7 Days in Arts

24Saturday

From homes to aircraft parts to the chairs you wait in at the airport, the design team of Charles and Ray Eames created much of the look of post-World War II America. Though the Eameses are best known for their furniture, the exhibition opening this week at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art also includes paintings, sculpture and production films. The exhibition officially opens Sunday, but you can sneak a peek today at a day-long symposium, with prominent architects and designers discussing the Eameses’ work. Tickets for the symposium, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., are $15 for LACMA members; $20 for non-members. For reservations, call (323) 857-6528. “Charles and Ray Eames: A Legacy of Invention” runs June 25-September 10. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.

25Sunday

A strong week for Jewish music in LA kicks off today with the Israel 2000 concert under the stars. Singer/actress Lainie Kazanjoins the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony for the event, along with a broad range of musical stars, from Debbie Friedman to Pat Boone to Remedy of the rap group Wu-Tang Clan. Shelley Winters and others will give dramatic readings at this Phil Blazer production. 7 p.m. $20-$100. Los Angeles Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Ave., in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. For tickets, call (818) 786-4000.

26Monday

The American Conference of Cantors and The Guild of Temple Musicians are gathered in Los Angeles for a week-long conference, giving music-lovers two opportunities to hear the best of Jewish music. On Monday, “Cantors Sing California Composers” in a program of works by some of Southern California’s finest Jewish composers for the synagogue and the concert stage. Tuesday night brings George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Stephen Sondheim and more when “Cantors Sing Jewish Hollywood.” $22 per concert or $36 for both. “California Composers,” Monday, 8 p.m. Wilshire Boulevard Temple, 3663 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. “Jewish Hollywood,” Tuesday, 8 p.m. Temple Isaiah, 10345 W. Pico Blvd., Rancho Park. For information or to order tickets for either concert, call (310) 277-2772 ext. 14.

27Tuesday

Photographer, video maker, painter and conceptual artist William Wegman is an adept practitioner of many contemporary art forms; his works are appreciated the world over. This exhibition presents three decades of Wegman’s art, including early conceptual black-and-white work, drawings and altered found photographs, and examples of his most recent photographic work, including his most recognizable recent photography, visual puns featuring his pet Weimaraners pictured in improbable postures and costumes. $5 for adults, $4 for students/seniors, and free for children under 16. Tues. – Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Through July 16. Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Dr., Newport Beach. (949) 759-1122

28Wednesday

Sam Glaser blends rock, pop and jazz styles with inspirational lyrics about Judaism. The Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter has created a catalog of more than 1,000 songs, describing his strong feelings for prayer and the land of Israel. In conjunction with the Whizin Institute for the Jewish Family and the Summer Institute for Jewish Education, Glaser will perform a free concert at the University of Judaism’s Gindi Auditorium. 9 p.m. 15600 Mulholland Drive, Bel Air. (310) 476-9777 ext. 551.

29Thursday

Here’s the story of a Russian Jewish pawnbroker whose solitary life is interrupted when a beautiful, mysterious woman enters his shop, desperate for cash. As these two strangers find their lives abruptly tied together, destiny takes its course. “The Shade,” a cinematic adaptation of a Dostoyevsky short story, was a Cannes Film Festival selection that critics have compared to the early work of Cassavetes and Scorsese. The American Cinematheque presents this Los Angeles premiere as part of “The Alternative Screen,” its independent film showcase series. 7:30 p.m. Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. For ticket information call (323) 466-3456.

30Friday

Irish playwright Brian Friel has reworked and modernized Ivan Turgenev’s original 1850 script for “A Month in the Country.” The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble relocates the Russian comedy of bad manners to suburban America. The result, “A Month in the Country After Turgenev,” retains the spirit of the original. An upper-class family spends the summer at its country house, and idle hands are the devil’s playthings in any country, any time. Through Aug. 6. $19.50-$26. Wed.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun. 7 p.m. Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 477-2055.