What to do in Madison this week: The Suitcase Junket, 'Fantastic Worlds' and more Isthmus Picks

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Arts

Fantastic Worlds, July 21-Aug. 1, UW Science Hall-Robinson Map Library: Middle-earth, the fantasy world created by J.R.R. Tolkien in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, has enchanted countless readers over the years. That included cartographer Karen Wynn Fonstad, who illustrated and wrote The Atlas of Middle-earth, first published in 1981. This exhibit hosted by the UW Department of Geography will include examples of Wynn Fonstad’s hand-drawn originals and their published counterparts, along with various maps of fantasy worlds created over the years by geography students at UW. The Robinson Map Library is on the third floor of Science Hall. Wynn Fonstad’s son Mark Fonstad will discuss his mother’s life and work at 5:30 p.m. on July 24 in Room 180. More info at geography.wisc.edu.

American Aquarium, Monday, July 21, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: American Aquarium borrows its name from a line in Wilco’s “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,” and logically enough follows the alt-country route. American Aquarium has a rougher edge than Wilco and the band’s latest album, 2024’s The Fear of Standing Still, veers further toward old school country rock. Frontman BJ Barham infuses today’s political situations into his topical storytelling, enhanced by his gravelly, passionate vocals. Nashville’s Kristina Murray, who offers some female perspective with similar drive, opens. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Living, Not Just Surviving: Cass Marie Domino, through Sept. 12, UW Memorial Union-Main Gallery: Cass Marie Domino, who has had an enduring impact on Madison’s LGBTQ+ and drag communities, is the focus of this new exhibit celebrating her life as an entertainer, activist and trans woman. Through photos, personal items, a selection of her many gowns, and more, the showcase will provide a history of Domino’s illustrious 35-year career up to now, including her first title of Miss Gay Madison in 1993, her ongoing activism for HIV/AIDS causes, and her work in mentoring young drag queens. Along with a portrait of Domino’s journey, it will offer insight on the broader history of Madison’s LGBTQ+ community. The exhibition is co-curated by the Madison LGBTQ+ Archive and UW’s Open House Learning Community seminar.

“Country Music” + County Highway PD, Tuesday, July 22, Muso, 6:30 p.m.: Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns' Country Music series debuted on PBS in 2019, immersing viewers in the rich history and ongoing influence of the music genre. If you missed it at the time (or would like to revisit it), County Highway PD — the duo of guitarist Prentice Berge and fiddler Daithi Wolfe — is hosting a series at Muso screening the documentary, along with playing some songs from each episode. Next up is episode three, covering the post-World War II era dominated by Hank Williams; further episodes will screen on select Tuesdays through Oct. 7. Donations benefit PBS Wisconsin. Find more info at musomadison.com.

Jimmy and Stiggs, Tuesday, July 22 Flix Brewhouse, 7 p.m.: When an out-of-work filmmaker believes he was abducted by aliens, he recruits a buddy to help him fight back. In the hands of Jimmy and Stiggs writer-director-star Joe Begos, this set-up is rendered in a fashion over-the-top enough to gain a very influential fan: filmmaker Eli Roth, who picked Jimmy and Stiggs up for wide release as the first offering from his new company, The Horror Section. That doesn’t happen until August 15, but you can view the film early as part of a roadshow featuring a Q&A with Begos. It’s free, but tickets are required at horrorsectionstudios.com.

Habitat for Insanity, Tuesday, July 22, Mickey’s Tavern, 10 p.m.: Headlining this one is Milwaukee trio Habitat for Insanity, who play no-nonsense heavy punk rock/hardcore and who should scratch the itch of anyone needing some aggressive sounds to counter the state of the world. Along for the ride is a band called Genesis (presumably not the English prog rockers) and a pair of poets — Daryl Gussin and James Norman — touring together on the “Corn Belt, Rust Belt, Serpentine Belt” tour, described on the poster as “last-ditch poetry to cram a few more low-budget dreams into this rich-man’s nightmare.”

Wicked, through July 27, Overture Hall: One of Madison’s favorite Broadway musicals is back for an extended summer run. Based on Gregory Maguire’s novel, Wicked revisits characters from The Wizard of Oz to tell the story of an unlikely friendship between Elphaba (later known as the Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda (the “Good Witch”). It’s a tale of power, perception, and what it means to be “good.” With showstoppers like “Defying Gravity” and “For Good,” this Tony- and Grammy-winning musical blends spectacle with heart. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, plus 1 p.m. on July 10; tickets at overture.org.

The Suitcase Junket, Wednesday, July 23, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: The Suitcase Junket, the moniker attached to singer/songwriter Matt Lorenz’s one-man-band project, is the real deal — crunchy electric guitar riffs propel songs where the lonesome blues meet the hard walls of 21st century reality. It’s all heartfelt — from a guy who even builds his own instruments from found materials. His last album, The End is New (his sixth), came out in 2020; he’s now touring and testing new songs for a forthcoming recording. Hardscrabble Nashville-based troubadour Ben de la Cour makes a fitting opener. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.

Puppets in the House, July 24-27, various locations, Verona: The four-day regional festival from the nonprofit Puppeteers of America is largely for puppeteers, but Saturday, July 26, is the free community day held at Century School Park. From noon-5 p.m., visitors can take in an art market, crafts, and a puppet parade. Puppet performances will include “Pip & Squeak Go to the Show,” “A La Carte: In a Fool’s Kitchen" and "Punch & Judy.” Info on registration for puppeteers can be found at puppetsinthehouse.com.

Dance Nation, July 24-Aug. 3, UW Vilas Hall-Hemsley Theatre: Dance Nation, a play by Clare Barron, follows the members of a pre-teen competitive dance team as they create routines while creating themselves in the process of growing up. The play was a Pulitzer Prize for Drama finalist in 2019, and described by the Pulitzer jury as “refreshingly unorthodox” in depicting the joyful freedom of dance and the travails of finding oneself. Performances of this University Theatre production take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Find tickets and more info at theatre.wisc.edu.

Reconstituting, through July 26, Broom Street Theater: It’s come to our attention that Madison is attracting new residents every day, and they want to know what there is to do here. Put this on your bucket list — you can’t really say you’ve lived in Madison until you’ve seen a production at the Broom Street Theater, a long-running grassroots black box enterprise that fosters local playwrights, innovative staging and experimental everything. Reconstituting is a new play by Doug Reed that revolves around a fantastical scenario involving the United States Constitution. Now that we can keenly perceive that document’s flaws, how would you fix it if you had the chance? Reed, who’s previously penned Nottingham! and The Lamentable Tragedie of Scott Walker, will also star. Heather Renken directs. Shows are at 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Tickets are available in advance at bstonline.org, or at the door the evening of the performance. The other thing the uninitiated need to know is that, despite its name, the theater is located at 1119 Williamson St

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