Thu, Oct 9

A Little Night Music TheatreWorks presents the romantic musical by Stephen Sondheim. Preview night, 8pm. Also previews Fri, Oct 10, 8pm. Opens Sat, Oct 11, 8pm. Also plays Sun, Oct 12, 2pm and 7pm, Tue, Oct 14, 7L30pm, Wed, Oct 15, 8pm. Thru $20-$48. Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St, Mountain View, 650.903.6000 or www.theatreworks.org.

Chilean Holiday Teatro Vision opens its season with a drama about a young couple and their families living under Pinochet's reign of terror in Chile in the 1970s. Preview night, 8pm. Also previews Fri, Oct 10, 8pm. Opens Sat, Oct 11, 8pm. Also plays Sun, Oct 12, 2pm. Thru Oct 26. 48-$12 previews/$30 opening/$12-$17 regular performances. Mexican Heritage Plaza, 1700 Alum Rock Ave, San Jose, 408.272.9926 or www.teatrovision.org.

History Presentation "Broken Harts: The Brooke Hart Kidnapping and Public Lynching." A documentary film preview and discussion by producer/director Chris Martin. Offered in conjunction with an exhibit at Forbes Mill History Museum in Los Gatos. 7pm. $5 donation. Los Gatos Town Council Chambers, 110 E. Main St, Los Gatos, 408.395.7375.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Well-loved African a cappella group. 7:30pm. $32-$42. Carriage House Theatre, Villa Montalvo, 15400 Montalvo Rd, Saratoga, 408.961.5858 or www.villamontalvo.org.

Talking Art The San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art presents the first in a series of monthly salon-style discussions focusing on issues of importance to the Bay Area artistic community. Thu, Oct 9, and every second Thu, 6pm-7pm (schmoozing), 7pm-9pm (discussion). Free to SJICA members/$5 nonmembers. San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, 451 S. First St, San Jose, 408.283.8155.

Fri, Oct 10

The Amen Corner San Jose State department of theatre presents a play by James Baldwin, directed by Ethel Pitts Walker. Opening night, 7pm. Also plays Sat, Oct 11, 7pm. Thru Oct 18. $10-$15. University Theatre, Fifth and San Fernando streets, San Jose, 408.924.4552.

Asian American Comedy Night An evening of comedy presented by Contemporary Asian Theatre Scene as part of the Performing Arts Series. 8pm. $15-$20. Montgomery Theatre, Market and San Carlos streets, San Jose, 408.298.2287 or www.asiantheater.org.

A Choral Sampler The San Jose State University Choraliers will present their new 2003 members in an evening of choral music featuring musical selections from the Renaissance through the 20th century. 8pm. $10-$25. Campbell United Methodist Church, 1675 Winchester Blvd, Campbell, 408.924.4333.

Fall Opera Festival West Bay Opera opens its 48th season with two weekends of special performances, beginning with a semi-staged performance of "Viva la mamma!" Fri, Oct 10, 8pm and Sun, Oct 12, 2pm. Also featured this weekend will be "Wesy Bay Opera Superstar," an opera version of "American Idol," with 20 young singers in a competition judged by Erie Mills, Douglas Nagel and Jonathon Field. Sat, Oct 11, 8pm. Each event is $30 per person. Both events take place at the Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, 650.424.9999 or www.wbopera.org.

Jazz Society Fundraiser Unique world-class jazz band Sex Mob performs at a concert to raise funds for scholarships in San Jose Jazz Society's Youth Jazz Orchestra. 8:30pm. Pay what you can. Grand Germania Hall, 261 N. Second St, San Jose, 408.286.1313 or www.sexmobmusic.com.

Picasso at the Lapin Agile The Campbell-based Studio Theater of California presents a comic play by Steve Martin which imagines a meeting between Picasso, Elvis Presley and Albert Einstein in a Paris bar in 1904. Opening night, 8pm. Also plays Sat, Oct 11, 8pm. Thru Oct 25. $6-$8 advance/$8-$10 door. Congregational Community Church, 1112 Bernardo Ave, Sunnyvale, 408.370.6639 or www.stoc.org.

Triton Museum Opening day for "The Poetry of Watercolor," the 36th annual member show by the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. Artist reception: Sun, Oct 12, 1pm-4pm. Exhibit runs thru Nov 7. Rose Shenson Community Gallery, Triton Museum, 1505 Warburton Ave, Santa Clara, 408.247.3754 or www.scvws.org.

Sat, Oct 11

California Theatre Center Plays for the whole family. "The Ugly Duckling," 11am and 7:30pm. $11 advance/$12 at the door. Sunnyvale Community Center Theatre, 550 E. Remington Drive, Sunnyvale, 408.245.2978 or www.ctcinc.org.

Gil Shaham Sought-after concert violinist. 8:30pm. $45-$55. Carriage House Theatre, Villa Montalvo, 15400 Montalvo Rd, Saratoga, 408.961.5858 or www.villamontalvo.org.

Hans Beopple SCU professor and master pianist Boepple performs a solo recital of works by Mozart, Schubert and Brahms. 8pm. $5-$10. Recital Hall, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, 408.554.4015.

Mystique An evening of world music presented by Habib Khan Saraswati Temple as part of the Performing Arts Series. 8pm. $15-$25. Montgomery Theatre, Market and San Carlos streets, San Jose, 408.528.0786 or 408.996.2446 or www.habibkhan.net.

St. Petersburg Quartet St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church hosts the St. Petersburg Quartet, a vocal ensemble from Russia that will perform Russian folk music. Sat, Oct 11, 7:30pm-9:15pm. The ensemble will sing the choral responses to the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Sun, Oct 12, 10am-11:30am (followed by lunch at noon). Admission is free, donations would be welcomed. RSVPs requested. St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church, 18870 Allendale Ave, Saratoga, 408.867.4876.

Sun, Oct 12

Amati String Quartet The San Jose Chamber Music Society presents the cutting-edge Swiss classical music ensemble. 7pm. $17-$30. Le Petit Trianon, 72 N. Fifth St, San Jose, 408.286.5111 or www.sjchambermusic.org.

Robert Greenberg Well-known classical music lecturer Greenberg discusses the 20th-century explosion of experimentation in music, focusing on works by Tchaikovsky, Chopin and others. 2pm. $25. Carriage House Theatre, Villa Montalvo, 15400 Montalvo Rd, Saratoga, 408.961.5858 or www.villamontalvo.org.

Talk Surf In conjunction with the "Surf Culture" exhibit, the San Jose Museum of Art presents "Talk Surf: The History of Cold Water Surfing by Those Who Lived It," featuring a discussion with surf legends Patrick Farley, Doug Haut, Jane McKenzie, Johnny Rice, Dr. Robert Scott and Kim Stoner. The moderator will be Santa Cruz surfer Jonathan "Steiny" Steinberg. 3pm. $5. San Jose Museum of Art, 110 S. Market St, San Jose, 408.294.2787 or www.sjmusart.org.

Tue, Oct 14

Great Glass Pumpkin Patch The Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI) presents its annual exhibit and sale of hand-blown glass pumpkins. Proceeds from the sale benefit children's art programs at the Palo Alto Art Center and BAGI's education programs. Exhibit Oct 14-16, 10am-9pm and Oct 17, 10am-5pm. Sale Oct 18, 10am-5pm, Sun, Oct 19, 1pm-5pm. Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, 650.329.2366 or www.bagi.com.

Ongoing

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story San Jose Stage Company presents a play that tells the story of early rock & roll legend Buddy Holly, featuring Holly's music. Thu, Oct 9-Sat, Oct 11, 8pm, Sun, Oct 12, 2pm, Wed, Oct 15, 8pm. Extended thru Oct 26. $28-$38. San Jose Stage Company, 490 S. First St, San Jose, 408.283.7142 or www.sanjosestage.com.