TODAYMUSICAn opera season samplerYou can get snacks...

TODAY

MUSIC

An opera season sampler

You can get snacks at the opera. And just as at the ArcLight and other tony new cinemas around town, you get an assigned seat. But what you never get are previews of coming attractions. Tonight in Marina del Rey, however, “An Evening With Los Angeles Opera” will provide a no-cost opportunity to sample what the company has in store for its 2007-08 season. Sopranos Shana Blake Hill and Maria Fortuna, tenor Mathew Edwardsen and baritone Nmon Ford will offer a selection of arias from, among other productions, Verdi’s “Otello,” Puccini’s “La Rondine” and Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” Unlike at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, however, seating will be first come, first served.

Marina del Rey Summer Concerts, Burton W. Chace Park, 13650 Mindanao Way, Marina del Rey. 7 p.m. today. Free. (310) 305-9545; www.visitthemarina.com.

JAZZ

In the spirit of her music

Pianist-harpist Alice McLeod was an up-and-coming bebop pianist in the early ‘60s when she met and married tenor saxophone great John Coltrane. Together, they expanded their musical and spiritual horizons. After her husband’s death in 1967, Alice Coltrane continued to create music blending transformative sounds, while changing her name to Turiyasangitananda, and founding the Vedantic Center in Malibu. Her remarkable life (she died in January) and art will be celebrated by the Ashram Community Choir, the Universal Consciousness Orchestra, featuring singer Dwight Trible, and the hip-hop music of her nephew, Flying Lotus.

1st & Central Summer Concerts in the Plaza of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, 244 S. San Pedro St., L.A. 6:30 tonight. Free. (213) 680-3700.

THEATER

Enchanted, I’m sure

In John Van Druten’s romantic comedy “Bell, Book and Candle,” a modern-day witch enchants her handsome neighbor and finds herself dealing with unintended consequences.

“Bell, Book and Candle,” Old Globe Theatre, Cassius Carter Centre Stage, Balboa Park, San Diego. Opens 8 tonight. $39 to $58. (619) 234-5623. www.theoldglobe.org.

Runs 7 p.m. Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Ends Sept. 9.

THEATER

As taught by Chopin

“Monsieur Chopin” continues Hershey Felder’s theatrical “Composer Sonata” trilogy, which began with “George Gershwin Alone.” In this second movement of the trilogy, pianist-actor Felder focuses on the romantic story and music of Frédéric Chopin, told as the Polish composer conducts a piano lesson just days after revolution racked France again in February 1848. Joel Zwick directs.

“Monsieur Chopin,” Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. Opens 7:30 tonight.

$35 to $69. (310) 208-5454,

(213) 365-3500. www.geffenplayhouse.com

Runs 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 4 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays, 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Dark Aug. 25. Ends

Aug. 26.

FRIDAY

EVENTS

A legacy in Watts

Created one year after the violence of the Watts riots (or the Watts Revolt, depending upon your perspective) of August 1965, the Watts Summer Festival marks its 41st anniversary this weekend. This year’s theme is “A Legacy of Values for the Next Generation.” U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) will host an opening-day ceremony Saturday, but the party actually starts Friday. Live jazz, R&B;, blues, gospel and other styles of music will be part of the continuous entertainment lineup all weekend. An exhibition of work by photographers, a children’s village, a Nickelodeon storytelling artist, films, carnival rides, games and food will also be featured. Brenda Holloway, the Watts Prophets and Charles Wright and the 103rd Street Rhythm Band will perform in concert Sunday.

Watts Summer Festival, Ted Watkins Park, 1335 E. 103rd St., L.A. Noon to 10 p.m. Friday. Free. (323) 789-7304; www.wattsfestival.org.

Also noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

MOVIES

Life is a science

After holding us “Spellbound” with his documentary on the national spelling bee, Jeffrey Blitz turns to fiction for “Rocket Science,” a comedy centered on teen angst, romance and public speaking. Reece Daniel Thompson, Anna Kendrick and Denis O’Hare star.

“Rocket Science,” rated R for some sexual content and language, opens Friday at Pacific’s ArcLight, 6360 W. Sunset Blvd.

(at Ivar Avenue), Hollywood,

(323) 464-4226; and the Landmark, 10850 W. Pico Blvd. (at Westwood Blvd.), West L.A. (310) 281-8233.

BOOKS

Page after page . . .

The Los Angeles Black Book Expo, now in its third year, offers a forum for authors, editors, publishers, scholars and performers seeking to spread the word about the wealth of talent within the independent African and African American press in the U.S. and throughout the world. Authors Corlis Martin, Dwayne Murray Sr., Pamela Samuels-Young, Renee Hampton Morgan, Larry Ukali Johnson-Redd and many others appear at the two-day celebration featuring panel discussions, exhibitors, spoken word performances and a children’s literary zone.

Los Angeles Black Book Expo, Exposition Park Intergenerational Community Center, 3980 S. Menlo Ave., L.A. Reception, 6 p.m. Friday. Free. (323) 385-7103; www.labbx.com.

Book Expo, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

SATURDAY

FAMILY

From gory to goofy

The Actors’ Gang turns one of Shakespeare’s bloodiest dramas -- mass murder! cannibalism! -- into an outdoor family romp. Freely adapted by company member Angela Berliner, gory “Titus Andronicus” becomes the kid-friendly “Titus the Clownicus.”

“Titus the Clownicus,” Media Park, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City. Opens 11 a.m. Saturday. Free. (310) 838-4264; www.theactorsgang.com

Runs 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Ends Sept. 2.

ART

Like book reports

Taking “inspired by the classics” to a new level, Literartistry features paintings by Pop Surrealist and lowbrow artists, each based on a favorite work of literature. Works include Andrew Brandou’s “Diary of a Drug Fiend” influenced by the Aliester Crowley book of the same name, Chris Anthony’s “Sigmund Franz Schultz” based on “Schultz” by JP Donleavey and Greg Clarke’s “Conflagration on the Yorkshire Moors” based on Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights.” The upstairs of the gallery will be turned into a temporary library stocked with titles featured in the show, each available for checkout.

“Literartistry,” Corey Helford Gallery, 8522 Washington Blvd., Culver City. Opens Saturday.

(310) 287-2340; www.coreyhelfordgallery.com.

Hours: Noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Ends Sept. 5.

SUNDAY

THEATER

Realities of AIDS

Film and Tony Award-nominated stage actor Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Dreamgirls”) portrays multiple characters in her solo drama “Sometimes I Cry,” inspired by the real-life struggles of women infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS

“Sometimes I Cry,” the Hayworth Theater, 2509 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Opens 3 p.m. Sunday. $20.

(800) 838-3006.

Also 3 p.m. Aug. 19 and 26.

WEDNESDAY

JAZZ

Players in accord

The guitar has been the jazz world’s fastest evolving (and proliferating) instrument of the last five decades. And here’s an intriguing display of the diverse range of styles and attitudes that have surfaced since the salad days of Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian. Heading the Guitar Night bill at the Hollywood Bowl, Lee Ritenour fronts an all-star band featuring keyboardist Patrice Rushen, bassist Richard Bona and Brian Bromberg, and drummer Alex Acuña. John Scofield adds his highly personalized view of blues and funk. And the rapidly emerging West African guitarist Lionel Loueke brings Gilfema, a virtual United Nations trio that also includes Swedish-Italian bassist Massimo Biolcati and Hungarian drummer Ferenc Nemeth.

Guitar Night, the Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. 8 p.m. Wednesday.

$6 to $143. (323) 850-2000.