What to do in Madison this weekend: Femmestival, ‘Saint Omer’ and more Isthmus Picks

by

Saint Omer, Thursday, Feb. 16, UW Cinematheque, 7 p.m.: French filmmaker Alice Diop, lauded for documentaries, also draws on a true story for her first narrative film. Saint Omer tells the story of the trial of an immigrant to France accused of killing her infant, as witnessed by a novelist and professor attending the courtroom proceedings. RogerEbert.com reviewer Sheila O'Malley says the film is focused more on raising questions about what led up to such an event rather than coming to any conclusions: “Diop allows the film to resonate with anxieties, confusion even, and the undertow of subterranean influence.” After being named on many 2022 year-end best-of lists, Saint Omer makes its Madison premiere as part of the UW Cinematheque's schedule.

The Wolves, February 16-26, UW Vilas Hall-Hemsley Theatre: A story about a girls' indoor soccer team, as they “ navigate big questions and wage tiny battles with all the vim and vigor of a pack of young warriors. ” Thinking Yellowjackets? Nope, no plane crash in The Wolves. This thoughtful play about female athletes was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for playwright Sarah DeLappe. University Theatre performances run at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, and 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. More info at theatre.wisc.edu.

Stavros Halkias, Feb. 16-19, Comedy on State: If folks had to choose only one fat rascal to keep around, Stavros Halkias would be the people’s champion. This former host of the wildly popular Cum Town podcast is one of the most singular voices in comedy today. The “Fat Rascal” tour brings his wild and naughty, but surprisingly sweet, stand-up to Madison for an entire weekend of debauchery and body positivity. Halkias is so popular they had to add shows to keep up with demand, and it still sold out well ahead of showtime (though, keep an eye on the Facebook event for possible ticket releases). Shows at 7:30 and 10 p.m., Feb. 16-18; and 7 and 9:30 p.m., Feb. 19.

POSTPONED: Samara Joy, Thursday, Feb. 16, UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Linger Awhile, the debut album by Samara Joy, was found on many 2022 best-of lists, and this month captured an even bigger prize: Best Jazz Vocal Album at the Grammy Awards. The album revives Great American Songbook material for a new generation of listeners; Joy's singing recalls past greats while bringing something new to familiar songs, and her stylish approach also brought home a second Grammy, for Best New Artist. Feb. 13 update: Due to doctor's orders, this Wisconsin Union Theater concert is postponed. “Following one of the most incredible weeks of my life, I hate to tell you all that I’m under the weather,” Samara Joy writes in a statement. Watch for updates at union.wisc.edu.

UW Dance Faculty Concert, Feb. 16-18, UW Lathrop Hall-H'Doubler Performance Space: This year, a highlight of the faculty concert will be “Manifesting Destiny,” from visiting artist Charles O. Anderson. The dance, an excerpt from a larger work in progress, imagines equity, particularly women's equity. Also look for Chris Walker's new work developed in response to “Sifting & Reckoning,” the UW-Madison's Chazen exhibit on its own histories of discrimination and exclusion. The final performances are at 8 p.m., Feb. 16-17; and 2:30 p.m., Feb. 18. Ticket info here.

Thirsty Thursday, Thursday, Feb. 16, Crucible Nightclub, 9:30 p.m.: Alone on Valentine’s Day this year? Married? In some weird, goofy situationship? More importantly: Do you like jazz? Come to “Thirsty Thursday” — a new show from Cheshire Cat Comedy — to hear some of the area’s best and brightest comics and improvisers joke about their own love lives before riffing on yours, whatever its status. The best part? It’s all backed up by live piano by Noah Mailloux! Regardless if you’re heartbroken or your heart is full, your sides will be split by the end of the night. The show is hosted by Sasha Rosser, and features Michael Kittleson, Craig Smith and Samara Suomi. Tickets on Eventbrite.

Immersive Van Gogh, through Feb. 20, Greenway Station: If you've ever wanted to just fall into a scene depicted in one of Vincent Van Gogh's paintings...this traveling presentation by Lighthouse Immersive is about as close as you can get, via large-scale projections of digitally recreated incarnations of Van Gogh's works. Purchase tickets for timed entry at vangoghmadison.com; the experience is hosted at 1651 Deming Way, Middleton, in the Greenway Station retail center. If you haven't seen it yet, don't wait; the final days of the residency are Feb. 17-20.

Loud 'N Unchained Black QTDisabled Showcase, Friday, Feb. 17, Pinney Library, 6 p.m.: Loud 'N Unchained Theater Company celebrates Black History Month with a variety show featuring poetry, music, drag and more. Performers include Alexander the Decent, Sarah B, T.S. Banks, DJ Femme Noir, Shasparay Irvin, Basal Jones, Lexy Linez, SunShine Raynebow, MiMi Sanchez, R.B. Simon, Amethyst Von Trollenberg and Warrior Priestess Alikz, and an artist market featuring work by LGBTQ+ and disabled artists will be open until 8 p.m. Also: T.S. Banks leads a writing workshop focusing on poetry by Black queer, trans and disabled poets, at noon, Feb. 18, also at Pinney; find more info on both events at lnutheaterco.com.

Stephen Perkins: Mining the Archive, through April 9, Overture Center-James Watrous Gallery; reception Feb. 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m.: Prints, ephemera, and accordion books from the collection of artist and curator Stephen Perkins will be joined by even more accordion books from Kiki Smith, Kara Walker, Richard Long, Bea Nettles, Guillermo Gomez-Pena and Anish Kapoor, among others. The display highlights “activities that operate outside the traditional gallery system,” according to Perkins. A reception will take place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Feb. 17. Current hours: noon-6 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday.

Madison Symphony Orchestra, February 17-19, Overture Hall: Benjamin Grosvenor performs Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor in his debut with Madison Symphony Orchestra. The MSO also performs Jessie Montgomery's Coincident Dances, inspired by the sounds of New York City, and Antonín Dvořák's 6th Symphony, lovely with that composer's trademark lyricism. Seriously, you can't go wrong with this one. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday; a prelude discussion by Randal Swiggum begins one hour before each concert. Find tickets at overture.org.

Mardi Gras at North Street, Feb. 17-18, North Street Cabaret, 8 p.m.: If you can't be in New Orleans for Fat Tuesday (or don't want to party hard on a school night), this pair of weekend shows may be just what the doctor (John, presumably) ordered. The New Orleans Tribute, led by trombonist Darren Sterud, will play music from the Big Easy's long history of jazz classics on Friday. Saturday brings funky brass from Mama Digdown's Brass Band. Tickets include food (jambalaya on Friday, smoked sausage on Saturday).

It's Okay To Be Different, Saturday, Feb. 18, Overture Center-Capitol Theater, 2 p.m.: Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia presents this production based on stories from three children's books by Todd Parr. Designed for very young audiences, in It's Okay To Be Different Parr's colorful illustrations are brought to life with puppetry, accompanied by music by Asif Illyas and narration by Rebecca Thomas. The show is intended to be a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere for all, including support for those with sensory processing needs. Find more info and tickets at overture.org.

Finder and the North Star, Feb. 18-March 5, Madison Youth Arts Center: As part of the statewide World Premiere Wisconsin festival, Children's Theater of Madison presents a new work by Erica Berman. In Finder and the North Star, a wish leads to a magical journey with a surprise at the end...and some lessons learned along the way. Appropriate for ages 9 and up, it's on stage from Feb. 18-March 5, with performances at 2:30 and 7 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Find more info at ctmtheater.org.

A Celebration of Black Music, Saturday, Feb. 18, Majestic, 7 p.m.: Music Makes a Difference is hosting this concert, featuring the music of legends ranging from Otis and Aretha to Jay-Z and Lil Wayne...and that's just a sample. Performers include Raquel Aleman, Eli Blakely, Rob Dz, Juciee Monroe and Soup (from Supa Friends), all joining the house band for the evening, Don't Mess With Cupid. DJ Phil Money spins. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated for Kujichagulia Madison.

Madison Mystery Tour, Saturday, Feb. 18, Barrymore, 7:30 p.m.: Live music is always good, and Beatles music is always good, so live Beatles music is de facto doubly good. That’s true even if it isn't the Beatles playing it, which isn't possible anyway. The “ Red Album ” is an early years greatest hits compilation (1962-1966) and cover band Madison Mystery Tour will be playing songs collected on it, joined by a chamber string and winds section. Revolver is the last studio album included, and the performance will concentrate on that landmark album. Aside from that, tomorrow never knows. Tickets at barrymorelive.com.

Akua + Juana + Sassmouth, Saturday, Feb. 18, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: From the folks behind the Musique Électronique stage at La Fête de Marquette every summer, the Remain in Night concert series regularly brings international-level talent to play Madison clubs. That's certainly the case with this triple bill of producers, including rising techno star Akua, whose busy 2022 included sets at various festivals in Europe and club dates across the U.S.; D.C.-based house and techno expert Juana; and the return of Sassmouth, a 2019 La Fête performer. More info at remaininnight.com.

Femmestival, Feb. 19 and 26, Garver Feed Mill: Femmestival, the annual food/art hybrid, is back for a third year. The traditional Femmestival event (11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Feb. 19) will once again spotlight food from womxn, femme and non-binary-identifying entrepreneurs, and it's quite likely you'll find something that will make you swoon, made by a small producer you hadn't known existed, including vegan goodies from East Side Cakes, Indian dishes from Ember Foods and Filipino food from Meat on the Street. A second Sunday has been added this year (noon-8 p.m., Feb. 26), with music taking over for the culinary arts. Visual artists will also be selling their creations both weekends. Find more info on participants at facebook.com/garverevents.

United Way Bluegrass Benefit, Sunday, Feb. 19, Barrymore, 1 p.m.: For more than 20 years this benefit for United Way of Dane County has been the best excuse to get out of the February cold and hunker in for a splendid afternoon of Wisconsin bluegrass. Five bands are on the bill. Annie & the Oakies are the new incarnation of long-time favorites The Oak Street Ramblers. The kids music kingpin David Landau puts a bluegrass spin on original and classic children’s songs. Landau gets decidedly more grown up when he joins The Cork 'n Bottle String Band, Madison’s longest running and most irreverent bluegrass practitioners. Things get hyper-traditional with the crack instrumentalists and harmony singers in Chicken Wire Empire, before Madison favorites SpareTime Bluegrass close the show.

Love Released Again, Sunday, Feb. 19, Central Library, 2 p.m.: The Wisconsin Book Festival kicks off 2023 with a launch event for new books by three local authors. We Eat to Remember: Soul Food Poetry is the latest collection by former Madison poet laureate Fabu Phillis Carter. Sherry Lucille, author of the “Love Trilogy” series, returned in 2022 with Falling, a novel about a relationship between people with different world views and pasts that intervene. Flight of the Blackbird, Part 1 is the latest from Catrina J. Sparkman.

Kings of Thrash, Sunday, Feb. 19, Majestic Theatre, 8 p.m.: Thrash metal has gone through multiple iterations since emerging in the early 1980s, but Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth have long been hailed as the genre’s “Big Four.” Now, two former Megadeth members (hence, considered “kings of thrash”) are touring together to perform two of the band’s classic albums in their entirety. Bassist David Ellefson and guitarist Jeff Young will resurrect the 1985 debut Killing Is My Business…and Business Is Good! and 1988’s So Far, So Good…So What! in all their ellipses and exclamation points glory. “The MEGA Years” tour also will feature Chaz Leon on lead vocals/guitar and Fred Aching on drums; another former Megadeth guitarist, Chris Poland, is expected to make a special appearance. Next-generation American thrashers Hatriot will open the proceedings.

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