7 Days in Arts

1Saturday

o Gore Vidal’s play “The Best Man” is a political melodrama full of accusations and incriminations, conceit and deceit – a perfect warm-up for the Democratic convention coming to town in August. The New York Times said the production “comes close enough to the truth to be both comic and exciting.” Theatre 40 presents a staged reading of the play as one of many events in the Beverly Hills Summer Arts Festival. 4:30 p.m. Admission is free; donations appreciated. The Doheny Mansion at Greystone Park, 905 Loma Vista Dr., Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 396-2325.

2Sunday

The Brandeis-Bardin Institute (BBI) opens its “Concerts Under the Stars” series this weekend, and Simi Valley will be alive with music and dance. Featured artist Joanna Berman, an award-winning dancer of the San Francisco Ballet, will be joined by a small group of dancers and musicians in presenting a “Celebration of Dance” in tribute to George Gershwin. Additional performers include Israeli-American folk-dance company Keshet Chaim, and BBI’s own chamber and klezmer ensembles. Concertgoers are invited to picnic on the grounds prior to the concert. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., concert begins at 7:30 p.m. House of the Book, Brandeis-Bardin Institute, 1101 Peppertree Lane, Brandeis. For ticket information, please call (805) 582-4450.

3Monday

For rockets’ red glare and bombs bursting in air, head to the Laguna Art Museum, where Sandow Birk has created a fictional, artistic documentary exhibit on the long-simmering war between Northern and Southern California. “In Smog and Thunder: Historical Works from the Great War of the Californias” uses elaborate “history” paintings, propaganda posters, maps, scale models and commentary to portray contemporary life in California through the prism of war. Battle-scarred movie extras wave flags of corporate sponsorship in a multimedia exhibit that balances satire and technical skill. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. General admission is $5; students and seniors $4; free for children under 12. Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Dr., Laguna Beach. (949) 494-8971.

4Tuesday

As any 16-year-old can tell you, nothing represents independence like the automobile. So today might be a good day to drive out to Riverside for a photography exhibit titled “Rearview Mirror: Automobile Images and American Identities.” More than 100 photos by Ansel Adams, Margaret Bourke-White, Allen Ginsberg and others look at our car culture and roadside experiences, with a number of essays written especially for the exhibit accompanying the images. Also on display are popular film stills, vintage travel posters and ads that will have car lovers seeing fireworks. Through July 9, and July 23-August 13. Tues.-Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. UC Riverside/California Museum of Photography, 3824 Main St., Riverside. (909) 784-3686.

5Wednesday

Life in Joy is a retrospective exhibition of the rich, vibrant work of Venice artist Glenda Joy Schwartzman. The exhibition was scheduled before the artist’s recent death, and is now presented in celebration of her life and work. Gallery 55 showcases these abstract paintings and other works, which reference the computer age while focusing attention on a profound desire for spiritual fulfillment which is timeless. The exhibition runs through July 21. Tues.-Sat., 12 p.m.-6 p.m. 55 North Venice Blvd., Venice. For more information, call (310) 306-6638.

6Thursday

Grown-ups of all ages can find some silly, intelligent fun in the Urban C.L.O.W.N. Project’s Postmodern Vaudeville Show. Two popular local performers put on a variety of acts that might be clowning, and might be performance art. Moira Quirk, co-host of Nickelodeon’s “Guts,” tells naughty comedic tales, all handled rather politely; Michael Rayner, who once spun a cheeseburger on an umbrella on the “Late Show with David Letterman,” brings more of his oddball acts for this weekly show at The Raven Playhouse. Thursdays through August 10. 8 p.m. $7. 5233 Lankersheim Blvd., North Hollywood. For reservations, call (818) 766-5412.

7Friday

French director Marcel Ophuls’ 1971 documentary “The Sorrow and the Pity” comes to Los Angeles for the first time ever in the original French, with English subtitles. The widely influential film chronicles stories of resistance and collaboration among residents of a French city under Nazi occupation. This is the film Woody Allen was in line to see in the Marshall McLuhan scene from “Annie Hall.” Now Allen is presenting the one week re-release engagement, in association with Milestone Films and Laemmle Theatres. General admission $8.50; students, seniors and children, $5.50. The Regent Showcase, 614 North La Brea Ave., Hollywood. For showtimes and theater information, call (323) 934-2944.