ART

GROWING UP The family-photograph exhibit “Year to Year” was inspired by a series of 17 full-figure studio portraits of a young boy named Clint growing into adulthood. Each portrait has been carefully cut out and mounted on a stand. Along with that collection, curator William Hunt has assembled other series of growing families and individuals. A girl named Betty from Sioux City, Iowa, is photographed on her first to 12th birthdays, from 1931 to 1943. Another unknown little girl poses each year by a Christmas tree sometime during the early 20th century. The John family, from Michigan, took a family portrait each year from 1961 to 1991. Their panels show the family’s five children growing up, with their own spouses and children entering and leaving the photographs as years pass. The final card records the parents’ deaths. Through Saturday, February 5, Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Ricco/Maresca Gallery, 529 W. 20th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, third floor, 212-627-4819, free.

BENEFITS

ON THE TOWN The Drama League celebrates the work of musical writing team Betty Comden and Adolph Green at its annual black-tie benefit. “A Musical Celebration of Broadway” will include appearances by Lauren Bacall, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Melissa Errico, Donna Murphy, Cady Huffman, and many others. Monday, 7:30 p.m., the Pierre Hotel, Fifth Avenue and 61st Street, 212-244-9494 ext. 5, $500-$2,500.

MONDAY NIGHT FEVER A disco dance party benefits the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. New York City D.J. Nicky Siano spins records and dancers from Disco Step-By-Step demonstrate their best moves. The 1970s-themed bash kicks off the library’s new exhibit “Disco: A Decade of Saturday Nights,” which promises to take disco seriously. The multimedia exploration was created at Seattle’s Experience Music Project. Benefit: Monday, 8 p.m.-midnight, Spirit – A Dance Club, 530 W. 27th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-870-1617 for tickets, 212-870-1605 for information, $35 in advance, $50 at the door, $2,500 V.I.P. table. Exhibit: Tuesday through Saturday, May 14, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, noon-6 p.m., Thursday, noon-8 p.m., New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Donald and Mary Oenslager Gallery, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Avenue and 64th Street, free.

BOOKS

OH, HENRY The editor of “The O. Henry Prize Short Stories 2005” (Bantam Doubleday Dell), Laura Furman, joins contributors for a discussion about this year’s collection. Paula Fox, Dale Peck, and Liza Ward are among those scheduled to attend. Friday, 7 p.m., Barnes & Noble Chelsea, 675 Sixth Ave. at 21st Street, 212-727-1227, free.

TWO AND A TANGO Lawrence Douglas and Alexander George, whose joint work has been featured in the New Yorker and McSweeney’s, read from their book of humor writing, “Sense and Non-Sensibility” (Fireside). Alyson Richman reads from her novel “Swedish Tango” (Atria), and Vestal McIntyre reads from his short-story collection “You Are Not the One” (Carroll & Graf). Sunday, 7 p.m., KGB Bar, 85 E. 4th St. at Second Avenue, 212-505-3360, free.

COMEDY

TAKEOUT TREATS The TakeOut Comedy Fundraiser showcases the best comedy performances from the 2004 TakeOut comedy series, with performers including Pat Breslin, Ed Cho, and Jami Gong. The winner of the “Funniest Person in Chinatown” contest will be announced at the event, with proceeds going to tsunami relief. Friday, 7-9 p.m., Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, 62 Mott St., between Bayard and Canal streets, 212-964-3410, $10 suggested donation.

FAMILY

SPARKLY CELEBRATION The Brooklyn Children’s Museum hosts a block party to raise funds for the museum’s programs. The Mardi Gras-themed evening includes sequin-covered crafts for children, a hands-on sound art exhibit, and a silent auction for parents. Sunday, 4-7 p.m., Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Ave. at St. Mark’s Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-735-4400 ext. 126, $35 and up for individual tickets, $100 and up for families.

FILM

MAN OF THE WEEK The Film Society of Lincoln Center presents “Our Man of the Hour,” a 12-film screening series focusing on Italian actor Sergio Castellitto. This weekend’s highlights include “L’Uomo delle stelle” (The Star Maker, 1995), in which Mr. Castellitto plays a con man who pretends to be a movie producer (Friday, 3:45 p.m. Saturday, 9:15 p.m., and Tuesday, 1 and 9 p.m.) and “Non ti muovere” (Don’t Move, 2004), the story of a doctor who confesses to a violent love affair with a derelict young women. Mr. Castellitto also directed the film, which costars Penelope Cruz (Friday, 6:30 p.m. Sunday, 2 p.m.). Series: Friday through Friday, February 7, times vary, Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theater, 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, 212-496-3809, $10 general, $7 students, $6 members, $5 seniors on Monday-Friday before 6 p.m. and children ages 6 to 12.

DR. T AND THE BOYS Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, wrote the screenplay and song lyrics and designed the sets for the 1953 film “The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.” Friday, 9 p.m., Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 Fourth Avenue at President Street, Brooklyn, 718-857-4816, $8.

BACK TO THE FALLS Though the television show “Wonderfalls” was cancelled by Fox after only four episodes on air, the dramedy was a hit with critics and a coterie of devoted fans. The Museum of Television & Radio will screen all 13 episodes ever produced, including those that never aired, at a marathon tribute this weekend. The show starred Caroline Dhavernas as an underachieving 20-something who works at a Niagara Falls gift shop and believes the store’s tchotchkes speak to her. Saturday, 12:30-5:30 p.m. (episodes 1 through 7), Sunday, 12:30-4:45 p.m. (episodes 8 through 14), Museum of Television & Radio, 25 W. 52nd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-621-6600, free with museum admission, $10 general, $8 seniors and students, $5 children under 14.

FOOD & DRINK

ALE AND EATS The West End hosts the first of its monthy ale-pairing dinners this weekend. The six-course meal includes dishes prepared by chef Conrado Ramos and ales created by brewer Neill Acer. Highlights include an Octoberfest beer with stuffed risotto cakes, a pale ale paired with grilled scallops, and chocolate beer with fresh berries. Saturday, 8 p.m., the West End, 2911 Broadway between 113th and 114th streets, 212-662-8830, $60, reservations required.

MAGIC

ABRACADABRA! Brooklyn magician Richard Steven Cohn and his wife, Alexandra, host an evening of “legerdemain and laughter.” The “Night of Magic” includes sleights of hand and mind by Michael Chaut, Ryan Oakes, Digg y Fontaine, David Oliver, and a surprise mystery guest. Friday, 8 p.m., Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, 53 Prospect Park West, between 1st and 2nd streets, Park Slope, Brooklyn, 718-768-2972, $12.

MUSIC

LOVE AND WAR “George & Ruth: Songs and Letters of the Spanish Civil War” is a musical love story set against the backdrop of war. Daniel Lynn Watt (George’s son) and Mary Lynn Watt (Ruth’s daughter-in-law) read excerpts from letters the couple exchanged. Folk singer Tony Saletan performs songs in Spanish, English, German, French, and Yiddish. Friday, 7:15 p.m., NYU King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center, 53 Washington Square South, between Thompson and Sullivan streets, 212-998-3950, free.

SPECIAL OCCASION The New York band the Occasion, which has opened for Interpol and the Unicorns, headlines a show at Rothko. Saturday, 8:30 p.m., Rothko, 116 Suffolk St., between Delancey and Rivingston streets, $8, ages 21 and older.

JEWISH JAM Mima’amakim Journal, devoted to the “artistic exploration of the Jewish religious experience,” hosts an open-mic night at which all are welcome to sing, dance, or read. Guests include the White Shabbos Band, singersongwriter Ilan Rubinstein, and slampoet Jake Marmer. Sunday, 7:30 p.m., Gin Mill, 442 Amsterdam Ave., between 81st and 82nd streets, $5 admission and one-drink minimum.

IRISH AID The Irish Repertory puts on a benefit for Concern Worldwide’s tsuna mi relief efforts, with performances by singers, musicians, and actors from the Irish and theatrical communities. Participants include Malachy McCourt, the Prodigals, Susan McKeown, Ciaran Sheehan, David Staller, Eily O’Grady, Fiona Walsh, and Gay Willis. A reception precedes the concert. Monday, 7:30 p.m., Irish Repertory Theatre, 132 W. 22nd St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, 212-727-2737, $100.

POETRY

DEF JAM The “Def Poetry Plugged In” evening fuses poetry and music. Playwright and poet Reg E. Gaines hosts the performance, which features guitarist Vernon Reed, poets Sonia Sanchez and Ursula Rucker, hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons, and others. Friday, 7:30 p.m., BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Ave. at Ashland Place, Brooklyn, 718-636-4100, $20 and $25.

READINGS

APPEALING COURT The New York Consort of Viols presents a program of music and readings written during the reigns of Elizabeth I, James I, Charles I, and Louis XIV. Actor John Genke performs the readings, including King James I’s tirade against tobacco, Marin Marais’s description of a bladder-stone removal, and diarist Samuel Pepys’s first-hand account of a royal coronation. Friday, 7:30 p.m., the Church of the Transfiguration, 1 E. 29th St., between Fifth and Madison avenues, 212-580-9787, $20 general, $15 seniors and students.

DEMERITT BADGE The “Get Lit” reading series gathers underground performers and humor writers for an evening that “does the impossible and entertains the audience.” Host Jennifer De-Meritt welcomes series founder Erik Seims, comedian Greg Gilderman, journalist and comedian Larry Getlen (who boasts that he has been booed off stage at the Apollo Theater), per former Michelle Carlo, and the host of Deep Dish Cabaret, Stephen Kosloff. Monday, 8 p.m., People’s Improv Theater, 154 W. 29th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, $5.

TALKS

SEA STORY The Royal Oak Foundation marks the upcoming 100th anniversary of England’s victory in the Battle of Trafalgar with a lecture by the deputy director of the Royal Naval Museum, Colin White. Mr. White discusses the months leading up to the battle from the viewpoint of admiral Lord Nelson. Monday, 6-7 p.m., reception to follow, the Grolier Club, 47 E. 60th St., between Park and Madison avenues, 212-489-2889 ext. 201, $35, reservations required.

THEATER

FAST FRIENDS The Jewish Community Center in Manhattan presents a staged reading of a new collaboration between playwright Wendy Wasserstein and composer Deborah Drattell. “Best Friends,” which has a female cast and a male chorus, tells the story of a married mother of three, her opera-star friend, and the saleswoman at Barneys who comes between them. Thursday, 8 p.m., JCC in Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Ave. at 76th Street, 646-505-5708, $20 general, $15 members.

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