A guide for arts and cultural entertainment for the entire family

Visual Arts

Whales: Giants of the Deep: Plunge into the mysterious world of whales at Fernbank’s newest exhibit. Meet two massive whale skeletons, climb through a replica of a whale heart the size of a VW Beetle, and more. Opens February 15. $16 to $18. fernbankmuseum.org

Gyun Hur: A System of Interiority: Gyun Hur, known for her silk flower floor installations, goes in a new aesthetic direction for this exhibit by using written word and light as a way to transform found objects and space. Closes February 15. Free. getthisgallery.com

Hidden Heroes: The Genius of Everyday Things: Paper clips, bubble wrap and pencils have revolutionized the way people live. MODA highlights the stories behind these and more than 30 other everyday objects. Opens February 23. $5 to $10. museumofdesign. org

A Gathering: Four artists look at four interpretations of bird imagery, from mythical notions to ominous tones, in this GSU Welch Gallery exhibit. Monday through Friday. Free. arts.gsu.edu

Abelardo Morell: The Universe Next Door: The High Museum of Art presents the first major retrospective of Morell’s photography in 15 years, celebrating his use of camera obscura by turning the gallery into a walk-through camera obscura. Tuesday through Sunday. $12 to $19.50. high.org

Hélène Berr: A Stolen Life: On loan to Alliance Française d’Atlanta from a French

Book Of Morman

Abelardo Morell Camera Obscura At High

WWII museum on Jewish history, this young French girl’s diary is an inside look at a German-occupied Paris on the eve of her deportation. Monday through Saturday. Free. afatl.com

Renée Stout: Tales of the Conjure Woman: Spelman College’s latest exhibit looks at artist Renée Stout’s unique approach to making sense of romance and society in today’s world – through her herbalist/fortuneteller alter ego, Fatima Mayfield. Tuesday through Saturday. $3. museum.spelman.edu

Sky Light: Landscapes Traditional and Contemporary: Pissarro and Corot landscapes from the 19th and 20th century meet large scale oils by emerging contemporary Southern artists in this

Oglethorpe exhibit. Tuesday through Sunday. $5. museum.oglethorpe.edu

Performing Arts

Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette: All the way from Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, the Southeast premiere of this show by the Atlanta Ballet at the Cobb Energy Centre redefines the classic love story of the two star-crossed lovers of Verona. February 7 through 15. $20 to $120. atlantaballet.com

Push Dance Company: Raissa Simpson’s dance company builds vibrant contemporary dances to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges attributed to mixed heritage. February 7 and 8. $25. ferstcenter.gatech.edu

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon: Fantasy meets Chinese folklore as a young girl sets off to find the secret of the Old Man of the Moon in this play based on the 2010 Newbery Honors book. February 7 through March 2. $10 to $40. synchrotheatre.com

Georgia Young Composer’s Festival Concert: One of four finalists will be named Georgia Young Composer of the Year by the end of this concert at Avondale Estates First Baptist Church, where the DeKalb Choral Guild will perform each of the finalists’ works. February 8. $5. dekalbchoralguild.org

Newport Jazz Festival: Now 60 featuring Anat Cohen: Celebrate the legacy of the Newport Jazz Festival with clarinetist Anat Cohen leading musicians in a concert of music spanning the ages — from Louis, Duke and Miles to Latin, Brazilian and fusion. February 8. $50. arts.emory.edu

The Book of Mormon: The nine-

Hahn With The Aso

time Tony Award-winning show by the creators of “South Park” called “the best musical of this century” (The New York Times) makes its Fox Theatre premiere this month. Closes February 9. $40 to $145. broadwayinatlanta.com

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: This popular dance company returns as an Atlanta tradition with performances of new works and the classic “Revelations” at the Fox Theatre. February 13 through 16. $16.50 to $62. foxtheatre.org

Lauryn Hill: After topping the charts with the Fugees in the mid-‘90s, Lauryn Hill released a debut solo album that earned her five Grammys and a permanent place in American hip-hop. February 13. $55 to $75. tabernacleatl.com

Shakespeare’s R&J: Four young students break from the monotony of prep school upon discovering the Bard’s classic play and sink into a world consumed by the story. Opens February 13. $18 to $27. fabrefaction.org

Lovers and Heroes: Contralto Marijana Mijanovic joins New Trinity Baroque to perform 18th century works by Handel and Vivaldi at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church. Free pre-concert talk at 7 p.m. February 15. $9 to $39. newtrinitybaroque. org

Capitol Steps: The Steps put the “mock” in democracy and return to the Rialto to send up the many misgivings of the government’s past year with “Fiscal Shades of Gray.” February 22. $48.36 to $76.44. rialtocenter.org

Shrek the Musical: After running on Broadway for 12 months, the ogre Shrek comes to the Alliance Theatre for a family friendly one-act experience. Opens February 22. $20 to $35. alliancetheatre. org

In Love and Warcraft: The winning play of the 2014 Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Award finds one woman struggling to succeed with a relationship of her own despite her ability to mend others’ relationships and being one of the best “World of Warcraft” players in the world. Closes February 23. $25 to $33. alliancetheatre.org

Berry Good

A Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) student’s sculpture is now on display at the Hyatt Atlanta Midtown roundabout in front of the hotel. Chris Reynolds, 42, based his sculpture – which features five hollow cast concrete “berries” – on native Georgia juniper berries. Reynolds gave up his 20-year career as a professional carpenter in Fairbanks, Alaska and drove the 4,000-plus miles to Atlanta with his wife and three kids to get his master of fine arts from SCAD.

Great Expectations: This original grown-up production by puppeteer David Simpich, presents Simpich as Charles Dickens as he brings to life the colorful array of characters from the 1861 literary masterpiece. Opens February 25. $25. puppet.org

Jazz Roots: Georgia

On My Mind

- Celebrating Ray Charles: Celebrates Charles’ music with an all-star cast of award winning performers, including vocal group Take 6, Nnenna Freelon, Kirk Whalum, Shelly Berg, and Clark Atlanta University’s Big Band and Singers. February 26. $29 to $99. cobbenergycentre.com

Poetic License: Guest conductor Marc Piollet makes his ASO debut leading Mendelssohn’s “Hebrides” Overture, the Orchestra performs Tchaikovsky’s “Fifth Symphony,” and virtuoso violinist Hilary Hahn performs Nielsen’s rarely performed violin concerto at Symphony Hall. February 27 through March 1. $24 to $75. atlantasymphony.org

Red Badge of Courage: Adapted from Stephen Crane’s classic American novel, this co-production between 7 Stages and Kennesaw State University is an intimate performance with tabletop puppetry, live actors and animation. Opens February 27. $10 to $20. 7stages.org.