By Jessica Steinhoff | Pictured: Madison Opera’s Jasmine Habersham; photo by Daniel Welch
THEATER AND DANCE EVENTS
“CHICAGO”
March 21- 26, Overture Hall
“Show stopper” describes nearly every song in this tale of vice and vaudeville, which also brims with saucy dance numbers by choreography legend Bob Fosse. overture.org
“ESCAPE FROM HAPPINESS”
March 24-25, 30-31, April 1-2 & 6-8, Bartell Theatre
Don’t let the title intimidate you: This Mercury Players Theatre play is a Madison Opera’s Jasmine Habersham comedy — albeit a dark one. The plot revolves around a floundering family and the criminal forces that threaten to destroy them, but the bigger story lampoons the selfishness that stains the fabric of society. bartelltheatre.org
“BALLET BEYOND”
March 31, April 1 & 7-8, Madison Youth Arts Center
Glimpse the leading edge of contemporary ballet at this Madison Ballet production, which includes new work by Yusha-Marie Sorzano, an alum of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and the company premiere of “RE/COMPOSED,” which pairs choreography by Madison Ballet artistic director Ja’ Malik with recomposed Bach cello suites by Peter Gregson. madisonballet.org
“ARTEMISIA”
April 14-16, 19-23 & 25-30, Overture Center
Though she was a celebrated painter in the 1600s, Artemisia Gentileschi rarely gets more than a footnote in art history books. Forward Theater presents the first-ever performance of Lauren Gunderson’s new play, which gives this great artist the respect and attention she deserves. forwardtheater.com
“PETER PAN”
April 22-23 & 28-30, Overture Center
Take flight with Peter, Wendy, Michael and John as they travel to Neverland to meet the Lost Boys and battle with Captain Hook. This Children’s Theater of Madison production features flying effects and a live orchestra. ctmtheater.org
“THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO”
April 28 & 30, Overture Center
A marriage proposal gets hilariously complicated in Mozart’s masterpiece about a count and countess, their servants and a series of disguises. Madison Opera’s production stars Jasmine Habersham and Matt Boehler as the engaged couple and Elizabeth Caballero as the countess who tries to get them to the altar and expose her scheming husband in the process. madisonopera.org
VISUAL ART AND FILM EVENTS
“DESIGN FOR CIVIL SOCIETY: FOSTERING DIALOGUE FOR COMPLETELY HUMAN AGENTS”
Through March 26, UW Nancy Nicholas Hall, Ruth Davis Design Gallery
This exhibition considers how globalization shapes local communities. Viewers get to form design coalitions that address local problems by actualizing design principles and mobilizing social capital. cdmc.wisc.edu
WISCONSIN FILM FESTIVAL
April 13-20, various venues
Filmmakers from around the world, including the Badger State, screen their latest work at this annual event, where you can help select the winners of several coveted prizes. wifilmfest.org
LIVE MUSIC AND COMEDY
JEFF DUNHAM
March 16, Alliant Energy Center
Dunham is probably the only ventriloquist on Earth who can fill every seat in a stadium. This impossible feat is less about his puppets and more about his brand of insult comedy, which tends to center on his misadventures. jeffdunham.com
NEAL FRANCIS
March 17, Majestic Theatre
Brace yourself for goose bumps: This soulful singer and pianist wrote the haunting tracks of his album “In Plain Sight” while living in a supposedly haunted church, haunted by memories of his struggle with addiction. majesticmadison.com
IMMANUEL WILKINS
March 25, Wisconsin Union Theater
This saxophonist and composer’s debut LP, “Omega,” wowed critics at The New York Times, who named it the top jazz album of 2020. This performance will draw from his 2022 follow-up, “The Seventh Hand,” which shatters the genre’s conventions as it plumbs the depths of the Black experience. union.wisc.edu
“DAZZLING VIOLIN & SPRING”
April 14-16, Overture Center
Saint-Saëns’ impassioned “Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor” is the perfect vehicle for guest Blake Pouliot’s virtuosic talents, which should sound splendid in this Madison Symphony Orchestra performance in Overture Hall. madisonsymphony.org
FRUIT BATS
April 16, Majestic Theatre
Allmusic hit the nail on the head when noting how the warm vocals and the melodic sensibility of Fruit Bats frontman Eric D. Johnson “split the difference between Lennon and McCartney.” This show’s not just for Beatles enthusiasts, though: Fans of folk-infused acts like Hand Habits and Iron & Wine will find plenty to love. majesticmadison.com
