TODAYTHEATERAttraction and fidelityAmy Freed mines the wit,...

TODAY

THEATER

Attraction and fidelity

Amy Freed mines the wit, style and sexual intrigues of late 17th century London in “Restoration Comedy,” a bawdy new romantic comedy examining the push and pull of attraction and fidelity. John Rando directs. Freed is the author of off-Broadway’s “The Beard of Avon.”

“Restoration Comedy,” Old Globe Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego. Opens 8 tonight. $19 to $59. (619) 234-5623; www.theoldglobe.org * Runs 7 p.m. Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; ends April 8.

DANCE

A local sampler

Human relations go under the knife in a program titled “Underbelly -- Revisited” that brings to the Diavolo Dance Space in the Brewery Arts Complex downtown a sampling of work by three acclaimed local companies. Holly Johnston’s Ledges and Bones Dance Project premieres “evidence [embedded].” Bradley Michaud’s “METHOD Contemporary Dance performs “after the fracture,” plus an excerpt from “supercedure.” And Maria Gillespie’s Oni Dance presents an excerpt from “Visitation.” Expect raw physicality and the rejection of conventional modes of choreography and performance.

“Underbelly -- Revisited,” Diavolo Dance Space, 616 Moulton Ave., downtown L.A. 8:30 tonight. $15 (students) and $20. Tickets: (310) 435-2901; underbelly07@gmail.com.

* Also 8:30 p.m. Friday, 5 and 9 p.m. Saturday.

MUSIC

Beethoven, Schubert

Praised as “a musician first and pianist second” by the Chicago Tribune, Andreas Haefliger is in the third year of his personal “Perspectives of Beethoven” series, in which he pairs the complete Beethoven piano works with music by other great composers. To complement the Getty Center’s current exhibition “From Casper David Friedrich to Gerhard Richter: German Paintings From Dresden,” the Swiss-born Haefliger will pair Beethoven’s “Pastoral” and “Appassionata” Sonatas with Schubert’s transcendent Sonata in B-flat, D. 960.

Andreas Haefliger, Harold M. Williams Auditorium, Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, L.A. 8 tonight. $15 and $20. (310) 440-7300. www.getty.edu

FRIDAY

MOVIES

As quiet as a monk

Philip Groning’s documentary “Into Great Silence” depicts daily life inside the Grande Chartreuse Catholic monastery in the French Alps. Nearly three hours of stillness may not sound terribly exciting, but the profound simplicity of the monks’ lives is truly stirring. The unhurried sights and sounds unfold with uninflected beauty. The echo of shuffling footsteps in a dark hallway or the solo chant of a monk becomes the soundtrack for the film.

“Into Great Silence,” unrated, opens Friday exclusively at the Landmark Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A. (310) 281-8223.

MUSEUMS

Materials, meaning in Asian art

Pasadena’s Pacific Asia Museum introduces “Jade, Silk and Porcelain: The Materials of Asian Art,” an exhibit on 10 materials used in Asian art. The exhibit presents the substances (silk, porcelain, ivory, lacquer, paper, bamboo, wood, gold, stone and jade) used in Asian functional, religious and ornamental art in their natural and processed forms. The museum illustrates the means by which these materials become art as well as offers examples of such art from various parts of Asia.

“Jade, Silk and Porcelain: The Materials of Asian Art,” Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena. Opens Friday. $5 to $7; 11 and younger, free. (626) 449-2742.

* Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Ends May 27.

WORLD MUSIC

Iran meets America

“We’ve got a global village going here,” says veteran rock drummer John Densmore. He is not, however, referring to some international revival of the Doors but to his partnership with Iranian vocalist-instrumentalist Reza Derakshani in an ensemble that also includes Armenian-Italian percussionist Cristina Berrio, Cuban bassist Carlitos Del Puerto and American keyboardist Dennis Hamm. Well aware of today’s stormy political climate, Densmore says his real goal is to enable “Americans to see the face and hear the sounds of the Iranian people.”

“Iran and America Make Music: The Reza Derakshani-John Densmore Group,” OC Pavilion, 801 N. Main St. Santa Ana. 8 p.m. Friday. $25 to $65. (866) 468-3399.

* Also 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, 4401 W. 8th St., L.A.

SATURDAY

EVENTS

A great day to be Irish

St. Patrick’s Day comes a wee bit early to the Southland this year with the Los Angeles County Irish Fair and Music Festival. Eight stages will feature music by such groups as the Young Dubliners, Skelpin’, Celtic Spring, the Mulligans, Des Regan Band and American Wake; dance shows by the Cripple Creek Cloggers and the McCartan Dancers; storytelling by True Thomas, Diane the Bard and Bill Howard; plus sheepherding demonstrations, Highland games, gunfight shows and Civil War reenactments. There will also be arts and crafts vendors and traditional Irish food.

Los Angeles County Irish Fair and Music Festival, Pomona Fairplex, 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. $12 to $16; two-day pass, $26. (310) 537-4240; www.la-irishfair.com* Also 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday

ART

A fantasy world

Drawing from such seemingly disparate movements as Italian religious painting and children’s book illustration from the 1940s, Mark Ryden’s signature blend of high and low culture comes steeped with a foreboding, gleeful doom. This time, in “The Tree Show,” an exhibition of new paintings, sculpture and works on paper, he applies the trademark quiet, unsettling refinement of his painting technique to an imaginary world of trees, nymphs and woodland creatures.

“Mark Ryden: The Tree Show,” Michael Kohn Gallery, 8071 Beverly Blvd., L.A., Opens Saturday. (323) 658-8088.

* Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays to Fridays; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays. Ends April 28.

BOOKS

Living in the past

Few trends can polarize the masses like ‘80s fashion. On one hand, the Cory Kennedys of the world can’t get enough of pointy flats, leggings and the former windbreaker of choice for math teachers everywhere, the Members Only jacket. But not a soul, not even Granny in Ohio, is clamoring for the return of shoulder pads or headbands with giant bows. From 1980 to 1990, photographer Amy Arbus shot more than 500 pictures of New York fashion for the Village Voice, capturing a decade pitted between wealthy conservatism and outrageous individualism. “On the Street” is a showcase of the ever-bold ‘80s.

Amy Arbus, Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. 5 p.m. Saturday. (310) 659-3110.

WEDNESDAY

THEATER

Tales of a barbershop

Based on Craig Marberry’s book “Cuttin’ Up: Wit and Wisdom From Black Barber Shops,” Charles Randolph-Wright’s play “Cuttin’ Up,” revolving around the lives and memories of three barbers, celebrates African American men of all ages. A West Coast premiere.

“Cuttin’ Up,” Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. Opens 8 p.m. Wednesday. $31 to $60.

(626) 356-7529. www.pasadenaplayhouse.org

* Runs 8 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays, 4 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Exceptions: 2 p.m. only on April 4; dark March 20, 28. Ends April 15.