What to do in Madison this week: Leslie Odom Jr., Amy Shea and more Isthmus Picks

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Leslie Odom Jr., Tuesday, Dec. 9, Orpheum, 8 p.m.: Any performance by Leslie Odom Jr. displays that rare mix of polish and ease that made his turn as Hamilton’s iconic “Aaron Burr, sir” one of the great breakout performances of the last decade. Odom is on tour with a brand new album, An Offering: Live at Speakeasy Studios, recorded in single takes with his longtime band, plus the holiday material fans look forward to every year. You don’t need to know the setlist to know the vibe: a singular voice, a tight band, and a performer who knows exactly how to hold a room without overworking it. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Cake, Tuesday, Dec. 9, The Sylvee, 8 p.m.: Cake is arguably the most millennial of millennial bands, with its deadpan irony, spoken word vocals, groove to spare, and a bundle of genre influences that says — imagine the most bored affect possible — “You daring me to pick one?” While comparisons can be made (Lou Reed? Early Talking Heads?) none quite fit. Cake is Cake. The band hasn’t released an album since 2011’s Showroom of Compassion, yet it’s touring anyway. And the band is apparently paying attention to the zeitgeist; the quotation on its homepage reads: “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt. Who knows what’s in store? The show is likely to sell out, but there’s always the resale market (speaking of the abundance of those who have much): ticketmaster.com.

Baristas vs. Billionaires, Dec. 10-11, Barrymore, 7 p.m.: A barista serves a billionaire in a meet-cute and after a few misunderstandings they live happily ever after? Not so fast, Hallmark Channel! This new documentary takes the wage gap and union busting seriously as it chronicles Starbucks workers taking on the corporate power structure. Baristas vs. Billionaires examines the coffee giant’s union-busting practices and the struggle of some dedicated baristas to win its first pro-union vote at a shop in Buffalo, New York. This 2025 film was directed by Academy Award nominee Mark Nori. Co-producer Glenn Silber (of The War at Home fame) will appear to introduce the film here in its Madison premiere, sponsored by The Progressive and the South Central Federation of Labor. Tickets at barrymorelive.com.

Holiday Express, Dec. 6-31, Olbrich Gardens, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: A forest of poinsettias is the backdrop to this winter-themed display at Olbrich that’s become a family favorite as large-scale model trains travel the fanciful landscape. Other holiday decorations make this an “oh lookit” classic year after year. Members of the Wisconsin Garden Railway Society will be on hand to show off their own trains. New this year: Advance tickets for timed entry; admission at the door will only be available if space allows. Tickets include admission to the tropical Bolz Conservatory, where you can remember what July feels like. (The outdoor gardens, worth a visit in any season, are still free.) Note that the gardens close at 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve and are closed on Christmas Day. More info at olbrich.org.

MELVIS, Wednesday, Dec. 10, The Rigby, 8 p.m.: The holiday fun officially starts here this season with “A Very Kitschy Christmas” from MELVIS — an Elvis tribute artist who mixes in a little comedy (and who better to poke fun at than the King of Rock and Roll, especially the late Vegas version?). MELVIS will be singing Christmas classics, Elvis hits, and some contemporary songs from the likes of BTS, Lady Gaga and Chappell Roan. Dress for the season — and plenty of dancing. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

Matteo Bocelli, Wednesday, Dec. 10, Orpheum, 8 p.m.: Matteo Bocelli isn’t just carrying a famous last name, he’s carving out his own pop-classical lane. His “Falling in Love” tour pairs that unmistakable Bocelli warmth with glossy contemporary ballads, leaning into romance without apology. If you’ve been curious about what the next generation of this musical family would sound like up close, this is your chance to hear Matteo step forward as a full-fledged artist, not just Andrea’s son. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

The Secret Agent, Thursday, Dec. 11, UW Cinematheque, 7 p.m.: Did you know that Thursday nights, the UW-Madison’s Cinematheque features Madison premieres? The series has been extended this semester and the last of the bunch is the lauded 2025 film The Secret Agent (in Portuguese with English subtitles) directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho. It’s a thriller set in Brazil in the late 1970s, in which a man attempts to rescue his son from life under a corrupt regime. But it’s the widescreen cinematography that may steal the show. The film won Best Director and Best Actor at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Free, as all Cinematheque films are, at 4070 Vilas Hall.

Amy Shea, Thursday, Dec. 11, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 7 p.m.: Essayist Amy Shea has drilled down into the realities of dying poor in America, especially for those experiencing homelessness. Her book Too Poor to Die: The Hidden Realities of Dying in the Margins was published by Rutgers University Press in September. Shea, the writing program director for Mount Tamalpais College, a free community college for the incarcerated people of San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, will be in conversation with Madison’s Kendra Deja, executive director of Solace Friends, a nonprofit that runs Solace Home, a group house for unhoused people at the end of life. The discussion will be moderated by Meghan Allynn Johnson, founder and director of the Madison Death Studio. Lake City Books will be on hand to sell copies of Shea’s book.

The Hello Girls, Dec. 11-21, Overture Center-Playhouse: This musical based on the novel Switchboard Soldiers by Madison’s own Jennifer Chiaverini is back after a popular run in 2024. Its heroes are women who entered the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War I to work as telephone operators, putting through calls, translating and speaking French and English, and keeping highly classified information secret — during a bloody war and a pandemic. The story follows them home, where they needed to battle for the right to vote. It debuted Off Broadway in 2018; the score is reminiscent of the stirring notes of Les Miz, upbeat World War I morale tunes like “Over There,” and even a bit anachronistically of the harmonies of the Andrews Sisters during World War II. Four Seasons Theatre performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; tickets at overture.org.

Carter Hulsey, Thursday, Dec. 11, Bierock, 7 p.m.: Nashville-based Carter Hulsey knows his way around a sweet acoustic guitar melody; his voice — just scratchy enough — conveys joy and pain and the ways that they are sometimes hard to separate. He’s the heart of this Americana-based evening of music at north-side craft beer bar Bierock; he’s joined by melodic Midwestern country duo Blake & Yeekeng and a solo appearance by Luke Sheafer of Me Like Bees. Our countrified sleeper pick of the week.

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

Editor's note: This post has been updated to correct the spelling of Luke Sheafer's name.