What to do in Madison this weekend: Comedy Plus, Beth Kille book release party and more Isthmus Picks

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Beetlejuice, through Jan. 14, Overture Hall: Before Beetlejuice became known as the musical where a certain Colorado Republican congressperson was ejected for “causing a disturbance,” it was just a musical, and before that a 1988 Tim Burton film. In true weird Burton fashion, it’s about a deceased couple haunting their former house and the evil spirit Beetlejuice who makes everything worse. (The plot’s more complicated than that, but you have to be there.) It’s all good fun, and the singing and dancing fall under “the more the merrier” while the costumes and set design should please the inner Goth in everyone. Shows at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 9-12, 2 and 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 13 and 1 and 6:30 p.m., Jan. 14. Tickets at overture.org.

Federico Uribe, through May 26, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art: Miami-based artist Federico Uribe creates sculptures of animals and environments by repurposing materials typically discarded — plastic bottles, paintbrush handles, guitar strings, bullet casings, etc. His creations wrest beauty, joy and humor from objects most consider trash (and which also are creating disaster for the creatures depicted, including humans). The overall emotional effect can’t be described in a few sentences; we strongly recommend seeing for yourself his collection at MMoCA, “Metamorphosis,” through May 26.

Beth Kille book release, Thursday, Jan. 11, Harmony Bar, 6 p.m.: Madison singer/songwriter Beth Kille has embraced her inner songwriter by writing and publishing a new book: Embrace Your Authentic Songwriter: How & Why to Play Your Own Tune. Kille shares her expertise drilling down on both inspiration and songcraft, from structure to hooks. Kille will read from and discuss the book, followed by a free concert by Gin, Chocolate & Bottle Rockets (the trio of Kille, Jen Farley and Shawndell Marks).

Mary Burns + Madeline Grace Martin, through Feb. 4, Overture Center-Watrous Gallery: The Wisconsin-centric Watrous Gallery weighs in with another winning pairing. Mercer’s Mary Burns is a textile artist. Her “Women of Water: Woven Portraits from Around the World” consists of almost photo-realist hand-woven jacquard portraits of women from 39 countries around the globe. Milwaukee’s Madeline Grace Martin is a multidisciplinary artist who uses media including watercolor, embroidery, pencil drawings, and hand-cut paper. Her “Of Words and Trees: A Collaboration with My Father” extends her father’s writings with various media, including natural objects and cut paper, to investigate the “inexact quality of memory.” Coming up: Burns will present a virtual artist talk at 6 p.m. on Jan. 11; register at wisconsinacademy.org.

POSTPONED: Comedy Plus, Friday, Jan. 12, Crucible, 7 p.m.: By coordinating both traditional stand-up showcases and barrier-breaking conceptual shows, Cheshire Cat Comedy has become a mainstay of Madison’s ever-growing comedy scene during the past couple years. Comedy Plus is one of Cheshire Cat’s recurring mix-em-ups, featuring comedy, burlesque, music and other talents (often all in one performer’s set). This edition — CCC’s 100th event — features burlesque by multidisciplinary Chicago performer Shirley Blazen, along with stand-up and more by Richard Gomez, Matthew Mitchell, Shilpa Rege, and host Sasha Rosser. Tickets at eventbrite.com. Jan. 12 update: This show is postponed to March 8 due to the snowstorm.

POSTPONED: Wisconsin Jazz Fest, Friday, Jan. 12, Majestic, 7 p.m.: This year’s Wisconsin Jazz Fest brings together an all-star bill of four local stalwarts. Bassist Ben Ferris brings his Octet; saxophonist Jon Hoel plays with his Trio (also featuring Ferris and drummer Kelby Kryshak); and multi-instrumentalist Rick Flowers is behind the keys with the relatively new ensemble Amalgam X. Rounding out the lineup is the smooth ensemble Feestet, led by vocalist Helen Feest, which released a playful self-titled debut EP in October. Tickets at ticketmaster.com. The series of Fests runs for five nights across eight genres from Jan. 5-27 at three different FPC venues; Isthmus is a sponsor of this year's series. Note: This concert is moving to Jan. 25 due to the weather.

Berzerk Birthday Bash, Friday, Jan. 12, Liquid, 10 p.m.: The “Berzerk” of this bash is Berzerk Media’s Moises Perez, resident photographer for Liquid. The lineup the venue has put together is also a berserk bass extravaganza, with two stages all night featuring Asiimov, AztekDevil b2b Spookybro, ESHVR, EthMan, Jezter, King Woo, Phrequency, Rafael and VOSS. Tickets at seetickets.us.

N/A Day, Saturday, Jan. 13, Bur Oak, noon or 2 p.m. entry: “Dry January” seems to be catching on, even in Wisconsin. After the indulgences of Christmas and New Year’s Eve, January is the time many start to rethink their relationship with alcohol. This beverage festival will introduce the newly arid to the many non-alcoholic options out there, from such locals as Untitled Art (NA beers), Mad Maiden Shrub and Rude Brew Kombucha to national brands. Tickets include unlimited samples of more than 50 products.

Wisconsin Bluegrass Fest, Saturday, Jan. 13, The Sylvee, 7 p.m.: This bill features arguably the three best bluegrass bands in the Midwest. Headliner Horseshoes and Hand Grenades is led by Adam Greuel who has become Wisconsin’s bluegrass ambassador. The high energy Them Coulee Boys are as much fun to watch as they are to hear. And Minneapolis’ The Last Revel plays jacked up bluegrass that Bill Monroe might not recognize but would surely love. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Coppia Chamber Music, Saturday, Jan. 13, Four Winds Farm Fitchburg, 7 p.m.: Coppia Chamber Music launches its first concert series with “Café Music: American Wines and American Composers.” It’s a new concept in these parts — pairing fine wines and chamber music. Dawn Dongeun Wohn, of UW-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music, and Jay Hutchinson, a sommelier, have joined forces with the perfect backdrop for their festivities, Four Winds Farm’s restored 90-year-old barn. The inaugural evening features composers Paul Schoenfeld, Jennifer Higdon, Florence Price, William Grant Still, and others. Hutchinson picks the wines to accompany each section of the program. This concert features wines from small, sustainability-focused producers in Napa and Sonoma, California. Tickets at fourwindsfarmfitchburg.ticketleap.com.

Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, Saturday, Jan. 13, First Unitarian Society, 7:30 p.m.: Candlelight and champagne provide the antidote to the darkness of this time of year with Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society’s second candlelit concert, “Luminosity.” More joy comes from the music of course: CPE Bach, Maurice Duruflé, Maurice Ravel and Rebecca Clarke are on the program. Bonus: the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed space. Tickets: email samanthacrownover@sbcglobal.net.

Mike & Friends, Saturdays, Jan. 6-20, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: This jam-friendly collective (led by Phun guitarist Mike Scieszinski) is often spotted playing Grateful Dead-related material along with other classic rock and some original songs. For their second residency at The Bur Oak, each week will spotlight hard rockers: Led Zeppelin on Jan. 6, Jimi Hendrix on Jan. 13, and Guns N' Roses on Jan. 20. (Never fear, Dead fans, they’ll be included too). Find tickets at theburoakmadison.com.

Advice and Consent, Jan. 14-21, various venues: This new comedy from Pile of Cats Theatre Company dwells on the quirks and funny foibles of everyday life, circa right now. Advice and Consent is an evening of original comic shorts, with topics ranging from Adele lyrics to the color brown, written by Ned O’Reilly and directed by Erskine Dahl. The play’s moving around during its run: Sunday, Jan. 14 and 21, at Crucible; Thursday, Jan. 18, at Goodman Community Center; and Saturday, Jan. 20, at Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center; all shows are at 7 p.m. To reserve a seat, email pileofcats9@gmail.com.

Stayin' Alive, Sunday, Jan. 14, Barrymore, 7:30 p.m.: The Bee Gees started as a skiffle band in the early 1960s and ended up as the kings of disco; the band played in Madison at what was then known as the Dane County Coliseum in 1976 and 1979. If you caught either of those shows, lucky you. Missed the brothers Gibb in concert? Consider the tribute band Stayin' Alive, who brave the falsetto. This night of music covers the band’s greatest hits from the ballads to the '70s R&B classics. Come on, you should be dancing. Yeah. Tickets at barrymorelive.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 weather-related postponements.