L.A.'s hottest arrivals in shopping, nightlife, dining, entertainment, attractions, museums, theater, culture, sports and recreation. MAPS of Los Angeles

MUSICALS
LAUGHS A LOT
Monty Python’s Spamalot is a winner of two Tony Awards and a Grammy Award. More intriguing, however, is its place in the 2007 Guinness World Record for World’s Largest Coconut Orchestra, when 5,567 fans gathered in London's Trafalgar Square to accompany original Python members Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam on “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.” Lovingly ripped off from the comedy team’s film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the hugely popular musical opens at the Ahmanson Theatre on July 7. Seinfeld’s John O’Hurley stars as King Arthur; Mike Nichols directs. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.628.2772 Map H16

DANCE
Toe to Toe
Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet entered the American Ballet Theatre repertory in 1985 with composer Sergei Prokofiev’s music and has become one of ABT’s signature productions. ABT returns to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with the production July 16-19. Irina Dvorovenko and Roberto Bolle are the star-crossed lovers July 16, Paloma Herrera and Marcelo Gomes on July 17. Hee Seo and Cory Stearns dance in July 18th’s matinee, and Gillian Murphy and David Hallberg in the evening. Xiomara Reyes and Herman Cornejo close the engagement July 19. 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.972.7211 Map H16

MUSIC
Alternative Energy
The Hollywood Bowl is known for pairing pop and rock acts with full orchestras for spectacular one-off performances, and July brings two more imaginative combos: alternative-rock group Death Cab for Cutie and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and soulful folk singer Ray LaMontagne and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. The Grammy-nominated Death Cab plays a concert with the 90-year-old orchestra July 5 to benefit the Los Angeles Philharmonic Musicians Pension Fund; indie-rock sister act Tegan and Sara and The New Pornographers open. Experimental folk rockers Blitzen Trapper and flame-haired songstress Jenny Lewis open the show for LaMontagne on July 12. p. 82

SHOPPING
Rock On
Lifestyle brand Rock & Republic has opened its long-awaited futuristic boutique on fashionable Robertson Boulevard, offering men’s and women’s clothing and accessories including denim, suits, gowns, footwear, handbags and cosmetics. Although the brand emphasizes a luxurious, high-end point of view, a highlight of the store is the brand’s new Recession Collection, a lower-priced line of denim and T-shirts featuring prices of under $140 for denim and under $40 for the limited-edition tees. Look to the in-house DJ to add a little funk to the shopping experience. 105 S. Robertson Blvd., L.A., 310.285.0486

ART
SNAP TO IT
The new Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City features the work of winning photojournalists and visual editors in Pictures of the Year International (POYi), the oldest photojournalism competition in the world. The top images were chosen from more than 45,000 global entries for this show, opening July 11. The Grammy Museum downtown presents its first photo exhibit, Occupation Dreamer: The Photography of Moshe Brakha, on display all month. Capturing the style and promise of a musical era, the show features 30 images taken from 1976 to 1986 of performers such as Devo, Madonna, Elvis Costello and the Beastie Boys. Brakha explains, “Many of the musicians and bands I photographed back then were penniless and unknowns. They, too, were ‘occupation dreamers.’ ” pp. 89, 92

DINING
Tavern on the Scene
Chef and restaurateur Suzanne Goin, best known for her restaurants Lucques and AOC, has a new venture that’s better than A-OK: Tavern, a partnership with frequent collaborator Caroline Styne and located in tony Brentwood, explores hearty Cal-European fare in chic environs, including a large indoor patio. The menu, which changes frequently to accommodate seasonal ingredients, might include duck sausage with pancetta, frisée and kumquat marmalade or grilled lamb with white beans and feta salsa verde. Tavern also features a “larder”—a bakery/deli combo—and a takeout counter. 11648 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood, 310.806.6464

THEATER
POWER PLAY
The David Mamet–penned drama Oleanna, which details a power struggle between a male professor and his female student, is staged at the Mark Taper Forum downtown through July 12 with leads Bill Pullman, star of the films Independence Day and While You Were Sleeping, and Julia Stiles, star of The Bourne Identity, who reprises her role after a recent performance on London’s West End. Pullman plays John, an arrogant professor who has a tense meeting with Stiles’ Carol in his office that escalates when she later accuses him of harassment. The production is helmed by Doug Hughes, the Tony Award–winning director of Doubt, who also directs this month’s Farragut North at the Geffen Playhouse. Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.628.2772 Map H16

COCKTAILS
Mai Tai These!
Two summer-perfect, oh-so-L.A. nightspots have reemerged with that classic tropical cocktail, the mai tai. Trader Vic’s (800 W. Olympic Blvd., downtown, 213.785.3330), the classic Beverly Hills tiki restaurant and bar, gets a kitschy-cool sequel at L.A. Live. The mai tai was purportedly invented at Trader Vic’s; adventurous groups can also try the communal Tiki Bowl or Rum Keg. Yamashiro, the hilltop Japanese restaurant whose design is modeled after a Kyoto palace, has reopened its poolside Pagoda Bar (1999 N. Sycamore Ave., Hollywood, 323.466.5125). The bar’s Norman’s Mai Tai is an original recipe from the 1920s, when the restaurant first opened.