What to do in Madison this weekend: Flannel Fest, 'The Marriage of Figaro' and more Isthmus Picks

by

WIAA State High School Football Championships, Nov. 20-21, Camp Randall Stadium: Every November, Camp Randall turns into a temple of teenage glory when the WIAA State Football Championships bring the best high school teams in Wisconsin to Madison for two days of grit and pure heart. It’s part pep rally, part rite of passage — and whether you’re cheering for your alma mater or just chasing that Friday-night-lights feeling, there’s nothing quite like it. The closest teams to the Madison area to root for are in Division 6 (Darlington takes on Edgar at 1 p.m. Nov. 20) and Division 3 (Reedsburg faces Grafton at 10 a.m. Nov. 21). Games begin at 10 a.m.; find tickets at gofan.co.

Planets as Stars, through Nov. 22, ART House 360, Verona: Theatre LILA returns with Planets as Stars, a one-woman show from Gina Cornejo and directed by ART House 360 founder Jessica Lanius. Cornejo, an assistant director at American Players Theatre, is also a performer and storyteller as well as a “self-proclaimed professional feelings-haver.” This evening of immersive storytelling deals with intimate topics like divorce and later-life queerness. But also, dance breaks! Shows are at 7 p.m. Thursday-Friday and 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets at theatrelila.com.

Words with Nerds, Thursday, Nov. 20, Crucible, 7 p.m.: This recurring variety show from Cheshire Cat Comedy mixes talks by experts on wide-ranging topics with stand-up and other entertainment. This month’s wild card is burlesque performer Amara Sky, who starred in a past event as Bill Nye getting down with it. Subjects include research on nurse sharks by UW-Madison associate professor Aaron LeBeau, a discussion of the Rapture as depicted in theology and Hollywood by UW-Stevens Point associate professor (and Slashback Cinema podcast host) Shanny Luft, and snake reproduction by UW doctoral candidate (and Atlas Improv member) Holly Rucker. Sasha Rosser hosts. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

Johnny Chimes Trio, Thursday, Nov. 20, North Street Cabaret, 7 p.m.: Johnny Chimes is a Madison music scene mainstay playing solo piano and singing New Orleans-styled blues, with a residency at Louisianne’s in Middleton for three decades and counting. Chimes also plays acoustic guitar, which will be the focus of an upcoming album release. Get a preview of some of the album’s songs at this trio concert, also featuring Tom McCarty (Birddog Blues Band) on bass and Al Falaschi (Steely Dane) on drums. 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.

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 and 2 p.m. Sunday, plus 2 p.m. Nov. 28. Read Lauren Hafeman’s review here. Tickets at overture.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.

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.

UW Dance Department Faculty Concert, Nov. 20-22, UW Lathrop Hall-H'Doubler Performance Space: UW-Madison Dance Department’s Faculty Concert 2025 will feature work from Omari Carter, Li Chiao-Ping, Bradford Chin, Kate Corby and Chris Walker, as well as from guest artist Holly Johnston. The works range from a project of Carter’s, filmed during a residency in Wales, to Chin’s work with subtitles to create dance aiming for greater accessibility. And as usual, Li Chaio-Ping’s contribution shows vulnerability as well as athleticism. Overall, the program demonstrates the breadth at play in the department. Shows are at 8 p.m. Nov. 20-21 and at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 22. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

Low Czars 20th anniversary, Thursday, Nov. 20, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: It started as a one-off cover band for a wedding, and yet the band that’s been described as a “power-pop/garage-rock/R&B/psych institution” (and not by us, either, but by Tone Madison) is still at it two decades later. (Isthmus calendar editor Bob Koch is a vocalist and guitarist with the band.) You might hear a song you recognize, but more often the setlist is peppered with deep cuts from cult favorites or lesser known garage bands. No matter the song, the performances are good natured, tuneful, rocking and surprising in equal measure. The Apologists, who have described themselves as “garage country,” open. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Bad Pedophile + Sex House, Thursday, Nov. 20, Bartell Theatre, 8 p.m.: Screening the 2025 mockumentary Bad Pedophile, focusing on Jeffrey Epstein, at what could be (but may not even yet be) the height of the furor over the release of various documents revealing the extent of the dead multi-millionaire's sex crimes is, newswise, great timing — though it does provoke the inevitable question: Too soon? The film was released by The Onion, and the CEO of that organization has called the film “deeply stupid” as well as “the funniest thing I’ve seen all year.” It’s obviously not meant to be taken seriously, yet isn’t that kind of the problem with the whole Epstein files release saga? YMMV. It’s paired with 2012’s Sex House, a satire of reality shows, also from The Onion. The films are part of an ongoing film series at The Bartell; tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Flannel Fest, Friday, Nov. 21, Barrymore, 6 p.m.: The annual Flannel Fest concert is a reliable source for top roots music bands, while doubling as a fundraiser for the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund. This year’s headliners, The Record Company, will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of their debut album with a 2026 tour, but are heading to Wisconsin first for these two shows (Flannel Fest also heads north to Tanner’s Bar in Kimberly on Nov. 22). The lineup also includes Minneapolis trio American Scarecrows and stellar bands featuring Flannel Fest’s founders, Erik Kjelland (with The Mascot Theory) and the Beth Kille Band. Tickets at flannelfest.com.

Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra + Festival Choir of Madison, Nov. 21-22, Bethel Lutheran Church: There are holiday concerts, and then there’s George Frideric Handel's Messiah. It’s an annual event that resets your internal clock — the moment you realize, “Oh, it’s that time again.” The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and Festival Choir of Madison bring it back each year not because they have to, but because it still works: the way the strings flicker in “For Unto Us a Child Is Born,” the quiet ache before the “Hallelujah” breaks loose. It’s hard to explain why a piece written in 1741 still hits so hard in 2025, but maybe it’s this: hope sounds just as compelling no matter the century. Performances at 7 p.m. on Nov. 21 and 2 p.m. on Nov. 22. Tickets at overture.org.

Jeff Tweedy, Friday, Nov. 21, UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Jeff Tweedy didn’t invent alt-country exactly, but he was definitely there, recording one of the movement's cornerstone albums: Uncle Tupelo’s No Depression. You could say his next band, Wilco, brought Americana mainstream. His latest, Twilight Override, a 30-song, three-disc album, is a lot. But there are few troubadours better equipped to address the current state of the nation that has, for better or worse, been his muse. While this is sometimes downtempo, there’s hope here, too. Tweedy’s sons Spencer and Sammy are also in the band. This is likely to sell out well ahead of showtime. Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist Macie Stewart opens. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

Le nozze di Figaro, Nov. 21-25, UW Music Hall: There’s a reason Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) never leaves the stage. It’s Mozart at his most human — funny, flawed, and full of heart. Based on a once-scandalous play (banned in France for daring to question class and privilege) by Pierre Beaumarchais, the opera turns a household power struggle into something timeless: a story about love, pride, forgiveness, and the occasional bout of chaos. With some of the most luminous music ever written, Figaro still feels fresh more than two centuries later — a reminder that wit and empathy never go out of style. University Opera performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 21-22 and 25, and 2 p.m., Nov. 23. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

Tandem Press Holiday Open House, Saturday, Nov. 22, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.: This fine art printmaking studio is a Madison treasure — it has worked with artists from Jim Dine to Dyani White Hawk. Its annual holiday open house is a great way to see the equipment and printmakers in action as well as purchase prints. At 11 a.m. Alexandra Riesco will demonstrate intaglio printing, at 11:45 a.m. Patrick Smyczek will demo screen printing and at 12:30 Jason Ruhl will show relief printing. Also check out the current gallery exhibit featuring prints by Derrick Adams; the fine detail of his work is best appreciated in person rather than on a screen.

Radical Family: Trailblazing Lesbian Moms Tell Their Stories, Saturday, Nov. 22, Harmony Bar, 4 p.m.: “Much of this book takes place at a time when the idea of lesbian motherhood was widely considered selfish, unnatural, and radical,” writes Judith Houck, UW-Madison professor of history and gender and women’s studies in her introduction to this new book from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. It’s a collection of essays from mostly Madison lesbians who fought against patriarchal tradition to have kids and create their own families, decades before Obergefell. It’s edited by one of those moms, Margaret Mooney; she and her wife, Meg Gaines, tell their own story in one of the chapters. They’ll be appearing, along with contributors Shelley Gaylord, Alix Olson, Leslie Bernstein, MC Reisdorf, Denise Matyka, Margaret McMurray and Kathy Borkowski. And what better venue than The Harmony? Pizza and appetizers will be served and A Room of One's Own bookstore will be there selling copies of the book.

Zoo Lights, Nov. 22-Dec. 23, Henry Vilas Zoo: The tradition of lights in the deep midwinter, when we in the northern climate suffer from lack of daylight, makes sense. For the annual Zoo Lights event, the pleasant confines of the Henry Vilas Zoo are lit up with holiday- and animal-themed displays. Special activities included in the cost of the ticket (it’s a benefit for the normally free zoo) are unlimited carousel rides and pictures with Santa. (There’s also a special event with Henry the Lion on Dec. 7 and a sensory friendly night Dec. 10.) Snacks and drinks — even adult beverages — are available for purchase. Zoo Lights features timed entry starting at 5:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Nov. 22-Dec. 14, as well as Wednesday, Dec. 10, Thursday, Dec. 11, and nightly Dec. 16-23. Advance tickets only, available online here.

Turkey Slaughter, Saturday, Nov. 22, Crucible Madison, 7 p.m.: We’re not sure how many other cities have a holiday food drive dubbed the “Turkey Slaughter,” but now Madison does. RK Metal Promotions and Madison’s metal/punk store The Door are bringing at least four heavier-than-Thanksgiving-dinner-at-grandma’s bands together for a good cause and a pre-holiday evening of bloody headbanging. Madison's Aposticum is confirmed, along with Indiana thrashers Wrath Hammer, North Dakota extreme metal band Pursuit, and Minnesota blackened death-metal outfit Apothic. Bring at least four cans of food for the Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin for an admission discount.

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