City Week: March 19-March 25

friday, march 19 guided tour-the national academy offers guided tours through its 185th annual exhibition. the tours take viewers through art ranging from realism to abstraction, painting to mixed media, and sculpture to installation art. on view through june 8. the national academy museum and school of fine arts, 1083 fifth ave., 212-369-4880; 6:45 p.m., free with admission ($5 to $10).

pan asian comedy-ching chong chinaman tells the story of the thoroughly chinese-american wongs, whose lives are turned upside down when their son imports ching chong, a chinese stranger. the play, while comedic, also addresses the more serious topic of the relationship between one's heritage and one's home. runs through april 11. the west end theatre in the church of st. paul and st. andrew, 263 w. 86th st., 212-868-4030; 7:30 p.m., $45.

the unknown wagner-m.j. albacete, executive director of the canton, ohio, museum of art and co-founder of the wagner society of ohio, presents his findings from a worldwide search for unknown wagner compositions. the liederkranz foundation, 6 e. 87th st., 212-749-4561; 7:30 p.m., $10. saturday, march 20 classic meets contemporary-the japanese art dealers association presents an exhibit featuring traditional and humorous japanese art. the traditional portion of the exhibit features ancient sculptures, folding screens and armor, while the humorous portion features more contemporary folk art. through march 23. ukrainian institute/fletcher-sinclair mansion, 2 e. 79th st., 212-222-4688; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., free.

improv-turtle bay music school presents its last "what is??" concert of the season, with "what is improvisation?" featuring pablo mayor and anna povich de mayor. kids can learn how melody, harmony and rhythm weave together to create new music on the spot. turtle bay music school, 244 e. 52nd st., 212-753-8811; 2 p.m., free. sunday, march 21

primetime primates-photographer richard conde talks about his exhibit gorilla diaries, which depicts a family of gorillas housed at the bronx zoo. conde's work has been featured in national geographic; he focuses on travel photography, jazz photography and photography for dance performance events and weddings. the living room gallery at saint peter's church, 619 lexington ave., 212-935-2200; 3:30 p.m., free.

musical adventures-the poppy seed players present sunshine, a family musical based on the book by ludwig bemelmans. sunshine tells the story of a music teacher and students who collaborate to save their school when its landlord, mr. sunshine, threatens to evict them. merkin concert hall, 129 w. 67th st., 212-501-3330; 11 a.m., $20.

movie night-symphony space screens three films: the most dangerous man in america (2009), burma vj (2009) and wagner's siegfried from palau de les arts, valencia. the first takes another look at the publication of the pentagon papers (4 p.m.); the second, a documentary, depicts the 2007 myanmar uprising as recorded by underground video journalists (6 p.m.); and the third follows the youth siegfried in his quest to retrieve a ring guarded by the dragon fafner (8 p.m.). symphony space, 2537 broadway, 212-864-5400; $7 to $21.

sunday opera-the west side opera society's artistic director, david clemmy, presents gaetano donizetti's lucia di lammermoor. this tragic opera follows a feud between the ashton and ravenswood families, taking its audience around several dramatic turns. trinity lutheran church of manhattan, 164 w. 100th st., 212-877-0509; 7 p.m., $10 suggested donation. monday, march 22 fifty and fabulous-the greater new york independent publishers association presents "nifty after 50," a multimedia celebration of the "last and best" years of life. the event features actor, writer and political candidate malachy mccourt (also a columnist in this paper), and musical composers michael colby and ned paul ginsburg. guests can also view a slideshow, "nifty after 50, a visual journey," by heidi russell, and watch dramatizations of books, plays and poems by association members. a brief question-and-answer period follows, and personally autographed books may be purchased after the event. lincoln triangle barnes and noble, 1972 broadway, 212-595-6859; 7:30 p.m., free. tuesday, march 23 rock 'n' roll legend-feinstein's at loews regency presents chubby checker, the only artist to have five albums in the top 12 at once. checker is best known for his hits "the twist," "birdland" and "loddy lo." he performs nightly through march 27. feinstein's at loews regency, 540 park ave., 212-339-4095; 8:30 p.m., $40 to $150.

fitness fair-asphalt green hosts an open house. the evening includes tours of the facility, a free zumba class, several free martial arts classes, posture screenings, gait analysis and acupuncture demonstrations. the fitness center holds several contests throughout the evening, including the fastest mile, the most pushups and slideboard repetitions. asphalt green, 1750 york ave., 212-369-8890; 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., free.

all jazzed up-enjoy wine, snacks and sweets with live jazz in honor of the pratt institute and marymount college. the groups designed a new logo and website for eviction intervention services housing resource center, a 25-year-old non-profit that helps tenants avoid eviction from homes because of rent arrears and hoarding or de-clutter issues. moore brothers wine company, 33 e. 20th st., 212-308-2210, x208; 6:30 p.m., $50 tax-deductible donation (which supports the center's work). wednesday, march 24 sacred music-the choir and orchestra of st. ignatius loyola perform frank martin's "mass for double chorus" a cappella and wolfgang amadeus mozart's "requiem in d minor, k.626." concert organist herve duteil performs a pre-concert organ recital at 7 p.m. church of st. ignatius loyola, 980 park ave., 212-288-2520; 8 p.m., $30 to $50. thursday, march 25 get jazzed-the "sing into spring festival" continues with a performance by regina carter and reverse thread, whose sound is described as traditional african folk music with a contemporary feel. the group features yacouba sissoko on kora, will holshouser on accordion, chris lightcap on bass and alvester garnett on drums. stick around for oscar feldman and familia during the "after hours" 11:30 p.m. performance: $5 cover, along with a $5 menu and $5 drinks (cocktail, draft beer or wine). dizzy's club coca-cola, jazz at lincoln center, broadway and west 60th street, 212-258-9595; 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., $30 cover plus $5 to $10 minimum.