What to do in Madison this weekend: Andrea Potos, Tubal Cain album release and more Isthmus Picks

by

WIAA State Boys Basketball Tournament, March 20-22, Kohl Center: The final four teams in each of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association’s five boys divisions travel to Madison for one of the state’s high school incarnations of March Madness. Several regional teams are in this year’s tournament: Lake Mills takes on Milwaukee Academy of Science in the second game of the first session, 1:35 p.m. on March 20; defending Div. 4 champs Mineral Point faces Aquinas in the second game of the 6:35 p.m. session on March 20; Madison Abundant Life Christian School meets Sheboygan Lutheran in the second game of the 9:05 a.m. session on March 21; and Waunakee matches up with Marshfield in the second game of the 6:35 p.m. session on March 21. (Area teams in the girls tournament finals last weekend in Green Bay included Edgewood, defeated by Wauwatosa East, and Barneveld, who lost to Assumption.) Max Raimer of Sun Prairie East will participate in the 3-point challenge at 9:30 a.m. on March 22. Find a full schedule and tickets at wiaawi.org.

Badger State Nationals, through March 22, Alliant Energy Center-Coliseum, 6 p.m.: Have you ever been to a demolition derby? It seems like something that should take place outside. But if the Coliseum can handle a monster truck rally it is surely large enough for a demo derby. The Badger State Nationals will take place there featuring stock cars, trucks and vans. This noisy barrage may be your form of virtual road rage, or it just may be your jam. Give it a try here, before this art form takes over The Kennedy Center. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

Unjust Deeds: The History of Racial Covenants in Dane County and Beyond, through March 31, Belleville Library; presentation March 20, 6 p.m.: Racial covenants were a 20th century method of enforcing segregation with deed restrictions on property; Dane County was not immune from this form of racism. The Dane County Historical Society has created a traveling exhibit, “Unjust Deeds,” that details the findings of a historical study undertaken by Dane County Planning and Development and community partners. The exhibit will be at various libraries around the county for the next year, and currently is at Belleville Library through March. DCHS executive director Rick Bernstein will talk and present a slide show about the history at 6 p.m. on March 20. Find a list of future library stops at danecountyhistory.org/racial-covenants.

Joe E. Meisel, Thursday, March 20, Leopold’s Books, 6 p.m.: In the new Cornell Press book The Marlin's Fiery Eye and Other Tales from the Extraordinary World of Marine Fishes, author Joe E. Meisel provides an introduction to the many dwellers in the ocean, and considers solutions to the threats to their habitat. Meisel has an extensive background in conservation as vice president of the Madison- and Ecuador-based nonprofit Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Conservation. At this book launch event, readings will take place at 6 and 7 p.m., introduced by Madison authors Heather Swan and James Edward Mills, along with some video of fish from the book.

Wherever Home Is, through April 13, Overture Center-James Watrous Gallery: The latest exhibit at the Watrous Gallery was guest-curated by Amal Azzam and Nayfa Naji, Palestinian-Americans from Milwaukee who collaborate as Fanana Banana to raise the profile of American Muslim and Middle Eastern and North African artists in the Milwaukee area. For “Wherever Home Is,” the two chose works from 26 Wisconsin artists that explore the concept of home and a search for belonging — an ever more complicated question. A closing reception includes a panel with Azzam and Naji and artists Issis Macias, Nada Alzalloum and Ellie Garry, from 3-5 p.m. on April 13.

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, through March 23, Overture Center: Neil Diamond retired from the road in 2018 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, but this touring production of A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical reminds us that good times never seemed so good whenever songs like “Sweet Caroline” and “Cracklin’ Rosie” were playing. Created in collaboration with Diamond, this two-hour-and-15-minute jukebox musical is named after the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner’s 1976 album, Beautiful Noise. It is built around a series of therapy sessions during which Diamond’s character reacts to his own lyrics as they are read by his psychiatrist. Expect to hear the biggest hits, and a few deeper cuts, too. Performances at 7:30 p.m. on March 20-21, 2 and 7:30 p.m. on March 22 and 1 and 6:30 p.m., March 23. Tickets at overture.org.

POSTPONED: Arsenic and Old Lace, through March 22, Bartell Theatre: Of the 1930s situation comedies, Arsenic and Old Lace is the one that most deserves to be a classic. The absurd plot — two elderly sisters poison their lonely male boarders out of some combination of sympathy and pity — is humanized by a cast of oddballs including nephew Teddy, who believes himself to be Teddy Roosevelt (the role involves “quite a lot of charging up and down stairs”) and “normal” nephew Mortimer, the supposedly sane center the rest of the characters revolve around. As Mortimer discovers his aunts' secret, bodies are switched and hijinx ensue in the best way. This OUT!Cast Theatre production is a fundraiser for Madison Theatre Guild, Madison’s oldest community theater. Bully! Tickets at bartelltheatre.org. UPDATE: March 20-22 performances moving to 8 p.m., March 27-28 and 2 p.m., March 29.

Scammed! through March 24, TNW Ensemble Theater: Thousands of people daily in the United States get conned by pros. What if someone decided to give the con artists a taste of their own medicine? That’s the premise of Scammed!, a new play written by TNW Ensemble Theater co-founder Danielle Dresden. Performances are at the theater at 7:30 p.m. on March 21-22 and 2:30 p.m., March 22-23. Tickets at tickettailor.com.

Twin Talk, Friday, March 21, North Street Cabaret, 8 p.m.: The members of Chicago trio Twin Talk — bassist Katie Ernst, drummer Andrew Green, and saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi — play off one another in seeming telepathic fashion on the 2024 album Twin Talk Live. Despite the title, it is a studio album recorded live during several mini-sessions, to capture the band’s improvisatory prowess in a controlled environment…which succeeded mightily. Catch them in a less controlled environment, North Street Cabaret, for a BlueStem Jazz concert. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

Wurk, Friday, March 21, Crystal Corner, 9 p.m.: Wurk is Madison’s jam-tastic ode to the likes of Phish and Umphrey’s McGee. But the two-time MAMA Artist of the Year has serious jazz chops as well as astral guitar noodling. The core members grew up together in Mount Horeb and play every show together like they’re the life of their own party. With St. Paul band JoJo Green, another outfit bringing the groove to roots music.

Automatic Lover, Saturday, March 22, Red Rooster, 8 p.m.: Automatic Lover is among a handful of recently coalesced bands quickly building a buzz in the Madison music scene, and it’s easy to understand why when you learn what bands the players are pulled from: beloved barnburners such as Smokin' with Superman, Youngblood Brass Band, the Funkee JBeez, and other high-energy outfits. With this crew, expect a playful blend of sounds to make you move, from deep funk to a variety of Latin styles to horn rock; a pair of initial recordings from a forthcoming album can be sampled on YouTube. Along with DJ Francis Medrano, this one should blow the roof off the Rooster. Tickets at redroostermadison.com.

Tubal Cain album release, Saturday, March 22, Crystal Corner, 9 p.m.: Madison metal veterans Tubal Cain are back with their second full-length album, Slime Abyss, the release of which has certainly been eagerly awaited by angels and demons alike. This time around, the band’s unique mixture of black metal, thrash, and guitar melodicism is getting the chance to be heard around the world, as the album is being released by the German label Darkness Shall Rise Productions on LP, CD and cassette. Check out the second single, “Drifting To The Black Sun,” on YouTube. With Zipper, DJ Heavy Eye.

Andrea Potos, Sunday, March 23, Mystery to Me, 10 a.m.: If 10 a.m. seems like an odd time for a poetry reading, know that instead of the tired wine and cheese trope, this is tea with Andrea Potos, which seems quite appropriate if you are familiar with this longtime Madison poet. Potos’ latest collection is Two Emilys, poems that meditate on Emily Dickinson and Emily Bronte, those two solitary, reclusive yet explosive writers. They are both muses to Potos, who has received five Outstanding Achievement Awards in Poetry from the Wisconsin Library Association, as well as numerous other awards. Free, but space is limited so RSVP at mysterytomebooks.com; there is also a livestream available.

Shadowgrass, Sunday, March 23, High Noon Saloon, 7 p.m.: The five members of Shadowgrass are only in their early 20s, but the band’s history goes back more than a decade. Their 2024 album, All That Will, offers their own singular take on the bluegrass tradition, showcasing masterful ensemble playing, surprising tempo shifts, speedy but controlled picking, and near-psychedelic jams. Catch them now before they’re playing much bigger rooms. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.  

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

Editor's note: This post has been updated to reflect the postponement of Arsenic and Old Lace.