ART

THE FRESH PRINCE “Richard Prince: Spiritual America,” a retrospective of the artist’s photographs, paintings, sculptures, and works on paper from the past 30 years, concludes its run at the Guggenheim Museum this week. The comic (often lurid) artworks are in fact nostalgic odes to Americana. Mr. Prince uses publicity stills of beloved movie stars, clippings from popular cartoon strips, or a grainy image of a strapping cowboy to reflect on American identity. By re-photographing an advertising image of the iconic “Marlboro Man,” he helped to usher in a more critical approach to art-making, one that questioned art’s privileged status. Through tomorrow, 10 a.m.–5:45 p.m., Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Ave., between 88th and 89th streets, 212-423-3500, $18 general, $15 students and seniors, free for children under 12.

DANCE

STAR-CROSSED “Romeo + Juliet” is among the featured ballets this season at the New York City Ballet. The recent staging features choreography by the company’s ballet-master-in-chief, Peter Martins, and abstract set designs by Danish painter Per Kirkeby. Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy is set to the music of Prokofiev. Wednesday,2and7:30p.m.,Saturday,2p.m., and Sunday 3 p.m., New York State Theater, 20 Lincoln Center Plaza, between West 63rd Street and Columbus Avenue, 212-870-5570, $20–$120.

SHINING STARS The Parsons Dance Company celebrates its 20th anniversary with a season at the Joyce Theater. The artistic director and founder of the troupe, David Parsons, stages two eclectic programs, which include his “Caught,” as well as other pieces from the company’s repertory of more than 70 dances. Tomorrow and Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., and Thursday–Friday, 8 p.m., runs through Sunday, January 20, dates and times vary, Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave. at 19th Street, 212-691-9740, $25–$44.

RUSSIAN TREASURE Russia’s Moiseyev Dance Company performs a program of folk and traditional dances as part of the “World of Dance” series at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts. The selections honor the dance tradition of Russia, as well as other countries, including Ukraine, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan, lending the choreography an international flavor. Saturday, 8 p.m., Brooklyn College, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, Walt Whitman Theatre, 2900 Campus Rd., between Flatbush and Nostrand avenues, Brooklyn, 718-951-4500, $30–$45.

DRAWINGS

WALK THE LINE The Adam Baumgold Gallery, which specializes in illustrated works and drawings, presents “On Line,” an exhibition roundup of art by some of the most well-known names in illustration. Featured in the exhibit are ink drawings by Pablo Picasso, Saul Steinberg’s “I Do, I Have, I Am” (1971), and a piece by the Swiss duo Elvis Studio (Helge Reumann and Xavier Robel), “Elvis Road.” Other highlights from the show include an untitled work by Matt Leines from 2007, above. Through Saturday, January 26, Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Adam Baumgold Gallery, 74 E. 79th St., between Park and Madison avenues, 212-861-7338, free.

MUSIC

COME FLY WITH ME The 92nd Street Y hosts an evening of song to honor the work of composer Sammy Cahn. The prolific American lyricist began his career writing for the vaudeville circuit in the 1930s. A collaboration with composer Jule Styne earned him four Academy Awards. Cahn’s work with the “Chairman of the Board,” Frank Sinatra, brought additional success: Sinatra recorded 89 songs from Cahn’s catalog, including such memorable tunes as “All the Way” and “Call Me Irresponsible.” Vocalists Julian Fleisher, Laura Marie Duncan, and Karen Morrow are among the featured performers. Saturday, 8 p.m., 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave. at 92nd Street, 212-415-5500, $50–$60.

RECREATION

I PUT A SPELL ON YOU If a flubbed word is all that once stood between you and fifth-grade glory, the “Union Hall Spelling and Grammar Bee” offers a chance at redemption. Be forewarned, though — the competition among wordsmiths and grammarians at this ongoing series is stiff. All are invited to participate or simply grab drinks and observe the frenzied proceedings. David Witt is host of the event. Tonight, 8 p.m., Union Hall, 702 Union St. at Fifth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, 718-638-4400, free.

RESERVATIONS AT THE RINK The Rink at Rockefeller Center kicks off the New Year with a “Skate-A-Date” package in celebration of the 75th anniversary in 2008 of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. Visitors to the rink can purchase a package deal created for families or couples that includes a two-course dinner for two at Rock Center Café, VIP skating on the rink, and complimentary skate rental. The package also allows skaters to bypass long lines. Ongoing, through April, the Rink at Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue, between 49th and 50th streets, 212-332-7620, $75.

THEATER

TALK TO ME LIKE THE RAIN The experimental theater group La MaMa E.T.C. presents “Morning, Afternoon and Good Night,” a program of three one-act plays directed by Oleg Braude. The program comprises the first original play staged by the company in 1962, Michael Locascio’s “A Corner of a Morning”; William M. Hoffman’s “Good Night, and I Love You,” and Tennessee Williams’s “Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen…” In Williams’s play, a man and a woman in a dingy flat on the Lower East Side let loose their despair in a stream of monologues. She is forlorn; he is a drunk. Thursday–Saturday, 8 p.m., Sunday, 2:30 and 8 p.m., First Floor Theatre, 74A E. 4th St., between Bowery and Second Avenue, 212-475-7710, $15.

BATTLE FOR THE SMALL SCREEN “The Farnsworth Invention,” with a screenplay by a veteran television writer, Aaron Sorkin, and direction by Des McAnuff, recounts the David and Goliath tale that unfolded around the invention of the small screen. Featured actors include Jimmi Simpson, in the titular role of Philo T. Farnsworth, and Hank Azaria, who plays the president of RCA, David Sarnoff. Farnsworth, a science prodigy credited with inventing television’s key elements, is unprepared for the battle with Sarnoff over intellectual property. Tonight, 7 p.m., ongoing run through Sunday, March 16, dates and times vary, Music Box Theatre, 239 W. 45th St., between Broadway and Eighth Avenue, 212-239-6200, $59.50–$201.50.

To submit an event for consideration for the Calendar, please wire the particulars to calendar@nysun.com, placing the date of the event in the subject line.