Fall arts preview 2014: Highlights

Director Andrei Belgrader reimagines Samuel Beckett’s existential fable as a parable about climate change and environmental catastrophe with Tony Shalhoub and Brooke Adams. Boston Court Performing Arts Center, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena. $34. (626) 683-6883. www.bostoncourt.org

A vocally gifted African American navigates life at an all-boys prep school in the West Coast premiere of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s drama. Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. $39-$79. (310) 208-5454. www.geffenplayhouse.com

World premiere of Jordan Harrison’s fantastical drama about an elderly woman (Lois Smith) coming to terms with her life with the help of her daughter, her son-in-law and a mysterious stranger. Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A.$25-$70. (213) 628-2772. www.centertheatregroup.org

Tony winner Cicely Tyson, Vanessa Williams and Blair Underwood reprise their Broadway roles in this revival of Horton Foote’s drama about an elderly woman (Tyson) who wants to see her Texas hometown one last time before she dies. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A.$25-$115. (213) 972-4400. www.centertheatregroup.org

A WWI soldier returns to North Carolina and confronts dark secrets from his past in the world premiere of this musical created by Steve Martin and singer-songwriter Edie Brickell. Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego. $39 and up. (619) 234-5623. www.theoldglobe.org

In David Ives’ two-character drama, a director gets more than he bargained for when he auditions an actress for a play based on a 19th century erotic novel. South Coast Repertory, Julianne Argyros Stage, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. $22-$72. (714) 708-5555. www.scr.org

Odyssey Theatre and New American Theatre team up for a new production of Shakespeare’s tragic tale of lust, jealousy and murder. Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A.$30. (310) 477-2055. www.odysseytheatre.com

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre presents the Bard’s classic tragedy. Joseph Marcell (“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”) stars as the aging monarch who slips into madness as his realm falls to ruin. The Broad Stage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica. $53-$98. (310) 434-3200. www.thebroadstage.com

Diana Son’s poignant drama about two women whose budding romance is shattered by a shocking act of violence. Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. $45-$125. (626) 356-7529. www.pasadenaplayhouse.org

Chicago’s Goodman Theatre presents Rebecca Gilman’s new drama about a social worker who goes above and beyond to save the infant daughter of two drug-addicted teens. Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City. $25-$55. (213) 628-2772. www.centertheatregroup.org

A group exhibition exploring the connections between art and politics will also provide a platform for open dialogue and engagement with the community. Santa Monica Museum of Art, 2525 Michigan Ave., Building G1, Santa Monica; $3-$5. (310) 586-6488; www.smmoa.org

The first exhibition to focus on the relationship between and creative output of artist Jess and poet Robert Duncan. Pasadena Museum of California Art, 490 E. Union St., Pasadena; $5-$7. (626) 568-3665; www.pmcaonline.org

A survey of the artist’s work, from the mid-1960s to the present, comprised of 60 canvases. Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla; $5-$10. (858) 454-3541; www.mcasd.org

An exhibition of didactic artworks based on Greenfield’s research into film, art, literature and history. California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Los Angeles; free. (213) 744-7432; www.caamuseum.org

A survey exhibition covering four decades of the Los Angeles artist’s unique practice, from the 1960s through the 1990s, with an emphasis on the major works of the self-described “para-photographer.” Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles; free. (310) 443-7000; hammer.ucla.edu

An exhibition pairing Peter Paul Rubens’ designs for the Eucharist series of large-scale tapestries with the tapestries themselves, on loan from Madrid’s Patrimonio Nacional. The Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles; free. (310) 440-7300; www.getty.edu

A survey exhibition covering the entire career of one of the primary art figures of the Harlem Renaissance, including work from Motley’s Chicago, Paris and Mexico periods. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles; $10-$15. (323) 857-6000; www.lacma.org

The artist’s first solo museum exhibition, featuring small-scale ceramic sculptures spanning a period of more than 30 years. San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado; $4.50-$12. (619) 232-7931; www.sdmart.org

This exhibition, the first U.S. retrospective devoted to the Czech photographer since 1988, will feature more than 180 works spanning six decades. The Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive; free. (310) 440-7300; www.getty.edu

The first major retrospective of the French artist’s work, consisting of films, installations and events presented in a non-hierarchal park-like environment. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.; $10-$15. (323) 857-6000; www.lacma.org

The postmodern dancer/choreographer/filmmaker/writer performs her in-progress work, “The Concept of Dust, or How do you look when there’s nothing left to move?” in conjunction with the current exhibition, “Yvonne Rainer: Dances and Films.” The Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles, $25. (310) 440-7305, www.getty.edu

The 30-year-old London-based troupe presents the U.S. premiere of “Come, Been and Gone” (2009), which pays homage to 1970s rock music, including songs of Iggy Pop, David Bowie and Lou Reed. Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine, $48-$100. (949) 854-4646, www.thebarclay.org

Directed by choreographer Ohad Naharin since 1990, the Tel Aviv-based troupe celebrates 50 years with another body-twisting, athletically riveting work, “Sadeh21” (Field 21). Royce Hall, UCLA, 340 Royce Drive, Westwood; $29-$89. (310) 825-2101, www.cap.ucla.edu Also, Nov. 4 at the Arlington Theatre, 1317 State St., Santa Barbara, (805) 963-4408; www.thearlingtontheatre.com

The troupe founded by former Royal Ballet dancers Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt perforns “Fallen,” choreographed by Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Russell Maliphant; and “Serpent, choreographed by Liam Scarlett. The Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles; $28-$121. (213) 972-0711, www.musiccenter.org Also, Nov.1, Campbell Hall, UC Santa Barbara, www.artsandlectures.sa.ucsb.edu; and Nov. 6, McCallum Theatre for the Performing Arts, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert; (760) 340-2787, www.mccallumtheatre.com

The St. Petersburg-based troupe makes its first visit to Segerstrom Center with its acclaimed production of “The Flames of Paris,” originally choreographed by Vasily Vainonen in 1932 and revised last year by the company’s resident choreographer, Mikhail Messerer. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, $29-$149; (714) 556-2787, www.scfta.org

Former Merce Cunningham dancer Rashaun Mitchell, now a choreographer, joins forces with the witty singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt (of Magnetic Fields) and installation artist Ali Naschke-Messing in a work inspired by a Richard Avedon observation, “We all perform.” Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater, 631 W. 2nd St., Los Angeles; $25-$30. (213) 237-2800, www.redcat.org

Three bands from the upper tiers of today’s hard rock team up for a big triple bill. Linkin Park has a new album, “The Hunting Party,” that strips off their electronics for a punk sound that owes more to Refused and Helmet than their rap-metal roots; Jared Leto has become a convincing frontman and multi-media mogul with the anthemic 30 Seconds to Mars; AFI has gone back to the darkness with its latest goth-punk platter, “Burials.” Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., L.A.; $39.50-$159.50. www.hollywoodbowl.com.

Three vastly different brands of 1990s-born indie rock, this Bowl bill is headlined by the Southern cult band Neutral Milk Hotel. Purveyors of powerful, imaginative guitar music with a psychedelic bent, the group has returned after dormant years in which its stature has greatly expanded. Ditto the Breeders, the beloved project of twins Kim and Kelley Deal, the former of the Pixies; and Daniel Johnston, the Texas songwriting legend whose magnificent creativity has over the years been at constant struggle with mental health issues. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles; $20-$58. www.hollywoodbowl.com.

Perry’s smash-hit goth-rap single “Dark Horse” was indeed the sleeper pick off her otherwise jubilant and redemptive album “Prism,” which cemented her as one of pop’s biggest forces on radio. But the deep cuts, like the disco-bouncy “Birthday” and ‘90s house-infused “Walking on Air,” make it an unexpectedly rewarding listen. Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., L.A.; $29.50-$150.50. www.staplescenter.com

While the club circuit on the Strip has veered from new relevance (Goldenvoice taking over the Roxy) to tough times (Key Club shuttering), L.A.’s most famous mile of live music continues to host one of its biggest music festivals. This year it welcomes native sons Jane’s Addiction, the delightfully kooky dance act Empire of the Sun, bluesy rockers Cold War Kids and many others. Sunset Boulevard between Clark Street and Doheny Drive, West Hollywood; $49.50-$249. www.ssmf.com

Staten Island’s finest rap team, Wu-Tang Clan, is responsible for some of the most searing and influential hip-hop of the 1990s and ‘00s. The nine-member group, featuring RZA, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Method Man and others, has reunited to celebrate its legacy. Also on the bill are fellow New Yorkers Talib Kweli (a recent newsmaker due to an on-air argument from Ferguson, Mo., with CNN’s Don Lemon) and Pharoah Monch, as well as L.A. rappers Ras Kass and Casey Veggies. The Forum, 3900 Manchester Blvd., Inglewood. www.ticketmaster.com

The influential electronic music composer Richard D. James returns for his first album in 13 years. With the artist’s gymnastic way with beats, electronic swooshes and memorable melody, the new work features the sampled voices of his family and is said to be the first of many new Aphex-related works to come.

The Canadian rapper Drake teams with his New Orleans label-mate (and label boss) Lil Wayne for a celebration of all things Young Money. Expect guests, hits, rap-alongs and tracks from throughout the tag-team lyricists and expert MCs’ impressive careers. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles; $20-$58. www.hollywoodbowl.com

The Venezuelan-born, Brooklyn-based producer put his noisy, deconstrucive imprint all over two of the most compelling albums of recent months: Kanye West’s “Yeezus” and FKA Twigs’ “LP1.” His way of crafting songs from shards of percussion and only brief flurries of melody can take a song and make it sound otherwordly yet still burn up a nightclub. First Unitarian Church, 2936 W. 8th St., L.A.; $24-$30. www.attheecho.com

The young British soul singer pivoted off his great turn on Disclosure’s “Latch” into a major pop career in his own right. Sure, his album “In the Lonely Hour” was more progressive in its sexual politics (Smith is gay and has been outspoken about it in interviews) than its production, but his rangy falsetto is earning a big fan base and lots of opportunities (it’s rumored he’s up to do the next James Bond theme). Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Ave., L.A.; $35-$45. www.greektheatrela.com

The masters of progressive rock, co-founded by the remarkable ax-man Robert Fripp, returns for a rare series of concerts with fellow members, including the excellent session bassist Tony Levin. Best known to a new generation for its Kanye West-sampled jam “Twentieth Century Schizoid Man,” Crimson and Fripp are calling this the band’s farewell tour. The Orpheum, 842 S. Broadway, L.A.; $45-$150. www.laorpheum.com

New Zealand artist Lorde, a magnetic young singer and songwriter responsible for one of the best pop songs of the last few years, “Royals,” returns for her biggest Los Angeles gig to date. Joining her will be the deep, curiously powerful singer Devon Welsh, who performs as Majical Cloudz. Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Ave., L.A.; $40-$65. www.greektheatrela.com

Rarely does pure sexual nihilism sound as sweet as it down from the lips of Abel Tesfaye. His experimental R&B project the Weeknd has become a pop-crossover hit, and he brings two great peers along with him for this gig: L.A.’s chart-topping MC Schoolboy Q and the enticing vocalist Jhene Aiko. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., L.A.; $29.50-$89.50. www.hollywoodbowl.com

Petty proved classic rock can still top the charts when his latest album, “Hypnotic Eye,” landed atop the Billboard charts. It was a solid, well-written platter of sturdy Petty material, but there’s still nothing like a group chorus of “Free Falling” with thousands of fellow travellers. The Forum, 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood; $51.50-$151.50. www.ticketmaster.com

Cafe Tacvba, Calle 13, Bomba Estéreo and Ana Tijoux are among the many alt-Latino artists heading up this ambitious, scene-defining mini-festival. Come early for the rowdy rap of Los Rakas and the politically charged Latin soul of La Santa Cecilia. Shrine Expo Hall, 665 W. Jefferson Blvd., L.A.; $46. www.goldenvoice.com

Last year’s debut of this music-and-comedy shindig (hosted by Jack Black’s Tenacious D) at the Santa Monica Pier got pretty crowded. This edition should ease up on that with a new location and a comprehensive bill: $95.50. Fred Armisen, Eric Andre, Maria Bamford and the great parodist Dr. Demento are among the many musically versed comedians here. Shrine Expo Hall, 665 W. Jefferson Blvd., L.A.; $95.50. www.goldenvoice.com

While recovering from a motorcycle accident in 1967, Bob Dylan holed up with a band eventually dubbed the Band in Woodstock, N.Y. The result is some of Dylan’s most breathtaking work and has become the stuff of legend. Part of a recurring series of Dylan rarities, this one gathers all the recordings, many of which have never officially been released.

Known for occasionally performing in a giant Fats Waller mask, one of the top keyboard talents in jazz offers a tribute that lives up to its name with contributions from Meshell Ndegeocello and others.

The most forward-looking improvised music gathering in town keeps churning ahead with a broad menu of live sets with established and up-and-coming greats that includes Allison Miller, Craig Taborn, Wadada Leo Smith, Matana Roberts, Aruán Ortiz, Azar Lawrence and 2013 NEA Jazz Master Anthony Braxton. See www.angelcityjazz.com for details on times, tickets and venues.

A new compilation assembled by Sun Ra Arkestra bandleader Marshall Allen in honor of what would have been the 100th birthday of the famed Spaceways Traveler features works from the ‘60s through the ‘80s.

A long-buried treasure for fans of the saxophone giant, this often-bootlegged 1966 live recording taken just nine months before Coltrane’s death features his wife, Alice, saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and a cast of surprise walk-ons in a chronicle of raw, unfettered expression and exploration.

A patient, lyrical saxophonist who has performed with the Fly Trio, Billy Hart and the SFJazz Collective, Turner performs from his new album, “Lathe of Heaven,” his first recording as a leader since 2001. The Eyde at the Broad Stage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica; $35. (310) 434-3200, www.thebroadstage.com

In the wake of the invigorating new live album, “Trios Live,” the saxophonist launches a U.S. tour in Hollywood joined by Reuben Rogers on bass and Gregory Hutchinson on drums. Catalina Bar & Grill, 6725 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles; $25-$30. (323) 466-2210, www.catalinajazzclub.com

A wry jazz-funk supergroup featuring Skerik, Bobby Previte, Charlie Hunter and Steven Bernstein, Omaha Diner promises rowdy covers of pop’s No. 1 hits, including “Single Ladies,” “War” and “Thrift Shop.” Catalina Bar & Grill, 6725 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles; $20. (323) 466-2210, www.catalinajazzclub.com

The fiery saxophonist continues to carve a brilliant path along the intersection of Afro-Caribbean music and jazz with a new album forged by the Puerto Rican immigrant experience, “Identites Are Changeable.” The Broad Stage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica; $35. (310) 434-3200, www.thebroadstage.com

The category-defying guitar virtuoso offers two sides of his talent in a set drawing from his evocative solo recording “Silent Movies” and his dazzling Cuban jazz group, Los Cubanos Postizos. Royce Hall, UCLA, 340 Royce Drive, Westwood; $22.85-$67. (310) 825-4401, www.cap.ucla.edu

For 40 years, Malcolm Margolin’s Heyday Books has published the stories of California: fiction, poetry, history, lost classics, photography, art. Now Margolin takes his turn in the spotlight as the subject of Kim Bancroft’s loving portrait “The Heyday of Malcolm Margolin: The Damn Good Times of a Fiercely Independent Publisher.” To mark the book’s publication and the press’ anniversary, Margolin and Bancroft will talk with Vincent Medina Jr. about Heyday, California and the importance of regional culture and literature. Aloud at Los Angeles Public Library; free; (213) 228-7000; www.lfla.org/calendar

Inspired by the December 1976 assassination attempt on Bob Marley, James’ third novel sets up lines just so it can blur them: equal parts thriller, character study, cultural history. At its center are the myths by which we define ourselves: myths of liberation, myths of degradation, myths of power and oppression and celebrity, and the uneasy and often contradictory ways they intersect. Riverhead: 704 pp., $28.95

Returning to the setting of her novels “Home” and the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Gilead,” Robinson tells the story of a drifter (the Lila of the title) and her marriage to an Iowa minister. By turns romantic, spiritual, deeply concerned with matters of ethics and meaning, this is a particularly engaged brand of philosophical fiction in which the ideas are not abstractions but rather fundamentally rooted in the details of daily life. Farrar, Straus and Giroux: 272 pp., $26

In this follow-up to her 2004 book, “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely,” Rankine again erases the lines of genre to explore race in contemporary America with language both delicate and hard-edged. So groundbreaking is Rankine’s work that it’s almost impossible to describe; suffice it to say that this is a poem that reads like an essay (or the other way around) — a piece of writing that invents a new form for itself, incorporating pictures, slogans, social commentary and the most piercing and affecting revelations to evoke the intersection of inner and outer life. Rankine will discuss the book with Robin Coste Davis and Maggie Nelson as part of the Public Library’s Aloud series on Oct. 23. Graywolf Press: 170 pp., $20 paper

Billed as “an intellectual vaudeville show,” this collaboration between “Maus” creator Spiegelman and jazz composer Johnston offers a history of “the wordless novel,” referencing works by Lynd Ward, Frans Masereel, H.M. Bateman and Spiegelman himself. “I do need to talk to you about euphemisms,” Spiegelman declares in a video teaser. “It’s relevant to my obsession with wordless novels. They’re arguably the first real graphic novels, and I’ve been called the father of the graphic novel. But I’m here today demanding a blood test.” Royce Hall, UCLA; $19-49; (310) 825-2101; cap.ucla.edu/calendar

To mark the publication of her new novel, “Some Luck,” Smiley — recently appointed distinguished professor of creative writing at UC Riverside — talks about the book and the writing life, a subject on which she is delightfully and cheerfully erudite. “We don’t connect with literature in the intellect,” Smiley has said. “We connect to it where we attach to dogs or boyfriends, at the deeper level of the self. … There’s no novel that doesn’t unfold the author’s sensibility. So the more novels I read, the more sensibilities I have in my head, and the greater my sense of empathy.” Live Talks Los Angeles at Moss Theatre, New Roads School; $20-95; livetalksla.org

Johnson’s 10th novel is a stunner: the story of Roland Nair, a rogue intelligence agent looking to make a big score in Sierra Leone amid the detritus and chaos of the post-war-on-terrorism world. Johnson’s sentences are always brilliant — “In the silence,” he writes, “which was nevertheless quite loud, his folly bore down on us like an iceberg” — but it is in the interstices, the gray areas of the story, that he really excels. “Since nine-eleven,” a military interrogator tells Nair, “chasing myths and fairy tales has turned into a serious business. An industry. A lucrative one.” Farrar, Straus and Giroux: 228 pp., $25

This is a real treat, Lethem and Millet reading together, he from the paperback of his 2013 novel, “Dissident Gardens,” she from her new novel, “Mermaids in Paradise,” which involves the discovery of mermaids — real ones — on a coral reef near a resort. These are two of our finest fiction writers: pointed, funny, full of insight, with a sense of ambition, a broad vision about the novel and what it can do. Skylight Books; free; (323) 660-1175; www.skylightbooks.com/event