7Days: Regional arts and entertainment, by Michael Harrington

Monarch's making The third in Shakespeare's Henriad tetralogy, Henry IV Part II, following the diverging paths of the wastrel Prince Hal and the scoundrel Falstaff - one to the throne and the other to obscurity - is perhaps the most moving of the Bard's histories. A film of the production by the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon screens at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 824 W. Lancaster Ave, Bryn Mawr, at 1 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $20; $10 for students. Call 610-527-9898.

Murder-go-round In Ira Levin's Deathtrap, a renowned playwright with writer's block hatches a sinister scheme to keep his career going. The play, featuring four-time Oscar nominee Marsha Mason in a key supporting role as a psychic, goes on at 3 p.m. Sunday at Bucks County Playhouse, 70 S. Main St., New Hope, and continues with performances at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 3 p.m. Wednesday, 3 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 3 p.m. next Sunday. Tickets are $29 to $59.50. Call 215-862-2121.

Animal houses One of our perennial summer favorites, the miniature Garden Railway at Morris Arboretum, returns with a new theme: Who Lives Here, featuring fanciful dwellings, such as a spired giraffe's house, a coiled snake's pad, and a teeny home for a hummingbird. The exhibit is at the arboretum, 100 E. Northwestern Ave., until Sept. 1. Tickets are $16; $14 for seniors; $8 for students and ages 3 to 17; under 3 free (includes garden admission). Call 215-247-5777.

Going to the dogs Your canine pal does tricks. The mongrel marvels that make up Johnny Peers and the Muttville Comix put on a show, with circus acrobatics, skateboarding, ladder-climbing, and clowning. The show goes on at the Sellersville Theater, 24 W. Temple Ave., Sellersville, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesday. Tickets are $10. Call 215-257-5808.

Alas, poor Vader In William Shakespeare's Star Wars, author Ian Doescher gives the Bard treatment (using the Force - yes, iambic pentameter) to the events in a galaxy far, far away a long, long time ago (verily, 'twas 1977, forsooth). He reads from his work at 7:30 p.m. at the Free Library, 1901 Vine St. Admission is free. Call 215-567-4341.

Play ball Sure, it changes the downbeat ending of Bernard Malamud's 1952 novel, but the 1984 film version of The Natural follows the dictates of the movies, not literature. As such, it may be the best baseball film of all time. The film screens, with an introduction by film critic Carrie Rickey, at 7 p.m. at the National Museum of American Jewish History, Fifth and Market Streets. Tickets are $5. Call 215-923-3811.

Put up and stack up Nothing like a good cranberry chutney or sorrel pesto in the depths of winter - but now's the time to prepare. Food writer Marisa McClellan, famed for her blog on canning and preserving, discusses her new book, Food in Jars, at 7:30 p.m. at the Free Library, 1901 Vine St. Admission is free. Call 215-567-4341.

Disco daze Based on the 1980 cult roller-disco film, the 2007 musical Xanadu retells the campy story of a muse sent from Olympus to help an entrepreneur open a nightclub (yep, its source is Ovid). Mazeppa Productions presents the show in an immersive, interactive production on a 360-degree set. The show goes on at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St., and continues with performances on a varied schedule to July 26. Tickets are $25. Call 267-559-9602.

Back to the roots Brothers Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin, late of the seminal L.A. roots-rock band the Blasters, have reunited to record songs by country-blues great Big Bill Broonzy, and they're taking it on the road. They perform with their new band, the Guilty Ones, at 8 p.m. at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. Tickets are $30. Call 215-222-1400.

Pure pop for now people The Northern England combo Wild Beasts plays affecting retro-electronica gems, powered by Hayden Thorpe's affecting falsetto, at Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St., at 8:30 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $20. Call 215-232-2100.

American music Still going strong at 74, legendary country renegade Billy Joe Shaver (his new song "Hard to Be an Outlaw" is a standout summer track) plays at the Sellersville Theater, 24 W. Temple Ave., Sellersville, at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $25. Call 215-257-5808.