'Dreamgirls'Follow the show-business saga of three...

'Dreamgirls'

Follow the show-business saga of three ambitious young Chicago singers on their way to Motown stardom when the musical "Dreamgirls" comes to the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre for a one-week engagement, Tuesday through Jan. 18, prior to Broadway. One of the biggest Broadway hits of the 1980s, the original production of "Dreamgirls" won six Tony Awards. Show time is 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $31.50-$58.50. The theater is at 25 Hopkins Plaza. Call 410-752-1200. See glorious paintings in "Masters of Light: Dutch Painters in Utrecht during the Golden Age" at the Walters Art Gallery Sunday through April 5. The exhibition brings together for the first time 74 paintings from a group of Dutch old masters who influenced such artists as Rembrandt and Vermeer. In conjunction with the exhibition, the Walters presents "The Origins of Dutch Painting: Manuscripts from the Fifteenth Century," Jan. 17 through April 26. The museum is at 600 N. Charles St. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, and until 8 p.m. the first Thursday of the month. Admission is $8; $6 seniors; $5 students; $4 children 6-17; and free for museum members. Call 410-547-9000. Listen to sizzling Latin jazz this evening when conga player Poncho Sanchez and his fiery eight-piece band perform at 8 p.m. at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts, 3506 Gwynnbrook Ave., Owings Mills. The three-time Grammy Award nominee and his ensemble add be-bop flavor to rumbas, mambos and boleros to create a danceable Latin jazz sound. Tickets are $28. Call 410-356-SHOW. "Let Freedom Ring" today when the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performs its 12th Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Concert at 7: 30 p.m. in the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St. Maryland's official tribute to the civil rights leader features narrator George Arnold and the With One Voice Ecumenical Choir. Return to the Meyerhoff this weekend for a Super Pops Concert series with guest conductor Erich Kunzel and pianist Michael Chertock. The concerts start at 8 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets for the King tribute are $5, the Super Pops series $23-$55. Call 410-783-8000.

Horse World Expo

For an equine extravaganza featuring a retail trade show, educational seminars, mounted demonstrations and a Parade of Breeds, attend the Horse World Expo tomorrow through Sunday at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. Also featured will be endurance rider and trainer Debi Gordon on Saturday and Olympic medalist Anne Kursinski on Sunday. Hours are noon to 9 p.m. tomorrow, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $7; $3 ages 10-14; free for under 14. Call 410-344-0633 or 410-252-0200.

Quilts tell stories in Annapolis

Quilters from the Maryland and Washington area are exhibiting their work at the Banneker Douglass Museum, 84 Franklin St. in Annapolis, from Saturday through March 31. Each quilt tells a story. Some commemorate a person or event, while others make use of traditional patterns such as the North Star Patch -- a symbol found on quilts hung outside of safe houses to signal African-Americans who were fleeing from slavery. Educational programs on Jan. 31, Feb. 14 and March 21 complement the exhibit. Meet the quilters at a reception from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 24. All events are free. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. Call 410-974-2893.