Cat Art Show Los Angeles
Feb. 1-2. Browse works from classic to contemporary at the largest exhibition of cat inspired artwork for sale ever exhibited. Extending beyond our favorite internet memes, the inaugural Cat Art Show Los Angeles displays works from more than 50 globally recognized artists, including Tracey Emin, Shepard Fairey, Jonathan Yeo and Ray Caesar, who explore the feline role as both muse and inspiration. Jan. 25, 7-10 p.m.; noon-5 p.m. all other dates. 6205 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A. catartshowla.com
115th Golden Dragon Parade & Chinese New Year Festival
Feb. 1-2. Happy Lunar New Year! Downtown’s historic Chinatown celebrates the arrival of the Year of the Horse with a float-filled parade on Feb. 1, plus two days of cultural performances, live entertainment, gourmet food trucks, a craft beer garden, family-friendly activities and more. Parade: From Hill and Ord streets toward Bernard Street, then to Broadway and Cesar Chavez Avenue, Chinatown. Performance site: Central Plaza and West Plaza, 943-951 N. Broadway, Chinatown. 213.680.0243. lagoldendragonparade.com
Art Los Angeles Contemporary
Jan. 30-Feb. 2. In its fifth year, L.A.-centric ALAC brings more than 70 galleries to the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica to showcase their top artists. Artist talks, museum-curator-led panel discussions, and film screening and performance series round out the agenda. Barker Hangar, 3021 Airport Ave., Santa Monica, 323.851.7530. artlosangelesfair.com
Fútbol: The Beautiful Game
Opening Feb. 2. On the eve of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, this Los Angeles County Museum of Art exhibition explores the significance of football (that’s soccer to Americans) in societies worldwide. Two room-size video installations anchor the exhibit, which also features works by Andy Warhol and Robin Rhode. LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 323.857.6000. lacma.org
Royal New Zealand Ballet
Jan. 31-Feb. 2. Two of the most known international male danseurs of our time, Royal Ballet star Johan Kobborg, and Ethan Stiefel, have teamed to create a new “Giselle” for Royal New Zealand Ballet, revisiting the work that was first performed in Paris in 1841. Giselle harnesses the power of forgiveness and redemption to vanquish the anguish of love and betrayal The music by Adolphe Adam (1803-1856) is one of the first full-length ballet scores ever to be composed. $34-$125. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 North Grand Ave., downtown, 213.972.0711. musiccenter.org
Cirque du Soleil’s Totem
Through Mar. 16. With acrobatics and stunning visuals, in Totem Cirque du Soleil interprets the journey of the human species from its original amphibian state to its ultimate desire to fly. See Totem under Cirque du Soleil’s trademark blue-and-yellow big top at the Santa Monica Pier, the characters evolve on a stage evoking a giant turtle, the symbol of origin for many ancient civilizations. $80+. Showtimes vary. Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica. cirquedusoleil.com
The Birthday Party
Opening Feb. 4. Nobel laureate Harold Pinter’s classic play plumbs the complexities of the human condition at Geffen Playhouse. Academy Award winner William Friedkin directs a cast that includes Golden Globe and Academy Award nominee Tim Roth (Pulp Fiction, Lie to Me) as Stanley. Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood, 310.208.5454. geffenplayhouse.com
Los Angeles Travel and Adventure Show
Feb. 8-9. Choose your own adventure at the largest travel show in the western United States, held at the Long Beach Convention Center. More than 400 exhibitors pitch trip-worthy destinations; a culinary stage, zipline and climbing wall entertain guests; and industry pros including Rick Steves and Pauline Frommer share travel tips. Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, 562.436.3636. adventureexpo.com
Black Truffle Menu at SAAM at The Bazaar by Jose Andres
Feb. 13-Mar. 15. SAAM’s infamous truffle dinner series will continue with the debut of this year’s black truffles. Chef Jose Andres and his culinary team at SAAM have yet again created a playful and inventive 18-course, $250 per person menu featuring black truffles foraged by The Truffle Brothers, Michael and Marco Pietroiacovom, of Italy. The menu will be offered on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings (including Valentine’s Day). SLS Hotel Beverly Hills, 465 S La Cienega Blvd., L.A., 310.246.5555. thebazaar.com
Clippers vs. Spurs
Feb. 18. After trouncing San Antonio in the teams’ first matchup of the regular season, the Chris Paul-less Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Spurs in January. When the teams go head-to-head for the third time this season at Staples Center, it’s anybody’s game. 1111 S. Figueroa St., downtown, 800.745.3000. staplescenter.com
Tchaikovsky Symphonies 1 & 6
Feb. 21-23. Gustavo Dudamel launches our comprehensive celebration of Tchaikovsky with the composer’s first and final utterances in symphonic form, from his Mendelssohn- and Russian folksong-influenced first to his heartrending last. 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown, 323.850.2000. laphil.com
Miley Cyrus
Feb. 22. Bust out your foam finger and get ready to twerk when pop music’s current enfant terrible brings her Bangerz Tour to Staples Center. Icona Pop, the Swedish duo behind the earworm “I Love It,” opens. 1111 S. Figueroa St., downtown, 800.745.3000. staplescenter.com
Noël Coward’s Brief Encounter
Opening Feb. 15. Attraction, desire, heartbreak: The romantic triumvirate takes center stage in Noël Coward’s Brief Encounter, an exuberant yet bittersweet Kneehigh Theatre adaptation making its Los Angeles premiere at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. The production moves deftly between theater and film to tell the story of a suburban housewife who falls in love with a married doctor over a series of meetings at a railway station tearoom. Here, staid exteriors belie passion and longing within: Which will prevail? Adapted and directed by Emma Rice, this innovative mash-up of Coward’s original one-act play, Still Life, and the screenplay for the 1945 movie Brief Encounter has left audiences “swooning” (to borrow The New York Times’ word) on both sides of the pond. Now, it’s L.A.’s turn. Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.746.4000. thewallis.org
The Book of Mormon
Through May 11. he irreverent, Tony Award-winning musical comedy from the creators of South Park. Explicit language. Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323.468.1770. hollywoodpantages.com
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Continuing. David Hyde Pierce directs this play about stepsisters Vanya and Sonia, who are visited by their sibling Masha, a Hollywood star, and her young boyfriend. Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.628.2772. centertheatregroup.org