Earnest at Weathervane Jason Davis as Algernon Moncrieff

It's another of those nights that can leave art lovers out of breath, with several significant galleries opening shows. Tannaz Farsi's the formal absences of precious things, an all-white installation fashioned from vinyl, plastic and resin, opens at the Sculpture Center (1834 E. 123rd St., 216.229.6527, sculpturecenter.org) with a free reception from 5:30-8:30 p.m. and an artist's talk at 6:30. It runs through April 26. At the Bonfoey Gallery (1710 Euclid Ave., 216.621.0178, bonfoey.com) Exurbs: A Collected Environment features the explorations of painters Susan Danko, Dana Oldfather and Laura Sanders (shown) on the subject of "environment." Free reception from 5-8 p.m.; show runs through April 26. And at the Busta Gallery (2731 Prospect Ave., 216.298.9071), veteran artist Don Harvey will show new paintings, with a reception also from 5-8 p.m. - Anastasia Pantsios

Wednesday, March 26

The Color Purple

Alice Walker's acclaimed novel The Color Purple, dealing with the challenges faced by black women in the South of the 1930s, was taken into a whole new realm of popularity when Oprah Winfrey adopted it and put her imprimatur on the 1985 movie by taking one of the main roles. Oprah continued to oversee the story as producer of the Broadway musical version, The Color Purple, The Musical About Love, whose touring company hits Playhouse Square's Palace Theatre for three weeks, opening at 7:30 tonight and continuing through April 13. This touring cast features two of the Broadway stars in the leading roles: Jeannette Bayardelle as Celie and Tony-nominated Felicia Fields as Sofia. Tickets: $27.50-$82.50. Call 216.241.6000. - AP

Poetry Readings

Poetry's everywhere this week - and wouldn't you know it? National Poetry Month starts April 1! The CSU Poetry Center starts early, with University of South Florida creative writing professor Jay Hopler - who won the 2005 Yale Series of Younger Poets award -and New York's Cate Marvin giving the first of two readings at 7:30 tonight in the CSU Main Classroom Bldg. (1899 E. 22nd St.), lecture hall 201. Nin Andrews, of Poland, Ohio, and former University of Akron prof Zachary Schomburg (now at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and co-editor of the online journal Octopus, and of Octopus Books poetry press) will give the second of the Poetry Center's readings at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 1 at Trinity Commons (2230 Euclid Ave.) Celebrating its own Poetry Month kickoff from 7-9 p.m. April 1, Joseph-Beth Booksellers (24519 Cedar Rd., Lyndhurst, 216.691.7000) will present local global-travelling musician-poet Ray McNiece introducing both a new poetry book and new CD; it will also offer 20 per cent off on all poetry books that day. All events are free. - AP

Thursday, March 27

Danceworks08: Inlet and GroundWorks

Two of the area's most acclaimed dance companies, GroundWorks Dancetheater and Inlet Dance Theatre, hold down this weekend of Cleveland Public Theatre's ongoing DanceWorks08 series, the former in the Gordon Square Theatre, the latter in the James Levin Theatre (6415 Detrtoit Ave.). Both companies will be offering world premieres and new works to entice their longtime supporters. GroundWorks performs at 8 p.m. today through Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday; Inlet performs at 7:30 p.m. today through Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $10-$20. Call 216.631.2727. Go to cptonline.org for details on DanceWorks08. - AP

Case Dance MFA program

Graduating students from Case's lauded dance program don't write a thesis, they dance it. At 8 p.m. tonight through Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, the Department of Theater and Dance (11201 Bellflower Rd.) presents the thesis concert by its two graduating MFA students, Heather Koniz and Sheau-Feng Luo. Titled No Boundaries, it comprises six works by the two women. While Sheau-Feng creates solo, duet and ensemble pieces that draw on her Chinese roots, Koniz offers a solo work and a 12-person ensemble piece, both of which explore risk in different forms, and stages Sabatino Verlezza's critically acclaimed Topi Roppo. Tickets: $5-$10. Go to dance.case.edu for info. - AP

The Mind of Cleveland

The text that conceptual artist Carl Pope has come up with for his project, The Mind of Cleveland, opening today at the Cleveland Institute of Art's Reinberger Galleries (11141 East Blvd.), has captured well Cleveland's unsettling blend of self-deprecation, defensive or naive local jingoism and regretful hard-nosed realism. Pope invited Clevelanders to respond online to the question "What do you think about Cleveland?" and enshrined their responses. You may have already noticed the billboards around town. Slogans like "Cleveland is a city daring to reinvent itself," "Cleveland: Where Ambition is a Dirty Word," "Stop Waiting...Make It Happen Now," "U Win, U Lose and then U Lose More" "Cleveland, Where Creativity Works" and "Hate Hidden Behind Smiles" reflect the maniac-depressive juxtaposition of loopy optimism and hangdog pessimism this town suffers from. Gallery hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon-6 p.m. Sundays. Exhibit runs through May 3. It's free. - AP

Friday, March 28

The Importance of Being Earnest

Everybody's done it but that's because everyone likes to see it. That's right; it's that stage staple, The Importance of Being Earnest, filled with its whimsical lovers, imaginary friends and misplaced handbag. Now it's the turn of the Young Actors Series at Weathervane Playhouse (1301 Weathervane Lane, Akron, weathervaneplayhouse.com) where it opens at 8 tonight and runs through April 6 with a cast of youthful performers. Tickets: $8. Box office: 330.836.2626. - AP

Great Lakes Theater Festival Great Lake's Theater Festival's spring repertory combines two extremely different plays. Arthur Miller's 1953 drama The Crucible deals obliquely with the then-contemporary Communist witchhunts of the House Unamerican Activities Committee through the device of the literal witchhunts of colonial Salem, while All's Well That Ends Well is one of Shakespeare's darker and more complicated "romantic" comedies. The Crucible is up first with a preview tonight and formal opening tomorrow, followed by All's Well with its preview April 11 and formal opening April 12. Both are at Playhouse Square's Ohio Theatre and in true repertory fashion, share much of their casts. The season runs through April 27. Go to greatlakestheater.org. Tickets: $22-$56. Call 214.241.6000. - AP

Saturday, March 29

Cleveland Pops Orchestra

You ask me, the death of Frank Sinatra in May 1998 is the demarcation line for When Everything Started to Really Suck. It wasn't a Very Good Year, no. And a decade of a world without Old Blue Eyes doing things His Way has felt like an Eternity (as in From Here To) of knowing that the best that was yet to come has gone. Fortunately, interpreters of the Sinatra canon like vocalist Steve Lippia can conjure up that Rat Pack spirit again, as though by that cuckoo witchcraft or old black magic. And with the glorious of the Cleveland Pops able to fly you to moon, who needs more Ocean's 11 remakes? Lippia performs Simply Sinatra along with that other tuxedoed gent, maestro Carl Topilow, and the Pops at 8 p.m. at Severance Hall (11001 Euclid Ave). Tickets start at $19. Call 216. 231.1111 or go to clevelandpops.com. - Charles Cassady Jr.