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Saturday, June 11 A talking clock, a lovely owl and an orange tree become friends with Zack and Zoe in their adventure through the new children’s musical, “A Kid’s Life.” Producer/director Keith Markinson, son of Tony Award-winning producer Marty Markinson, designed the show with children ages 2-6 (and their parents) in mind. “A Kid’s Life” opens today and invites your children to make new friends, too, and learn life lessons about the importance of nature and the preciousness of time. Runs through June 19. 11 a.m. (Sat.), 2 p.m. (Sun.). $12.50-$17.50. Brentwood Wadsworth Theatre, 11301 Wilshire Blvd., Building 211, Veterans Administration Campus. (310) 479-3636. |
 
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Sunday, June 12 She’s not a Jew, nor does she play one on TV, but that doesn’t stop Amber Tamblyn (of “Joan of Arcadia” fame) from moderating this afternoon’s panel about the changing images of Jewish women and men in the popular media. “Desperate Housewives and Beyond,” as they have titled it, is sponsored by the MorningStar Commission and the National Foundation for Jewish Culture, and features a panel of prominent writers, producers and actors. The audience will be invited to participate, as well. 3-5 p.m. $10. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. R.S.V.P., (310) 712-5400. |
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Monday, June 13 Rachel Bailit’s act covers issues from being a “nice” Jewish girl from Needham, Mass., to the ups and downs of life as an aspiring actress in Los Angeles. She calls it “Sugar Happens: A One-Girl Show,” and sugar you get. Bailit’s show displays big comedy (and bosom), and is extended for two more weeks. Runs through June 21. 6:30 p.m. (wine and cheese reception), 7:30 p.m. (show), 8:30 p.m. (dessert with Bailit). Lee Strasberg Theater Institute, 7936 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 650-7777. |  
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Tuesday, June 14 The remarkable true story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a German transvestite who survived both Nazi and Communist regimes comes to the Geffen Playhouse tonight for a limited four-week run. “I Am My Own Wife” is a one-man play starring Jefferson Mays as von Mahlsdorf, as well as more than 40 other characters including the playwright, Doug Wright, who first became fascinated by her. It garnered Wright both a Tony and a Pulitzer Prize in 2004. Runs through July 10. $34-$85. 11301 Wilshire Blvd., Building 211, Veterans Administration Campus. (310) 208-6500. |  
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Wednesday, June 15 The inexhaustible Theodore Bikel is the main attraction at the Chabad of Conejo-sponsored “Tradition: A Celebration of Jewish Life.” The show features Bikel performing a sort of “greatest hits” review, and also includes performances by the Keshet Chaim Dance Ensemble and comedian Mark Schiff. 7:45 p.m. $18-$108. Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. (213) 480-3232. |
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Thursday, June 16 New York Times bestseller, Oprah movie of the week and now Rubicon Theater play, “Tuesdays With Morrie,” has run the gamut. Mitch Albom’s novel about a dying former college professor’s profound impact on his life has touched many already. See the story unfold for the first time, or revisit it in a more intimate setting at the Rubicon today. Runs through July 10. Rubicon Theatre Company, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura. (805) 667-2900. | 
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Friday, June 17 Was the Wicked Witch of the West really just misunderstood? Long before Dorothy dropped a house on the witch’s sister, the wicked witch was known simply as Elphaba, a smart young girl with an unfortunate skin disorder. Get her side of the story as “Wicked,” Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s musical adaptation of the novel by Gregory Maguire, alights on the Pantages for a limited engagement. Runs through July 31. $35-$89. 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood.
Our Parent, our Sovereign – I’m embarrassed to tell You we have not been great. The thing with labels is that they stick. That is a good thing for a group like the Nazis, but to nonchalantly slap the “genocide” label on Israel and its supporters is criminal. Rosh Hashana is reserved for soulful transformation: Resolving to be something different in the Jewish new year. These are among the themes of Rosh Hashanah: Who will live and who will die? Who will suffer and who will prosper? And if I may add a couple of questions of my own: Who will be grateful and who will be ungrateful? Who will complain and who will create? One thing I am sure of: Judea is inarguably a proud Jew, a steadfast member of this multimillennial Jewish Peoplehood. The other is that I love the man, plain and simple. Daniela Gerson’s “The Wanderers” is all that you can ask for from a book. Meticulously researched, exquisitely told, it is an adventure story spanning more than 80 years, even a love story. The project was organized by the Nova Tribe Community Association, the nonprofit created after Oct. 7, by producers of the Nova festival to support survivors and bereaved families and commemorate those murdered. Assume the next surprise attack is only a matter of time, and use that time to make it harder to carry out and less catastrophic when it comes. OBKLA has welcomed more than 80,000 volunteers, including students, synagogue and church groups, corporate organizations, top leadership teams from companies such as Netflix and Amazon and, of course, celebrities. Through poetic reflections, Torah wisdom and personal stories, Salem explores the shofar as a tool for mindfulness, healing, surrender and inner transformation. Islamist terrorism remains a threat to the United States, the West, and the Jewish people. We cannot allow the history of September 11 to be twisted into an indictment of the society that was attacked. I’m telling you that there’s something special about this apple cake and the way that it just melts in your mouth. This ideological pogrom eerily mapped out the antizionism mania that has now hit America’s shores, using the noble fights against racism, colonialism and oppression for ignoble ends. |
