Beauty and the Beast

Nov. 6-18, Palace Theatre, playhousesquare.org

This Disney "tale as old as time" comes to PlayhouseSquare this fall, bringing the Academy Award-winning love story to life. The performance features favorites from the movie such as "Be Our Guest" and the title track, as well as a song that was cut from the original film. Hint: Keep an eye out for Mickey in the tavern scene. // Lauren McGrath

Lombardi

Sept. 14-Oct. 7, Allen Theatre, clevelandplayhouse.com

Vince Lombardi used to beat the Browns before beating the Browns was a common thing. A Broadway hit last year, Lombardi puts the Hall of Fame coach of the 1960s Green Bay Packers at center stage. Adapted from David Maraniss' biography, When Pride Still Mattered, this play could very well be Clevelanders' only opportunity to see a Super Bowl champion any time soon. // Mike Crissman

Springboard

Oct. 11-14, 17-21, Cleveland Public Theatre, cptonline.org

Here's your chance to be a part of a play's creative process. Six unpublished works will be read aloud by actors after only a few rehearsals. The minimal performance is a "staged reading," meant to help playwrights finalize their works. Audiences are encouraged to offer feedback through comment cards and a community chalkboard. // LM

A Bright New Boise

Oct. 26-Nov. 18, Dobama Theatre, dobama.org

Director Nathan Motta's goal is to have everyone talking about the ending as they walk to their cars. Last year's OBIE winner for playwriting tells the tale of Will, a disgraced Evangelist seeking work at a craft store in Idaho. While comedic, the show also addresses larger issues. "Just when you start to relax and you're laughing, you get hit with something that makes you think," Motta says. // Allison Gray

The Winter's Tale

Sept. 28-Nov. 4, Hanna Theatre, greatlakestheater.com

Despite his countless plays detailing war and tyrannical monarchy, perhaps in the end, Shakespeare did believe love conquered all. In The Winter's Tale, suspicions of infidelity send a queen to prison and an infant into exile. The abandoned offspring ends up falling in love with a Bohemian prince, leading to a surprising family reunion. // Lisa N. Viers

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat

Nov. 16-Dec 16. Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, cvlt.org

After a decade hiatus from the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's performance schedule, this classic award-winning musical is being dusted off for a monthlong run later this fall. Directed by Michael Rogan, the story follows Joseph from the book of Genesis as he sings pop, rock, country and calypso tunes infused with humor and life lessons. // Katie Naymon

Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol

Nov. 29-Dec. 22, Weathervane Playhouse, weathervaneplayhouse.com

It's a holiday classic with a twist, as the story is told through the eyes of Jacob Marley, Scrooge's business partner. With only four actors in the entire production, the dramedy aims to be charming and theatrical, but also cathartic. In the end, Marley — oft-forgotten in the original — is celebrated as the catalyst to Scrooge's redemption. // KN

Annie

Dec. 7-Jan. 6, Beck Center for the Arts, beckcenter.org

Holidays at the Beck Center are committed to the family experience, which brings in the perfect crowd for Annie, the classic story of an optimistic Depression-era orphan determined to reconnect with her parents. Casting hasn't started yet, but director Scott Spence is looking forward to selecting his lead role. "She's got to be an 11-year-old girl with a huge personality and a big voice." // Rachel Hagenbaugh

Rock & Jazz

Madonna

Nov. 10, Quicken Loans Arena, theqarena.com

Madge is back in Cleveland for the first time in 25 years as part of her MDNA tour, a 90-date worldwide journey. Her last appearance in Northeast Ohio was at the former Richfield Coliseum in August 1987. Featuring past hits and songs from the recent MDNA album, this tour is expected to gross more than $400 million and has already made news overseas concerning the Material Girl's use of prop guns and controversial imagery. // Justin Williams

Jason Mraz

Sept. 5, Blossom Music Center, blossommusic.com

Kick back and enjoy the easy, breezy tunes of Jason Mraz as his international tour swings by Blossom this fall. The aptly titled Tour is a Four Letter Word comes on the heels of his April release, Love is a Four Letter Word, featuring the hit single "I Won't Give Up." Mraz is also using paperless tickets for the majority of this global jaunt, joining the cause to prevent ballooning ticket prices on the secondary market. // JW

Ian Hunter

Sept. 27, Beachland Ballroom, beachlandballroom.com

If not for Ian Hunter, Drew Carey's theme song would have been far less cool. (Yeah, we know he didn't perform that version, but Hunter's 1979 original is still superior.) The 73-year-old rocker is no one-hit wonder, either. The former Mott the Hoople frontman's back catalog is a trove of killer rock tunes, including "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" and the David Bowie-penned "All the Young Dudes." // Jim Vickers

Neil Young and Crazy Horse

Oct. 8, Wolstein Center, wolsteincenter.com

Neil Young is the only Canadian who could get away with reinventing the melodies of traditional American folk songs. His new album, Americana, reshapes tunes such as "Oh! Susanna" and "Clementine" into gritty new compositions. Reuniting with Crazy Horse last August for the first live shows since 2004, Young told Rolling Stone that fans should expect "[songs from] the past, the present and the future." // JV

Classical Music

Cleveland Orchestra: Mahler's Symphony No. 3

Sept. 20 & 22, Severance Hall, clevelandorchestra.com

Conductor Franz Welser-Möst opens the season with a dedication to nature that he has called "one of the largest symphonic works in the entire orchestral repertoire." The performance features more than 200 people, including the Women of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and the Cleveland Orchestra Children's Chorus. // RH

Apollo's Fire: Bach's Brandenburg Concertos 1, 2 & 5

Oct. 11-14, Various locations, apollosfire.org

Three Bach pieces revered as some of the most popular works of the baroque period serve as the season opener for Apollo's Fire. Concerto No. 1 highlights a piccolo violin and horn, No. 2 features violin with a recorder and trumpet, and the harpsichord comes alive in No. 5. The featured musicians include renowned Jeannette Sorrell on the harpsichord. // LM

Cleveland Pops Chorus and Orchestra

Nov. 2, Severance Hall, clevelandpops.com

You may already have the soundtracks, but now you can hear live songs from Oklahoma, South Pacific and Carousel in the debut of the 100-person Cleveland Pops Chorus. Accompanied by the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, the performance features vocalists Joan Ellison and Connor O'Brien and is guaranteed to have you dusting off your Rodgers and Hammerstein albums. // AG

CIM Opera Theater: Cimarosa's Il matrimonio segreto (The Secret Marriage)

Nov. 7-10, Cleveland Institute of Music, cim.edu

An arranged marriage and family secrets get the funny treatment by director David Bamberger in composer Domenico Cimarosa's greatest masterpiece. You can leave your Italian dictionary at home, too, as this whimsically comic opera features a projected translation so you don't miss a beat. // KN

Spellbound Dance Company

Nov. 10, Ohio Theatre, dancecleveland.org

Leave it to dance to somehow combine poetry and geometry. Italy's Spellbound Dance Company, known for its athletic movements and emotionally evocative routines, is scheduled to perform in Ohio for the first time this fall. The work of artistic director Mauro Astolfi has been featured in festivals in Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, France and Thailand. // AG

Verb Ballets: Antonio Brown

Sept. 22, Breen Center, verbballets.org

Cleveland School of the Arts and Julliard alum Antonio Brown is back in town to choreograph and dance with Verb Ballets. Brown plans to revisit last summer's fun and energetic Continuum — his most recent creation with the dance company — as well as two new feature performances. One displays the relationship between people and mirrors while the other existentially explores the discovery of new worlds. // KN

GroundWorks Dance Theatre:

Doug Elkins

Oct. 26 & 27, Allen Theatre, groundworksdance.org

Guest choreographer Doug Elkins uses his background in break-dancing and hip-hop to create a premiere piece featuring numerous styles. The Bessie Award-winning choreographer highlights Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that combines dance and fighting, as well as modern dance styles popularized by José Limón and Merce Cunningham. // LM

Te Pito o te Henua

Nov. 16, Hanna Theatre, inletdance.org

This Inlet Dance Theatre production, which translates to Center of the World, is a response to an exchange program with artists from Easter Island. Inlet's aspirations to have modern, interpretive dance provide personal knowledge and growth is an innovative path to experiencing Easter Island's culture, including prominent aspects of its natural environment such as oceans and lava caves. // JW

Inside Out and from the Ground Up

Oct. 6-Feb. 24, Museum of Contemporary Art, mocacleveland.org

A variety of pieces are set to engage the new MOCA building's innovative structure, challenging the standard capabilities of space and human interaction. The late Louise Bourgeois' imposing metal enclosure Black Days will be on display, as will Katharina Grosse's three-story wall painting, which was created specifically for MOCA's atrium. // LNV

50 Greatest Photographs of National Geographic

Sept. 29-Jan. 13, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, cmnh.org

How many shots does it take to capture the perfect moment? View this exhibit of the 50 most memorable photographs from National Geographic and find out for yourself. Visitors can see the sequence of before and after images for each selection and listen to exclusive interviews from the photographers. // LM

Belzalel on Tour

Oct. 23-Jan 13, Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, maltzmuseum.org

Israel's leading international academy of art, Bezalel, is Ohio bound. The Maltz Museum exhibition highlights more than 100 pieces, ranging from traditional fine art to contemporary video art and animation. The showcase provides a great opportunity to see a blending of Israel's creativity and technology into artistic expression. // AG

Wari: Lords of the Ancient Andes

Oct. 28-Jan. 6, Cleveland Museum of Art, clevelandart.org

Get insight into the Wari culture, the first major empire in South America, through this collection of timeless art they left behind, dating back to 600 A.D. Lords of the Ancient Andes includes a wide range of Wari ceramics, metalwork and intricate textiles that curator Sue Bergh says were "among the most complicated that Indian weavers ever created." // MC

The Tragedy of the Commons

Sept. 14-Dec. 22, The Sculpture Center, sculpturecenter.org

Artists Ali Momeni and Robin Meier team up to create a "food stock market" in this art installation and social manipulation experiment. Thousands of leafcutter ants are manipulated by inserting scents and flavors into their environment; their reactions serve as a commentary on supply and demand in our capitalist culture. // KN

It's Only a Paper Moon

Sept. 7-Oct. 6, Proximity, proximitycleveland.com

Paper is generally the material on which art is created or conceptualized — but what if paper was the art? This idea is explored in both form and structure as part of It's Only a Paper Moon, an innovative exhibition of different paper art forms from nine local artists. Expect intricate paper quilling and cutting, origami animals, sculptures, paper-mache masks and more. // MC

Persistent Image

Oct. 12-Nov. 10, Bonfoey Gallery, bonfoey.com

Stephen Pentak may reside in upstate New York, but his roots are in Ohio. The upcoming exhibit by the 61-year-old artist, who taught painting at Ohio State for 23 years, recombines elements from his past works in order to create new landscapes. Persistent Image features 14 of Pentak's most recent oil paintings, most of which are water and woodland landscapes. // RH

Cleveland Collects: An Exhibition of Members' Favorite Regional Artwork

Dec. 7-Feb. 16, Cleveland Artists Foundation, clevelandartists.org

Do a little time-traveling this fall with an exhibition showcasing various works by Cleveland artists, stretching from the beginning of our city's history to present day. The gallery features a multitude of forms and genres, including paintings, textiles, sculptures and photographs. // LNV