7 Days in the Arts

Get straight talk this afternoon, followed by dance, comedy and more talk in this weekend\'s \"Los Angeles Women\'s Theatre Festival: Roots and Identity.\"

[additional-authors]

Keren Engelberg

March 17, 2005

Saturday, March 19

Get straight talk this afternoon, followed by dance, comedy and more talk in this weekend’s “Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival: Roots and Identity.” The fest kicked off on Thursday, but continues through tomorrow, with solo performances of every variety by women from every walk of life.

$17-$20. Lee Strasberg Creative Center, Marilyn Monroe Theatre, 7936 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. (818) 760-0408.

Sunday, March 20

Go ahead. This is a safe space. Admit it. You are one of those audience members who sings along during musical numbers. Out there in the world, or on any other day in Seven Days even, you would be chastised for such unabashedly rude behavior. But not today. Today you find your niche. Your groove, if you will. Today you find the University of Judaism’s “Fiddler on the Roof” Sing-Along, where you, and others like you, can freely and loudly biddy-bum along with the music of the Oscar-winning movie musical.

$25. 7 p.m. 15600 Mulholland Drive, Bel Air. (310) 440-1547.

Monday, March 21

Four guys and one girl venture off to New York together after graduation to see if they can make it big in the Big Apple. But count on romance and insecurities to get in the way of these artists’ plans to get ahead and get the girl. The love pentagon story is called “Way Off Broadway,” and opens this week at the Laemmle Fairfax.

7907 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles.(323) 655-4010.

Tuesday, March 22

The acclaimed documentary “The Lost Wooden Synagogues of Eastern Europe” follows the stories of the demises of these sanctuaries. More than 1,000 existed before the Holocaust and the Russian Revolution. Theodore Bikel narrates the film by Albert Barry, who will attend today’s screening sponsored by the California Institute for Yiddish Culture and Language. It screens at 6:30 p.m. in Yiddish and 8 p.m. in English, with discussions with Barry following both screenings.

6:30-9:30 p.m. $5-$8. UCLA Hillel, 574 Hilgard, Los Angeles. (310) 745-1190.

Wednesday, March 23

Todd Solondz is an unusual guy. How else does one describe the mind responsible for movies like “Welcome to the Dollhouse,” “Happiness” and the soon-to-be-released “Palindromes”? For those who care to try a little harder, gaining insight may be possible this evening and tomorrow. He’ll be at the American Cinematheque discussing the aforementioned films, with the first two screening tonight, and a sneak preview of “Palindromes” scheduled for tomorrow.

$6-$9. 7:30 p.m. 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. (323) 466-3456.

Thursday, March 24

Drunken excess reigns tonight, as all the young Jews do Purim right at the Skirball. Roots and area Hillels, along with the Persian American Jewish Organization, Siamak and Bruins for Israel sponsor “Queen Esther’s Ball.” College students and young professionals don the masks and head out for a memorable night they won’t remember in the morning.

9 p.m. $15. 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. Roots613@aol.com.

Friday, March 25

Harry Shearer, of “Le Show,” “This Is Spinal Tap” and “The Simpsons” fame introduces the Ernst Lubitsch/Jack Benny classic film “To Be or Not To Be” in his own voice tonight. It’s part of AFI and the Skirball’s series “Cinema’s Legacy: How Great Filmmakers Inspire Great Filmmakers,” and a discussion on the film led by Shearer follows.

$6-$10. 7:30 p.m. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (866) 468-3399.