What to do in Madison this weekend: Forward Madison FC playoffs, Madison Hmong New Year Celebration and more Isthmus Picks

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Hollywood Star Lanes, Thursday, Oct. 31, Bierock, 2 p.m.-midnight: It’s become a Halloween tradition to replicate a famous film or TV location at north side eatery Bierock; past dress-up days have included Moe’s Tavern (from The Simpsons) and The Prancing Pony (of Tolkien's Middle-earth). This year it’s Hollywood Star Lanes, the bowling alley bar from The Big Lebowski, with staff also in character and appropriate food and drink items. Will you be Walter, Donnie, Maude or The Dude (or, god forbid, “Karl Hungus”)?

Play it Off Legit + Soul Symmetry, Thursday, Oct. 31, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: A mid-week Halloween in Madison means the celebration extends to the weekends on either side…as well as on the day itself. Play it Off Legit is hosting the second annual HalloWEEN concert, at which the local Ween tribute will play music from throughout the discography of that eclectic band. Joining them this year is Madison jammers Soul Symmetry playing a set of Allman Brothers (with two drummers, of course). Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

The Mic on State, Thursday, Oct. 31, Comedy on State, 9 p.m.: Comedy on State’s long-running Wednesday open mic is a favorite stop for stand-up watchers, and a performance rite of passage for local and regional comedians. This Halloween the venue is hosting a bonus night of open mic, with a costume contest. Stand-ups can now sign up online starting at noon, but you have to be at Comedy on State for the show to learn who gets a coveted lineup spot. Doors open for audience members at 7:30 p.m., first come, first served.

Mel Hammond + Teghan Hammond, Friday, Nov. 1, Lake City Books, 6 p.m.: The new YA novel Lucy, Uncensored delves into the very topics that the right is trying to censor in this country: gender identity and trans rights. Protagonist Lucy heads off to college relishing the idea that college will be a fresh start, for the first time not having to go to school with kids she’s known since kindergarten and looking forward to rooming with best friend Callie. Some unwelcome transphobic comments on her college tour make her wonder if she is really on the right path. The co-authors, Mel Hammond (an Isthmus contributor) and her sister Teghan Hammond, coming in from Indiana for the event, will be on hand to celebrate the book’s publication.

The Blue Comet, Nov. 1-9, Bartell Theatre: This forgotten comedy by Eden Phillpotts was performed in England in the 1920s, but never produced in the United States. A sci-fi comedy of manners, The Blue Comet centers on an English country family who is grappling with two potential catastrophes: the arrival of the comet — and a relative from Australia. This Madison Shakespeare Company production shows at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 1-2 and 7-8, 2 p.m. on Nov. 3, and 5 p.m. on Nov. 9. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Driftless Film Festival, Nov. 1-9, Mineral Point Opera House: The 28 selections in the 2024 Driftless Film Festival bring independent films to Mineral Point, with some focusing on the Driftless, the unglaciated area with quadrants in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. Look for Adrianne & The Castle by filmmaker Shannon Walsh, about an Illinois artist’s passion project; Ride More Drift Less by Nicholas Kapanke, about cyclists riding the gravel roads of Minnesota’s Driftless area; and The Blacksmith’s Curse from Sam Sorenson, filmed right in Mineral Point. See the complete roster of films at driftlessfilmfestival.com.

The Barber of Seville, Nov. 1 and 3, Overture Hall: “Besides the fact that The Barber of Seville is a brilliant opera and I love it, I wanted to give audiences a comedy on the weekend before the election,” says Madison Opera general director Kathryn Smith. Smith describes the Rossini classic as a romcom. “Boy and girl want to get together, and the plot is about overcoming things that prevent them from getting together, like disguises, thunderstorms and shaving cream.” Plus, if you know the tunes from just one opera, it’s probably this one. Performances at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 1 and 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 3; tickets at overture.org.

Angry F*gs, Nov. 1-16, Bartell Theatre: StageQ weighs in with a play smartly timed to election season. Topher Payne’s Angry F*gs, written in 2013, deals with violence and attitudes that have not changed in the 11 years since. When a friend is beaten up outside a gay bar, political speechwriter Bennett is outraged that it isn’t classified as a hate crime. This dark revenge comedy won the Gene-Gabriel Moore playwriting award. Shows at 7:30 p.m.Thursday, Friday and Saturday (except 2 p.m. on Nov. 16) and 2 p.m. on Nov. 10. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Madison Hmong New Year Celebration, Nov. 2-3, Alliant Energy Center, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.: The Wisconsin Hmong Association hosts this annual event honoring the heritage of the state’s Hmong community and providing an introduction to their traditions, featuring music and dance performances, all-ages activities and games, and a vendor market. In addition to the regular festival hours from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, a night party takes place starting at 7 p.m. on Nov. 2, with performers including David Yang, Ka Lia Universe, Touky Xiong, Leng Yang, Doua Thao, DJ Cha and 7T (tickets at eventbrite.com). Find more info at facebook.com/MadisonHmongNewYear.

Madison Herb Fair, Saturday, Nov. 2, Olbrich Gardens, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Herbs make our food taste (and smell) better, and also can be medicine. This annual event hosted by the Madison Herb Society features vendors offering items for cooking and healing, as well as plant-inspired art and books, items for pets, and much more. Speakers include Jane Hawley Stevens of Four Elements Organic Herbals on “A Progressive View of Traditional Gardening by the Moon” (at 10:30 a.m.). Find more info at madisonherbsociety.org.

UW Art Department Open Studios Day, Saturday, Nov. 2, UW Art Lofts and Humanities Building, noon-5 p.m.: This always fun event lets you live out your I’m-majoring-in-art-no-matter-what-Dad-says dreams by touring the creative, inventive spaces where UW students get to make their art. More than 50 studios will be open with students hanging out and maybe very casually selling some work. It’s more about seeing the spaces, though, and there will be demos at the headquarters of several of the media that the department specializes in — if you are lucky, glassblowing and printmaking will be among them. Plus, this could be one of your last chances to see the studios on the 6th and 7th floors in Humanities, the classic of Brutalist architecture that the university keeps threatening to tear down — and probably will. The Art Lofts are at 111 N. Frances St. at the side of the Kohl Center. Humanities is at the corner of University and Park.

Local Author Fair, Saturday, Nov. 2, Middleton Public Library, 2-4 p.m.: What a great idea! Bring a bunch of local authors together and have them available to chat with potential readers, sign and sell books. There are 30-some authors attending, including longtime Wisconsin food and travel writer Mary Bergin, travel, nature and fiction writer Kevin Revolinski, mystery writers and UW-Madison professors emeriti Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden, environmental writer and poet Heather Swan, innovative artist and Madison chronicler Doug Haynes, middle-grade children’s author Laura Ann Bird and lots more.

PhotoMidwest Biennial Juried Exhibition, through Sept. Nov. 9, Arts + Literature Lab: This celebration of modern photography features work by artists from 13 Midwest states, chosen by New York artist and publisher Kris Graves; read Graham Brown's preview here. Related exhibits at ALL include Rashod Taylor's collection “Little Black Boy” (coming Nov. 2 is a workshop with Taylor at 3 p.m. (RSVP) and closing reception from 6-8 p.m.) and the "Flat File Project" including 10 Midwest artists; PhotoMidwest member exhibits include “In Search of Awe,” juried by board member Tim Mulcahy, through Nov. 17 at Overture Center’s Playhouse Gallery; and “For the Love of Light,” through Oct. 31 at the Pyle Center. Find more info on other area photography exhibits, and virtual galleries, at photomidwest.org.

USL League One Playoffs, Saturday, Nov. 2, Breese Stevens Field, 6 p.m.: During the just-ended regular season, Forward Madison FC earned their first trip to the USL League One playoffs, landing with a third seed following a tough 1-0 loss at Colorado on Oct. 26. The 'Mingos first playoff tilt will be at home, facing the Charlotte Independence (who Madison defeated three times and tied with once this season). Tickets at mpv.tickets.com.

Unincorporated Dance Lab, Nov. 2-3, Madison Youth Arts: This new dance company debuts with a program called “Ofrenda (an offering)” with works choreographed by Miye Bishop, Eddie Salas, Sarah Langdon and Kendyll Hazzard. Ofrenda Cecilia is also one of the show’s pieces, choreographed by Salas. The dance is based on ofrenda, or offerings, on Día de los Muertos, this one to Salas' grandmother. Shows are at 7 p.m. on Nov. 2 and at noon on Nov. 3. Tickets at unincorporateddancelab.square.site.

Wyatt Flores, Saturday, Nov. 2, Sylvee, 8 p.m.: As an independent artist, Wyatt Flores broke through in a big way in 2022 with the song “Please Don’t Go,” a streaming hit that crashed the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and has since piled up more than 156 million Spotify plays. Things have moved quickly for Flores since then, including a major label deal, debuting at the Grand Ole Opry, and in October releasing his debut album, Welcome to the Plains. It’s full of the same heartfelt, direct songwriting and traditional country music as “Please Don’t Go” and Flores' subsequent EPs. With Bo Staloch. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Salmon Diane, Sunday, Nov. 3, Bur Oak, 1 p.m.: A popular Milwaukee Sunday brunch honky tonk show pops up in Madison. The band is an amalgam of high flyers from assorted Cream City outfits including Driveway Thriftdwellers, Long Mama, Derek Pritzl & the Gamble, and The Ramblin’ Kind. As for the brunch aspect, Palenque Mexican Food Truck will be parked outside the club. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.

Make America Gay Again, Sunday, Nov. 3, Crucible, 7 p.m.: The ever-enterprising folks at Cheshire Cat Comedy have found a better use for the MAGA acronym — Make America Gay Again — and the show is back just ahead of Election Day to offer some de-stressing laughs. This showcase highlights drag performers and queer stand-up stars, with the lineup featuring touring artists Manny Petty, Hannah Roeschlein and The Queeny Bitch, CCC founder Sasha Rosser, and host Bianca Lynn Breeze. Find tickets at eventbrite.com.

BEAT, Sunday, Nov. 3, Orpheum, 8 p.m.: The quartet BEAT plays music from King Crimson’s three 1980s albums: Discipline, Beat, and Three Of A Perfect Pair. But this is not your everyday tribute artist; guitarist/singer Adrian Belew and bassist Tony Levin were King Crimson members for those three albums, and adding guitarist Steve Vai and drummer Danny Carey (of Tool) makes it as much of a supergroup as King Crimson. Expect fireworks. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Find the individual Picks collected here, and as part of the full calendar of events.