WEEKEND FORECAST

TODAY

DANCE

Feminism in dance

What better place to consider and celebrate feminism than a former brassiere factory -- and that’s where the Latina Dance Project will present “Coyolxauhqui ReMembers” this weekend. A reinterpretation of the Aztec myth of the lunar deity, the performance takes place in the Rampart district at Bootleg (built in the 1930s to manufacture bras) and will explore facets of Latina consciousness through stories about diverse women. Victimization, feminization and objectification are the themes, intense physical theater the style. As for the tongue-twisting title of the piece, don’t say it -- see it.

“Coyolxauhqui ReMembers,” Bootleg, 2220 Beverly Blvd., L.A. 8 tonight. $20. (213) 389-3856; www.bootlegtheater.com

Also 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

POP MUSIC

More than Common

Kanye West was the big rap attraction at the Coachella Festival last year, but a lot of rock fans got a lesson in smart, soulful hip-hop from the other rapper on the bill, Common. The smooth operator from Chicago has just released “Finding Forever,” another accomplished collection that benefits from production by his longtime colleague West.

Common, The Wiltern, 3790 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Today and Friday, 9 p.m. $38.50. (213) 380-5005.

Also 7 p.m. Saturday at the House of Blues, 1530 S. Disneyland Drive, Anaheim. Sold out. (714) 778-2583.

THEATER

Old-time comedy

In a storm-tossed coastal village, an old man searches for his lost daughter, two women of ill-repute look for job advancement and two resourceful slaves manage the whole affair in “Tug of War,” a comedy in which everyone wants what they can’t have. Loosely adapted by director Meryl Friedman from Amy Richlin’s original translation of Plautus’ “Rudens,” the play is presented ancient style, in the Getty Villa’s outdoor amphitheater.

“Tug of War,” Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa, 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades. Opens 8 tonight. $35. (310) 440-7300; www.getty.edu

Runs 8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays. Ends Sept. 29.

BOOKS

Bloody Juarez

Nearly 400 women and girls have been murdered in the Mexican border town of Ciudad Juarez since 1993; more than 70 are still missing. A “Women of Juarez” panel discussion will seek to trace the reverberations of these crimes, and by extension all violence against women (cited by Amnesty International as the No. 1 human rights violation globally), through multiple fronts: individual, community and culture. The panel, featuring Rafael Luevano, Minerva Canto, Deborah Koenker and Jeanne Gunner, will be held in conjunction with the art exhibition “Missing/Las Desaparecidas” (curated by Koenker) in Chapman University’s Guggenheim Gallery -- the opening reception for which immediately follows the panel.

“Women of Juarez,” Waltmar Theatre at Chapman University, 301 E. Palm Ave., Orange. 7 tonight. (714) 628-7369.

FRIDAY

THEATER

Prurient puppets

Humans and puppets populate “Avenue Q,” the Tony Award-winning musical about the ups and downs of a New York neighborhood of twentysomethings, including a starry-eyed newly arrived college grad. Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx wrote the music and lyrics, Jeff Whitty wrote the book; the whole thing is based on an original concept by Lopez and Marx. Don’t be deceived by its look of “Sesame Street” homage: This risqué show is for adults only.

“Avenue Q,” Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A. Opens 8 p.m. Friday. $45 to $90. (213) 628-2772; www.CenterTheatreGroup.com

Runs 8 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays. Exception: 2 and 8 p.m. next Thursday. Ends Oct. 14.

MOVIES

To the moon

For some, the years of the Apollo missions represent the end of an era, a time when space -- to quote Capt. Kirk -- really did represent the final frontier. The documentary “In the Shadow of the Moon” is a nostalgic, in-depth look at that time, with never-before-seen footage and interviews with the astronauts, including Jim Lovell (Apollo 8 and 13), Gene Cernan (Apollo 10 and 17) and Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11).

“In the Shadow of the Moon,” rated PG for mild language, brief violent images and incidental smoking, opens Friday at Pacific’s ArcLight, 6360 W. Sunset Blvd. (at Ivar Avenue), Hollywood, (323) 464-4226; and the Landmark, 10850 W. Pico Blvd. (at Westwood Boulevard), West L.A. (310) 281-8233.

SATURDAY

THEATER

False notes

Jason Alexander heads the cast in William Finn’s “Falsettos.” The two-part seriocomic musical (“March of the Falsettos” and “Falsettoland”) is about what happens when a man decides to leave his wife for his gay lover. Further complications ensue down the road with the rise of the AIDS crisis. Directed by David Galligan, the performance is a benefit for the 125-year-old Actors Fund, a national human services organization serving performing arts and entertainment professionals.

“Falsettos,” Wilshire Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. 8 p.m. Saturday. $30 to $150; VIP seats with post-show reception with cast, $250. (323) 933-9244, Ext. 58; www.actorsfund.org

ART

Teenage wasteland

David Rathman’s watercolors aspire to capture the queasy, conflicted exhilaration implicit in standard-issue suburban adolescent rituals: cruising the main drag, waiting for your favorite garage band to ascend the stage or even just hanging out in the parking lot looking longingly at your beat-up Mustang. The exhibition “You’re Too Old to Understand” seeks not only to depict these and other scenes, but also convey the melancholy lurking underneath: an angsty, rock ‘n’ roll-dazzled secret life of the mind.

“David Rathman: You’re Too Old to Understand,” Mary Goldman Gallery, 932 Chung King Road, L.A. Opens Saturday. (213) 617-8217.

Hours: noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Ends Oct. 13.

MUSEUMS

Killing trees

The Santa Monica Museum of Art presents the first major West Coast exhibition of the visual and performance artist William Pope.L -- whose past works have included eating a copy of the Wall Street Journal and, for “The Great White Way,” crawling from the Statue of Liberty to his mother’s house in the Bronx while dressed in a Superman costume. For “Art After White People: Time, Trees & Celluloid. . . “ Pope.L presents a three-part exhibition. One aspect, an installation titled “The Grove,” is a small stand of live trees spray-painted white, set off against the darkened museum space. The trees’ toxic skin will ultimately poison the organism underneath.

“William Pope.L: Art After White People: Time, Trees & Celluloid. . .” Santa Monica Museum of Art, 2525 Michigan Ave., Suite G1, Santa Monica. Opens Saturday. $5 suggested donation. (310) 586-6488.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. Ends Dec. 23.

MONDAY

POP MUSIC

Knight’s honor

There’s nothing better than being honored by the contemporaries in your own field of endeavor -- especially when the award is offered in the name of a legendary icon. So Gladys Knight undoubtedly feels particularly thrilled to be receiving the Society of Singers’ 16th Ella (Fitzgerald) Award, previously won by Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett and Elton John. A seven-time Grammy Award winner, Knight will headline an all-star performance (including Melissa Etheridge, Smokey Robinson, Johnny Mathis, Kimberley Locke and Wayne Brady) at the society’s annual dinner.

Society of Singers awards ceremony, Beverly Hilton Hotel, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. 6 p.m. Monday. $600 to $2,500 (all proceeds benefit the nonprofit Society of Singers Emergency Relief Fund and the Scholarship Fund). (818) 995-7100; www.singers.org.

TUESDAY

WORLD MUSIC

Beyond eclectic

Words such as “eclectic,” “versatile” and “diverse” come to mind while hearing San Francisco-based Rupa and the April Fishes, but none comes close to describing the far-ranging fascination of the band’s music. Lead singer Rupa, who is also a physician, spent her youth in France and her ancestral North India. Her dynamic voice is the focus for a band that blends exotic rhythms, jazz spontaneity and passionate balladry in songs delivered in English, French, Spanish, Hindi and Roma.

Rupa and the April Fishes, the Mint, 6010 Pico Blvd. 8 p.m. Tuesday. $7. (323) 954-9400.

Also 10:30 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Temple Bar, 1026 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica. $12. (310) 393-6611.