Thursday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m.
Oklahoma has created some great artists, and the Oklahoma Center for Poets and Writers wants everyone to know about them. The Oklahoma State University-Tulsa-based center will honor three of them Thursday during Oklahoma Legends. The inaugural event is Thursday night at OSU-Tulsa Auditorium, 700 N. Greenwood Ave., where famous country musician Roy Clark and renowned authors N. Scott Momaday and S.E. Hinton will be awarded for leading their fields. Also scheduled to appear Thursday are the Tulsa Playboys, Jim Halsey, Michael Wallis and John Wooley (who just happens to be an Oklahoma Magazine contributing editor). Tickets to Oklahoma Legends are $15 each and available at www.myticketoffice.com. Go to www.osu-tulsa.okstate.edu for even more about the honorees.
 

Friday-Saturday, Nov. 2-3
Alfred Hitchcock had a sense of humor, but could he have envisioned his spy story like this? The Tulsa Performing Arts Center Trust brings the Broadway smash – which won two Tony and Drama Desk awards plus the Olivier Award for best comedy – to the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, 110 E. Second St. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday (Nov. 2-3) with a matinee at 2 p.m. Saturday. With more than 150 different characters populating this melodrama espionage caper, the production features only four actors changing costumes as quickly as they do accents and personalities to fill out this story, which begins when an ordinary man meets a mysterious woman in black. Life should be so adventurous. Tickets are $30-$40, available at www.tulsapactrust.org.
 

Thursday, Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m.
Nathan Gunn’s name is practically synonymous with the words “opera” and “baritone.” Other words you’re likely to encounter in the numerous articles and reviews of his work: “Heartthrob,” “bare-chested” and “sexy.” By the way, we didn't make up that word, "barihunk." How much can the classical opera world take in one man? Let People magazine keep its “Sexiest Man Alive” list (which Gunn made in 2008). Serious music lovers are more interested in the voice and his roles in such works as Show Boat, Billy Budd, The Barber of Seville and American Tragedy, right? Whether by sight or sound, Gunn has become a megastar with a career that includes performances in the great houses everywhere: the Metropolitan Opera, the Paris Opera, Seattle Opera and Royal Opera House. As an in-demand performer, Edmond’s Armstrong Auditorium is certain to be packed Thursday night. Gunn opens the venue’s 2012-13 season with a recital of songs demonstrating his musical prowess and appeal. We wouldn’t be surprised if the concert sells out tickets. Do we have to explain that, too? Tickets are $28-$68, available at www.armstrongauditorium.org. The auditorium is located at 14400-B S. Bryant Road, Edmond.
 

Friday, Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m.
In 1969, Bob Dylan answered a few questions for Rolling Stone magazine (his first interview with the revolutionary publication) about his approaching tour.
From the interview …
RS:  “When do you think you’re gonna go on the road?”
BD: “November … possibly December.”
RS: “What kind of dates do you think you’ll play – concerts? Big stadiums or small concert halls?”
BD: “I’ll play medium-sized halls.”
Dylan could play any size venue he wants today. Lucky for us, he’s making the spacious BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave., his next tour stop as he promotes his most recent album, September’s release Tempest. Mark Knopfler joins Dylan again after the pair toured together in Europe last year, bringing them both wide notice and success. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For tickets, $45-$89, go online to www.bokcenter.com.
 

Thru Sunday, Nov. 4
Nothing cuts to the essence of election campaigning like a political cartoon, and those by Thomas Nast are considered by many to be the best. With less than a week to go before we decide who will sit in the White House for the next four years, consider a visit to Philbrook Museum of Art, 2727 S. Rockford Ave., this weekend. The exhibit Gladiator of the Political Pencil: The Cartoons of Thomas Nast concludes Sunday, Nov. 4. In the last half of the 19th century, Nast battled government corruption and elevated figures like Abraham Lincoln through his images that were widely printed. It’s his symbols, however, that have proved to be most influential on American culture – from the donkey and elephant representing the dominant political parties to his drawings of Santa and Uncle Sam. After a walk through of the cartoons of Thomas Nast, you’re likely to react to the fact that campaigns and their supporters have been sparring for decades in our country. It’s enough to make you laugh, cry or both. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. every Wednesday and Friday-Sunday. The museum is open until 8 p.m. every Thursday. Admission is $7-$9. For more, go to philbrook.org.
 

Friday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m.

The Flaming Lips are throwing the “largest costume party in the Midwest,” and everyone’s invited to the fun that is Freak Night at the Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheatre. Oklahoma’s favorite rock band and Innervisions welcomes music acts New Fumes and Stardeath and White Dwarfs to play this free festival of howls and impish oddities that can only mean that things are going to be more or less outrageous. The concert is also the final show posted by Innervisions, which has managed the venue for more than a decade. Did we mention that it’s free? Tickets will be available on the day of the show on a first-come-first-served basis until the amphitheater has reached its capacity. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. Now that you know where to go, the only thing left to decide is what to wear? Look for more information at www.zooamp.com.

Oct. 26-28

Tulsa Ballet is known for its exquisite beauty, remarkable art and athleticism, but on this month, on this very weekend, the ballet changes into a monster. Two year’s ago, Dracula opened to massive praise from critics and audiences who packed the theater for a look at the count and his mythic world. They loved it, from the gothic costumes and ghoulish make-up to the rigging that made His Fanginess fly across the stage and the Franz Liszt’s darkly dramatic score. Blood sucking was never so lovely. Dracula is back for three performances once again at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, Third Street and Cincinnati Avenue. Since this will be principal dancer Alfonso Martin’s final season with Tulsa Ballet before retiring from dancing, this will be the last time to see him in his dashing turn as the vampire’s vampire. Go to www.tulsaballet.org for more.
 

Saturday, Oct. 27, at 7 a.m.

The Tulsa Sports Commission takes T-Town’s big annual race – which includes a 15k, 5k and 2k Fun Run – through new turns in downtown Tulsa as well as the traditional route along the River Parks this year. One thing, however, remains true: The Tulsa Run remains one of the most fun sporting events around. Race day begins at 7 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 27, but most racers will have already picked up their race packets the day before at the Runner’s Expo, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, at the Hyatt Regency Downtown, 100 E. Second St., Tulsa. The expo will host vendors in running gear and athletic equipment while groups offer sound information on achieving health and getting in shape for next year’s event. A finish line festival with live music and an awards ceremony follow Saturday’s events with fun for runners and their supporters. Cheer on the racers or sign up to run (deadline is noon Thursday, Oct. 25). Registration run $15-$45, but it’s always free to watch. Go to www.tulsasports.org for the details.