What to do in Madison this weekend: Roscoe Mitchell Quartet, 'A Christmas Carol' and more Isthmus Picks

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Madison Arts Commission 50th Anniversary Celebration, Thursday, Dec. 5, Madison Children’s Museum, 4-8 p.m.: The Madison Cultural Affairs Committee was created in 1974 as an advisory group on arts policy for the mayor and city council; today the group is the Madison Arts Commission, and its role has only grown in importance as state funding for the arts has disappeared. All are invited to celebrate 50 years of MAC with entertainment by Madison Circus Space performers and disco superstars VO5, plus hands-on workshops with artists Angelica Contreras, Lesley Anne Numbers, TetraPAKMAN and Djam Vivie. Find more info at cityofmadison.com.

Cardinal Bar 50th Anniversary Weekend, Dec. 5-7, 418 E. Wilson St.: In 1974, Ricardo Gonzalez opened a dance club on the ground floor of the Cardinal Hotel, just off the Capitol Square. Except for a few years since then, 418 E. Wilson St. has been home to the Cardinal Bar; it happily returned in 2023 with a new group of owners committed to bringing back the eclectic music and welcoming-to-all vibe created and maintained by Gonzalez for decades. He will be at the Cardinal for an anniversary happy hour from 4-7 p.m. on Friday, and the milestone will be celebrated all weekend, starting with the Tony Castañeda Latin Jazz Band’s regular Thursday set (5:30 p.m.) through La Combi and DJ Chamo on Saturday night (8:30 p.m.). Find the full schedule here.

I AM a Man: The Re-humanization of Black Men, through Feb. 18, Goodman South Madison Library: A visit to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial at the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis inspired Madison artist Sharon Bjyrd to curate “I AM a Man: The Re-humanization of Black Men.” As she writes in the exhibition description, “In this exhibit, I hope to reclaim the humanity denied to Black men, not only in moments of historic protest but in everyday life — whether through the devastating impact of systemic racism in policing, prisons, or the policies that enforced single motherhood.” Meet the artists and participate in art activities at community gatherings from 6-7:30 p.m. on Dec. 5 and Feb. 20 and 1-4 p.m., Jan. 18. More info at madisonbubbler.org.

The Get Up, Thursday, Dec. 5, Gamma Ray, 6:30 p.m.:Kelly Maxwell, a Monkey Business Institute member and local musician, hosts what will likely be the silliest make-em-ups this side of Ryan Stiles' giant shoes. In The Get Up, multiple improv teams gather to show off their stuff, with various formats, styles, lengths and players featured. We can’t even say what else is featured, because not even the performers know! Come bust a gut or split a side, that choice is up to you. Pro tip: Improv teams can sign up here for a chance to perform at future shows.

Kanopy Dance Company, Dec. 5-8, Overture Center-Promenade Hall: The familiar holiday works are always fun, but Kanopy explores multicultural traditions in its annual “Winter Fantasia: Reimagined” program. This year it includes Chalo Ramiye” (or “let’s play” in Gujarati), which is one of those traditional circle dances, choreographed by South Asian guest artist Udbhav Desai. Joining it are two dances drawn from Scandinavian folklore: Once Upon a Winter’s Eve and The Norse Tree of Life, plus Winter in the City, set to Leonard Bernstein’s score for On the Town. It may bring to mind walking up Fifth Avenue and past the Rockefeller Center rink and Christmas tree — what could be more romantic? Performances at 7 p.m. on Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 6, 3 and 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 7, and 1 and 4 p.m. on Dec. 8. Tickets at overture.org.

Hundreds of Beavers, Thursday, Dec. 5, Barrymore, 7:30 p.m.: This Wisconsin independent film was co-written by Mike Cheslik, who also directed, and Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, who stars. (Local film fans may remember Lake Michigan Monster, their 2018 horror comedy.) Hundreds of Beavers is a silent slapstick film imagining a battle between a Northwoods man and, well, hundreds of beavers. The self-distributed film was an audience favorite at the 2023 Wisconsin Film Festival; after appearing on some streaming services this year it’s been seen much more widely to similar acclaim. Don’t miss a chance to catch a local big screen appearance. Tickets at barrymorelive.com.

All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914, Dec. 5-15, Overture Center-Playhouse: Four Seasons Theatre has created its own holiday tradition with All is Calm. Based on a melancholy and dire true story, the play was written and conceived by Peter Rothstein, a graduate of the UW-Madison Department of Theatre & Drama. Set at the Western Front during World War I, the message of Christmas comes through as German and English foot soldiers call an impromptu truce. Historic media, patriotic and popular music of the time, classic Christmas carols, and text drawn from real letters, journals, and radio broadcasts make this a cappella musical more than an abstraction. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday and at 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Tickets at overture.org.

Sa-Roc, Thursday, Dec. 5, UW Memorial Union-Play Circle, 8 p.m.: Sa-Roc grew up in Washington, D.C., and rose as an artist in the Atlanta music scene, and the sound and political awareness of both cities is borne out in her socially conscious music. Sa-Roc’s latest single, “Amazing Grace,” is a swinging statement of purpose and personal empowerment. The concert is part of the Wisconsin Union Theater’s new Black Box Sessions series, this season focusing on hip-hop. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

Zoo Lights, through Dec. 28, Henry Vilas Zoo: One of the Madison area’s most elaborate holiday light displays can be found at Henry Vilas Zoo, and ticket purchases help keep the lights on all year (the zoo does not typically charge admission). Zoo Lights features timed entry starting at 5:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Nov. 29-Dec. 8, and daily from Dec. 13-28 (closed Dec. 24-25). Santa will be on hand for photos with the kiddos through Dec. 23, and unlimited carousel rides are included with admission. Tickets are only available online in advance: henryvilaszoo.doubleknot.com.

Richard Mosse, through Feb. 16, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art: "Broken Spectre" showcases the work of the artist Richard Mosse on the Amazon rainforest. Mosse uses a variety of photographic techniques to demonstrate human impact and environmental wreckage. The centerpiece of the exhibit is the film Broken Spectre, projected across a 70-foot span in the Main Galleries with onsite audio of the Amazon as well as a score by Ben Frost. Large-scale photographic prints made through special photographic technologies underline climate change at scales both large and small.

Tone Madison 10th Anniversary, Friday, Dec. 6, Gamma Ray, 6:30 p.m.: Journalist-owned and operated online outlet Tone Madison has been covering arts, culture and government in the city for a decade. They will celebrate the milestone with an eclectic concert, opening with the jazzy folk of carisa and closing with the trippy postpunk sonic attack of Cult of Lip. In between is the ambient avoidancepolicy (a project of UW Dance Department music director Tim Russell) and crunching Holly & the Nice Lions, plus DJ sets by Mu and Evan Woodward. Tickets at etix.com.

Jordan Kowalski, Friday, Dec. 6, Communication, 7:30 p.m.: Jordan Kowalski is a tireless jazz and new music percussionist, composer and teacher. He’s the jazz band director at Vel Phillips Memorial High School and co-teaches an intro-to-music class at UW-Madison. Cole Chancellor also leads a jazz group to open. Tickets at communicationmadison.com.

The Bald & the Beautiful, Dec. 6 and 8, Orpheum: Sit down all you kings, two queens are talking. RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Trixie Mattel and her co-host (and co-drag legend) Katya Zamolodchikova are gracing us flyover nobodies with their bold insights into fashion, pop culture, and cultural boundaries. They’ll witch and laugh the night away, and you’re invited. They might even have a special guest to talk to, but withholding this info will have them keep us edging in our seats. Wait, what did we say? Shows at 8 p.m. on Dec. 6 (sold out) and 7 p.m. on Dec. 8 (tickets at ticketmaster.com).

Heather the Jerk album release, Friday, Dec. 6, Mickey’s, 10 p.m.: Heather Sawyer is one of the Madison music scene’s most consistently rewarding songwriters, building a catalog of songs that are catchy and punky, honest and heartfelt, in bands such as Proud Parents, The Hussy and Heather the Jerk. This show will celebrate the release of a new album from Heather the Jerk, not very motorcycle; it’s the early Christmas present we all need right now. A fun lineup also includes Celebrity Sighting, a new Madison band who also recently unleashed a banger of a debut album, …They’re Just Like Us; and Milwaukee punk bands Sex Scenes and Florida Brothers Band.

Roscoe Mitchell Quartet, Dec. 7-8, Cafe Coda: Cafe Coda brings monster jazz performances to Madison that would be more likely to appear in cities twice our size; this is one of those bookings. Chicago-based master saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell and guest players will honor the late Terry Martin, a Chicago scholar and jazz impresario. Mitchell is a post-Coltrane innovator of the free form — arguably the best alive. The two-night jazz celebration is a benefit for Cafe Coda’s Cool School, a free, drop-in Saturday morning jazz class for youth led by Coda owner (and sax innovator himself) Hanah Jon Taylor. Dec. 7 (6 p.m.) features an opening solo vibes set by Jason Adasiewicz; Dec. 8 (3 p.m.) also includes opener Extraordinary Popular Delusions. Tickets at cafecoda.club.

A Christmas Carol, Dec. 7-22, Overture Center-Capitol Theater: A vindictive, unkind, miserly, money-grubbing old man is visited, on Christmas Eve, by three spirits who show him that life should be about selflessness, friendship and generosity. How could Charles Dickens' 1843 A Christmas Carol be any more relevant? Children’s Theater of Madison brings La Shawn Banks back as Ebenezer Scrooge in this updated script that reduces bloat and adds celebratory dancing. But it is still at heart a moral fable. “The fact that the spirits appear, not just to frighten Scrooge, but to hold him accountable for his actions,” wrote our reviewer Gwendolyn Rice of the new version, “is another slight shift that supports the larger message of this Christmas Carol — the welfare of our fellow men should be our business every day of the year.” Recommended for children 8 and up. Shows are at 2:30 and 7 p.m. Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays, along with 7 p.m. on Dec. 20. Tickets at overture.org.

Gregg Hall & the Wrecking Ball, Saturday, Dec. 7, High Noon Saloon, 7 p.m.: It’s time once again for the annual Outlaw Night, a “tribute to Willie, Waylon, Johnny & The Hanks,” at the High Noon. This year’s celebration will also feature an EP release for the Wisconsin-based Gregg Hall and the Wrecking Ball. Exit 222 marks a musical shift for this outfit, as Hall seeks to reach a larger and more diverse audience. Recorded in Nashville and produced by Johnny Garcia (Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks), the EP’s songs “are polished to a diamond shine,” Hall says — which should both complement and contrast with the rest of the music celebrated this night. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Common Chord album release, Saturday, Dec. 7, Arbor Good Neighbor House, 7 p.m.: It’s become a tradition for Common Chord to host a holiday concert each December which doubles as a fundraiser for a local nonprofit; this year’s concert proceeds will go to the host venue, Arbor Good Neighbor House. Common Chord plays both original music and their own harmony-centric interpretations of material ranging from Tom Waits to Bonnie Raitt to the Gershwins…and also a catalog of original and favorite holiday songs. Their new album, Getting Ready for the Holidays, will debut on CD at this show. With Nelson Graham.

The Evil Twins, Saturday, Dec. 7, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: Madison lost a true rock original in 2013 with the passing of Marques Bovre. He handled his two-year journey with a cancerous brain tumor with courage, intelligence, wonder, humor, respect and irreverence; the same kinds of things his songs explored and revealed in life. This is a rare opportunity for long-time fans as well as newbies to hear his music live — as played by members of Bovre’s former band the Evil Twins and led by his 26-year-old guitarist son Quintin. This one sold out almost immediately; check for any last second tickets at theburoakmadison.com.

Lemon Bucket Orkestra, Saturday, Dec. 7, Harmony Bar, 9 p.m.: This will be worth going to just to see if the Harmony’s stage can accommodate all the members of this Toronto-based, giganto collective of music pranksters. The international festival favorites ask audiences to stand on the ledge and join them in jumping the hell off. The Lemon Bucket Orkestra is a cross between steampunk marching band and performance art. Tickets at harmonybarandgrill.com.

Hoops for Hope, Sunday, Dec. 8, Madison College Truax-Redsten Gymnasium, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.: The African American Opioid Coalition of Safe Communities is hosting this event to raise awareness of substance use and mental health concerns in communities of color. Along with a resource fair (starting at 11 a.m.), speakers (at noon), kids' activities, food and a raffle, spectators can watch a basketball tournament and 3-point contest. Admission is free. Find info at safercommunity.net.

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