The Smith Chamber Ensemble will perform two works that explore religious themes. The Ensemble is composed of members of the Smith College performance faculty and features various combinations of voice, piano and strings. One of the pieces at this week's performance is based upon reflections on the Book of Revelations and was written while the composer suffered internment in a German prison camp during World War II. (Fri., 8 p.m., Hellen Hills Chapel, Smith College. No admission charge. Call 585-ARTS for more information.)
Vocalist Ann Maggs and pianist Eugene Uman will present "Bad and Beautiful: Film Noir Songs." The show features original music from the fatalistic films of the '40s and '50s. Maggs, the assistant music librarian at the College, teaches jazz voice and sings with a local 20-piece big band called the Heritage Pops Orchestra. Uman is a Professor of Music at the Universidad de Antioquia and Universidad EAFIT in Colombia and has recorded as a member of many Latin American ensembles. (Fri., 12 p.m., Buckley Recital Hall. No admission charge.)
The UMass Department of Theater welcomes this year's Rand Lecturer, Oskar Eustis. Eustis commissioned Tony Kushner to write the Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Angels in America." Kushner based many of his ideas on Eustis' Eureka Company, and the play first appeared under Eustis' direction. Eustis will present a formal talk and answer questions focusing on his involvement in the creation of "Angels in America." (Questions, Mon., 10:10 a.m., Curtain Theater, UMass. Lecture, Mon., 4:30 p.m., Rand Theater, UMass. No charge for students.)
Pick up "Being Julia" to see Annette Bening's Oscar-nominated role as London stage diva Julia Lambert. Faced with impending middle age, Lambert finds herself bored with all of the success and fame surrounding her enviable position in the theater world. She falls head-over-heels in love with a young American named Tom Fennell (Shaun Evans), which results in a secret May to December romance. However, the affair quickly turns sour when Lambert realizes Fennell is simply an ambitious social climber whose real interests lie in a young starlet named Avice Crichton (Lucy Punch). The real entertainment in this movie comes from watching Julia plot her sweet revenge against Tom for wronging her. Set in the 1930s, this movie is also enjoyable as a period piece with great costumes as well as acting performances.