Worth a Look

Presented by the Stanford University Department of Drama, the psychological thriller is written by the French playwright Bernard-Marie Koltès. It traces the violent path of Roberto Zucco as he navigates a dysfunctional society that both reviles and worships him.

The show runs through Nov. 5 with 8 p.m. performances. Tickets are $15 general, $10 for seniors and Stanford faculty and staff, and $8 for students. Call (650) 725-5838 or go to drama.stanford.edu.

'Oklahoma!'

It's the farmers versus the cowmen. It's a girl who cain't say no. And then there's that spiffy surrey.

The classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Oklahoma!" is being staged at Jordan Middle School at 750 N. California Ave. in Palo Alto at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3 and 4 and at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 5. More than 60 students are in the cast, with another dozen on crew.

Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for students; call (650) 213-0150.

'The Bright River'

Imagine Dante's "Inferno" retold in hip-hop. That's the idea behind "The Bright River," a theatrical production also intended as a love story and a commentary on the current war in Iraq.

Everyday Theatre puts on the show for one night, Thursday, Nov. 3, in Cubberley Auditorium in the School of Education at Stanford University. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show are $18 general, $15 for members of the Albert L. Schultz Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto and $5 for students.

Call (650) 736-1199 or go to www.epicarts.org/brightriver.

MUSIC

Frank Wiens

He's toured the Soviet Union and South Korea, but next week it's Mountain View who's calling him to perform.

Solo pianist Frank Wiens, artist in residence at the University of the Pacific, will play at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3, at the Community School of Music and Arts, 230 San Antonio Circle. He is scheduled to play a program including Chopin's "Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor" and the complete Rachmaninoff "Preludes, Op. 32."

Tickets are $8 general and $4 for students and seniors. Call (650) 917-6800, extension 305, or go to www.arts4all.org.

BOOKS

Autumn Literary Festival

Risen Phoenix-like, Kepler's Books & Magazines is kicking off an Autumn Literary Festival next Thursday, Nov. 3, including author events and live music.

Events next Thursday will include U.C. Berkeley professor Jerome Karabel speaking at 5:30 p.m. at Kepler's. The free talk will introduce his new book, "The Chosen: The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale and Princeton."

Author and Stanford professor Tobias Wolff will give a free talk at 7:30 p.m. in the Menlo College dining hall in Atherton, and Menlo Park thriller author Barry Eisler will give a free talk at the same time in the Menlo Park City Council chambers. Authors Ann Packer and Firoozeh Dumas will also speak that evening.

The festival runs through Nov. 18; other authors are scheduled to include U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer and George R.R. Martin. For more information, go to www.keplers.com.

FILM

'The Laughing Club'

A chuckle is certainly better than a cough. And in hopes of boosting the healing powers of a laugh, some folks these days are combining laughter with yoga.

Jesal Kapadia's short film "The Laughing Club," which gives insight into laughter yoga, is set to be shown this evening at 8 p.m. at Darshana Yoga, 654 High St., Palo Alto. It's part of "The Missing Peace: The Dalai Lama Portrait Project," an international art exhibition and educational program.

The film showing benefits the project; tickets are $35. Free refreshments will be served. Call (650) 325-9642.

LECTURE

Ilan Pappe

Prospects for peace in the Middle East, as well as Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip, will be the topic of the afternoon when historian Ilan Pappe speaks at Stanford University on Sunday.

Pappe, director of the International Relations Division at Haifa University, is also the author of books on the Arab-Israeli conflict. His free talk begins at 3 p.m. in Building 320, Room 105. Call (203) 246-8639 for more information.

OPERA

'Fidelio' lecture

Opera-lovers can get a deeper understanding of San Francisco Opera's upcoming production of "Fidelio" by attending a preview lecture held by the South Peninsula Opera Guild on Tuesday, Nov. 1.

William A. Kinderman will give the latest in a series of lectures, which typically cover such topics as historical background and opera plot complexities. The lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. at Little House at 800 Middle Ave. in Menlo Park.

Tickets are $8 for guild members and $10 for non-members. Call (650) 329-1374.

TRAVEL

Paris to Provence
If your idea of Halloween treats is the treasure of travel, heading to the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 31 might be une bonne idée .

At 2 and 7:45 p.m., the Golden Gate Geographic Society will present a travel film titled "France -- From Paris to Provence." The film will cover such sights as the landmarks of Paris, the D-Day beaches of Normandy, a medieval festival and chateaux.

The center is at 500 Castro St. in downtown Mountain View. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youths. Call (650) 903-6000 or go to www.mvcpa.com.

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