Kurt Vonnegut`s satiric novels and short stories have been popular with college students ever since the late 1960s, when his ”Slaughterhouse-Five”
became a best seller and catapulted the writer into the ranks of literary celebrityhood.
At 8 p.m. Friday, Vonnegut will bring his bleak humor to Harper College`s Building M, 1200 W. Algonquin Rd., Palatine, in a talk titled ”How to Get a Job Like Mine.” Tickets are $6, $4.50 for students, and $3 for senior citizens. Call 397-3900, extension 2547.
– The Elgin Symphony Orchestra opens its 42nd season Friday with guest artist Gary Karr, who has been described by Time magazine as the ”world`s leading solo bassist.”
Karr will perform music by Aaron Copland, Serge Koussevitsky and Maurice Ravel with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Robert Hanson. Karr`s first concert takes place at Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 E. Schaumburg Ct., Schaumburg, at 8 p.m. Friday. At 8 p.m. Saturday and 3:30 p.m. Sunday he will appear at Hemmens Auditorium, 150 Dexter Ct., Elgin. Tickets range from $6 to $20 for adults, $6 to $17 for senior citizens and students. Call 888-7389.
– Take the youngsters to the Community Recreation Center, 505 N. Springinsguth Rd., Schaumburg, at 11 a.m. Saturday when comedy team Cheney and Mills performs its ”Mime Mask and Clown” show. Tickets are $1. Call 980-2115.
– An old fairy tale gets a modern twist on Saturday, when Hemmens Auditorium, 150 Dexter Ct. in Elgin, presents ”Rapunzel.” The story is updated by Lombard`s Alphabet Soup Company, with references to an Underworld Home Shopping Network and other contemporary phenomena. The show, which inaugurates the Hemmens` 1991-92 Kids Series, begins at 1 p.m. Tickets are $4.50, or $3.50 for students and senior citizens. Call 931-5900.
– The Watch Company Theater makes its debut at 8 p.m. Friday with the psychological thriller ”Night Must Fall.” The new ensemble consists of faculty and alumni of Elgin College. The play, by English writer Emlyn Williams, will run through Nov. 9 at the school`s Advanced Technology Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. Tickets are $6, or $4 for students and senior citizens. Call 697-1000, extension 7409.