Escape monotony with this alluring concoction of cultural events for the week of September 25 through October 1.

The echoes of enchanting European melodies will envelop Northeastern Ohio, as The Cleveland Orchestra performs at Severance Hall, Friday and Saturday, September 25 and 26, at 8:30 p.m. The concert features Weber's Im Sommerwind, Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante, K. 364, Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, and Janacek's Sinfonietta, with solos by William Preucil, on violin and Robert Vernon, on viola. Christoph Von Dohnanyi will conduct. For tickets and further information, call DeAnn Lynch at 216-231-7300, ext. 3077.

For a chance to roll in the aisles, and caper in animated rounds of leap frog, catch the final staging of Sick & Wrong, performed by The Western Reserve Hysterical Society, the ultimate in alternative theatre, Friday and Saturday, September 25 and 26, at 10 p.m. Tickets are $5. However, Flip the Frog grants patrons the unique option to gamble for their admission prices with amphibian-style fetes. Phone 216-631-2727 for greater detail.

Charm thy roving spirit through dramatic performance. The Tom & Susana Evert Dance Theatre, presents Millennium, Friday and Saturday, September 25 and 26, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, September 27, at 2 p.m., on the main stage of Cleveland Public Theatre. Fusing elements of drama and dance, with majestic visual sets and the sounds of an array of contemporary composers, the production explores humanity's quest for spiritual evolution, through both natural healing and the conventions of religion. Ticket information is provided by phone at: 216-631-2727.

The entire weekend is devoted to music at the Cleveland Museum of Art to celebrate the restoration of the Armor Court after a two-year, one million-dollar renovattion. On Friday and Saturday, September 25 and 26, the catastrophic saga of Dido and Aeneas is recreated vocally with Purcell's chamber opera. The 17th century epic love story, performed by Apollo's Fire, will begin each evening at 7:30 p.m. In addition, Music Workshops, on Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27, at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., allow part- icipants to construct historically accurate instruments based on those from the collection, and then parade their creations through the museum's noble grounds. For further information regarding events and ticket prices consult the museum at 216-421-7350.

The truly courageous may choose to embark on a reenactment of a 19th century flight to freedom, with Escape on the Underground Railroad, Saturday, September 26, from 7 to 9 p.m. The nocturne journey explores both nature and the severe realities experienced by slaves, through interaction with characters along the trail at the Hemlock Creek Picnic Area, in the Bedford Reservation. Phone 216-341-3152 to register.

Love is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon is a brazen chronicle of the noxious partnership between British artist, Francis Bacon, and his muse, George Dyer, set in the 1960s and early 1970s. The relationship evolves from the moment that Dyer, a criminal, falls through the skylight of Bacon's studio, and then lingers to model for the painter, and ultimately act as his lover. The film appears at the Cinematheque for a special sneak preview, Saturday, September 26, at 8:45 p.m., after which the director, John Maybury, will appear to answer questions from the audience. Dial 216-421-7450 for complete details.

The Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art allows the issue of culture and how it defines an age, to fully surface in the exhibit, Between Beauty and Destiny: Three Generations of Israeli Art, which will be on view through November 1. A collaboration of artists from three generations, the exhibit presents Israel's ever-evolving identity, through abstract expressionist, installation, and environmental art. In conjunction with the exhibit, Monday, September 27, Yehuda Amichai, Israel's Poet Laureate will give a reading and provide commentary of his work, at 6 p.m. For further elaboration of these events, call 216-421-8671.

The Cleveland Play House begins its 83rd season on Tuesday, September 29, with Sondheim's Company. The production examines marital relationships and the consequence of these commitments through the observations of a still-single man. Company extends its influence into this age, at the Bolton Theatre for shows at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, 8 p.m. on Wednesday through Friday, 4 p.m. on Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, through the first of November. To purchase tickets, phone 216-795-7000.

Arts...Out of Town is compiled weekly by Melanie English. If you have an arts event to include, call x8123.