Best Bets: Saturday 2/6

8 pm: Pop Music

Irish singer Sinead Lohan, a case study in the difficulty of establishing a worthy new artist in the U.S. marketplace, is doing her part with a tireless tour schedule--and it’s paying off with larger audiences and growing exposure for her debut album, “No Mermaid.”

* Sinead Lohan, with Peter Stuart, at the Hollywood Athletic Club, 6525 Sunset Blvd., 8 p.m. $15.50. (323) 962-6600.

8 pm: Pop Music

When a new generation rediscovered America’s folk and blues heritage in the early ‘60s, there was one voice that stood out from the pack with its soulful authenticity. Geoff Muldaur’s take on country blues and other classic forms remains distinctive nearly four decades later, and he recently released his first album in 17 years, “The Secret Handshake.”

* Geoff Muldaur at McCabe’s, 3101 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, 8 p.m. $15. (310) 828-4403.

2 pm: Family

Goldilocks finds herself on trial for breaking and entering when Imagination Station kicks off its first season at a new location, the newly restored Miles Memorial Playhouse, with its zany retelling of “Goldilocks & the Three Bears.”

* “Goldilocks & the Three Bears,” Miles Memorial Playhouse in Reed Park, Wilshire Boulevard and 7th Street, Santa Monica, Saturdays and Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends March 28. $6 to $8. (310) 854-4196.

10 am, 2 & 7 pm: Family

Scholastic’s “The Magic School Bus--Live!,” a traveling musical based on the TV series and the books by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen, makes two Southland tour stops. Its new show, “A Bright Idea,” stars Ms. Frizzle and the gang.

* “The Magic School Bus--Live!: A Bright Idea,” Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine, Saturday, 10 a.m., 2 and 7 p.m. $13 to $18. (949) 854-4646, (714) 740-2000 Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, Sunday, 2 and 5 p.m.; Monday, 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. $10 to $22. (800) 233-3123.

8 pm: Dance

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, National Ballet of Cuba makes a rare Los Angeles appearance, showcasing a new generation of Havana stylists in the full-length “Giselle.” As staged by company founder Alicia Alonso, one of the century’s most acclaimed interpreters of the title role, the ballet features more of the original music than we’re used to hearing, plus a number of staging choices honoring its early-Romantic origins: a peasant pas de dix instead of the usual Russian-style pas de deux, for instance. Lorna Feijoo, Oscar Torrado and Laura Hormigon head the evening cast, with Alihaydee Carren~o, Osmay Molina and Viensgay Valdes on view at the matinee.

* National Ballet of Cuba, Wiltern Theatre, 3790 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, 8 p.m. Also Sunday, 2 p.m. $25 to $45. (213) 380-5005.

All day: Culture

It’s the Year of the Hare but many other animals will be involved in the celebration of the Chinese New Year at the Los Angeles Zoo on Saturday. Lion dances, kung fu demonstrations and Chinese folk dancers will be featured. Children will learn about rare Chinese alligators and make their own dragon to take home. Free fortune cookies and lucky Chinese “red envelopes” round out the day.

* Chinese New Year celebration in the Eucalyptus Grove at the Los Angeles Zoo, 5333 Zoo Drive, Griffith Park, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Adults, $8.25; children 2 to 12, $3.25, (323) 644-6400.

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Freebies:

The Riverside Dickens Festival London Faire features performances, games and exhibits at Mission Avenue between Lime and Orange, Riverside. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Continues Sunday. (800) 430-4140 or (909) 781-3168.

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The Pasadena Conservatory Faculty performs music by Artur Schnabel and Karl Ulrich Schnabel at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, 1118 N. Allen Ave., Pasadena. 7:30 p.m. Reservations required. (626) 798-9426.