THREE-DAY FORECAST

THEATER

A great love turns tragic

Chinese opera evolves into a multimedia spectacle with martial arts and karaoke in “Peach Blossom Fan,” a world premiere and the inaugural production from the Center of New Theater at REDCAT. Director Chen Shi-Zheng re-imagines a 17th century tale of tragic love between a poet and a courtesan in the waning days of the Ming dynasty, set to music by Stephin Merritt.

“Peach Blossom Fan,” REDCAT at Walt Disney Concert Hall, 2nd and Hope streets, L.A. Opens Friday. Runs Tuesdays to Sundays, 8:30 p.m.; ends April 24. $34-$38, except gala opening with reception, $50. (213) 237-2800.

POP MUSIC

Beethoven revisited

The conceit behind Sparks’ dazzling 2003 album “Lil’ Beethoven” is that it’s music created by a streetwise descendant of the great Austrian composer, a modern-day genius who’s both amused and appalled at the state of music at the dawn of the 21st century. Brothers Ron and Russell Mael present “Lil’ Beethoven” in its entirety for the first time in their hometown with a theatrical production that echoes the album’s musical minimalism and lyrical wit. It’s part of the Fonda Theater’s “Totally ‘80s” series, and no doubt Sparks will also dip into its catalog of hits, near-hits and should-have-been hits. But “Lil’ Beethoven” is what people will be talking about at the end of the night.

Sparks, Henry Fonda Theater, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. Saturday, 8 p.m. $25 advance; $27 day of show. (323) 464-0808.

FESTIVAL

Children and Easter

The Festival de los Ninos in East Los Angeles will celebrate the Easter holiday weekend with a decidedly Latin flavor. Families from Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and elsewhere are expected to come together for this annual free street fair with carnival rides, arts and crafts, prizes, traditional ethnic foods, and free toys for children.

Festival de los Ninos, Easter Street Fair, Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Soto Street, East L.A. Saturday and Sunday, noon to 10 p.m. Free. (323) 962-4760.

DANCE

And Juliet is the sun

With some of its most appealing principals dancing the lead roles, American Ballet Theatre closes its Music Center engagement this weekend with four more performances of the late Kenneth MacMillan’s full-length 1965 “Romeo and

Juliet” to music by Prokofiev. Cast as Shakespeare’s star-cross’d lovers are Ashley Tuttle and Angel Corella tonight, Paloma Herrera and Marcelo Gomes on Friday, Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky at the Saturday matinee, and Corella with Alessandra Ferri (long a great Juliet) on Saturday night. Be warned, however: In MacMillan’s version, Romeo seems to spend more time dancing with the marketplace whores than with his Juliet.

American Ballet Theatre in “Romeo and Juliet,” Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, L.A. Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Today and Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m. $25-$85. (213) 365-3500.

MUSIC

Youthful ambition

Sandwiched between the popular Fifth and the

Seventh (“Leningrad”)

symphonies, Shostakovich’s Sixth Symphony seems to have fallen by the wayside, although it too traverses a tragic landscape. Alexander Treger leads the American Youth Symphony in this challenging work. The

program also includes Ravel’s “Ma Mere l’Oye” and Tchaikovsky’s “Variations on a Rococo Theme,” with cellist Maksim Velichkin, a native of Uzbekistan now studying at USC, as the soloist.

Royce Hall, UCLA, Westwood. Sunday, 8 p.m. Free. (310) 234-8355.

SPOKEN WORD

Drawing on creativity

What do a cartoonist and a radio producer have in common? UCLA Live has commissioned the creator of the graphic novel “Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth,” Chris Ware, and the host-producer of PRI’s “This American Life,” Ira Glass, to produce a live storytelling event Saturday night. “Visible and Invisible Drawings: An Evening With Chris Ware and Ira Glass” will mix narration, live audio and images with the interplay between Ware and Glass.

“Visible and Invisible Drawings: An Evening With Chris Ware and Ira Glass,” Royce Hall, UCLA, 10745 Dickson Plaza, Westwood. Saturday, 8 p.m. $17-$40 (310) 825-2101 or www.UCLALive.org.

MOVIES

Just keep repeating the title

Contrary to the boast of its title, the movie “I’m Not Scared” packs its share of fear. A seemingly innocuous hole in a field (colored by cinematographer Italo Petriccione’s earthy palette) contains a startling discovery that radically changes the world of curious 10-year-old Michele (Giuseppe Cristiano). What he unearths unleashes a wave of suspicion that affects Michele’s own family. And suddenly their village in remote southern Italy is at the center of the country’s most despicable crime. Based on the novel by Niccolo Ammaniti, “I’m Not Scared” stars Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Dino Abbrescia, Giorgio Careccia, Mattia Di Perro and Diego Abatantuono. Director Gabriele Salvatores won an Oscar for his 1991 film, “Mediterraneo.”

“I’m Not Scared,” rated R for disturbing images and language, opens Friday in selected theaters.

THEATER

Life on the farm

Method-style acting takes a toll in Michael Healey’s seriocomic play “The Drawer Boy,” which gets its Los Angeles premiere at the Colony Theatre. It’s 1972, and an energetic actor barges in on two aging farmers living in rural Canada as “research” for a play. As the actor immerse himself in their lives, he pulls out memories and secrets.

David Rose, who staged “Fuddy Meers” and “Bea[u]tiful in the Extreme,” directs. Healey’s play won four Dora Awards -- the Canadian equivalent of the Tony -- including best play.

“The Drawer Boy,” Colony Theatre Company, 555 N. 3rd St., Burbank. Opens Saturday. Runs Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 and 7 p.m.; also April 17, 24, 3 p.m.; April 29, May 6, 8 p.m.; ends May 9. $26-$32.

(818) 558-7000.

ART

Abstraction through an amplifier

See that music hanging on the wall? The art of Tim Bavington has been described as a mix of ‘60s-style abstraction and power rock guitar solos. His work is part airbrushed precision and part impulse. The collection on view at Mark Moore Gallery includes large-scale pieces from his “stacked” series, as well as selections from his “amplifier” series.

Tim Bavington, Mark Moore Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave., A-1, Santa Monica. Tuesdays to Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ends May 15. (310) 453-3031.

POETRY

Twice the fun

Two languages multiplied by two events equals a very L.A. way to get into National Poetry Month. A Celebration of Contemporary Mexican Poetry begins tonight with readings by poets Dolores Dorantes and Maria Rivera, and a discussion on the poetics and politics of translating. That’ll be led by Jen Hofner, the editor and translator of “Sin Puertas Visibles: An Anthropology of Contemporary Poetry by Mexican Women.” On Saturday night, Tropico de Nopal Gallery Art Space hosts another bilingual reading of “Sin Puertas Visibles” followed by live music and dancing.

A Celebration of Contemporary Mexican Poetry, Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice. Today, 7:30 p.m. $5-$7. (310) 822-3006. Also, “Sin Puertas Visibles” reading, Tropico de Nopal Gallery, 1665 Beverly Blvd., Echo Park, Saturday, 8 p.m. $5. (213) 481-8112.

JAZZ

Wayne Shorter blows in

Saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter has been a major player on the international jazz scene for more than 40 years, first as a sideman with such jazz masters as Maynard Ferguson, Art Blakey and Miles Davis, and then as a bandleader. Over the years, Shorter has performed in various pairings with other major artists, creating an impressive body of work that has garnered seven Grammys, including the one he received in February for his CD “Alegria.”

Wayner Shorter Quartet, Cerritos Center, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos. Saturday, 8 p.m. $25-$55. (562) 916-8500. Also, April 16, 7 p.m. at USC Bovard Auditorium, $10-$30. (213) 740-2167.