7Days: Regional arts and entertainment, by Michael Harrington

Sunday

Family drama A touchstone of American drama, Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie is an unsparing look at a shattered family trying to maintain a fragile appearance. The show goes on at 2 p.m. Sunday at Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, and continues with performances at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. next Sunday. Tickets are $35. Call 215-654-0200.

Sound and vision The new-music troupe Relache plays works by Chuck Holdeman, Teiji Ito, and Kyle Gann to accompany three experimental films by the influential mid-20th century director Maya Deren, plus a work by Leslie Savoy Burrs, at 3 p.m. at the Penn Museum, 3260 South St. Tickets are $15. Call 215-574-8248.

Monday

That guy Best known for his Emmy-nominated role as political mastermind Eli Gold on TV's The Good Wife, Alan Cumming is also a Broadway star, distinguished film character actor, singer, and writer. In his new book Not My Father's Son, he looks back at his fraught family relationships and how they influenced his career. Cumming discusses his work in conversation with writer and musician Wesley Stace at 7:30 p.m. at the Free Library, 1901 Vine St. Tickets are $15; $7 for students. Call 215-567-4341.

Tuesday

Good rocking Powered by longtime front man Kris Roe, the Ataris have been flying the pop-punk flag with distinction for a while. They headline a four-band bill at 8 p.m. at the North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St. Tickets are $15. Call 215-787-0488.

Wednesday

Dance trio The intrepid BalletX performs works by Jorma Elo, Matthew Neenan, and Olivier Wevers at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 and 7 p.m. next Sunday. Tickets are $22 to $40. Call 215-546-7824.

Out of the country Alt-country great Ryan Adams plays gems off his eponymous new album at 8 p.m. at the Tower Theater, 69th and Ludlow Streets, Upper Darby. Tickets are $29.50 to $45. Call 215-922-1011.

Thursday

The stuff of misadventure For any fans of H. Rider Haggard's great adventure tale, the lecture Searching for King Solomon's Mines: a Story of Biblical Wisdom and Scholarly Folly by University of Pennsylvania professor of Hebrew Steven Weitzman is sure to be irresistible. Weitzman looks at the ill-fated 500-year search for the source of Solomon's fabled wealth, revealing unexpected insights into the Bible and the history of its interpretation. The lecture is at 5:15 p.m. at Drexel University's Hagerty Library, Room 302, 33rd and Market Streets. Admission is free. Call 215-895-6388.

Ancient dance The amazing Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca combine the Spanish art form and Greek tragedy in Antigona, based on Sophocles, at the Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $20 to $60. Call 215-898-3900.

With strings Conductor Susanna Mälkki leads the Philadelphia Orchestra in Stravinsky's Violin Concerto with soloist Juliette Kang, plus works by Respighi and Brahms, at the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall, Broad and Spruce Streets, at 2 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $35 to $171. Call 215-893-1999.

How things work On their TV show, the Mythbusters - special effects wizards Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman - apply science and mayhem (stuff sometimes blows up) to find out, for example, whether you can really slip on a banana peel or if an elevator fall can be survived by jumping just before it hits bottom or if a bathroom's hand dryer is better than a paper towel. The dynamite duo talk about the show and perform onstage experiments at the Merriam Theater, 250 S Broad St., at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $49 to $150. Call 215-893-1999.