CHINESE NEW YEAR BANQUET. Kick off the year of the Ram with the Chinese Students’ Association 2003 banquet, which includes catered dinner and fruit teas. Featuring traditional and non-traditional performances by groups from Harvard, Brown and Beijing University. Dress code is semiformal. Saturday, February 15, 8:30 PM. Leverett House Dining Hall. Tickets (which go fast): $10 in advance at the Harvard Box office, $12 at the door.

theater

LA DISPUTE. To decide which sex is least faithful, sevearl men and women are raised in total isolation from everyone but their caretakers--and then let loose in the outdoors. The human subjects eventually pair off and swear undying love to their partners. But there is soon trouble in paradise. Though the play is allegedly a comedy, the story contains plenty of sadism and bitterness. See full story in last week’s issue. Through Feb. 22. Tickets $34-$68. American Repertory Theater, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., (617) 547-8300. (ADH)

LA CENERENTOLA. Cinderella makes an appearance in an unlikely spot—the Dunster House Dining Hall—in the Dunster Opera Society’s production of La Cenerentola. The retelling of the classic fairy tale features music by eighteenth-century Italian composer Luigi Rossini. With performances beginning at 8:30, glass slipper-wearing audience members can rest assured they’ll have plenty of time to return home before midnight, footwear and carriage still intact. Thursday, Feb. 13 through Saturday, Feb. 22 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets $8, $7 students, $6 Dunster House residents, $10 at the door, available at the Harvard Box Office or by phone (617) 496-2222. Dunster House Dining Hall. (NKB)

IT’S A WONDERFUL AFTERLIFE. Where would you like to visit after you die? The Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 155th spoof takes you through Heaven, Hell, and Limbo in a production of Divine Comedy proportions. Meet Rabbi Noah Fense, Nun Taken, and the Roman General Curtis Interruptus. Hilarious. Thursday, Feb. 13 through Wednesday, Mar. 19. Wednesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. (except Saturday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.), Sundays at 3 p.m. Group discounts available. Hasty Pudding Theatre, 12 Holyoke St., (617) 495-5205. (TIH)

visuals

EXHIBIT BY NEW VES FACULTY. The Carpenter Center is displaying work by new VES faculty members: printmaker Gail Deery, photographers Jim Dow and Mark Steinmetz, sculptor Mel Kendrick and painter John Obuck. Through Feb. 16. Hours: Mondays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.; Sundays, 12 to 11:30 p.m. Free. Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., (617) 495-9400. (SLS)

IMAGE AND EMPIRE: PICTURING INDIA DURING THE COLONIAL ERA. The exhibit features about 50 different works of art that capture different views of colonial India. The paintings, decorative objects, figurines, photographs and sketches not only document the colonial era (17th-20th centuries) in India, but also demonstrate the cross-pollination between British and Indian artistic traditions. See full story in last week’s issue. Through May 25. Hours: Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. $6.50, $5 students/seniors, free to Harvard ID holders, Cambridge Public Library card holders and to people under 18. Group rates available. Sackler Museum, 485 Broadway, (617) 495-9400. (CWP)

NETWORKS. Featuring the works of house art tutors across campus, this exhibition brings together works of various media, from film to sculpture to painting. Those interested are invited to dinner with the artists/tutors in the Adams Lower Common Room (contact Jen Mergel at jmergel@fas for more information). Open to the public Thursday, Feb 13 from 8-9:30 and Monday, Feb 17 from 7:30-8:30. Adams House Arts Space. (ZL)

music

Kroks and Pitches Valentine’s Day Concert. Love is in the air this Valentine’s Day as the Harvard Krokodiloes and the Radcliffe Pitches fill Sander’s Theatre with their signature classic a capella. Each group is the oldest of its kind at Harvard. There’s no better way to spend a romantic evening than watching these lovely ladies and charming reptilian songsters doo-wop, dance, and dazzle their audience. Friday, February 14 at 8:00 P.M. Tickets are $7 students / $10 regular and are available at the Harvard Box Office or by phone (617)-496-2222. Sanders Theatre, Memorial Hall. (KLJ)

GRANDMASTER FLASH and Saul Williams. The man with “The Message” teams up with the most outspoken and recognizable spoken word artist out there. Also performing are virtuoso turntablist Rob Swift (of the X-ecutioners crew) and gritty avant-rap enclave Dalek. Do not miss this chance to see a hip-hop legend alongside seriously leftfield innovators. Sunday, February 16 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets $24 advance, $28 door. The Middle East, 472-480 Massachusetts Ave., (617) 864-EAST. (RJK)

Beethoven and Fortunato - Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra. The acclaimed Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra performs Beethoven’s Symphony No.4; Steven Karidoyanes’s Cafe Neon, based on Greek folk themes; and Berlioz’s Summer Nights with mezzo-soprano D’Anna Fortunato. One of only four cooperative orchestra’s in the country, the players control the orchestra to an extent completely foreign to most ensembles. Unlike traditional orchestras, Pro Arte’s players, as well as the conductor, decide what music the Orchestra will perform and who the guest artists will be. Music Director Isaiah Jackson is currently the Pro Arte’s conductor. After the concert, audience members can enjoy an Ask the Artists session with refreshments for a nominal charge.  Sunday, February 13 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets available through the Harvard Box Office or by phone (617)-496-2222. $42, $29, $19, $9 with $2 off for students and seniors, $5 off WGBH members. $9 student rush tickets, available 2:30 p.m. the day of concert. Sanders Theater, Memorial Hall. (KLJ)

MR. LIF. Boston’s finest emcee returns for another blazing show. Expect tight rhymes off the dome that cut beats like a razor. Not only is Mr. Lif the dopest, he will drop knowledge on you like a Harvard professor. Also featuring good buddy Akrobatik and Harvard’s own Witness Protection Program. Don’t front. Thursday, February 20 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets $10 advance, $12 at door. The Middle East, 472-480 Massachusetts Ave., (617) 864-EAST. (RJK)

ON A WINTER’S NIGHT with Cheryl Wheeler, Lucy Kaplansky, John Gorka, Cliff Eberhardt. Join four of the country’s leading singer/songwriters in a concert to warm your heart on a cold winter’s evening. Cheryl Wheeler, Lucy Kaplansky, John Gorka, Cliff Eberhardt in concert. Saturday, February 15 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets available at the Harvard Box Office or by phone (617)-496-2222; $26 and $22. No student discounts available. Sanders Theatre, Memorial Hall. (KLJ)