What to do in Madison this week: Pink Mountaintops 'Some Like It Hot' and more Isthmus Picks

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Pink Mountaintops, Monday, Nov. 10, Gamma Ray, 8 p.m.: It’s been a few years since the last Pink Mountaintops album, but Stephen McBean has since offered a series of singles, including bracing rockers “She’s a Drone” and “Paranoia.” For the “Boombox Boogie” tour McBean (also of Black Mountain) is playing solo along with some electronic assistance. The Madison show also includes a solo set by Wendy Schneider, the new classical-experimental-ambient ensemble Aveka Patenoogian, and between-sets spinning by The Real Jaguar. Tickets at gammaray.bar.

The Foe and the Fallen: Stories From the Greatest War, Tuesday, Nov. 11, Barrymore, 7 p.m.: History doesn’t have to only exist in a textbook — sometimes an amp or two helps tell the story. “The Foe and the Fallen” is a concert mixing music (by The Kissers) and history, reprising the 2018 production “The Greatest War.” It brings to life the voices of everyday Wisconsinites who lived through World War I: Soldiers, factory workers, resisters and others. Tickets at barrymorelive.com.

Tom Curry, Mark Hetzler + UW Low Brass Ensemble, Tuesday, Nov. 11, UW Hamel Music Center-Mead Witter Hall, 7:30 p.m.: “The Meditation Series” is a concert which will trade atmosphere for applause, with listeners invited to “meditate, read, or even sleep.” Featuring the UW Low Brass Ensemble joined by co-directors Tom Curry, tuba, and Mark Hetzler, trombone, the program includes music by Kojiro Umezaki, James Fulkerson, and new works by Curry and Hetzler.

Some Like It Hot, Nov. 11-16, Overture Hall: This isn’t your forebears' Some Like It Hot — the 1959 film you may be thinking of. The Broadway adaptation keeps the setup (two musicians on the run from gangsters) but turns it into a full-on song-and-dance spectacle, with a jazzy score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray) and a script by Matthew López and Amber Ruffin. The result is a Tony-winning, razzle dazzle romp and sly reinvention — with an ending you just might not expect. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 11-14, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Nov. 16; tickets at overture.org.

Joanne Shaw Taylor, Tuesday, Nov. 11, Atwood Music Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Joanne Shaw Taylor has proven she’s more than just an award-winning, chart-topping British blues woman. Her latest album, Black & Gold (recently reissued in a deluxe edition with three new acoustic recordings), blends the singer-guitarist’s deeply felt blues with soul, Americana and even pop-rock elements. Billed as “an evening with…,” this show is likely to draw broadly from Shaw Taylor’s hefty back catalog while perhaps also featuring some smart (and surprising) covers. Tickets at theatwoodmusichall.com.

Black Film Festival, Nov. 12-15, various venues: For this year’s Black Film Festival, the Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development is collaborating with Madison Public Library to present nine films and a pair of related events. The fest kicks off with a screening of Decade of Discontent, a 2013 documentary by Madison filmmaker and author Charles Taylor about the fight for civil rights in Milwaukee in the 1960s, followed by a panel discussion (5:30 p.m., Nov. 12, Fountain of Life). Screenings continue on Nov. 13 at Pinney Library and Nov. 14 at Sequoya Library; Nov. 15 at Central Library features two recent offerings by Madison filmmaker Rafael Ragland, The Comforter (11:30 a.m.) and Echoes of Freedom (2 p.m.), both followed by a talkback with Ragland, plus the new documentary The Great American Game (4:30 p.m.) and a closing party (7 p.m.) with music by the New Gen Collective. For a full schedule and tickets, see bit.ly/madblackfilmfest.

Movement and Storytelling, Wednesday, Nov. 12, Chazen Museum of Art, 5:30 p.m.: Some artists paint; others write. Dana Tai Soon Burgess moves. The celebrated dance artist — the first choreographer-in-residence of the Smithsonian Institution — presents an evening of talk and performance. Joined by members of his company, Burgess will share stories from his memoir, Chino and the Dance of the Butterfly, and perform an excerpt from Landscapes: A Tribute to Toshiko Takaezu. RSVP at eventbrite.com.

David McGlynn, Wednesday, Nov. 12, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: Madison author David McGlynn’s first novel, Everything We Could Do — published in September and set against the backdrop of a small-town Wisconsin hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit — is based in part on his own experiences both as a young father with a son in the NICU and as a volunteer in the NICU at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton. Tender and gripping, the book (which McGlynn began writing in 2012) is a fulfilling story of parenthood, family and redemption. Fellow Madison author Laura Bird will join McGlynn in what’s bound to be an enlightening discussion. While this event is free, RSVPs are encouraged; it also will be livestreamed via Crowdcast; find links at mysterytomebooks.com.

Messer Chups, Wednesday, Nov. 12, The Annex, 6:30 p.m.: From record titles such as Twin Peaks Twist, Church of Reverb and Taste the Blood of Guitaracula in their extensive discography, you may get the sense that Messer Chups are into vintage horror/trash pop culture and guitar music. It’s a happily correct guess, as the Russian trio tosses surf-y instrumentals, lounge attitude, audio samples, and more into a blender for their catchy and fun musical melange. The Broken Boards and the one-man frenzy of ROBOMAN are appropriate local openers. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

ARTMS, Wednesday, Nov. 12, Orpheum, 7:30 p.m.: Concerts by K-pop stars are few and far between in Madison, making this tour stop by ARTMS an event for fans of the genre. The quintet was formed by members of Loona when that group was derailed by a contract fight, and ARTMS quickly found their footing with the 2024 debut album DALL. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Gutenberg! The Musical! through Nov. 30, Overture-Playhouse: If a couple of newbies staging an implausible Broadway musical sounds like a plot you’ve heard before (The Producers), you’re not entirely wrong. But unlike the protagonists in the storied Mel Brooks comedy, the two behind this unlikely show, Bud and Doug, truly believe in its worth. Gutenberg! The Musical!, about the inventor of the printing press and his love for his assistant, Helvetica, is a charmer. This Forward Theater production is directed by Jen Uphoff Gray; performances are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday (no shows Nov. 26-27), 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday (no early show Nov. 8) and 2 p.m. Sunday, plus 2 p.m. Nov. 28. Tickets at overture.org.

Women’s Work, through Nov. 26, Giant Jones Brewery; reception Nov. 13, 5-7 p.m.: As if one needed another reason to head to the tasting room at Giant Jones, this showcase of all the 2025 applicants to the Women Artists Forward Prize is one that’s non-beer related. The space has good lighting designed for art displays (and great beer to sip while enjoying the art). The Forward Art Prize from the Women Artists Forward Fund addresses gender inequity in the arts, supporting women-identifying visual artists in Dane County. The reception will take place from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13,; the two winners of $10,000 prizes and five finalists of $1,000 prizes will be announced at 5:30 p.m.

John McDermott, Thursday, Nov. 13, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: Born and raised in Madison, author John McDermott now lives in Texas but returns to his hometown to celebrate the release of his debut novel. Set partially in Superior, Wis., but mostly in 1956-era Manhattan, The Last Spirits of Manhattan is based on a true story about an allegedly haunted house in which Alfred Hitchcock hosts a star-studded party. McDermott will be joined in conversation by Madison journalist and author Doug Moe. The free event also will be livestreamed via Crowdcast; links at mysterytomebooks.com.

Hildaland, Thursday, Nov. 13, North Street Cabaret, 7 p.m.: Hildaland is a duo of award-winning instrumentalists — fiddler Louise Bichan, born in Scotland, and mandolinist Ethan Setiawan, born in Indiana — who tackle traditional tunes from both places with their own fresh interpretations, along with writing new music. Their forthcoming EP, Fiddle Tunes, gets fairly progressive on a reinvention of the traditional song “The Brushy Fork of John’s Creek”; other cuts are a bit more straightforward, and all allow their careful musical interplay to shine. They’re visiting Madison as part of the Sugar Maple Concert Series; tickets at eventbrite.com.

Little Women, Nov. 13-23, UW Vilas Hall-Mitchell Theatre: If there is a limit to what material can be turned into a musical, Broadway has not located it yet. Little Women, based on the iconic novel by Louisa May Alcott, puts fledgling writer Jo March’s aspirations and heartaches to song. As literary sisters to generations of American girls, Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth are relatable models as they cope with the Civil War, poverty, jealousy and loss. University Theatre performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, plus 2 p.m. on Nov. 22. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

inertia follies, through Nov. 23, Broom Street Theater: Directed by performance artist Chelsea Gaspard, “inertia follies” focuses on experimental performance art, “across multiple disciplines,” according to Gaspard. Gaspard will perform Molting in a Saturn Shell, about “the vulnerability of shedding layers of Self within a hostile environment.” The show will also include work by Malcolm McCanles, Andrieu Todd, Spenser Wise and Kate Wydeven, and Gaspard calls it a “living, breathing experiment, [that] will develop according to the selected artists.” Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

The 39 Steps, through Nov. 30, American Players Theatre-Touchstone, Spring Green: This adaptation of both the novel by John Buchan and the film thriller by Alfred Hitchcock goes for comedy as it asks just four actors to play all the characters…sometimes multiple characters at the same time. Audiences should be in good hands for The 39 Steps, with Marcus Truschinski, Laura Rook, Nate Burger and Casey Hoekstra. In repertory, Oct. 22-Nov. 30; many shows are already sold out, so don’t sleep on tickets: americanplayers.org.

The Gulf, through Nov. 22, Bartell Theatre: StageQ takes on this Lambda Literary Award-winner by Audrey Cefaly. The Gulf examines a committed lesbian relationship from the confines of a small rowboat. Out looking for fish, the two women converse, at first desultorily, then with deeper undercurrents. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (except 2 p.m. on Nov. 22) and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

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