 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays, 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, also 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Ends Oct. 29.

BOOKS

A ‘Killer’ producer

Tough-as-nails movie producer Christine Vachon went to Brown’s hailed semiotics program with director Todd Haynes, and they later formed one of independent cinema’s tightest working bonds. She’s raised money for Haynes’ most difficult projects, including the Jean Genet-inspired triptych “Poison” and the glam rock film “Velvet Goldmine.” She’s also produced her fair share of hits (in indie terms), including “Far From Heaven,” “One Hour Photo” and “Boys Don’t Cry.” In “A Killer Life,” Vachon details the controversy around Colin Farrell’s nudie shot in “A Home at the End of the World” and other adventures in producing.

Christine Vachon, Book Soup, 8818 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. 7 tonight. (310) 659-3110.

POP MUSIC

Ushering in a new crew

With Usher busy on Broadway, one of the top contenders to be the new Usher is burning up the road. Chris Brown, riding along with another radio hit, “Say Goodbye,” co-headlines the “Up Close & Personal Tour” with sometime recording partner Ne-Yo, and he has some of his other collaborators, including Juelz Santana and Lil’ Wayne, on the undercard. This handy package of contemporary hit urban music also features Dem Franchize Boyz and Cherish.

Chris Brown, Gibson Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, North Hollywood. 8:15 tonight. $39.50 to $79.50. (818) 622-4440.

* Also 7 p.m. Friday at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, 8808 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine. $49.50 to $79.50. (949) 855-8096.

FRIDAY

DANCE

A Fagan sampler

Garth Fagan Dance brings to the Cerritos Center a program of pieces displaying the range of one of America’s most acclaimed choreographers. Scheduled are the prelude from “Discipline Is Freedom,” “Oatka Trail,” “Touring Jubilee 1924 (Professional),” “Life: Dark/Light” and “Translation Transition.” Fagan’s company has won five Bessie Awards, and he has also earned renown as choreographer of the Tony-winning Broadway version of “The Lion King.”

Garth Fagan Dance, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos. 8 p.m. Friday. $20 to $36. (562) 916-8500; www.cerritoscenter.com.

MOVIES

L.A.’s punk decade

Los Angeles had such a prominent punk rock scene in the ‘80s, it’s a little hard to think of it as a “lost subculture,” but Paul Rachman’s documentary “American Hardcore: The History of American Punk Rock 1980-1986” rediscovers the roots of this seminal underground movement and illuminates its lasting influence. The film looks at bands like Black Flag, Bad Brains and Minor Threat, contrasting the angry energy of the music with the Reagan-era conservatism during which it was made.

“American Hardcore,” rated R for pervasive language including sex and drug references, opens Friday at the Landmark Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A. (310) 281-8223; and Edwards University Town Center, 4245 Campus Drive, Irvine. (949) 854-8818.

MUSIC

Odes to Wolfgang

Leave it to Long Beach Opera to come up with a new angle on Mozart in this over-hyped Mozart Year. The company will open its new season with three works dedicated to the composer but without any of his music: Michael Nyman’s “Letters, Riddles & Writs,” Arvo Part’s

“Mozart-Adagio” and

Peter Greenaway’s film

“M Is for Man, Music, Mozart” with live music by Louis Andriessen. Long Beach Opera music director Andreas Mitisek will conduct.

Long Beach Opera, the Vault 350, 350 Pine Ave., Long Beach. 8 p.m. Friday. $15 to $70. (562) 438-2580. www.longbeachopera.org.

* Also 8 p.m. Saturday.

SATURDAY

THEATER

Bumming a ‘Joyride’

In her two-part, time-traversing saga “Tale of 2Cities (An American Joyride on Multiple Tracks),” Heather Woodbury examines the Brooklyn Dodgers’ move to Los Angeles from New York in 1957 and its lasting effect on three generations of characters from both locales. Dudley Saunders directs. Part of UCLA Live’s International Theatre Festival.

“Tale of 2Cities (An American Joyride on Multiple Tracks),” Freud Playhouse, UCLA, 405 Hilgard Ave., Westwood. Opens 2 p.m. Saturday (Part I: “Grifters, Drifters and Dodgers”) and 7 p.m. Saturday (Part II: “Mega Mixicana Waltz”). Parts I and II presented on weekends with a dinner break between. Full schedule at the website. Ends Oct. 8. $23 to $35. (310) 825-2101; www.uclalive.org.

JAZZ

And blues, and R&B;, and ...

The organizers of Jazz at Drew did not let the event’s name limit their programming choices. In addition to jazz, the two-day music fest slated for this weekend, will also feature blues, R&B;, gospel and other styles of music on the campus of Charles R. Drew University. Vibraphonist Roy Ayers (a late substitution for Donald Byrd), percussionist Pete Escovedo, the Impressions, the Michael Session Sextet, AXX Straight Out of Jamaica, the Rickey Minor Band and Rose Royce will be featured Saturday. The Sunday lineup will include Hiroshima, Orquesta Charangoa, Everett Harp with the Dennis Nelson All Stars and the Meeting featuring Ndugu Chancler, Patrice Rushen, Ernie Watts and Neil Stubenhaus. The event, which also includes a cultural marketplace and health pavilion, raises funds for the university, the only historically African American institution west of the Mississippi offering graduate education in the health profession. Seating is festival style, so bring a blanket or a low-back beach chair.

Jazz at Drew, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, 1731 E. 120th St., L.A. 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. $45 per day in advance, $50 at the gate. VIP tables for four, $300 to $550. (323) 563-9390; www.jazzatdrew.com.

* Also 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. Two-day ticket, $80 and $90.

WORLD MUSIC

Tibetan tradition

Yungchen Lhamo has been described as the voice of Tibet, encouraged to sing by the Dalai Lama after she fled Tibet in 1989. Her performances, usually done with very little accompaniment, are intimate experiences, enhanced by the flexible qualities of her voice. The songs, based in traditional Tibetan music, blend a contemporary overview with the spiritual power of Buddhism. This is a rare L.A. performance, done in support of her foundation to improve the welfare of Tibetans.

Yungchen Lhamo, the Silk Road Gallery, 145 N. La Brea Ave., Suite C. 8 p.m. Saturday. $25 donation. (323) 857-5588.

SUNDAY

MUSEUMS

No charge for culture

With the weather starting to change, it’s time to head indoors with the Museums Free-for-All for a cultural sampler platter. Want some visual stimulation? Try the Wolfgang Tillmans retrospective at the Hammer. Curious for some cultural history? There’s the “Yosemite” exhibition at the Autry. Sciences more your thing? Check out the Spider Pavilion at the Natural History Museum. These, along with 17 other Southland institutions, are free all day Sunday.

“Museums Free-for-All,” at various Southland museums Sunday. Free, but regular parking fees apply. Go to www.museumsla.org for complete list.

WEDNESDAY

THEATER

Z is for zingers

Is El Zorro wandering the Hollywood Hills? Performance trio Culture Clash (Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza) takes on the romantic myths surrounding the creation of California and a certain iconic masked hero in its latest comedy, “Zorro in Hell,” a co-production with Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Zorro Productions Inc.

“Zorro in Hell,” La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla. Opens 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. $28 to $72. (858) 550-

1010; www.lajollaplayhouse.com.

* Runs 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 7 p.m. Sundays, also 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Ends Oct. 29.