What to do in Madison this weekend: Atsuko Okatsuka, Carnaval and more Isthmus Picks

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Madison Black Gala + Black Wall Street Marketplace, Thursday, Feb. 23, Monona Terrace: This annual event, formerly known as the Black Business Awards and hosted by the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce, highlights the importance of Black businesses in the community. Along with dinner, a dance, and the awards presentation, the evening features a keynote conversation by U.S. Black Chambers Inc. President Ron Busby Sr. and activist Opal Lee on the history of Black Wall Street and the state of Black business today. The Madison Black Gala takes place from 4:30-10:30 p.m.; find tickets at madisonblackgala.com. Preceding the Gala, from 2-4:30 p.m., the Black Wall Street Marketplace is free and open to all, featuring local artists and vendors, and also a touring exhibit from the Tulsa Historical Society & Museum about Black Wall Street.

Cecilia Zabala, Thursday, Feb. 23, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 7 p.m.: Cecilia Zabala of Buenos Aires has played the guitar since age 6. When it comes to her style and influence, it’s hard to find a box that isn’t checked. European classical guitar, Brazilian bossa nova, Chilean nueva canción, and global jazz. She entered conservatory study at 16 and has been on the faculty at the Leopoldo Marechal Art School in Buenos Aires since 1999, teaching when she’s not out on the road performing all over the world. Tickets here.

Protecting the Black Woman, through Feb. 28, Madison College-Truax Gallery : The Black Women's Affinity Group at Madison College presents the second annual exhibit in honor of the late Dzigbodi Akyea, who was an academic advisor at the college for nearly two decades. “Protecting the Black Woman” features works by Jaundy Brunswick, Keo Gathman, Paulina Ivanova, Desere Mayo, Althea Miller-Sims, DarRen Morris, Henry Obeng, Alice Traore and Jayden Yamoah.

Jesus Christ Superstar, through Feb. 26, Overture Hall: One of the most famous rock operas of all time soars into Madison for a six-day, eight-performance engagement that will remind believers and non-believers alike why it won a slew of 1972 Tony Awards when it debuted on Broadway — as well as many other honors in the ensuing years. Resurrected numerous times over the decades, Jesus Christ Superstar features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, and it is loosely based on the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The focus is on the extraordinary events that occurred during the final weeks of Jesus Christ’s life — as seen through the eyes of Judas, his betrayer. Jack Hopewell stars in the title role, with Elvie Ellis as Judas and Faith Jones as Mary. Shows at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 23; 8 p.m., Feb. 24; 2 and 8 p.m., Feb. 25; and 1 and 6 p.m., Feb. 26. Tickets at overture.org.

Jeffery McGhee + Michael Landrum, Thursday, Feb. 23, UW Hamel Music Center-Collins Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Baritone Jeffery McGhee, a former UW-Madison doctoral student, is a professor at Roberts Wesleyan College in New York; pianist Michael Landrum is a former professor at Roberts. The duo are also longtime collaborators in the field of spiritual music, including on the forthcoming album How Lovely Are Thy Dwellings. This concert, part of the Mead Witter School of Music's DEIB Festival (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging), will focus on spirituals and African American art songs. DEIB Festival events continue through April 6; find more info at deibfestival.com.

The Wolves, through Feb. 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.

Michael Perry, Thursday, Feb. 23, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 p.m.: A new television special, Michael Perry: On the Road, premieres on PBS Wisconsin on Feb. 27. Before then, though, you can see the man live and in person for an evening of his humorous and heartfelt storytelling (and perhaps some excerpts from the new novella Forty Acres Deep, released in January). Find tickets at stoughtonoperahouse.com.

Shining in Misery: A King Size Parody, Feb. 23-March 5, Overture Center-Playhouse: Certainly the high drama of suspense novelist Stephen King is ripe for parody; this mashup of two of his biggest hits, The Shining and Misery (with references to more), is also a musical. Take five people and put them in a spooky hotel in the midst of a blizzard — and give 'em a good score. This Capital City Theatre production is directed by Donald Garverick, with music by Andrew Abrams, lyrics by Mark-Eugene Garcia, and book by Colleen DuVall. Shows at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 23-25 and March 3-4 and 2 p.m., Feb. 26 and March 4-5; more info at capitalcitytheatre.org.

Chuck Prophet & Mission Express, Thursday, Feb. 23, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: San Francisco-based Chuck Prophet is a storyteller in the shape of a rock star...like if Kurt Vonnegut could rock. His artistic path has crossed on co-writes, performances, and recordings with artists as varied as Waylon Jennings, Bruce Springsteen, Alejandro Escovedo, Heart and Kim Richey. Mission Express includes Prophet’s wife and band keyboardist, Stephanie Finch, and the band flat out swings as hard as it rocks. Heads up: Prophet’s on-mic intros to his songs are as engaging as the songs themselves. With Ismay. Tickets here.

LessWork Lyrix showcase, Friday, Feb. 24, Cargo Coffee-East, 6:30 p.m.: Local hip-hop is the order of the evening for this concert featuring artists from the LessWork artists collective/lifestyle brand/entrepreneurial incubator. The bill includes the reigning Madison Area Music Awards Hip-Hop/Rap Performer of the Year, K.I.L.O aka SkitL'z; spoken word and rap artist 1neofmani; and SoultryShibon, a singer-songwriter/actress who is a recent addition to the LessWork roster.

WCHA tournament first round, Feb. 24-25, LaBahn Arena (plus Feb. 26 if needed): Thanks to winning six national championships since 2006, the UW women’s hockey program has a very high standard of excellence. But despite winning nearly 75% of their games this season, the Badgers lost nine games, the most since 2013, and are sitting in third in the WCHA standings, behind Ohio State and Minnesota. That means this weekend’s conference tournament series against Minnesota State might be fans’ last chance to see the Badgers play at home this year, as they will likely play on the road in the first round of the NCAA tournament. In four games during the regular season, the Badgers outscored the Mavericks 18-4, so fans should see plenty of pucks in the net at LaBahn Arena, which can get rowdy if Wisconsin is rolling. It’s a best-of-three series with games  at 7 p.m. on Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday, and 3:30 p.m. Sunday (only if necessary). Find tickets here.

Atsuko Okatsuka, Feb. 24-25, Comedy on State, 7:30 and 10 p.m.: A decade of doing comedy has led to grand success for Atsuko Okatsuka, with her debut HBO special, The Intruder, premiering to massive critical acclaim in December 2022. That, and the fact that she’s super famous online, has a bunch of tours under her belt, is starting the New Material Tour, and regularly slays audiences with a mix of insightful commentary on child rearing techniques, relationships and home security — and playful audience interaction. There’s a reason that last year Vulture named her one of the top 10 comedians to watch. Come watch her yourself now and see what everyone’s gushing about. Check ticket availability at madisoncomedy.com.

Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Friday, Feb. 24, Overture Center-Capitol Theater, 7:30 p.m.: If you only see the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra at Concerts on the Square in the summer, head indoors to see them in a better acoustic habitat. Here, logical bedfellows Haydn and Mozart alternate with contemporary compositions by Joan Tower and Andre Myers. Guest trumpeter Andrew Balio will perform Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto. Ticket info at wcoconcerts.org.

The French Connection, Friday, Feb. 24, Majestic, 7:30 p.m.: No rogue Popeye Doyle here: this “French Connection” is a tribute show to bands such as Air, Daft Punk and other groupes français, hosted by Madison funksters steez. They are joined by The Earthlings (reprising a recent all-Daft Punk set) and DJs Nick Nice and Wangzoom.

Finder and the North Star, through 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.

Queering Rural Spaces, through March 4, Arts + Literature Lab; reception Saturday, Feb. 25, 6-8 p.m.: Analog photographer Sarah Stellino will talk about her portraits of rural LGBTQ+ folk and the importance of raising their visibility in a region where the general thinking of America doesn't seem to place them. “Queering Rural Spaces” is on exhibit through March 4; read Christy Klein's interview with Stellino and curator Andy Adams here. Also on exhibit through March 4 and celebrated at this reception are “Awkward” by Liz Rodda and Kathleen McShane, and “Naturally” by Austin Moule.

Tribute Night, Saturday. Feb. 25, Crystal Corner Bar, 8 p.m.: This is going to be a bop. Fun tributes to groundbreaking women artists The Bangles, by Gentle Banglesaurus (aka Gentle Brontosaurus); Sarah McLachlan, by The Sad Puppies (with Emily Mills); and the Indigo Girls, by Power of Blue (featuring Annelies Howell and Dana Perry) should be better than ice cream.

Cash Box Kings, Saturday, Feb. 25, North Street Cabaret, 8 p.m.: The Cash Box Kings have long been one of the most reliably excellent blues bands going — and with band members based in both the Chicago area and Madison, local fans are well situated to get to see and hear them live on a fairly regular basis. The band’s third album for Alligator Records, Oscar’s Motel, is due out March 17, and the title track is out now as a single. It's a stomping number that sounds like it could have been recorded by Chess at 2120 S. Michigan Ave. in the 1950s, but for the giveaway of being in stereo. Tickets at Brown Paper Tickets.

Carnaval 2023, Saturday, Feb. 25, Majestic Theatre, 9 p.m.: For a quarter century, The Handphibians has been both a performing group and a community education initiative, training countless players in various forms of Brazilian percussion music. The ensemble also helps local audiences shake off the winter blahs by marking the pre-Lent celebration of Carnaval in Brazil with an annual party featuring music, dance and more. Along with The Handphibians this year's lineup includes capoeira performers, Canta, Violino (aka violinist Andrew Finn), Forró Fo Sho, Ótimo Dance and Samba Novistas. Find ticket info at madisoncarnaval.com.

Rocket Bureau, Saturday, Feb. 25, Mickey's Tavern, 10 p.m.: Madison producer/musician/man-about-town Kyle Motor is celebrating a birthday with the garagey stylings of four bands, all of which he's a member of. Featured are Rocket Bureau (straight-up rock 'n roll), The Arkoffs (speed pop; this band includes Isthmus calendar editor Bob Koch), The Back Issues (power punk), and a special appearance by The Motorz (Matthew Sweetish/Beatleish rock). Everyone 21+ is invited — please, no gifts.

Femmestival: Music Edition, Sunday, Feb. 26, Garver Feed Mill, noon-8 p.m.: Femmestival, the annual food/art hybrid, returned for a third year in its traditional form spotlighting visual art and food from womxn, femme and non-binary-identifying entrepreneurs on Feb. 19. This second Sunday added this year has music taking over for the culinary arts, and a lineup ranging from pop/rock (Gentle Brontosaurus, 7 p.m.) to hip-hop (Juciee Monroe, 6:15 p.m.) to fusion (CoMingle, 2 p.m.). A new lineup of visual artists will also be selling their creations. Find the full lineup at facebook.com/garverevents.

Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, Sunday, Feb. 26, Cafe Coda, 7 p.m.: The first Ethnic Heritage Ensemble concert took place in Chicago in 1973. Today, led by founding composer-percussionist Kahil El'Zabar, the group includes several generations of jazz players with Corey Wilkes (born in 1979) on trumpet and Alex Harding (born in 1967) on baritone sax. The trio is on tour ahead of the release of their most recent recording, Spirit Gatherer: Tribute to Don Cherry, due out in March. Tickets at cafecoda.club.

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 Donald Garverick's name.