Free & Cheap in New York: Thursday, Jan. 17

Free & Cheap in New York: Thursday, Jan. 17

Susan Watts/New York Daily News

Valerie Harper will recall working on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and 'Rhoda' in her book.

FOR ‘RHODA’ SCHOLARS. Emmy-winning actress Valerie Harper will sign copies of her new book, “I, Rhoda,” at Barnes & Noble. She also will dish about being on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and starring in her own sitcom, “Rhoda,” in the ’70s. Harper also got a Tony nomination for Best Actress for her last show on Broadway, "Looped," in 2010.  Free. 150 E. 86th St. at Lexington Ave. (212) 369-2180.

‘BLOOD’ THIRSTY. “Blood Play,” a darkly comic thriller, is running at Under the Radar Festival at the Public Theater. Set in suburban Chicago in the 1950s, it’s about what happens partygoers start playing games and boozing in the basement. 7 p.m. $ 20. 425 Lafayette St. (212) 967-7555.

WITH A BANJO ON HIS KNEE. Take your family to a weekly Banjo Singalong with Spencer Chandler at the Two Moon Art House & Café. He’ll play fun and original songs like “Coyote” and “Peanut Butter & Jelly,” plus popular folk standards. 3 p.m. $ 5. 315 Fourth Ave., Brooklyn. (718) 499-0460.

LET’S GET ANIMATED. Alexis Gideon will perform the New York premiere of “Video Musica III: Floating Oceans,” which combines music and stop-motion animation, at the New Museum. There also will be a screening of animated films by one of his major influences: William Kentridge. 7 p.m. $ 12. 23 Bowery. (212) 219-1222.

‘DRY ICE CAPADES.’ Kids (ages 5-12) can experiment with “Mad Science” at the North Hills Library. They will discover how to melt metal in boiling water, freeze water with dry ice and learn to test the temperature of liquids. 3 p.m. Free. 57-04 Marathon Parkway, Queens. (718) 225-3550.

HAIL, ‘CAESAR.’ The WorkShop Theater Company will kick off a three-night run of George Bernard Shaw’s classic 1898 play “Caesar and Cleopatra.” In this staged reading, Tony Award winner Richard Easton (from Tom Stoppard’s “The Invention of Love”) will be the voice of Shaw. 7:30 p.m. Free. 312 W. 36th St., between Eighth and Ninth Aves. (212) 695-4173. Info: workshoptheater.org.

PICTURES OF PERFECTION. “Hey, Hot Shot! 2012 First Edition Showcase” is on display at the Jen Bekman Gallery. It features the winners of Bekman’s first photo competition: Heather Cleary, Daniel Handal, Susan Magnus, Muge and Zach Nader. Noon-6 p.m. Free. 6 Spring St. (212) 219-0166.

SHOW ME THE MONEY. Canteen, a literary magazine, will present a “Writing vs. Commerce” panel at the Housing Works Bookstore Café. Porochista Khakpour, Simon Van Booy and Matthew Aaron Goodman will talk about the financial struggle to it as novelists. 7 p.m. Free. 126 Crosby St. (212) 334-3324.

DEVIL-ISHLY FUNNY. The Laughing Devil Comedy Club will host “Devil Science Theater 3K.” A campy cult classic will be screened, and the audience will be encouraged to talk throughout and heckle it. Tonight’s feature: “Inframan” (1975), a Chinese superhero film that critic Roger Ebert once called “a movie I was ashamed to admit I liked.” 10:30 p.m. $ 5. 4738 Vernon Blvd., Queens. (347) 913-3845. Info: DST3K.com.