TheaterThe defense industry in Southern California isn’t...

Theater

The defense industry in Southern California isn’t what it used to be. Between downsizing and the end of the Cold War, the wonder is that the industry has survived at all. Tom Strelich takes a look at what has happened to a group of defense workers in his latest play, “BAFO”--it stands for “best and final offer”--which opens Friday at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa. The playwright makes his living as a computer software expert for a think tank involved with defense contractors. One of his earlier plays, “Dog Logic” (1988), also premiered on the SCR Second Stage.

* Who: Tom Strelich’s “BAFO.”

* Where: South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa.

* Whereabouts: Exit the San Diego (405) Freeway at Bristol Street; go north. Turn right onto Town Center Drive.

* When: 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Ends Feb. 23.

* Wherewithal: $18-$25 (previews), $26-$39 (regular run).

* Where to call: (714) 957-4033.

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Music

Musically, the 18th century was a time when composers experimented with musical forms. Sometimes they combined a concerto and a symphony into a hybrid called a “symphonie concertante,” using French spelling because the form proved so popular with the Parisians. Mozart wrote an imperishable example for violin, viola and orchestra but typically preferred Italian spelling: Sinfonia Concertante.

Christopher Warren-Green will conduct the London Chamber Orchestra and play the solo violin part in Mozart’s 1779 work. Robert Chase is the viola soloist. The Philharmonic Society sponsors the concert.

* What: Christopher Warren-Green conducts the London Chamber Orchestra.

* When: 8 tonight.

* Where: Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive.

* Whereabouts: Exit the San Diego (405) Freeway at Jamboree Road; go south. Turn left onto Campus Drive. The theater is on Campus near Bridge Road, across from the Marketplace mall.

* Wherewithal: $22-$35.

* Where to call: (714) 854-4646.

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Comedy

For Rocky LaPorte, any heckling or groaning he might have to endure as a stand-up comedian is nothing compared with the truck-driving job and prizefighting career he had in Chicago more than a decade ago. The Brooklyn native started jotting down random comedy thoughts, which he unveiled at an open-mike night and parlayed into his current headlining routine, which includes many self-deprecating bits. “I’ll never forget my first teacher,” he says with a thick East Coast accent. “I was there four years in a row.”

* Who: Rocky LaPorte.

* When: 8:30 tonight, 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. Friday and 8 and 10:30 p.m. Saturday. Club is closed Super Bowl Sunday.

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

* Whereabouts: Exit the Orange (57) Freeway at Lambert Road and head west. Turn left onto State College Boulevard and right onto Birch Street. The Improv is in the Brea Marketplace, across from the Brea Mall.

* Wherewithal: $10-$12.

* Where to call: (714) 529-7878.

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Family

There’s the quick-release roller-blades, the water-saving shower timer and a gizmo that squeezes the last of the catsup from the bottle. Handy gadgets all, but you won’t find them on the Home Shopping Network. You can, however, see them at the 10th annual “Astounding Inventions of the Future” at Irvine Valley College. More than 250 inventions by kindergarteners and first- through eighth-graders in Tustin, Irvine and Laguna schools will be displayed. According to IVC spokesman Greg McCrory, one of last year’s winners appeared on the “The Late Show With David Letterman” with her winning entry: a pair of tap shoes that provide their own musical accompaniment.

* What: “Astounding Inventions of the Future.”

* When: Noon-3 p.m. Saturday.

* Where: Irvine Valley College, 5500 Irvine Center Drive.

* Whereabouts: The college is at Irvine Center Drive and Jeffrey Road, between the Santa Ana (5) and the San Diego (405) freeways. Park in IVC lot No. 5.

* Wherewithal: Free.

* Where to call: (714) 451-5277.