Calendar Picks and Clicks: Sept. 17-24, 2010

FRI | SEPT 17

(THEATER)
Richard Israel directs “Merrily We Roll Along,” Stephen Sondheim’s 1981 musical, which moves backward in time, from 1967 to 1957, to reveal how Franklin Shepard, once a talented Broadway composer, abandoned his friends and songwriting to become a Hollywood producer. Based on George Kaufman’s 1934 play of the same name. Fri. Through Oct. 24. 8 p.m. (Fri. and Sat.), 2:30 p.m. (Sun.). $25 (students), $30 (seniors 60 and over), $34 (adults). Actors Co-Op, 1760 N. Gower St., Los Angeles. (323) 462-8460. actorsco-op.org.

SAT | SEPT 18

(ART)
Sigmund Freud’s theories on subjects like dreams, sexuality and the unconscious inspire British sculptor Jane McAdam Freud, who uses clay, bronze and copper to create tactile works. “Random,” the first solo exhibition for McAdam Freud, great-granddaughter of Freud and daughter of painter Lucian Freud, is co-curated by L.A. psychoanalyst Esther Dreifuss-Kattan. Sat. Through Oct. 10. Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Sundaram Tagore Gallery, 9606 Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 278-4520. sundaramtagore.com.

(FILM)
“Catfish,” Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost’s self-described “reality thriller,” follows the complicated virtual relationship that develops via social media between 24-year-old New York photographer Nev Schulman (Ariel’s brother) and sexy 19-year-old Megan Faccio. But when Nev travels to rural Michigan to find Megan and her family, what he discovers defies his expectations. Plays in select theaters. iamrogue.com/catfish.

(THEATER)
“David: The Musical” explores the adult life of King David, including the downfall of the royal family and the ruler’s struggle to maintain power. Sat. Through. Oct. 17. Thu.-Sat. 8 p.m.; Sun. 7 p.m. $20. Hayworth Mainstage, 2511 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. (800) 838-8006. davidthemusical.net.

SUN | SEPT 19

(MUSEUM)
Rabbi Elliot Dorff speaks at Loyola Marymount University’s opening reception for “Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race,” a traveling exhibition from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Through photos, documents, objects and historic film footage, “Deadly Medicine” examines how Nazi leadership, in collaboration with medical professionals, used science to legitimize persecution, murder and, ultimately, genocide. The exhibition is hosted in conjunction with the School of Education’s Southern California Teacher Forum on Holocaust Education. Sun, 2-4 p.m. (opening reception). Through Nov. 24. Free. Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.- 8 p.m.; Sat. 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. William H. Hannon Library at Loyola Marymount University, 1 LMU Drive, L.A. (310) 338-5234. library.lmu.edu.

MON | SEPT 20

(FILM)
Director Nina Menkes draws inspiration from Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” for her new film, “Hitparkut” (Dissolution), which won the Anat Pirchi Award for Best Drama at the 2010 Jerusalem International Film Festival. Shot in Yafo in digital black-and-white, the film follows the moral collapse of a morose Israeli Jew responsible for the murder of a female pawnbroker. Menkes leads a discussion following the screening. Mon. 8:30 p.m. $7 (students), $9 (general). REDCAT at Walt Disney Concert Hall, 631 W. Second St., L.A. (213) 237-2800. redcat.org.

TUE | SEPT 21

(DISCUSSION)
A live videoconference with 98-year-old journalist and author Ruth Gruber, whose photographs of the Exodus 1947 garnered attention worldwide, precedes a screening of “Ahead of Time,” a documentary tracing Gruber’s career. Tue. 7 p.m. $10. Museum of Tolerance, 9786 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 772-2505. museumoftolerance.com.

(BOOKS)
“The Brady Bunch” creator Sherwood Schwartz and his son, writer-producer Lloyd Schwartz, share behind-the-scenes stories from one of America’s most beloved television series and sign copies of their new book, “Brady, Brady, Brady: The Complete Story of The Brady Bunch as Told by the Father/Son Team Who Really Know.” Tue. 7 p.m. Barnes and Noble at the Grove, 189 Grove Drive, L.A. (323) 525-0270. barnesandnoble.com.

(LECTURE)
Ben Stein — presidential speechwriter, Wall Street Journal columnist, game-show host and actor (“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”) — delivers the Reagan Forum address. Tue. 6 p.m. $45. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library, 40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley. (805) 577-4000. reaganfoundation.org/cpa.

FRI | SEPT 24

(SHABBAT)
Congregation Beth Shir Shalom holds a Sukkot-inspired petting zoo and bring-your-own picnic-style dinner followed by a family Shabbat in the synagogue’s sukkah. Fri. 5 p.m. Free. Beth Shir Sholom, 1827 California Ave., Santa Monica. (310) 829-2517, (310) 453-3361. bethshirsholom.org.

Learn to salsa, compete in a basketball free-throw competition, play baseball or take part in a Torah trek in Placerita Canyon during Temple Ahavat Shalom’s Move Your Body, Move Your Soul Synaplex. Organizers also ask attendees to bring a can of food to donate to SOVA before you shake the lulav and etrog. Fri. 5:45-10 p.m. Free, $5 (dinner). Temple Ahavat Shalom, 18200 Rinaldi Place, Northridge. (818) 360-2258. tasnorthridge.org.