What to do in Madison this week: Maggie Thrash, John Christensen album release and more Isthmus Picks – Isthmus
Madison Black Restaurant Week, various locations: This celebration of Black-owned food businesses features restaurants, food carts and other businesses based in Madison, Mount Horeb, Stoughton and Sun Prairie. The week culminates in the “Food Taste Jamboree” from 2-5 p.m. on Aug. 18, with vendors gathering in scenic Olin Park all selling $5 small plates. Details at madisonblackchamber.com.
Nope, Monday, Aug. 12, UW Memorial Union Terrace, 9 p.m.: Writer-director Jordan Peele’s third film, Nope, starts with a tragedy: objects falling from the sky strike and kill a man’s father while working horses on the family ranch. But where did the objects come from? That is revealed in spectacular, frightening fashion as the story unfolds. (A flashback tale involving a sitcom gone horribly wrong also ups the terror content.) Peele ties it all together in rousing fashion.
Madison Sings! Tuesdays, through Aug. 20, First Unitarian Society, 7 p.m.: Madison Symphony Chorus and First Unitarian Society are collaborating once again on a choral singing series, open to all singers. Each week includes a bit of vocal warmup, rehearsal, and a “performance” with no audience; the repertoire includes Requiem by Duruflé on Aug. 13, and excerpts from the Messiah by Handel on Aug. 20. Scores available, or bring your own. For more info: fusmadison.org/madisonsings.
Moth BioBlitz, Tuesday, Aug. 13, Olbrich Gardens, 8-11 p.m.: Butterflies just had a month in the spotlight at Olbrich as part of the annual Blooming Butterflies event; it’s time for some waxing moonlight and an evening observing moths. Join Olbrich staff and volunteers for some citizen science, take pics with your phone, and enter data with the iNaturalist app. This event is in conjunction with the Olbrich After Hours series, which features a glassblowing demo at 6 p.m. and Fresco Opera performances starting at 7 p.m.
Jazz at Five, Wednesdays, through Sept. 4, Capitol Square, 4 p.m.: As it turns out, the return of Jazz at Five to its traditional home at the top of State Street was short-lived. However, this time the summer concert series is moving just a couple blocks counterclockwise on the Square, to the South Hamilton Street corner. Concerts begin with a youth band at 4 p.m. (on Aug. 14, a tribute ensemble to Richard Davis), followed by John Christensen Quartet and Heirloom, Aug. 14; Jazz Flux and the Kal Bergendahl Project, Aug. 21; UW Faculty Jazz Band and Jazz All Stars, Aug. 28; and the DB Orchestra and All That Jazz Big Band, Sept. 4. Find more info at jazzatfive.org.
Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Festival, Aug. 14-18, Angell Park, Sun Prairie: If you are a newcomer to the area, know that this is a fest not to miss. Not so much for the bands, although they are great (including SuperTuesday at 7 p.m. on Friday and The Jimmys at 7 p.m. on Saturday) or the carnival midway, which is classic, but for the steamed sweet corn, served on Saturday (noon-7 p.m.) and Sunday (noon-6 p.m. or until supplies last). Get in line for a tote of a dozen ears of Wisconsin-grown sweet corn, then husk, apply butter and salt and then possibly rehusk (strategies differ) before rejoining your mates for a finger-lickin’ good treat. Uncooked corn is also available. Events kick off at 6 p.m. on Aug. 14 with a parade on Main Street followed by music by The Dirty Birds on Cannery Square. Find the full schedule at sunprairiecornfest.com.
Maggie Thrash, Wednesday, Aug. 14, A Room of One’s Own, 6 p.m.: Maggie Thrash, a graphic novelist and the author of several YA titles, weighs in with her first adult fiction. Rainbow Black is set in New England during the true-to-life “Satanic Panic” of the 1990s, when day care workers were accused of being satanists. Young Lacey Bond, a teen at the time, is jolted when her parents, who run a day care, are accused of abusing their charges. There’s a murder and a queer love story and many unexpected twists, with writing that readers have described as unexpected and exhilarating, and compared to Donna Tartt’s The Secret History.
Stoughton Chamber Music Festival, Aug. 14, 23-24 and Aug. 31-Sept. 1, various venues, Stoughton: The Stoughton Chamber Music Festival usually features works related to a theme; this year’s programs are “Perspective” and “Space.” Directors/musicians Madlen Breckbill and Micah Behr will preview the season during a free event at 7 p.m. on Aug. 14 at Grand Inspired Gallery. “Perspective” features Alchymia, a clarinet quintet by Thomas Adès, along with other works, at 7 p.m. on Aug. 23 and 4 p.m. on Aug. 24 at Stoughton Opera House. And “Space,” at 7 p.m. on Aug. 31 and 4 p.m. on Sept. 1 at Chorus Public House, features new compositions by Behr along with other works for string trio and sextet. Find tickets and more info at stoughtonchambermusicfestival.com.
Kids in the Rotunda Season Announcement Party, Thursday, Aug. 15, Madison Children’s Museum, 4-7:30 p.m.: The Overture Center’s popular free performing arts series for the younger set returns in October. Be among the first to know the Kids in the Rotunda schedule at this party, which kicks off with a scavenger hunt activity at 4 p.m. The schedule will be revealed at 5:15 p.m., followed by a dance party with DJ Nick Nice. Museum admission is free until 8 p.m.
Constellations, through Sept. 28, American Players Theatre-Touchstone, Spring Green: Romance meets the physics of time in this witty two-person dramedy by Nick Payne. It might remind veteran theatergoers of David Ives’ Sure Thing, or anyone alive of the movie Groundhog Day. What if there were parallel universes with varying outcomes? Phoebe González and Casey Hoekstra play the couple in love facing different possibilities in Constellations, in repertory through Sept. 28. Shows coming up include 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 15 and 20-21, 2 p.m. on Aug. 17, and 6 p.m. on Aug. 18; check ticket availability at americanplayers.org.
King Lear, Aug. 9-Sept. 28, American Players Theatre, Spring Green: As usual, Shakespeare manages to fit right into the contemporary zeitgeist. The tale is of an elderly king who is not making the wisest choices any more. He seeks to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, giving the most money and land to the one who flatters him the most. Themes of familial love, devotion and betrayal run throughout, along with the lust for power, the quest for sincerity, and the difficulty of dealing with grandpa after the car keys get taken away. While King Lear has often been seen as depressing, it’s also one of the Bard’s most insightful works. As Lear says, “Who is it that can tell me who I am?” Shows this week at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 15 and 21 and 8 p.m. on Aug. 17; tickets at americanplayers.org.
John Christensen album release, Thursday, Aug. 15, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: In the Midwest jazz universe, John Christensen is certainly one of Madison’s first call bassists; he’s played with a myriad of touring and local musicians since moving to Wisconsin around the turn of the century, along with anchoring the low end for bands such as Lesser Lakes Trio and Precarious Towers and eponymous ensembles as leader. Christensen is also an intriguing composer, and the new album Soft Rock (out Aug. 9) takes his music in new directions that align with the title more than some listeners may expect (in press materials for the album, Christensen says the songs have “roots in ’90s classic adult contemporary”). For the album release show he’s joined by the recording ensemble: saxophonist Tony Barba, pianist Joshua Catania, guitarist Matt Gold, and drummer Neil Hemphill. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.
Our Home States, through Aug. 17, Broom Street Theater, 8 p.m.: Broom Street Theater is sending it back to the states with its ongoing short play festival Our Home States, now in its second year. Last year BST covered 12 Midwestern states. This year BST’s piling in the car and heading east to the New England and Atlantic states. The nine short plays cover the eastern seaboard from Maine (On the Beach by Arthur Boatin) to Pennsylvania (Hellbender: Live by Valerie Work). They also visit New York (Über by Ron G. Rosenfeld), New Jersey (The Jersey Who? by Andrew R. Heinze), New Hampshire (Swimming to Tuftonboro by Mitchell P. Ganem), Rhode Island (Same Jokes by Mark Sawtelle), Massachusetts (The Other Side of the Street by Laura Neill), Vermont (Like a Kite by Ron Fromstein), and Connecticut (Feeder by Julie Linden). Shows are at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday.
Find the individual Picks collected here, and as part of the full calendar of events.
