8pm DanceThe Times has consistently called Paul...

8pm Dance

The Times has consistently called Paul Taylor one of the two or three greatest living choreographers--and we’re not going to stop now. Not only does he produce one masterwork after another, but his daring creative experiments quickly become the standard language of the art. Consider the varied repertory performed by the Paul Taylor Dance Company on this latest visit. “Arden Court” (1981) is the kind of sunny, all-American romp to Baroque music that ballet companies try to grab ASAP. In the tango suite “Piazzolla Caldera” (1997) dancers move obsessively from one public sexual entanglement to another, scarcely noticing the number or gender of their partners and never satisfied. Since “The Word” (1998) has never been performed locally, you’re on your own. All we know is it features music by David Israel, classic schoolboy attire by Santo Loquasto and concerns hazing and other rituals of male bonding.

Paul Taylor Dance Company, Campbell Hall, UC Santa Barbara campus, Santa Barbara. 8 p.m. Also Saturday, 8 p.m. $16 to $35. (805) 893-3535.

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7pm Jazz

Throughout his 40-plus year career, jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter has been highly regarded as an instrumentalist and a composer. His work--early with Horace Silver and Maynard Ferguson, later with Art Blakey, Miles Davis and Weather Report,

plus his own solo efforts--established him as a force interweaving mainstream and progressive elements. Shorter will work with pianist Danilo Perez, drummer Brian Blade and bassist John Patitucci this time around.

Wayne Shorter Quartet, LA Jazz 2002 at USC Bovard Auditorium, 3551 Trousdale Parkway, L.A., 7 p.m. $10 to $28. (213) 740-2167. Also Saturday, 8 p.m., at California Center for the Arts, 2411 E. Valley Parkway, Escondido, $30 to $45. (800) 988-4253.

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all day Movies

Billy Crudup (“Jesus’ Son,” “Almost Famous”) adds another wandering soul to his repertoire in Bart Freundlich’s drama “World Traveler.” Crudup plays a Manhattan architect who, without a word, leaves his family to hit the open road in search of a “better life.” Julianne Moore, Karen Allen, Cleavant Derricks, James LeGros and David Keith are among the people he encounters in his cross-country adventure.

“World Traveler,” rated R for language and some sexuality, opens Friday at Laemmle’s Sunset 5, Hollywood; Town Center, Encino; and Playhouse 7, Pasadena.

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8pm Theater

Writers Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen spent six weeks traveling across America, interviewing 40 former death row prisoners who had been wrongly convicted of capital crimes. The pair then turned those compelling real-life stories into a drama called “The Exonerated,” making its West Coast premiere.

“The Exonerated,” Actors’ Gang Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, 8 p.m. Regular schedule: Thursdays to Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. (May 25, 8 p.m., sign-language-

interpreted.) Ends June 16. $20 to $25, except Thursdays, pay what you can. (323) 465-0566, Ext. 15.

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8pm Theater

Writer-performer Sandra Tsing Loh’s uniquely Southern California perspective has become a staple of public radio. She frets about her life in Van Nuys on KCRW-FM (89.9) and weighs in on financial matters for “Marketplace.” But those who’ve heard her outside their cars know that she’s just as funny--and often more poignant--live and in person. Her new solo show, “I Worry,” gets a workshop staging as part of the New Work Festival’s Next Step series, produced by the Mark Taper Forum.

“I Worry,” Evidence Room, 2220 Beverly Blvd., L.A., Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. $10. (213) 628-2772.

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all day Art

“The Sacred Spaces of Pieter Saenredam,” a traveling show that opened earlier this week at the J. Paul Getty Museum, showcases the paintings and drawings of a Dutch artist who was an innovator in the field of architectural paintings. Saenredam was the first to specialize in existing buildings during the 17th century, especially churches. His depictions of medieval churches are notable now for their markedly modern simplicity.

“The Sacred Spaces of Pieter Saenredam,” J. Paul Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive, L.A. Tuesdays to Thursdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Parking reservations required Tuesdays to Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. only. Free. (310) 440-7300.

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8pm Pop Music

The artist once again known as Prince, above, likes to shift formats as often as he changes his name. This time around, the mercurial performer is doing a stripped-down, effects-free, jazz-tinged show, with the focus on the music from his latest album, “The Rainbow Children.”

Prince, Kodak Theatre, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 8 p.m. $45 to $125. Also Saturday, 8 p.m. (323) 308-6363.