GOINGS ON : Ex-Hermit Noone Tops Museum Benefit’s Bill : On the same night, a run of the 100-year-old play ‘The Heiress’ will open in Santa Barbara.

Former Herman’s Hermit Peter Noone will bring the old ‘50s and ‘60s tunes out of storage when he heads up the music portion of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s “Art, Soul & Rock ‘n’ Roll” benefit on Friday evening.

Along with the music, food will be brought in by the Wine Cask, and there will be an old-time soda shop. The party will rage on from 7 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $85. Call 963-4364, Ext. 325. The museum is at 1130 State St.

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Santa Barbara’s Ensemble Theatre Company will open its 15th season Friday with a production of “The Heiress.” The 100-plus-year-old adaptation of the Henry James novel “Washington Square” tells of a New York City woman struggling for independence in the mid-1800s.

“The Heiress,” starring Santa Barbara stage regular Karyl Lynn Burns in the title role, will run through Nov. 20. Show times are Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. General admission ranges from $15 to $20. Call 962-8606.

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UC Santa Barbara’s Isla Vista Theater will continue its “Real Life” documentary series Friday, with “Frosh,” a look at that often overwhelming first year of college. For the production, filmmakers Dayna Goldfine and Daniel Geller spent an academic year at Stanford University, following the trials and tribulations of students in a co-ed, multicultural freshman dorm.

Show time is 7 p.m. General admission is $5, with tickets available at the door beginning at 6 p.m.

Call 893-3535 for more information. The theater is at 960 Embarcadero del Norte.

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Dancer Ramya Harishankar and her Arpana Dance Company will demonstrate Bharata Natyam, the classical dance form of South India, Saturday night at UCSB’s Campbell Hall. The acclaimed Harishankar will be joined by six dancers and three musicians (providing vocals and playing cymbals, drums and violin).

The performance will begin at 8 p.m. General admission is $14 and $11. Call 893-3535.

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“Hello Dolly” isn’t saying goodby just yet. The Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera has extended its run of the classic musical through the weekend. The additional shows are Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. General admission ranges from $24.50-$32.50. Call (800) 366-6064. The theater is at 1216 State St.

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Following last week’s cancellations of both the Crosby, Stills and Nash concert and the Reggae at the Bowl tribute to Peter Tosh, there are no guarantees about the Santa Barbara Bowl. But here’s what’s on the venue’s immediate schedule.

New Age artist Kitaro will perform Saturday, beginning at 7 p.m. To add to the flavor, there will be a New Age Fair with Tarot readers, herbalists, clairvoyants and others on hand.

Tickets are $22.50, $25.50 and $29.50.

On Oct. 27, Kenny G will be in town for a 7 p.m. concert. Tickets are $30.50, $35.50 and $40.50. Call 568-BOWL or 583-8700.

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The 73-year-old London Chamber Orchestra, noted for its world premieres of works by Stravinsky, Debussy, Mozart and other legendary composers, will visit the Arlington Theatre on Tuesday in a concert sponsored by the Community Arts Music Assn.

Music Director Christopher Warren-Green will lead the ensemble in a program featuring Mozart’s “Divertimento in D major,” Atterburg’s “Suite No. 3 for Violin, Viola and Strings,” Elgar’s “Serenade in E minor, Op. 20,” Vivaldi’s “Concerto in A minor for Two Violins, Op. 3,” and Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade in C Major, Op. 48.”

The concert will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $19, $25, $37 and $49. The Arlington is at 1317 State St. Call 966-4324.

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Take a look at the forests, prairies and deserts of North America in a slide show and lecture by botanist Robert Haller Wednesday at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

Haller will focus on conservation efforts that have helped to preserve these particular regions.

The program will run from 7:30 to 9 p.m. General admission is $5, and reservations are required. Call 563-2521. The Botanic Garden is at 1212 Mission Canyon Road.