WEEK IN PREVIEW

MOVIES

Denzel Washington and John Goodman, right, star as homicide detectives in “Fallen,” a supernatural thriller from “Primal Fear” director Gregory Hoblit. After the execution of a demonic serial killer the duo have captured, the grisly murders begin once again. The film opens Friday in general release.

THEATER

Charlayne Woodard performs her solo drama “Neat,” about coming of age in an urban African American family, opening today at the Mark Taper Forum. Woodard plays more than a dozen characters, from her no-nonsense grandmother to the center of her family portrait: her beloved Aunt Neat.

THEATER

Ever-adventurous director Peter Sellars stages “Los Biombos/The Screens,” Chicana poet Gloria Alvarez’s adaptation of Jean Genet’s epic “Les Paravents.” The Cornerstone Theater production, which features Boyle Heights residents, opens Saturday at the East L.A. Skills Center.

OPERA

Richard Strauss’ “Salome,” one of L.A. Opera’s inaugural productions in 1986, returns again Thursday, this time with a brand-new cast, led by the acclaimed Hildegard Behrens, and refurbished scenery and costumes. Richard Hickox conducts; the stage director is Christopher Harlan.

DANCE

Surveying five centuries of steps and performing styles, the Bay Area company Dance Through Time appears Friday in the Smothers Theatre at Pepperdine University in Malibu. The eight-member company was founded by dance historian and choreographer Carol Teten in 1980.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Three separate exhibitions opening Saturday at Craig Krull Gallery in Santa Monica feature works by James Fee and George Herms. Fee is one of several panelists who will discuss buying and collecting at Photo L.A. ‘98, starting Friday. Above: the artist’s “Liberty Under Fire” (1997).

JAZZ

Once considered the most fiery of avant-gardists, in recent years tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders has adopted a mellower approach based a bit on late-’50s Coltrane. But he is still fully capable of raising the roof, as he will show during his six-night stint starting Tuesday at Catalina Bar & Grill.

VIDEO

Although it doesn’t have the emotional effect of his Oscar-nominated “Secrets & Lies,” director Mike Leigh’s “Career Girls” reflects a quiet resonance. Lynda Steadman and Katrin Cartlidge shine as college roommates who reunite for a weekend. The video arrives Tuesday.

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Next Sunday: Sneaks ‘98, our annual look at the year in movies, offers an overview of notable titles as well as capsule summaries of 250-plus releases.