OPERA

THE MAGIC FLUTE Mozart’s final opera, “Die Zauberflöte” (“The Magic Flute”), is presented by the Metropolitan Opera. This full length staging features elaborate production and costume design by Broadway and film director Julie Taymor (“The Lion King and “Across the Universe”). Cast members include soprano Diana Damrau and tenor Eric Cutler. The two-act opera is in the form of singspiel, which combines singing and spoken dialogue. (Performed in German with English subtitles.) Tonight, 8 p.m., Metro politan Opera House, Lincoln Center, Columbus Avenue at 64th Street, 212-362-6000, $16–$275. For complete information, go metoperafamily.org.

ART

HAUNTED WOMEN Artists Andrea Lehmann and Johannes Huppi depict women haunted by sinister thoughts in their new exhibition at the Kravets/Wehby Gallery. Both artists seek to capture terror and darkness in their intimate portraits. Through Saturday, December 8, Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Kravets/Wehby Gallery, 521 W. 21st St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-325-2238, free.

A LITTLE MORE ACTION Swiss artists Helge Reumann and Xavier Robel have drawn together as Elvis Studio since 1996, working on sketchbooks, paintings, album covers, posters, and toys. Both artists have worked in the European underground comic scene during their careers. Selections include a the “Brutallo Toy Series” (2002).

Through Saturday December 1, Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Adam Baumgold Gallery, 74 E. 79th St., between Park and Madison avenues, 212-861-7338, free.

THE SILENCE IN BETWEEN The Nancy Margolis Gallery presents “Eva Hild In Between,” the second solo exhibit of work by the young Swedish artist. Ms. Hild had her first show two years ago. “In Between” showcases the artist’s unique acknowledgement of space as a main component in her work. Each piece is a continuous contour of clay, at once compressed and supported by the space around it.

Through Saturday, November 24, Nancy Margolis Gallery, 523 W. 25th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-242-3013, free.

GRATEFUL DEAD Laurel Lueders’s latest exhibit, “Dead Endless,” is composed of digitally layered photographs that are printed on archival watercolor paper, creating dreamlike perspectives of images that include religious iconography. Selections include “Aftermath III” (2007). Through Saturday, November 10, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Atlantic Gallery, 135 W. 29th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, suite 601, 212-219-3183, free.

DANCE

SOUL ON ICE A company that has for more than two decades challenged conventional notions about ice-skating, the Ice Theatre of New York presents “Dancing on Ice,” a program showcasing the works of choreographers including Twyla Tharp, David Liu, and Peter di Falco. “After All,” Ms. Tharp’s 1976 work for ice — marked by daring twists, turns, and witty footwork — is danced by the company’s co-artistic director, Mr. Liu. Other highlights of the season include Mr. di Falco’s “Mi Andalucia,” a three-part piece that joins elements of Andalusian dance, flamenco, and bullfighting. Thursday–Saturday, 7 p.m., Chelsea Piers, Sky Rink, Pier 61 at 23rd Street and the Hudson River, 212-929-5811, $25. For complete information, go to icetheatre.org.

BULK ITEMS “Misuse Liable to Prosecution,” the latest dance piece from the John Jasperse Company, is presented as part of BAM’s 25th annual Next Wave Festival. The company explores the limits and effects of capitalism through dance and set design: All the props and costumes used for the performance were borrowed, found, or stolen. Zeena Parkins contributed the score to this commissioned performance.

Wednesday–Saturday, 7:30 p.m., BAM, Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 30 Lafayette Ave., between St. Felix Street and Ashland Place, 718-636-4100, $20–$25.

FILM

READ MY LIPS Composer Alexandre Desplat hosts a screening of Jacques Audiard’s 2001 film “Read My Lips” (“Sur Mes Lèvres”). That film is among the more than 70 for which he has provided the musical score. Mr. Desplat’s contributions can also be heard in such Hollywood films as “The Painted Veil” (2006) and “Syriana” (2005). In this French film, Carla, played by Emmanuelle Devos, is a dowdy secretary in suburban Paris. Nearly deaf, she’s exploited by her male coworkers. When Carla’s boss allows her to hire an assistant, she chooses Paul, played by Vincent Cassel, a scruffy ex-convict. A surprising symbiosis develops between the pair. The French Institute Alliance Française is the sponsor of the event. The composer introduces the film and answers questions from the audience afterward. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., FIAF, Florence Gould Hall, 55 E. 59th St., between Park and Madison avenues, 212-307-4100, $10 general, $7 students.

THE CROATIAN BACHELOR “Beyond Boundaries: The Emergence of Croatian Cinema” features 11 contemporary films, a program of animated shorts, and a program of movies from the golden age of Yugoslav cinema. The series, presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, celebrates a period of politically nonconformist filmmaking in the 1960s and 70s. Among the highlights is Zvonimir Berkovic’s “Rondo” (1966), which screens on Saturday. The psychological drama follows a husband and wife and the bachelor friend with whom they become ensnared in a romantic trap. Each Sunday, the threesome gathers to play chess, but the game soon gives way to sexual tension between the unhappy wife and the handsome bachelor. Other selections include Dalibor Matanic’s “Fine Dead Girls” (2002), about an ill-fated young couple living in a former working-class area of Zagreb, Croatia. The pair draws unwanted attention from the son of their landlady. Saturday, 8:15 p.m., through Wednesday, November 14, dates and times vary, Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theater, 165 W. 65th St., between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, 212-496-3809, $11 general, $7 members, students, and seniors, $40 series pass (admits to five titles), $30 for Film Society members.

HALLOWEEN

A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM The American Museum of Natural History celebrates Halloween in a big way. More than 30 of the museum’s halls are open for trick-or-treating, arts and crafts, and live performances. A master pumpkin carver, Hugh McMahon, leads youngsters in creating spooky masterpieces. Winnie the Pooh, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and other characters greet costumed guests. Wednesday, 4–7 p.m., American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, 212-769-5100, $9 general, $8 for members.

UNDER THE SEA The New York Aquarium hosts “Halloween at the Ascarium.” Youngsters are treated to a spooky course on monsters. They are also invited to enjoy games, prizes, crafts, and face-painting that transforms guests into sea creatures. The new “Haunted Pavilion” is open, and includes a special 3-D Halloween ride. Admission is free for children ages 3 to 12 who wear costumes and are accompanied by an adult.

Wednesday, noon–4 p.m., New York Aquarium, Surf Avenue and West 8thStreet, Brooklyn,$12general,$8 seniors and children under 12.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

CENTERED AT GRAND CENTRAL The spafinder.com online resource hosts “The Spa Experience,” bringing relief to harried commuters passing through Grand Central Terminal. For four days, free seaweed facials, massages, and pumpkin hand treatments are among the spa services on offer. A travel sweepstakes featuring trips to St. Lucia and Vermont’s Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa is open to all. Wednesday and Friday,11a.m.–7 p.m., Thursday and Saturday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Grand Central Terminal, Vanderbilt Hall, 42nd Street at Park Avenue, 866-377-8621, free.

LECTURES

SWEET DREAMS “Shared Dreams: Partnerships of the Arts and Crafts Movement” is the first in a series of lectures on the subject. A senior curator at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University, Nancy Green, discusses the role that collaborative partnerships play in artistic achievement. For her forthcoming book, Ms. Green conducted research on several relationships among artists and the spouses, children, and friends with whom they worked closely. Some of the artists represented are William Morris and his daughter May; Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, and Elbert and Alice Hubbard. The William Morris Society and the American Friends of Arts and Crafts are co-presenters of the series. Tomorrow, 6 p.m., the Grolier Club, 47 E. 60th St. between Park and Madison avenues, 212-838-6690, $18 general, $12 for members of the Grolier Club, the William Morris Society, and other sponsoring organizations.

READINGS

THE ROAD OF LIFE Katha Pollitt reads from and discusses “Learning to Drive and Other Stories” (Random House) during a conversation with author Laura Flanders. Ms. Pollitt’s book, a collection of essays drawn from her personal life, ranges in subject from her philandering boyfriend to a general late-midlife sense of loss. Tonight, 7 p.m., Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway at 12th Street, 212-473-1452, free.

LOVE AND DEATH As part of the West Side YMCA’s Writer’s Voice program, poets Catherine Doty, Jack Wiler, Joan Cusack Handler, and Baron Wormser participate in a discussion about childhood, love, death, humor, and affection. The authors read selections that focus on these themes. Copies of all featured books are available for purchase at the event. Friday, 8 p.m., West Side YMCA, 5 W. 63rd St., between Broadway and Central Park West, 212-875-4101, free.

TALKS

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE “Universal Studios: Tracking the Art School in a Globalized World” is the title of a discussion hosted by the School of Visual Arts. Panelists compare and contrast curricula and methods of art education in America and Europe. Participants include Michael Archer of the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art of the University of Oxford in England; Miriam van Rijsingen of the department of art history at the University of Amsterdam; Shelley Rice of the department of fine arts at New York University; a senior editor of Art in America, Raphael Rubinstein, and the chairwoman of the BFA Fine Arts department at SVA, Suzanne Anker. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., SVA, Amphitheater, 209 E. 23rd St. at Third Avenue, 212-592-2000, free.

THEATER

OFFICE SPACE The lives of a receptionist, Beverly, and her coworkers are changed when the handsome Mr. Dart comes to town, in “The Receptionist.” The play is written by Adam Bock and directed by Joe Mantello, the director of Broadway’s “Wicked.” Among the featured cast members is Jayne Houdyshell, who was nominated for a Tony Award last year for her role in Lisa Kron’s comedy “Well.”

Through Sunday, December 23, New York City Center, 131 W. 55th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, 212-581-1212, $75.

PHOTOGRAPHY

ROSES FOR ANNE Ellen Wallenstein served as a hospice volunteer for three years, visiting a cancer patient named Anne in her Greenwich Village apartment. Ms. Wallenstein photographed the view from Anne’s window, bedroom, and other vantage points for Anne’s benefit, and began collecting the photographs as an art project. “Opus for Anne: A Still Life” is the photographer’s tribute to her patient. Selections include “Anne and Roses” (2004), above. Through Thursday, Tuesday–Thursday, 9 a.m.–10 p.m., Henry Street Settlement, Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand St. at Pitt Street, 212-598-0400, free.

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