The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Smokey Joe’s Café comes to the Clark Center in Arroyo Grande. This musical event transforms classic pop music into compelling musical theater and the greatest tunes of the ’50s and ’60s come alive in a high-energy performance that celebrates first kisses and last dances, cool songs, and red-hot rock’n’roll. Smokey Joe’s Café takes center stage on Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and celebrates the songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, two men who are credited in the invention of rock‘n’roll. Leiber and Stoller had hits with Elvis Presley, Ben E. King, the Drifters, the Coasters, and everyone else who mattered in the early days of rock. This show features nearly 40 of the greatest songs ever recorded including hits such as “On Broadway,” “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Stand By Me,” “Spanish Harlem,” “Love Potion No. 9” and “I’m A Woman.” Info: 489-9444 or clarkcenter.org.

In SLO Symphony news … Maestro Michael Nowak and the San Luis Obispo Symphony will present the second installment in their 2009-2010 “Classics in the Cohan” concert series at the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo on Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. World-renowned cellist Lynn Harrell will join the Symphony for an evening of beautiful music, including Edward Elgar’s playful and poignant Cello Concerto and the lyrical Elegy for Cello and Orchestra written by noted film composer John Williams and featured on Harrell’s latest CD. Actor David Selby, a Los Osos resident, joins the orchestra in celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday, narrating Aaron Copland’s inspiring homage to one of our greatest presidents: Lincoln Portrait. 

Harrell is a consummate soloist, chamber musician, recitalist, conductor, and teacher. Lynn Harrell’s work in America, Europe, and Asia has placed him in the highest echelon of today’s performing artists. 

Selby is a veteran of stage, screen, and television.  His many Broadway performances include “The Heiress” with Jane Alexander, “Eccentricities of a Nightingale” with Betsy Palmer, and “Mad Men.” 

Tickets range in price from $12.50-$65. Info: 756-2787 or online at pacslo.org, or check out slosymphony.com. Music lovers on a budget are encouraged to take advantage of special pricing in the gallery section. “It’s Better Live—2 for $25” tickets in the “Gallery Group” include great seats, great music, and a complimentary reception held exclusively for gallery patrons at intermission.