The Lineup: Feb. 19 - 25

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ART & MUSEUMS

Marilyn Monroe at the McMichael

She did wonders with subway grates, but how does she look with Mounties? Marilyn in Canada, a companion exhibit to the travelling show Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe, features the woman once named Norma Jeane Baker in photographs, paintings, sculpture and prints by artists who've placed the pop-culture icon in a Canadian context. To May 15. $12 to $15. McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 10365 Islington Ave., Kleinberg, Ont., 905-893-1121 .

Graphic Details: Confessional Comics by Jewish Women

So don't go to this touring exhibition of drawings, comic books and graphic novels by Jewish women - see if they care. Free tours and comic-book workshops for teens are offered on Feb. 20, noon to 5 p.m. To April 17, noon to 5 p.m. daily. Free. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W., 416-531-4635 .

CONCERTS

Hiromi Uehara

The Japanese jazz pianist has been known to open her appearances with I've Got Rhythm, which in her case is an upbeat statement of fact. In addition to strong melodic instincts and charismatic exuberance, the Stanley Clarke collaborator can, in the words of Globe and Mail jazz critic J.D. Considine, "toss off runs that make Flight of the Bumblebee seem like a five-finger exercise." Saturday, 8 p.m. $42 to $49. Markham Theatre, 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham, Ont., 905-305-7469 .

Les Percussions de Strasbourg

Though none of its original members are still with the percussive chamber troupe, the drums do not bang slowly for the acclaimed Europeans. A 50th-anniversary tour finds young members looking back over a historical repertoire with new eyes and looking forward too. Feb. 24, 8 p.m. $20 to $60. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W., 416-408-0208 .

CLUBS

Duke Robillard

The master U.S. blues guitarist plays with a jazzy finesse and a stylish, jumping spirit. And speaking of jumping, his appearance at Hugh's Room instead of his usual stomping grounds at the Silver Dollar Room may well signal the end of the Dollar as the city's premiere blues venue. Feb. 24, 8.30 p.m. $25.00 to $27.50, Hugh's Room, 2261 Dundas St. W., 416-531-6604 .

Ultimate MC Battle

They always had the rhyme, but now they have the reason: Eight rappers compete in the Toronto component of a national competition to determine the best at beat-driven prose. Feb. 25, 10 p.m. $10 to $15. Lee's Palace, 529 Bloor St. W., 416-532-1598 .

Tennis

Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley play doubles, but not the hard-court kind. The husband-and-wife duo serves up retro beach-pop that's sun-splashed and breezy. Feb. 25, midnight. $11.50 to $13. Horseshoe Tavern, 368 Queen St. W., 416-870-8000 .

FILM

Reel Artists Film Festival

This year's package of documentary films on contemporary art and artists kicks off with KOOP, Katharine Knight's new doc that delves inside the imagination of imaginative Canadian painter Wanda Koop on Feb. 23. (6:30 p.m., $175, Koerner Hall, 416-368-8854 ext. 101). Both the painter and the director will be on hand for an on-stage discussion. Feb. 23 to 27. $8 to $12. TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W., 416-599-8433 .

DANCE

CanAsian Dance Festival

For the festival's 10th edition, a program of national and international artists includes the whirling Ziya Azazi from Vienna, a snazzy new piece for five Cambodian dancers by Toronto's Tribal Crackling Wind and Peter Chin, and a celebration of Mi Young Kim's 60th anniversary in dance with Korean dance and drumming performed by her company. Feb. 23 to 26. $25 to $30. Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay W., 416-973-4000.

Longer Than a Shadow

A night of contemporary dance features the Kemi Contemporary Dance Project's director Jennifer Dallas, whose solo Zetetica explores the human ability to adapt and mutate during volatile times. Feb. 24 to 26, 8 p.m. $15 to $20; Feb. 27, 2 p.m. PWYC. Dancemakers Centre for Creation, 55 Mill St., 416-204-1082.

COMEDY

Michael Gelbart

Ain't love funny? The American stand-up finds his material in the dating rituals of young heterosexuals. Saturday, 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.; Sunday, 8 p.m. $13 to $22. Yuk Yuk's, 224 Richmond St. W., 416-967-6425.

EVENT

AutoShow

Not only do they have the kaboodle, they've got the KITT. Featured in the annual four-wheeled extravaganza is a salute to muscle-car icons, the Camaro and the Trans Am, with an exhibit featuring the chatty KITT car of Knight Rider fame. To Feb. 27, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Feb 27 to 6 p.m.). $7 to $20. Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front St. W., autoshow.ca.

National Home Show

They're making things perfectly clear this year at the National Home Show, where a futuristic glass house is worth its weight in Windex. Other attractions include the all-important man-cave exhibit. To Feb. 27. $9 to $16. Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, 416-263-3000 or nationalhomeshow.com.

Recipe to Riches

There's gold in them there index cards. Recipe to Riches, a new reality-television series, hosts an open casting call to find the city's best formulas for food. Feb. 26, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (pre-register at www.recipetoriches.ca). Hyatt Regency Hotel, 370 King St. W.

THEATRE

Rhubarb Festival

Lady Gaga, the egg-hatching pop star, is seemingly everywhere these days. For one night only - Saturday, 10 p.m. - performance artist Leigh Bowery hosts Of A Monstrous Child: A Gaga Musical, an exploration of a peculiar talent, based on an essay penned by the singer herself. (See a Q&A with Alistair Newton, the production's writer and director, on theatre critic J. Kelly Nestruck's blog at globeandmail.com.) Festival to Feb. 27. PWYC to $20. Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St., 416-975-8555.

Floating

What happens when we break away from convention, from our hometown, our political norms, the people we love? A buoyant and interactive fantasy answers questions in offbeat ways. Saturday, 8 p.m. $35. Enwave Theatre, 231 Queens Quay W., 416-973-4000.

Barrymore

The script is slight, says The Globe's theatre critic J. Kelly Nestruck, but Christopher Plummer's "electric" comic performance as the alcoholic actor John Barrymore is a "patented mix of wit and bravado." To March 9. $55 to $150. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St., 416-872-5555.

South Pacific

Set on a small island held by the Americans in the middle of the Second World War, South Pacific has one of Richard Rodgers's most unforgettable scores - Some Enchanted Evening, Bali Ha'i, Younger than Springtime and so on - but a touring production gives spotlight time to the script as well. To April 10. $45 to $190. Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge St., 416-644-3665.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A serious consideration of love in its many guises is woven through Shakespeare's tale of romance, forest-dwelling fairies and an untalented troupe of amateur actors. Good fun, from the Soulpepper Company. Feb. 23 to April 15 (now in previews). $45 to $60. Young Centre, 55 Mill St., 416-866-8666.

LITERARY & LECTURE

History Wars at the ROM

Tuesday's debate on multiculturalism is sold-out (as is next month's dispute on Pierre Trudeau), but tickets for a deliberation on whether or not Louis Riel deserved to be executed are still available. So as to not leave the people running the ROM's popular debate series hanging, book your seats now for the May 5 event. $20 to $25. Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park Cres., 416-586-5797.

Mordecai Tribute

No, this is not a dinner for the baseball pitcher Mordecai (Three Finger) Brown, the famed baseball pitcher who received discounts for his manicures. The great author Richler is celebrated by the philanthropist Jack Rabinovitch, the performer Cynthia Dale and the author Charles Foran. Feb. 23, 6:30 p.m. $60. Park Hyatt Toronto, 4 Avenue Rd., 416-977-0008.

John Sewell

Mayor, mayor, on the wall, who was the first of them all? Former city chief John Sewell speaks on William Lyon Mackenzie, who was Toronto's premiere mayor but also a resident of Dundas, Ont., down the road a piece. Feb. 24, 7:15 p.m. $15 to $20. Dundas Baptist Church, 201 Governors Road, Dundas, Ont., 905-627-7412.

FREE

Braids

Not sure you want to spend the dough to see the Montreal indie-buzz band's show at the El Mocambo tonight? A record-store pop-in performance gives a sample of the group's sublime art-pop. Saturday, 5:30 p.m. Free. Sonic Boom, 512 Bloor St. W., 416-532-0334.

Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre

The last operating double-decker theatre in the world has had its ups and down over its long history. Find out about the National Historic Site with a pair of free tours. Feb. 24 (5 p.m.) and Feb. 26 (11 a.m.). No reservation required, but arrive 10 minutes before tour starts. 189 Yonge St., heritagetrust.on.ca.

FAMILY

Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters

Now that we've all survived the great snow squall of 2011, a new exhibit from Chicago's Field Museum explores nature's mayhem with displays that simulate tornados and volcanic eruptions. To May 1. $13 to $20. Ontario Science Centre, 770 Don Mills Rd., 416-696-1000.

BOOKING AHEAD

Toronto Classical Singers Feb. 27. Christ Church Deer Park, 416-443-1490.

Good Mourning Mrs. Brown Opens March 8. Prince of Wales Theatre, 416-872-1212.

The Pixies April 18 and 19. Massey Hall, 416-872-4255.

Adele May 18. Kool Haus, 416-870-8000.