WEEKEND FORECAST

TODAY

JAZZ

Making time for live show

Guitarist Kenny Burrell is obviously a master at multi-tasking. His 100th album as a leader is due out later this year -- that’s two releases annually over the last five decades. He has been directing UCLA’s jazz program since the mid-’90s, and he still finds time to display his potent, blues-driven guitar lines. This time, he leads Kenny Burrell and the Jazz Heritage All-Stars, an ensemble that includes trumpeter Dr. Bobby Rodriguez, pianist Tom Ranier, bassist Jeff Clayton and drummer Clayton Cameron.

Catalina Bar & Grill, 6725 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. today. $18 to $30; with two-drink minimum. (323) 466-2210.

* Also 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

THEATER

Man vs. woman

Shakespeare Orange County stages the Bard’s battle of the sexes, “The Taming of the Shrew.” David Denman (Roy on “The Office”) returns as Petruchio; Katie A. Keane plays fiery Kate. Carl Reggiardo directs.

“The Taming of the Shrew,” Festival Amphitheater, 12852 Main St., Garden Grove. Opens 8:15 p.m. today. $29. (714) 590-1575; www.shakespeareoc.org.

* Runs 8:15 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. Ends July 28.

MUSEUMS

A chance to shine

Nonprofit agency L.A. Goal provides art, music and drama classes, as well as counseling, fitness activities and job training for adults with developmental disabilities. In embArk: L.A. Goal, the fourth exhibition of work by class attendees, more than 50 pieces spanning such media as painting, ceramics, text, multimedia and weaving will be on display. The exhibition derives its name from the Skirball’s current Noah’s Ark interactive attraction.

“embArk: L.A. Goal,” Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. Opens today. $5 to $10; children 2 and younger, free. (310) 440-4500.

* Hours: Noon to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays (except Thursdays, till 9 p.m.); 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays. Ends

Oct. 7.

OPERA

That Moon is tricky

Four children camping out in the Forest of Arcadia fall victim to the Moon’s magic when she uses them to get revenge on a former lover who presides over the birds’ annual song competition. That’s the story of “Keepers of the Night,” an original opera by composer Peter Ash and librettist Donald Sturrock commissioned by Anne Tomlinson’s Los Angeles Children’s Chorus. Grant Gershon will conduct the world premiere today, with performances running through the weekend. Corey Madden is the stage director. The cast includes 65 chorus members, plus a quartet of adults.

“Keepers of the Night,” Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Ave., Glendale. 7:30 p.m. tonight. $20 to $60. Half-price tickets for children younger than 16. (818) 243-2539. www.alextheatre.org.

* Also 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 2 p.m. Sunday.

DANCE

Lots of ballet on tap

Starting tonight, American Ballet Theatre moves into Southern California for two weeks in two venues. Downtown L.A. gets a program of familiar one-act masterworks by George Balanchine and Agnes de Mille, plus three showpiece duets (tonight only), followed by four performances of Lar Lubovitch’s full-length “Othello” to music by Elliot B. Goldenthal. In Costa Mesa, the company introduces local audiences to its brand new version of the complete “Sleeping Beauty” (original choreography by Petipa, music by Tchaikovsky). Many stellar dancers alternate in major roles throughout the engagements.

American Ballet Theatre, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, L.A. Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. 7:30 tonight (mixed bill). $25 to $115. (213) 365-3500; www.ticketmaster.com.

* Also 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday (“Othello”).

* Also July 17 to 22 in “The Sleeping Beauty” at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. $25 to $95. (714) 556-2787; www.ocpac.org.

FRIDAY

MOVIES

Where the truth lies

Steve Buscemi plays a cynical war correspondent who bristles when he is assigned to do a piece on Sienna Miller’s famous soap star in the drama, “Interview,” which explores the confluence of media, truth and celebrity. Buscemi also directed and co-wrote this adaptation of a film by late Belgian director Theo van Gogh.

“Interview,” rated R for language including sexual references, and some drug use, opens Friday in selected theaters.

SATURDAY

POP MUSIC

Sounding grown-up

Teenage sensations in the mid-1990s, Australian trio Silverchair lost traction in the U.S. (but never at home) after four albums. But the band’s latest, “Young Modern” (due July 24) has reestablished Daniel Johns and crew as a commercial force, exhibiting a lush, mature sound that has done nothing to diminish their fans’ loyalty -- at least if February’s sold-out shows in L.A. were any indication.

Silverchair, the Wiltern, 3790 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 7:30 p.m. Saturday. $26. (213) 388-1400.

* Also 7:30 p.m. Sunday at House of Blues Anaheim, 1530 Disneyland Drive, Anaheim. $22.50 to $25. (714) 778-2583.

ART

Built to be natural

The Summer 2007 group show at Margo Leavin Gallery features the 1970 installation, “Forest Sound” by William Leavitt, a project complete with fabricated trees, dirt and recorded bird chirps, all bathed in a flood light to theatrically approximate a “natural” environment -- however ambiguous and falsely dramatic an environment it may be. The work, an “installation of the absurd,” was originally created in response to the minimalist sculpture that ruled the day. The exhibition also features works by Allen Ruppersberg (“Wondrous Remains”) and Mungo Thomson (“Skyspace Bouncehouse”).

William Leavitt, Allen Ruppersberg and Mungo Thomson, Margo Leavin Gallery, 812 Robertson Blvd., L.A. Opens Saturday. (310) 273-0603.

* Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Ends Aug. 18.

SUNDAY

MUSIC

Bridging cultures

The rich melodies and layered textures of music from Israel and the Middle East are on full display at a concert that features world premieres of compositions by Ariel Blumenthal and Debkah Rafiakh, performed by the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony under the direction of Noreen Green. The concert -- titled “A Feast for the Senses: East Meets West” -- also includes a collaboration with the Yuval Ron Ensemble, performing on an array of instruments, including the oud, the duduk, the kanoun and the doumbek, and underscoring the multi-ethnicity of the program with a lineup of players that includes Jewish and Arabic, as well as Christian Armenian musicians.

The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony with the Yuval Ron Ensemble, the Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Los Angeles. 7:30 p.m. Sunday. $25 and $36. (323) 461-3673.

MONDAY

WORDS

Discussing taste

Having written several books, as well as for Los Angeles and California magazines, Jonathan Gold has penned the “Counter Intelligence” column in the L.A. Weekly since 1986, for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize this year -- the only food critic to have received the honor. Often championing the obscure, ethnic restaurants tucked into far corners of mini-malls or saddled with unfavorable health code ratings, Gold’s gastronomic tastes run rampant in a city with seemingly endless culinary possibilities. Zocalo Public Lecture series presents Gold in conversation with Monica Corcoran, style editor at Variety.

Jonathan Gold, Richard J. Riordan Central Library, 630 W. 5th St., L.A. 7 p.m. Monday. (213) 228-7025.

WEDNESDAY

THEATER

Not all was so golden

Satiric performance trio Culture Clash (“Water and Power,” “Chavez Ravine”) crosses borders, blasts stereotypes and takes on the romantic myths surrounding the creation of California in “Zorro in Hell,” a Los Angeles premiere.

“Zorro in Hell,” Ricardo Montalban Theatre, 1615 N. Vine St., Hollywood. Opens 8 p.m. Wednesday. $25 to $55. (877) 359-6776. www.cultureclash.com.

* Runs 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. Sundays; 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Ends Aug. 19.