Film

Far From Vietnam

In 1967, to protest America’s ongoing war in Vietnam, six great European filmmakers (including Jean-Luc Godard and Alain Resnais) banded together to make a protest film. Combining elements of documentary and narrative film and including an interview with Fidel Castro, the result is a powerful indictment of American imperialism. 

Nov 15–23. $9; students & seniors $7. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet St. 713-639-7515. mfah.org/films

Opera

Don Pasquale

In Donizetti’s classic opera buffa, an elderly bachelor tries to cut his nephew out of his will by marrying and fathering an heir. Widely considered one of the greatest Italian comedies, the opera was first performed in 1843 at Paris’s Theatre des Italiens.

Nov 15–24. $10–55. Lambert Hall, 1703 Heights Blvd. 713-861-5303. operaintheheights.org

Theater

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas

Based on Dickens’s beloved 1843 Christmas fable, the Alley’s annual holiday production brings back to the Houston stage Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley, and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Humbug! 

Nov 15–Dec 26. $25–110. Alley Theatre, 615 Texas Ave. 713-220-5700. alleytheatre.org

Djembe and the Forest of Christmas Forgotten

The Ensemble Theatre stages the world premiere of this new family musical by Carlton Leake about an imaginary kingdom named Abahu. Each year in Abahu the Royal Christmas Festival is celebrated by the playing of the Djembe, an African drum. But when the king’s twin sister places a curse on the kingdom, the Djembe is lost. Only the king’s daughter, Princess Binah, can find the drum and restore the meaning of Christmas. 

Nov 14–Dec 22. $28–55. Ensemble Theatre, 3535 Main St. 713-520-0055. ensemblehouston.com

Pop

Megan Hilty: Luck Be a Lady

Hilty made her reputation on Broadway with her four-year stint in Wicked as Glinda, the role created by Kristin Chenoweth. Since then, she’s continued her Broadway career with a leading role in 9 to 5, and branched out into performing with symphony orchestras, on film, and in television. Last year she became a series regular on NBC’s Smash alongside Debra Messing and Anjelica Huston. Accompanied by the Houston Symphony, Hilty will perform classics by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Dolly Parton, and others. 

Nov 15–17. $29–126. Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana St. 713-224-7575. houstonsymphony.org