What to do in Madison this week: March 30-April 2, 2026

Congress the Band, Alex Edelman and more Isthmus Picks

by

Arts

  • Alex Edelman, Monday, March 30, Comedy on State, 6 and 8:30 p.m.: Stand-up comedian Alex Edelman made a big splash with his one-man show, Just for Us, built around a true story of attending a white nationalist meeting in Brooklyn. (Sample one-liner: “Nothing says white privilege more than a Jew walking into a meeting of racists and thinking ‘this will probably be fine.'”) After moving to Broadway the show won a special Tony Award in 2024, and the filmed version for HBO picked up an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special. Edelman also writes for and is a cast member of The Paper, a spinoff from the Office universe. Tickets at madisoncomedy.com.
  • Jerry Ensemble Cabaret, Monday, March 30, Overture-Promenade Hall, 6 and 8 p.m.: Named for Madison arts philanthropist W. Jerome Frautschi, who died in January, the Jerry Ensemble brings together standout high school musical theater performers from across Wisconsin for a cabaret-style evening at Overture Center (a venue built thanks to a $205 million gift from Frautschi). Drawn from student musical theater performers participating in the The Jerry Awards, the two cabaret performances feature singers from southern Wisconsin high schools tackling a mix of Broadway classics and newer show tunes. It’s a chance to hear some of the region’s most promising young theater voices before they head off to stages in college and beyond. Tickets at overture.org.
  • Greg Zelek + MSO musicians, Tuesday, March 31, Overture Hall, 7:30 p.m.: A concert organ, built to shake the rafters, is usually the loudest instrument in the room. For the final edition of this season’s Overture Concert Organ series, it takes a more intimate turn. Madison Symphony Orchestra principal organist Greg Zelek is joined by nine MSO colleagues — Leanne Kelso and Hillary Hempel, violin; Christopher Dozoryst, viola; Karl Lavine, cello; David Scholl, bass; Izumi Amemiya, oboe; JJ Koh, clarinet; Cynthia Cameron, bassoon; and Emma Potter, horn — for chamber-scale works that let the instrument blend rather than dominate. Handel’s G minor Organ Concerto appears alongside music by Mozart and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, giving several orchestra musicians a chance to step forward as soloists. Tickets at overture.org.
  • Overture Galleries spring exhibitions, through May 24 or 31, Overture Center (reception April 30, 5:30-8:30 p.m.): Possibly the best public galleries in town are hallways in the Overture Center, with patrons passing by on all levels of the building and a careful, creative curation always at play. This spring’s exhibits encompass a consideration of space, the language of love, and world landscapes, from artists Katherine Steichen Rosing, Sandra Schoen, Susan Dupor, Valerie Savarie, Gerit Grimm, Matthew Warren Lee, Mack Bo Ross and DarRen Morris. Bonus! Madison’s book-making group, The Bone Folder’s Guild, displays its members’ art books in the Playhouse Gallery. A reception takes place from 5-8 p.m. April 30; artists will speak at 6 p.m. on the Rotunda Stage.
  • Lisa Avelleyra, Wednesday, April 1, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: UW-Madison journalism alum Lisa Avelleyra returns to the city that inspired her debut mystery novel, Shelved (recently published by Mineral Point’s Little Creek Press). The story is set in 1999, when theft, infidelity and murder rock a tranquil — and fictitious — Madison bookstore. Every suspect has a secret, and as Shelved unfolds, Avelleyra explores how the stories we tell ourselves can obscure the most important truths. This is a free event, but online RSVPs are encouraged; it will also be livestreamed via Crowdcast; find links at mysterytomebooks.com.
  • Wilder Deitz’s American Canon, Wednesdays, April 1-May 20, Muso, 7 p.m.: Madison musician and educator Wilder Deitz has been playing a variety of instruments and composing in a variety of genres from an early age. For “American Canon,” Deitz will pull together seemingly disparate musical threads and examine their connections in a series of performances-lectures. Deitz will be joined by bassist John Minnich, saxophonist Nathan France, and guests.
  • CHEW, Wednesday, April 1, Goodman Community Center, 7 p.m.: In mid-February the weather was springlike and boded well for maple syrup production (cold nights, temperate days) and buckets started appearing on maples. Since then we have had 70 degree days and a blizzard. What does this seesawing do to maple syrup production? The Culinary History Enthusiasts of Wisconsin (CHEW) investigates, bringing UW-Madison Extension Forestry program member Scott Hershberger for a talk titled "Less Sweet But Still Flowing: Maple Syrup and Climate Change." It’s not just the weird weather. Deer — too many! — are also changing the maple syrup ecosystem.
  • Congress the Band. Wednesday, April 1, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: The series of singles released over the last couple years by Congress the Band, a five-piece hailing from South Carolina, display a blend of laid-back indie rock sheen, some Southern rock guitar bite, and soulful lead vocals. They’re joined by two other up-and-coming touring artists, Los Angeles quintet Common People (who have an EP on the way via Cage the Elephant guitarist Brad Shultz’s label) and Zane Christopher. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.
  • Marna Brauner + Hai Chi Jihn, Lillian Luft, through April 12, James Watrous Gallery: Paired exhibitions at the Wisconsin Academy’s James Watrous Gallery will consider the curatorial instinct and the clashing human drives of ecological conservation and plunder. “Curio” is a collaboration by Marna Brauner and Hai Chi Jihn, who assembled a “cabinet of curiosities” consisting of found objects in conversation with small, detail-oriented pieces created by the artists. “Deliberate Acts” by Lillian Luft was inspired by the history of native mussel overharvesting in the 19th century, and “poignantly evokes mussels’ bodies and the spaces they inhabited.” Gallery hours are noon-5 p.m. Thursday-Sunday.
  • Janeane Garofalo, April 2-4, Comedy on State: Remember Janeane Garofalo? She was the "it" female comedian of the '90s, iconic in roles like deadpan roommate in Reality Bites; in the early 2000s she was a well-known political commentator thanks to her Air America Radio show. Things have been more quiet of late, but Garofalo is still at it with the same droll edge. Shows at 7 p.m. April 2-3 and at 7 and 9:30 p.m. April 4; check for any remaining tickets at madisoncomedy.com.
  • Corpus Christi, through April 4, Bartell Theatre: The play Corpus Christi, written by celebrated American playwright Terrence McNally, reimagines the story of Jesus Christ and his disciples as gay men in modern day Texas. Unsurprisingly, the play has often been subject to protests by the Christian right. StageQ’s production will incorporate themes of the current persecution of the transgender community by political conservatives. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (except 2 p.m. on April 4) and 2 p.m. Sunday; tickets at bartelltheatre.org.
  • The Butter and Egg Man, through April 4, Bartell Theatre: If folks know George S. Kaufman’s work these days, it’s probably for the early 20th century comedies The Man Who Came to Dinner and You Can’t Take it With You, written with Moss Hart. The Butter and Egg Man is Kaufman’s only solo play, a comedy (naturally) about a dreamer trying to hit it big on Broadway. Madison Theatre Guild takes on this lesser-known bauble, with shows at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday (except 2 p.m. on April 4) and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

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