OC LIVE

Comedy

Fresh from a two-month run in Denver where he packed the house every night, Robert Dubac has brought his one-man show to the Improv in Brea. “The Male Intellect, an Oxymoron” blends stand-up and theater as he portrays five characters who think they have figured out what women want in a relationship. As Dubac slips in and out of these characters, a prerecorded woman’s voice provides the female side of the story.

* What: “The Male Intellect, an Oxymoron” with Robert Dubac.

* When: Tonight and Sunday night at 8:30, Friday night at 8:30 and 10:30, Saturday night at 8 and 10:30.

* Where: The Improv, 945 E. Birch St., Brea.

* Whereabouts: Take the Lambert Road exit from the Orange (57) Freeway and go west. Turn left onto State College Boulevard and right onto Birch. The Improv is in the Brea Marketplace.

* Wherewithal: $8 to $10.

* Where to call: (714) 528-7878.

Theater

Noel Coward wrote “Private Lives” as a vehicle for himself and Gertrude Lawrence, and it has become a favorite for famous theatrical pairs--the most celebrated of recent years being Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. You don’t have to be a celebrity to do this sophisticated comedy, though. “Private Lives” is not only the stuff that legends are made of, but also a staple of professional and community theaters alike. Previews start Friday at Alternative Repertory in Santa Ana.

* What: “Private Lives.”

* When: Previews: Friday and Saturday, and Oct. 5 and 6 at 8 p.m. Regular run: Oct. 7 through Nov. 12 (Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 5 p.m.)

* Where: Alternative Repertory Theatre, 1636 S. Grand Ave., Santa Ana.

* Whereabouts: Take the Costa Mesa (55) Freeway to the Edinger exit, head west to South Grand Avenue and turn left. The theater will be on the right.

* Wherewithal: $11 for the previews; $16 after that.

* Where to call: (714) 836-7929.

Music

Prokofiev’s piano concertos are knuckle-busters, and the Third will show Edith Chen at her virtuosic best when she plays it with the Hong Kong Philharmonic under David Atherton’s direction Saturday at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa. The rest of the program, which opens the Philharmonic Society of Orange County’s Great Orchestra series: the Suite from Stravinsky’s “The Firebird” and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances.

* Who: Pianist Edith Chen, conductor David Atherton and the Hong Kong Philharmonic.

* When: Saturday, 8 p.m.

* Where: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa.

* Whereabouts: Take the Bristol Avenue exit north from the San Diego (405) Freeway. Turn right from Bristol onto Town Center Drive.

* Wherewithal: $10 to $47.

* Where to call: (714) 553-2422.

Family Affair

Going to the mall for a math lesson may seem about as tempting as going to Disneyland for a geography quiz.

But the folks at the Launch Pad science center in the Crystal Court mall in Costa Mesa think their next exhibit will help visitors see things from a totally different angle, as it were. “Geometry in Our World” is a touring show with 30 hands-on displays; some are accessible to children as young as 4 or 5, while others may require the math skills of middle school children and up. “So much of what we do every day involves spatial relationships, patterns, problem-solving,” notes Launch Pad education director Janet Yamaguchi.

“The goal is to show that geometry isn’t something just for advanced mathematicians. It’s all around us.”

* What: “Geometry in Our World.”

* When: Saturday through December 30. Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

* Where: The Launch Pad science center, on the third floor of the Crystal Court mall, 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa.

* Whereabouts: From the San Diego (405) Freeway, exit at Bristol Street and drive north. Turn left onto Sunflower Avenue, then left onto Bear.

* Wherewithal: $5 for ages 3 and up. One adult gets in free with each person between ages 3 and 18.

* Where to call: (714) 546-2061.