All of the L.A. arts events and exhibitions to check out this spring

Lou Harrison’s straw-bale house in Joshua Tree. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

The self-described “world’s leading concert series devoted to the glorious universe of non-standard tunings” celebrates Lou Harrison with concerts, films and a 24-hour birthday bash of music, dancing and tree-planting at Harrison’s straw-bale house in Joshua Tree on May 14. Also, the Yuval Sharon-directed L.A. Phil New Music Group will perform Harrison’s controversial theater work about Julius Caesar’s love for another man, “Young Caesar,” at Walt Disney Concert Hall on June 13. (the Green Umbrella blurb warns, “Contains mature content.”).

Various dates and locations. www.microfest.org

(Ted Soqui Photography)

A new exhibition at the California African American Museum revisits the events on the 25th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots. Through more than 250 images and objects — including a 1940s zoot suit and a ’90s-era police cruiser — the show digs deep, looking at the long history of policing and minority communities in Los Angeles, as well as housing segregation, the drug war and the other social and political forces that made the uprising so explosive.

California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles

Actor and activist George Takei donated his collection of personal ephemera — about 300 linear feet of banker’s boxes full of objects — to the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo. The resulting exhibition addresses stereotypes in the media.

Japanese American National Museum, 100 N. Central Ave., L.A.(213) 625-0414. www.janm.org

Kerry James Marshall (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times )

The Museum of Contemporary Art’s 35-year retrospective of painter Kerry James Marshall, his first major retrospective in the U.S., presents nearly 80 figurative paintings of African Americans. They are shown alongside other works that speak to the country’s evolving attitudes on race.

MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave., L.A.(213) 621-1710. www.moca.org

Misty Copeland (Christina House / For The Times)

ABT artist in residence Alexei Ratmansky had what looks like an odd epiphany for a ballet redo. He has repurposed the two-act 1924 story ballet “Whipped Cream,” Richard Strauss’ celebration of Viennese confections and pre-World War I Austrian culture. The original ballet, called “Schlagobers” (an Austrian word for “whipped cream”) was not well-received and disappeared soon after its premiere. But Ratmansky, whose genius extends beyond new work to his clever updates of older or controversial dance, has tapped pop surrealist artist Mark Ryden to design costumes and sets. We shall see how he transforms Strauss’ fanciful libretto of magic and children in a confectionery shop. A full complement of ABT stars includes Misty Copeland, Stella Abrera, David Hallberg and Herman Cornejo. Pacific Symphony will play Strauss’ neglected score.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. (714) 556-2787. www.scfta.org

At the Fountain Theatre, Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Schenkkan (“The Kentucky Cycle”) delivers a theatrical response to President Trump’s controversial immigration policies in a new play that tests how quickly a talented dramatist can transform headlines into protest art.

Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., L.A., (323) 663-1525. www.FountainTheatre.com

Mohsin Hamid (David Levenson / Getty Images)

Fiction fans, take note: Mohsin Hamid’s latest novel,“Exit West,” a prescient, surreal love story set in an unnamed country nearing civil war, seems to be headlining everyone’s spring reading lists. Hamid is joined in conversation by former Los Angeles Times journalist Héctor Tobar at the Skirball Cultural Center with a Q&A to follow.

Info: Tickets are free, but reservations are recommended.

Directed by Obie-winner Jo Bonney, this new dark comedy by John Pollono (“Small Engine Repair”), set in 1855 Boston, brings together an impressive cast (featuring Amy Brenneman) to tell a tale about a period in America when the slightest slight was grounds for a duel. This Latino Theater Company production marks the inaugural offering of the Temblors, a collective of seven Los Angeles-based playwrights.

Los Angeles Theatre Center, Tom Bradley Theatre, 514 S. Spring St., L.A.(866) 811-4111, www.thelatc.org

This sweltering classic by Tennessee Williams is the inaugural production in the Antaeus Theatre Company’s spiffy new digs.

Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center, 110 E. Broadway, Glendale. (818) 506-1983, www.Antaeus.org

The Internet (Wally Skalij / Los Angles Times)

Once a subset of L.A.’s Odd Future collective, this young electro-soul outfit broke out on its own in 2015 with “Ego Death,” a gorgeous, trippy set of songs about modern love. Now, three members — frontwoman Syd, beat-meister Matt Martians and 18-year-old guitarist Steve Lacy — have released strong solo records, which they’ll pull from during a two-night stand at the Fonda that the band is referring to as “The Internet Presents the Internet.”

Fonda Theatre, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., www.fondatheatre.com

Artist Demián Flores and curators Marco Barrera Bassols and Mardonio Carballo’s exhibition showcases 50 artists and poets addressing the treacherous La Bestia train carrying Central American immigrants to the U.S.

USC Fisher Museum of Art, 823 W. Exposition Blvd., L.A.(213) 740-4561. fisher.usc.edu

Edward Kienholz's 1964 painting "Back Seat Dodge '38." (Museum Associates / LACMA)

The Dwan Gallery, which opened in Westwood in 1959, was among the first bicoastal spaces dedicated to 20th century avant-garde art, presenting works by Robert Rauschenberg, Claes Oldenburg, Edward Kienholz and others. This exhibition tells the story through paintings, sculpture, films and drawings.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.(323) 857-6000. www.lacma.org

'Finding Neverland' (Carol Rosegg)

The life and times of “Peter Pan” creator J.M. Barrie are recalled in this musical adaptation of the 2004 film that starred Johnny Depp.

Segerstrom Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. (714) 556-2787, www.scfta.org

This new musical based on the classic film starring Gene Kelly seduced Broadway theatergoers when it opened in 2015, proving that elegant dancing in the City of Light never grows old.

Performances begin March 22 at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., L.A., (800) 982-2787, www.HollywoodPantages.com. Performances begin April 25 at Segerstrom Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, (714) 556-2787, www.scfta.org

This latest collage from the intrepid Wooster Group re-creates an infamously wild night in the annals of second-wave feminism: A 1971 panel of women writers and intellectuals, immoderately moderated by Norman Mailer, explodes into chaos. Maura Tierney (“The Affair”) portrays Germaine Greer, author of “The Female Eunuch,” in a production at REDCAT that provides flamboyant roles for Wooster Group all-stars.

REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., L.A.(213) 237-2800, www.redcat.org

Grant Gershon (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)

Grant Gershon leads the Los Angeles Master Chorale in celebrating John Adams’ 70th birthday with a selection of his choruses. That’s followed by a nod to one of Adams’ biggest influences, Igor Stravinsky, in a performance of Stravinsky’s raucously percussive “Les Noces.”

Walt Disney Concert Hall, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A.(213) 972-7282. lamasterchorale.org

A first-call producer for his work with Kendrick Lamar even before his 2016 album “Velvet Portraits” earned a Grammy nod, this saxophonist makes a rare venture away from his home club the Del Monte Speakeasy for two nights at the Little Tokyo jazz spot. Details are scarce for who will be joining the restless Martin, but factor in his longtime friendship with Kamasi Washington and the tightly knit crew of musician-friends who have played a key role in shaping the sound of L.A. over the last couple years and you have what qualifies as appointment viewing.

Blue Whale, 123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St., Suite 301. www.bluewhalemusic.com

As part of the Hammer’s Bureau of Feminism initiative incorporating exhibitions and performances, the museum will host an evening of spoken word, song and dance honoring the lives of women and girls of color who experienced police violence.

Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. (310) 443-7000. hammer.ucla.edu

Julia Holter (Tonje Thilesen)

The post-punk band Wire has a special niche in experimental rock. The act never went pop like New Order, nor did it hit the grungy commercial highs of Sonic Youth. Instead, it soldiered on for 13 albums of restless, deconstructed rock that wrung more imagination from one chord than most bands find on a whole record. Wire hosts and perform at this mini-festival featuring an intriguing array of acolytes: Julia Holter, Mikal Cronin and Hüsker Dü’s Bob Mould, among others.

The Echo, 1822 Sunset Blvd. www.theecho.com

Cheech Marin (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)

Still smoking? Maybe not, but he’s still funny. Richard “Cheech” Marin will discuss his new memoir, tartly titled “Cheech Is Not My Real Name: … But Don’t Call Me Chong!” with The Times’ arts writer Carolina Miranda. Marin, an avid art collector, possesses a renowned collection of Chicano art; considering the venue and interlocutor, expect the conversation to cover both topics.

Info: Tickets include a copy of Marin’s memoir and will be available for pick-up and signing at the event. Tickets are $90, $75 or $60.

What if this was your April to-do list? One: Scrawl a poem on the sidewalk in chalk. Two: Compose an exquisite corpse poem with friends. Three: On April 27, carry a poem in your pocket for National Poem in Your Pocket Day. (Yes, it really exists!) April is National Poetry Month, and the Academy of American Poets has devised 30 delightful ways to celebrate. It’s been a rough winter — thank goodness we have poetry to thaw our chilly hearts.

Info: Most events are free. A partial listing can be found here: www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/programming

This retrospective, the artist’s first in North America since 1978-80, includes sculptures, photographs, rarely exhibited assemblages as well as poems and works on paper.

Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, 152 N. Central Ave., L.A.(213) 625-4390. www.moca.org

Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s musical deconstruction of classic fairy tales is revived by Fiasco Theater in a stripped-down production that has won praise for its playful inventiveness.

Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A.(213) 972-4400, www.centertheatregroup.org

Audience members don headphones for this sensory-shuffling solo show created and performed by Simon McBurney, co-founder of the dazzlingly original British theater company Complicite. The show, which had a successful limited run on Broadway, leads theatergoers into an aural adventure into the Amazon rainforest, where sounds become sights and voices transform into visions.

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Bram Goldsmith Theater, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 746-4000, www.TheWallis.org

On the same day, another band with an ear for SoCal noir re-asserts itself after an unexpected hit. Cold War Kids got out of a rut with the smash 2014 single “First,” which vaulted the longtime L.A. indie rock staples back into the national spotlight. The act returns to capitalize on the tune with “L.A. Divine,” Cold War Kids’ sixth LP. It kicks off promisingly with the piano-thrashing pop-soul single “Love Is Mystical.”

Last year’s biggest singles act is getting into the album business with this 12-track set, which promises 10 new songs from the EDM duo, in addition to the recently released “Paris” and “Something Just Like This.” What might the Chainsmokers do with that room to sprawl? Don’t look for any radical moves: If anything has propelled the group’s quick success, it’s been a sonic and thematic consistency to rival the way McDonald’s makes French fries.

Father John Misty (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Leave it to Father John Misty to finally go serious on an album called “Pure Comedy.” The ex-Angeleno singer-songwriter was renowned for the self-effacing wit and gimlet-eyed libertinism on his first two albums in that project (and he had a genuinely tender side too). Now, however, his mood matches that of many in the nation. Anxiety and a longing for easier times hang over his third LP, but those troubles are tempered with some of his most beautiful writing and singing.

This exhibition presents works from the personal collection of German-born Jewish dealer Galka Scheyer, focusing on the Blue Four: Lyonel Feininger, Alexei Jawlensky, Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky.

Norton Simon Museum, 411 W. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena. (626) 449-6840. www.nortonsimon.org

Those who remember Cline from his nights spent peeling the paint from the walls of Al’s Bar in L.A.’s long-gone Arts District with skronky guitar ventures were maybe taken aback by his 2016 release “Lovers.” A lush two-CD collection of self-described mood music released on Blue Note that reveled in Cline’s love of orchestral jazz as well as the music of Henry Mancini, Jimmy Giuffre and Arto Lindsey, the album gets a live airing as the Wilco guitarist brings a 17-piece band with expert hands from both coasts.

Royce Hall, 340 Royce Drive. cap.ucla.edu

If the notion of two hardened British blokes standing onstage while the scarier one rants into a microphone about working class England and the skinnier one works a rhythm box doesn’t appeal to you, skip the Sleaford Mods. The Nottingham team takes a minimalist approach to synth-punk, creating brutally uncompromising work that suggests the angular British band the Fall, without the musicians.

Echoplex, 1154 Glendale Blvd. www.attheecho.com

This crowd-pleasing comedy by Matthew Lopez (“The Whipping Man”) centers on a struggling Elvis impersonator who finds a new lease on theatrical life after crossing paths with a “grand dame of drag.”

Geffen Playhouse, Gil Cates Theater, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood, (310) 208-5454, www.geffenplayhouse.com

The L.A.-based country singer and songwriter just got an important career boost from, of all places, England, where the Americana Music Assn. U.K.— yes, there is such a thing — named his debut album, “Angeleno,” Americana album of the year. He’s readying the follow-up, “Tenderheart,” which finds him exploring further the common ground among such influential Southern California musicians as Merle Haggard, Buck Owens and Ry Cooder.

In a show of communal solidarity, Center Theatre Group is reprising three notable productions from L.A.’s small theaters: Coeurage Theatre Company’s “Failure: A Love Story” (April 14-23) by Philip Dawkins; the Fountain Theatre’s “Citizen: An American Lyric” (April 28-May 7), Stephen Sachs’ stage adaptation of Claudia Rankine’s acclaimed volume of poetry anatomizing the micro- and macro-aggressions of our anything but post-racial American society; and the Echo Theater Company’s “Dry Land” (May 12-21) by Ruby Rae Spiegel.

Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, (213) 628-2772, www.centertheatregroup.org

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art will present 11 works by Muslim artist Abdulnasser Gharem, who’s also a lieutenant colonel in the Saudi Arabian army. These works of sculpture, stamp paintings, film and prints respond to the devastating events of Sept. 11.

LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.(323) 857-6000. www.lacma.org

Stapleton’s career explosion in the two years since the release of his debut solo album, “Traveller,” proves that justice sometimes does still prevail in the music biz. He had worked for years mostly behind the scenes as one of hundreds of moderately successful Nashville songwriters, his extraordinary gravelly voice first coming to light when he fronted the bluegrass group the SteelDrivers. Fueled by his star-making performance at the 2015 Country Music Assn. Awards with Justin Timberlake, he’s now headlining arenas. That’s the all-American way.

The Forum, 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood. www.fabulousforum.com

Wiz Khalifa (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Snoop’s affinity for cannabis largely defines his celebrity. So who better to throw a celebration for marijuana than Snoop, who uses the stoner “holiday” to anchor his Mount Kushmore Wellness Retreat. What started as a two-day festival celebrating music and cannabis culture is now a 16-city tour; here, Snoop will be joined by Wiz Khalifa and Cypress Hill.

Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Ave. www.lagreektheatre.com

Nashville wasn’t terribly interested when Crow tried to go country with 2013’s largely ignored “Feels Like Home.” Yet the singer’s early pop work has become a touchstone recently for adventurous country acts like Maren Morris and Little Big Town. So it makes sense that Crow would return to the detailed, groove-heavy sound of “All I Wanna Do” and “If It Makes You Happy” for her ninth studio disc, which she recorded with her old ’90s-era collaborators Tchad Blake and Jeff Trott.

Festival of Books (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

The annual L.A. Times Festival of Books will be hosted once again at USC, with hundreds of authors gathering to talk about their work, sign books and celebrate literature for the whole family. The complete schedule of participants will be announced later this month.

Info: Most events are free with a ticket processing fee. Keep on top of the soon-to-be announced lineup by checking in here: events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks

For his first album in about a decade, the Kinks’ frontman is drawing inspiration from his autobiography, “Americana: The Kinks, the Riff, the Road: The Story,” and, if early single “Poetry” is any indication, the less inspiring aspects of Western culture. It’s a vision of America riddled with credit card debt and fast food joints, but still tinged with a romantic yearning for better days ahead. Maybe credit the song’s upbeat, jangly nature, this time courtesy of veteran rootsy band the Jayhawks.

This latest play by Rajiv Joseph (“Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo,” “Guards at the Taj”) follows the trajectory of a group of young men who stumble their way into terrorism at the onset of World War I. Expectations always ride hide for a talented dramatic poet who uniquely combines a global frame of reference with a sharp instinct for comedy.

Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A., (213) 628-2772, www.centertheatregroup.org

For his new album, “50 Song Memoir,” songwriter and Magnetic Fields founder Stephen Merritt composed just that: 50 songs, one for each year of his life. It’s similar to an earlier project of his, “69 Love Songs,” which is exactly what it claims to be. Merritt, who is a master songwriter, revels in his autobiographical challenge. Starting in his birth year of 1966, he pens songs about being born and the darkness that preceded it (“66 Wonder Where I’m From”), about his early obsession with a starlet (“69 Judy Garland”), his financial struggles (“94 Haven’t Got a Penny”) and beyond. Merritt and his band will perform the entirety of “50 Song Memoir” across two nights at Royce Hall.

Royce Hall, 340 Royce Drive. Royce Hall, 340 Royce Drive. cap.ucla.edu

Shania Twain (Francine Orr/ Los Angeles Times)

There’s a reason Stagecoach has become the best-attended, highest-grossing and overall most satisfying country music festival in the world: Regardless of whether you’re a fan of country’s biggest contemporary acts, honored veteran musicians, rising stars or its most significant cult heroes, you’ll find all of the above in each year’s lineup. This year’s highlights beyond high-powered headliners Shania Twain, Kenny Chesney and Dierks Bentley: Jerry Lee Lewis, Willie Nelson, Maren Morris, Margo Price, Los Lobos, Terry Allen and “The Hillbenders Present The Who’s Tommy: A Bluegrass Opry.” The latter figures to be a real Whoot.

Empire Polo Club, 81-800 Ave. 51, Indio. www.stagecoachfestival.com

At the Odyssey, Bart DeLorenzo directs the West Coast premiere of Chilean playwright Guillermo Calderón’s play about a group of Western actors staging a Syrian play they found on the Internet that forces them to confront the limits of what one culture can understand about the torments of another.

Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A., (310) 477-2055, www.OdysseyTheatre.com

More than 30 objects from the Broad’s permanent collection will parse the meaning and consequences of modern globalization. The exhibition will include work by Mark Bradford, William Kentridge, El Anatsui and Julie Mehretu, as well as recent acquisitions by Sterling Ruby and Oscar Murillo.

The Broad, 221 S. Grand Ave, L.A.(213) 232-6200. www.thebroad.org

The West Coast celebrates all things YA with YALLWEST, the premiere festival for young-adult readers. More than 100 authors, including bestsellers and local favorites, will converge on Santa Monica High School to appear on panels, sign books and pose for pictures. Festival-goers can anticipate some off-the-wall events too: previous years included an author-led Hamilton singalong and a variety show called “YA Smackdown,” as well as music, food trucks and more.

Info: Free

Deborah Cox and Judson Mills star in this musical adaptation of the 1992 Whitney Houston-Kevin Costner film about a music diva and the former Secret Service agent hired to protect her.

Begins May 2 at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., L.A.(800) 982-2787, www.hollywoodpantages.com. Begins May 30 at Segerstrom Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. (714) 556-2787, www.scfta.org

Amy Freed (“The Beard of Avon”) writes delirious farces about erudite subjects. Taking her inspiration from Henrik Ibsen’s “The Master Builder,” she has fashioned a contemporary comedy about a star architect whose sins of ambition come back to haunt him.

South Coast Repertory, Segerstrom Stage, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, (714) 708-5555. www.scr.org

A furiously inventive flutist, composer and improviser who relocated to Southern California after years circulating through Chicago’s fertile music scene, Mitchell soars into interstellar space with an album that recalls the Afro-futuristic spirit of Sun Ra. Built on a concept that imagines the escape from a decaying, unjust society for a new egalitarian world, Mitchell’s album works through the anxieties of 2017 with a swirling, spiritually charged trip.

Begun in 2012 by choreographer Deborah Brockus, who still directs it, the Los Angeles Dance Festival showcases homegrown talent on shared, sometimes-crowded programs. The bubbling local scene has led to an expansion of the festival, which features 40 companies over two weekends at locations including, new this year, Theatre Raymond Kabbaz on the Westside. The lineups change every night and are diverse, featuring veteran and newer companies such as Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre, Regina Klenjoski Dance Company, Bernard Brown/bbmoves and Blue13 Dance Company.

First weekend at Diavolo Space, Brewery Arts Complex, 618 Moulton Ave., Los Angeles. Second weekend at Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, 10361 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. www.ladancefest.org

Choreographer Kyle Abraham, whose movement explorations began with street dance and who frequently tackles social issues in multimedia pieces, returns to Santa Monica with two California premieres. In “Absent Matter,” Abraham looks at racism and violence in America. “The Quiet Dance” is literally that, a piece of more subdued movement invention.

The Broad Stage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica. (310) 434-3200. www.thebroadstage.com

Part of modern dance’s second wave, Taylor’s work lives on thanks to its creative physicality, exuberance and uncompromising vision. The company represents three decades of Taylor’s oeuvre during this engagement: the classic “Esplanade,” the brilliant 1975 Bach piece made from walking and running; a whirlwind of dancers and celestial bodies aligned in “Syzygy” from 1987; and “The Word,” from 1998, in which Taylor rails against religious zealotry.

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 746-4000. www.thewallis.org

The Orange County Museum of Art says its survey of contemporary sculpture, photography, installation, performance and drawing, all from Pacific Rim artists, will explore architecture “and the temporal precariousness of the built environment.”

Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach. (949) 759-1122. www.ocma.net

Author Wallace Shawn and director André Gregory reunite with the cast of the touted New York production from 2000. Never out of season, the play (about life under an increasingly repressive government) seems especially resonant in these strange political days.

REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., L.A.(213) 237-2800, www.redcat.org

This is a delicious pairing to contemplate: the pioneering modern dance group with Christopher Rountree’s creative orchestra. Scheduled pieces include “Diversion of Angels,” “Cave of the Heart,” “Dark Meadow” and “Maple Leaf Rag.”

Valley Performing Arts Center, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge. (818) 677-3000. www.valleyperformingartscenter.org

"Jersey Boys" (Jeremy Daniel)

Tony-winning musical about the 1960s chart-toppers Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A.(213) 972-4400, www.centertheatregroup.org

This program, called “Early Adventures,” turns back the clock by presenting three pieces the recently knighted British choreographer made early in his career, before he turned the dance world upside down with his male “Swan Lake.” It’s a chance to refresh yourself with Bourne’s beginning work before seeing the American debut of his “The Red Shoes” at the Music Center in the fall.

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 746-4000. www.thewallis.org

The works of the prolific rapper are being resurrected for a duets album by his famous widow, R&B artist Evans. Recorded in the vein of Natalie & Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable,” the album pairs new vocals from Evans with raps from B.I.G.— well-known lines from his smash hits, as well as rare and unheard verses. “The King & I” essentially plays as a love letter, as songs trace their meeting, union and tribulations .

Annabelle Lopez Ochoa is one of the rare women to have broken through dance’s glass ceiling into the top ranks of choreographers. Her 2012 adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” was her first full-length work, made for Scottish Ballet in collaboration with theater and film director Nancy Meckler, and with an original score by TV, film and theater composer Peter Salem.

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 972-0711, musiccenter.org

The new music series devotes a program to Steve Reich: “Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ,” and his ecstatic, extended apotheosis of phasing, “Drumming.”

First Presbyterian Church, 1220 2nd St., Santa Monica. (213) 483-0216. www.jacarandamusic.org

Jeffrey Kahane (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Jeffrey Kahane wraps up 20 seasons as music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra with a world premiere by Christopher Cerrone, the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 27 (a reminder of his Mozart piano concerto cycle a decade ago) and, as a grand parting gesture, Schubert’s Symphony No. 9.

May 20 at the Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. May 21 at Royce Hall, UCLA, 340 Royce Drive, Westwood. (213) 622-7001. www.laco.org

Colm Tóibín is a Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner who has also been shortlisted three times for the Man Booker Prize — in other words, when he announces a new book, you can venture it’s a pretty safe bet. The Irish author comes to Los Angeles to discuss his upcoming novel, “House of Names,” a retelling of the Greek myth of Clytemnestra, at Live Talks LA.

Info: Tickets are $20 and up: livetalksla.org/events/colm-toibin/

Fifty of Chris Killip’s photographs from the Getty’s permanent collection will document the effects of de-industrialization on working-class communities in northern England in the 1970s and ’80s.

Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, L.A.(310) 440-7300. www.getty.edu

Dennis Lehane (Toni Albir / EPA)

Here’s an event for devotees of literary mysteries, movie buffs and fans of “The Wire.” Bestselling author and screenwriter Dennis Lehane has written over a dozen suspenseful novels, some of which were adapted into award-winning films including “Mystic River” and “Gone, Baby, Gone.” Lehane is joined in conversation with screenwriter and producer Attica Locke, whose novels he publishes on his own imprint (she also writes for the television series “Empire.”)

Info: General seating starts at $45, membership discounts and upgrades are available: lfla.org/event/evening-dennis-lehane

Director Peter Brook, working alongside Marie-Hélène Estienne and Jean-Claude Carrière, returns to the Indian epic “Mahabharata” in a production that distills the essence of the marathon staging that became a landmark not only in Brook’s career but also in the modern theater.

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Bram Goldsmith Theater, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 746-4000, www.TheWallis.org

Yuja Wang ((Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)

The superstar Chinese pianist tackles all three of Bartók’s finger-busting piano concertos over the span of two weekends, while Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic complement her with stimulating 20th century programming: Stravinsky’s “Requiem Canticles” and “Symphonies of Wind Instruments,” and Janacek’s Sinfonietta and “Glagolitic Mass.”

Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., L.A.(323) 850-2000. laphil.org

For his latest album, “Darkness and Light,” Legend tossed aside his smooth-talking romantic side for a topical offering inspired by a divisive political season. Instead of overt songs of protest, Legend used his newborn daughter as a muse, crafting tender songs integrated with a social worldview. As such, he’s leading a charge of pop artists who have gotten increasingly vocal on political matters.

Greek Theatre, 2700 North Vermont Ave. www.lagreektheatre.com

A mismatched pair of Mormon missionaries are shipped off to Africa in this off-color Tony-winning musical comedy from the creators of “South Park.”

Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., L.A.(800) 982-2787, www.hollywoodpantages.com

Italian painter, sculptor and installation artist Marisa Merz is the only female member of the so-called Arte Povera movement, and this exhibition, her first U.S. retrospective, spans five decades of work and a variety of mediums and materials.

Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. (310) 443-7000. hammer.ucla.edu

The Pacific Symphony and Music Director Carl St.Clair close their season and celebrate the career of Pacific Chorale Artistic Director John Alexander, who is retiring. The orchestra and the chorale perform Mahler’s gigantic Symphony No. 2 (“Resurrection”).

Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. (714) 755-5799. www.pacificsymphony.org

If you don’t know the poetic-political work of María Irene Fornés, you mustn’t miss this opportunity to see what is one of her finest dramas. Jose Luis Valenzuela directs this Hero Theatre production of a play that examines the compromises and conflicts of a group of women living in a totalitarian society warped by male violence.

The Rosenthal Theater at Inner City Arts, 720 Kohler St., L.A., www.herotheatre.org

Pianist and composer Vijay Iyer is the music director of the venerable progressive music festival this year, and he’ll move back and forth between jazz and classical music with premieres of his own concert works and a set by his jazz sextet, along with appearances by the contemporary music group ICE and the Brentano Quartet.

Libbey Bowl, 210 S. Signal St., Ojai. (805) 646-2053. www.ojaifestival.org

Beth Morrison Projects (Noah Stern Weber / Beth Morrison Projects)

Los Angeles Opera’s Off-Grand series forms another alliance with Beth Morrison Projects in a topical work, this time the West Coast premiere of Kamala Sankaram’s opera about a Pakistani woman, Mukhtar Mai, who survives gang rape and brings her attackers to justice in her home country.

REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., L.A.(213) 972-8001. www.laopera.org

As a follow-up to his two innovative American Mavericks festivals, San Francisco Symphony Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas presents a single-concert edition. The program features Ives’ “From the Steeples and the Mountains” and “The Unanswered Question,” Tilson Thomas’ own “Four Preludes on Playthings of the Wind,” Lou Harrison’s Suite for Symphonic Strings, and a multimedia interpretation of George Antheil’s antic Jazz Symphony.

Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. (415) 864-6000. www.sfsymphony.org

Native Angeleno Gary Simmons, in his first L.A. museum exhibition, explores race, class and memory through large-scale paintings and drawings that are shot through with references to film, architecture and popular culture.

California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park. (213) 744-7432. www.caamuseum.org

Italy’s premiere classical company will perform a traditional version of “Giselle.” The opening night cast features ABT star Copeland and Italian danseur Roberto Bolle; La Scala’s own Nicoletta Manni and Claudio Coviello will dance the July 29 matinee. The remaining two performances star the Royal Ballet of England’s sensational Marianela Nuñez as the doomed peasant girl opposite Bolle as the aristocrat Albrecht.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. (714) 556-2787. www.scfta.org

For three gala-style programs, New York City Ballet principals Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild have gathered a stellar group from New York City Ballet, ABT, Royal Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet and Miami City Ballet performing works by Christopher Wheeldon, George Balanchine and Kenneth MacMillan. There’s also a big surprise: a Friday night performance by Michelle Dorrance, one of the hottest tap dancers today. Keep in mind that the “subject to change” warning you’ll see on most shows seems to apply in particular to this format.

Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. (213) 972-0711. musiccenter.org

This workshop performance is especially appealing for those interested in the process of dance-making. Artistic director Molly Lynch brings in four choreographers every year for a make-whatever-you-want, three-week workshop. They show what they came up with at this single performance, which includes a question-and-answer segment at the evening’s end. The choreographers selected for this year are Suzanne Haag, currently associated with Eugene Ballet Company; Robert Mills, artistic director of Oklahoma City Ballet; Penny Saunders, resident choreographer of Grand Rapids Ballet; and Christopher Stuart, a principal dancer with Nashville Ballet.

Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine. (949) 854-4646. www.thebarclay.org

Currently onstage at the Ahmanson, this Tony-winning musical fable based on Alison Bechdel’s bestselling graphic-novel-style memoir about a young girl coming of age in a dysfunctional family will be back for an encore.

Segerstrom Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. (714) 556-2787, www.scfta.org

Britain’s National Theatre stages Simon Stephens’ Tony-winning adaptation of Mark Haddon’s bestselling novel about an autistic teen entangled in a mystery.

Begins Aug. 2 at the Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A.(213) 972-4400, www.centertheatregroup.org. Begins Sept. 12 at Segerstrom Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. (714) 556-2787, www.scfta.org

Miranda’s Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning hip-hop musical about the savvy but ill-fated Founding Father finally finds its way to Southern California.

Begins Aug. 11 at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., L.A.(800) 982-2787. www.hollywoodpantages.com. Begins May 8 at Segerstrom Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. (714) 556-2787, www.scfta.org

Matthew Bourne’s stage adaptation of the fantastical 1948 Powell and Pressburger film (itself based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about an ambitious dancer) has its U.S. premiere.

Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A.(213) 972-4400, www.centertheatregroup.org