Mara Levi '99 will be performing at the Black Sheep Deli. Levi is a singer/songwriter who got her musical start at the College with indie band Kid Sampson. Her music combines folk music, jazz and indie-pop to create a sound not unlike that of Aimee Mann. Joining Levi will be members of the DQ and other Amherst students. Sarah Bolen, a musician who cites Ani DiFranco and Dave Matthews as her influences, will open. (Sat., 7 p.m., Black Sheep Deli.)

"It's How the Story's Told," directed by Alice Hsiung '03, blends modern American and traditional Japanese theatrical styles to tell the tale of three people who, according to the five-college theater newsletter, "force each other to examine the masked selves they present to the world and in the process redefine the boundaries of love and friendship." Cryptic, eh? (Sat., 8 p.m., Holden Theater, Webster Hall. Call 542-2277 for reservations.)

Northampton Arts Council's "Four Sundays in February" series will present "Youth Exchange 2003," a showcase of talented young performers. This year's show will include Ballet Monte Alban de Veronica Robles, a troupe consisting of dancers from ages three to 20; Youth Alive Step, Dance and Drumline, a 35-member group started by two teenagers in 1995; and O'D n' Tap, a tap dance company whose young members bring fresh energy to traditional dance. Also featured will be several innovative young musicians, many of whom have won awards and sold out shows. (Sun., 2 p.m., Academy of Music Theatre, Northampton.)

The Mead Art Museum proudly presents "Flux-Mass," a recreation of a famous 1970 performance piece by George Maciunas. The event is directed by artist and Rutgers University Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hendricks '53, and features original performers Yoshi Wada and Larry Miller, acclaimed performance artist Carolee Schneemann, and students from Rutgers, Hampshire College, and Amherst College. The 1970 performance generated controversy, but was ultimately protected by the First Amendment, making it a notable demonstration of academic freedom. (Sun., 4:30 p.m., Johnson Chapel.)

Editors' Movie Rental of the Week

It would take a catatonic not to recognize Renée Zellweger as one of the two beautiful stars of "Chicago," which opened recently in the Amherst area. Only the most discerning viewer, however, can identify the bright-eyed blonde's cameo in 1994's "Reality Bites," Ben Stiller's genius Gen-X comedy starring Winona Ryder

and Ethan Hawke. Zellweger's paltry part is hardly worth mentioning, but Ryder's and Hawke's performances as hesistant lovers in the unromantic early '90s are charming. As dark-lipped Vicky, Janeane Garofalo plays the best friend in the middle, and her impeccably delivered one-liners are a reminder that in the era of Big Gulp, she was the queen of sarcasm.