• "Evita": "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" wins again in this excellently staged musical story. Mary Chesnut shines as Eva Peron in a highly visual production that succeeds despite a somewhat soft edge. 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday at Richardson Theatre, Fort Shafter. $12, $15 adults; $6, $8 children. 438-4480.

• "Victor/Victoria": Find out for yourself whether the musical that brought Julie Andrews back to Broadway after 30 years can sustain itself without her. The Diamond Head Theatre production is lavishly staged and Cathy Foy Mahi sings beautifully, but the show has a soft center and run-on homophobic comedy. 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sundays through June 3 at DHT, 520 Makapu'u Ave. $10-$40 ($5 discount for students, seniors and military for $20 and $30 seats only). 734-0274.

Mini-reviews of current exhibits by Advertiser art critic Virginia Wageman

• "Na Maka Hou: New Visions" (Honolulu Academy of Arts, through June 17, 532-8700.) — This broad overview of work by contemporary Native Hawaiian artists is not to be missed. Included are works by artists who were instrumental in the Hawaiian renaissance that emerged in the 1970s and works by craftspeople who have uncovered the art-making practices of their ancestors. Conceptual pieces, particularly a powerful and moving installation by Kau'i Chun, bring the exhibition into the 21st century.

• "Tropical Energy: Recent Ceramic Sculptures and Drawings by Jun Kaneko" (Honolulu Academy of Arts, through July 22, 532-8700.) — Grand ceramic sculptures are installed throughout the museum, several at the front entrance. A wall of ceramic tiles in the Graphic Arts Gallery is a masterpiece of color and pattern. Kaneko, born in Nagoya, Japan, has lived in the United States for 38 years and is among the foremost ceramic sculptors in the world.

• "Pupu o Ni'ihau: Ni'ihau Shell Leis" (Honolulu Academy of Arts, through Sept. 30, 532-8700.) — Lei made from the delicate shells for which Ni'ihau is famous provide a glimpse into the cultural history of the privately owned island.

• "Drawing Is Another Kind of Language" (The Contemporary Museum, through June 10, 526-1322.) — This exhibition, drawn from a private New York collection, presents a broad range of works on paper from the past half century, the earliest a Barnett Newman dating from 1946. The artists are mostly Americans and mostly minimalists or those who explore related trends. Most striking about the exhibition overall is the amount of freedom evident in what would seem a constraining aesthetic. Also noteworthy is the intermingling of art-world notables such as Jasper Johns and Ellsworth Kelly with less-well-known though no less interesting artists.