Mamma Mia! It's a Mother's Day gift! It's a musical! No, it can be both!

With Mother's Day looming Sunday, it's easy to get lost in the fog of perfume samples at Macy's. Here are a few ways to honor Mom with a whiff of entertainment instead:

n It's a good thing Mom is always a super trouper, because she'll have to wait a few days to see "Mamma Mia!" if you buy her tickets to the Tony-nominated musical based on hit songs by the Swedish pop group ABBA. The show, which opens Tuesday, cleverly weaves tunes like "Super Trouper" and "Dancing Queen" into a story about a bride-to-be who, on a quest to find her dad, brings three men from her mother's past to a Greek island. 8 p.m. Tuesday through May 17, 2 p.m. May 17-18 and 7:30 p.m. May 18, Kavli Theatre, Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. Tickets, $53-$68, are available through Ticketmaster at 583-8700 or http://www.ticketmaster.com.

n "Throw Mama on the Train," inspired by the title but not the dark spirit of the 1987 Danny DeVito comedy, is the theme for the Fillmore & Western Railway's Mother's Day lunch train ride. The main dish is chicken cordon bleu; someone else does the dishes. 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday. $20-$45. For reservations, call 524-2546 or visit http://www.fwry.com.

n Teach Mom to tango! The Ventura County chapter of USA Dance will host a Mother's Day dance party from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday in Ventura at House of Dance, 3007 Bunsen Ave. Come early for an American tango lesson at 2:20 p.m. $5-$10. 271-1273.

n Mom doesn't deserve a halfhearted gift attempt, but how about half-price tickets? On Sunday, any mother accompanied by a child who attends Camarillo Community Theatre's production of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" will get in for $8, the kids' ticket price, instead of $17 for adults (OK, that's technically $1 more than half off). 2 p.m. at 330 Skyway Drive, inside the Camarillo Airport. For reservations, call 388-5716.

The Ventura Improv Company is offering a "Moms Laugh for Half" deal through May. Mothers who come to the theater's improvisational shows at 8 p.m. Fridays or Saturdays will pay $5 instead of $10. 34 N. Palm St. 643-5701 or http://www.venturaimprov.com.

[ medieval revelry ]

2. Pirate enterprise

What do you call a pirate who can't conduct a good raid? The pillage idiot. Well, except for a few battle re-enactments, pillaging idiocy will be kept to a minimum in the 16th-century village sprouting up next to Lake Casitas for the Renaissance Pirate Faire. The event also features music, Shakespearean plays, a Queen Elizabeth procession, vendors, a tavern and period grub like turkey legs. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Lake Casitas Recreation Area, off Highway 33 near Ojai. $7-$15. 496-6036; http://www.goldcoastfestivals.com.

[ benefit concert ]

3. Just CAUSE

Perla Batalla of Ojai, a former backup singer for Leonard Cohen who's now at the front of the stage as a successful solo artist, will once again headline the annual Mother's Day Weekend Concert for CAUSE (Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy), which promotes economic justice. Hers is not the only heavenly voice you'll hear. Also performing is a gospel choir from the Evangelistic Missionary Baptist Church in Port Hueneme. 7 p.m. Saturday, Center for Spiritual Living, 101 Laurel Ave., Ventura. $25. 658-0810, ext. 211; http://www.coastalalliance.com.

[ Bangle Tango ]

4. Rock for Nordhoff

Here's a perk when your mom's in a famous rock band: fun, beyond-the-bake-sale fundraisers. Such is the case with Vicki Peterson of the Bangles, pictured, whose daughter attends Nordhoff High School in Ojai (Dad is Peterson's husband, musician John Cowsill). The Bangles, to raise money for Nordhoff's performing arts programs, will play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Libbey Bowl. The all-female group banged out such hits as "Walk Like an Egyptian" and "Eternal Flame" in the '80s, broke up in 1989 and reunited in 2000. $25-$50. 640-4343, ext. 1861; http://www.nhsmusic.com.

[ kids['] day ]

5. Afternoon in the park

The fifth annual Family Festival in the Park in Ventura will turn Barranca Vista Park into a kid-friendly zone Saturday. From noon to 5 p.m., the site will be teeming with family activities, including a kids' swap meet, a Fairy Tales in the Park presentation of "Shrek: Tales From the Swamp," dance and music performances, martial arts demonstrations, crafts, clowns, refreshments and exhibits. What, only five hours? 7050 E. Ralston St. Free. 644-6542.