What to do in Madison this week: April 27-30, 2026

Band of Horses, Wild and Scenic Film Festival and more Isthmus Picks

by

Arts

  • Josh Dupont + Francie Phelps, Monday, April 27, Garver Lounge, 5 p.m.: Mondays at Garver during April have been enlivened by an all-requests happy hour featuring Piano Fondue’s Josh Dupont and Francie Phelps. Whether you just want to listen or are prepared to bust out those golden pipes and sing along, you have one more chance to get in on the fun.
  • Band of Horses, Monday, April 27, Sylvee, 8 p.m.: Though the line-up of Band of Horses has changed over the past two-plus decades, founding member Ben Bridwell’s reverb-soaked vocals help keep this Seattle born band as fresh as ever. The band creates emotional swells of music that captures the mood of fellow Northwest pioneers The Head and the Heart, but with more of a rocker’s attitude and purpose. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.
  • James Cleary (DeVita), Tuesday, April 28, Gard Theater, Spring Green, 6 p.m.: Theater fans no doubt know Jim DeVita as an accomplished actor with a long history of iconic roles at American Players Theatre in Spring Green. But he’s also an accomplished novelist, having written 2015’s A Winsome Murder under his own name and now the eerie and timely post-apocalyptic thriller Sanctuary under the pseudonym “James Cleary.” In it, climate disasters have left half of the United States under water and the other half a dust bowl, sparking civil unrest. As the book’s tagline proclaims, “Survival isn’t a fair fight.” DeVita will celebrate Sanctuary’s publication day with a launch party in, appropriately, Spring Green. Tickets at readinutopia.com include a signed copy of the book
  • Leonela Alejandro, Tuesday, April 28, Overture-Promenade Hall, 7:30 p.m.: In the right hands, classical guitar is anything but quiet. Puerto Rican guitarist Leonela Alejandro showcases the instrument's full range — melody, rhythm, and texture all happening at once. The winner of the Guitar Foundation of America’s 2024 International Concert Artist Competition plays with a precision that never feels clinical, shifting between delicate passages and more percussive, driving lines. Alejandro is in town for a concert hosted by the Madison Classical Guitar Society; tickets at overture.org.
  • Wilder Deitz’s American Canon, Wednesdays, through May 20, Muso, 7 p.m.: Madison musician and educator Wilder Deitz has been playing a variety of instruments and composing in a variety of genres from an early age. For “American Canon,” Deitz will pull together seemingly disparate musical threads and examine their connections in a series of performances-lectures. Deitz will be joined by bassist John Minnich, saxophonist Nathan France, and guests.
  • Madison's Funniest Comic finals, Wednesday, April 29, Comedy on State, 8 p.m.: There can be only one…Madison’s Funniest Comic. It’s down to the final five contestants: Henry Evans, Bryan Leconte, Evan Pack, Craig Smith and Breanne Wilhite. While a king or queen of comedy will be crowned on this night, the real winner of this annual competition is the audience, which receives a crash course in the regional stand-up scene from some of the funniest folks around. Tickets are available only at the door, starting at 6:30 p.m. for the 8 p.m. show.
  • Overture Galleries spring exhibitions, through May 24 or 31, Overture Center (reception April 30, 5:30-8:30 p.m.): Possibly the best public galleries in town are hallways in the Overture Center, with patrons passing by on all levels of the building and careful, creative curation always at play. This spring’s exhibits encompass a consideration of space, the language of love, and world landscapes, from artists Katherine Steichen Rosing, Sandra Schoen, Susan Dupor, Valerie Savarie, Gerit Grimm, Matthew Warren Lee, Mack Bo Ross and DarRen Morris. Bonus! Madison’s book-making group, The Bone Folders' Guild, displays its members’ art books in the Playhouse Gallery. A reception takes place from 5-8 p.m. April 30; artists will speak at 6 p.m. on the Rotunda Stage.
  • Wild & Scenic Film Festival, Thursday, April 30, Barrymore, 7 p.m.: It’s nice seeing films at the Barrymore, isn’t it? Nothing like a real theater to make movies fun again. This yearly event (and fundraiser for the River Alliance of Wisconsin) extends the friendly vibe of the Wisconsin Film Fest with an evening of films that showcase nature and the outdoors, with a side of adventure. This year's films include Hyperscaled, a documentary about a town getting an AI data center; Little Story About Forever, a combo of art and activism; Native to the Klamath, about a river restoration project; Gigiigemin Baaga’adoweyang (We are healed by stickball), a favorite from the WFF last year; and more. The only thing that could make these outdoor movies more natural is if you were actually watching them outside; the Barrymore’s starred ceiling is second best. Find the complete list of films and descriptions at wisconsinrivers.org; tickets at barrymorelive.com and Barrymore outlets.
  • Akaash Singh, April 30-May 2, Comedy on State: First making his name with roles on television shows such as Wild ’n Out and Brown Nation, Akaash Singh has since found a huge online audience for his stand-up comedy. Singh’s speedy delivery and direct material keeps the room just a little off balance, and can move quickly from cultural commentary to sharper personal turns without slowing down to explain itself. Performances at 7 p.m. April 30 and 7 and 9:30 p.m., May 1-2. Tickets at madisoncomedy.com.
  • Leslie Vincent, Thursday, April 30, North Street Cabaret, 7 p.m.: Dating as a songwriting topic isn’t new; what Leslie Vincent does with it is. Vincent is on tour for the new album Little Black Book, a set of originals that moves between jazz, blues and pop while sifting through the messier parts of relationships — the starts, the stalls, the stories you tell yourself after. Though the styles may shift, Vincent's observant songwriting stays just self-aware enough to keep it from tipping into confession. Tickets at eventbrite.com.
  • Committed, through May 3, Broom Street Theater: Relevance has always been Broom Street’s middle name, and they check in with the zeitgeist here with a drama about political resistance — albeit with an historical look back to the Vietnam and civil rights eras. In Committed, when a young boy’s mother who has been an activist is institutionalized, he fights back. The play is written by Coleman (Doed Koecks) and directed by Matthew Korda, and is part of World Premiere Wisconsin, a statewide festival celebrating new plays and musicals running throughout this year. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday; tickets at bstonline.org.
  • Measure for Measure, through May 2, Bartell Theatre: What could possibly go wrong when political power lands in the wrong hands? Madison Shakespeare Company examines that eternal question with Measure for Measure. A ruler steps aside, a deputy enforces the law with sudden zeal, and justice starts to look a lot like control. It’s known as one of Shakespeare’s so-called “problem plays” for a reason: the ending ties things up, but not in a way that feels entirely settled. Final performances at 7:30 p.m. April 30-May 1 and 5 p.m. May 2; tickets at bartelltheatre.org.
  • Chucho Valdés & Paquito D’Rivera Reunion Sextet, Thursday, April 30, UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 7:30 p.m.: The musical partnership of Chucho Valdés and Paquito D’Rivera dates back to 1960s Havana, including many years in the groundbreaking band Irakere. D’Rivera departed Cuba in 1980, but the duo rekindled their partnership in 2022 with the Reunion Sextet. Valdés’ piano lines build and D’Rivera’s clarinet cuts through with an ease that only comes from decades of shared language; the sextet allows plenty of room for their musical conversation. It’s virtuosic but never about showing off. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu. Note: The artists also will participate in a free UW Interdisciplinary Arts Community Session talk, at 5 p.m. on April 29 in Shannon Hall, moderated by Nick Moran and Ricardo Gonzalez.
  • The Threepenny Opera, through May 9, Bartell Theatre: Most everyone knows about the character “Mack the Knife” thanks to the still-ubiquitous 1959 Bobby Darin hit, which puts a smooth and swinging gloss on the danger. The Threepenny Opera, where the song has its origins, is a different animal. It’s a show that’s always had an edge, but this Mercury Players Theatre production may sharpen it. Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s story of crime, power, and a world that doesn’t pretend to be fair returns via a new translation by Sean Langenecker and Megan McGlone. It’s part of the statewide World Premiere Wisconsin festival. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (except 2 p.m. on May 9) and 2 p.m. May 2; tickets at bartelltheatre.org.
  • Strike, Thursday, April 30, Giant Jones Brewing, 8 p.m.: Just in time for May Day arrives a screening of Strike, the first silent film by Russian director Sergei Eisenstein (creator of the film school staple Battleship Potemkin). Set just before the 1905 revolution, it tells the story of a worker uprising and its subsequent suppression by the regime. The screening will be accompanied by a live score provided by Madison improvisational wizards Wonderporium — an incentive to attend all on its own. Tickets at giant-jones-brewing.square.site.

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