Events
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Observer Editor
“Bastard”: Purple Rose Theatre Company
MoreEvery Wed.–Sun., Sept. 24–Dec. 20. Rhiannon Ragland directs retired Detroit newscaster and playwright Devin Scillian’s family comedy-drama about a conflict between brothers—an aging country rocker and a buttoned-down finance guy—after their mother’s death. Adult language and subject matter. 7:30 p.m. (Thurs.), 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), 2 p.m. (Sun.), & 3 p.m. (Sat. & Wed.). 137 Park St., Chelsea. Tickets $31.50–$52.50 in advance at purplerosetheatre.org, (734) 433–7673, & (if available) at the door. Discounts available.
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Observer Editor
Ari Axelrod: Kerrytown Concert House
MoreSee 19 Thursday. Today, Axelrod reprises his program, L’chaim!, performed at KCH in March 2026. Built around songs that give him chills and celebrate the gift of life, the program blends Broadway, Jewish, and international music. 2–4 p.m.
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Free
Observer Editor
Michigan Youth Jazz Orchestra: U-M Music School
MoreDennis Wilson directs high school students from around the state in a program of big band jazz standards. 2 p.m., U-M Moore Bldg. Hankinson Rehearsal Hall, 1100 Baits. Free. (734) 764–0538.
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Free
Observer Editor
Ann Arbor Storytellers’ Guild
MoreAll invited to listen to guild members swap stories or bring their own to tell. 2–4 p.m., Schuler Books, Westgate Shopping Center. Free. annarborstorytelling.org.
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Observer Editor
“Chasing Clouds”: Penny Seats Theatre Company
MoreNov. 20–Dec. 6, except Nov. 26. Lauren London directs local actors in local playwright Michael Alan Herman’s existential fantasy comedy-drama about a pair of elderly farmers who farm clouds for their silver linings as they struggle to keep their farm—and their relationship—intact. 8 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun.). Cahoots, 206 E. Huron St. Tickets $28 (students, $20; seniors, $25), in advance at pennyseats.org & (if available) at the door. (734) 926–5346, [email protected].
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Observer Editor
“Silent Sky”: Dexter Community Players
MoreNov. 20–22. Members of this local theater troupe perform Lauren Gunderson’s 2015 biographical drama, a fictionalized retelling of the story of the 1926 Nobel Prize–nominated Harvard astronomer Henrietta Leavitt. 7 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sat. & Sun.), Columbus Hall, 8265 Dexter-Chelsea Rd., Dexter. Tickets $20 (students & seniors, $15) in advance at dcp.yapsody.com & at the door.
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Observer Editor
“Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde”: U-M Theatre Department
MoreNov. 19–22. Halena Kays directs drama students in Moisés Kaufman’s award-winning 1997 play that chronicles the swift and tragic downfall of the famous Irish playwright. Wilde sued the Marquess of Queensberry in 1895 for criminal libel after the Marquess called him a “posing sodomite.” This lawsuit backfired on Wilde, resulting in two additional trials to determine whether he was guilty of “gross indecency with male persons.” Recommended for ages 16 & up. 7:30 p.m. (Thurs.), 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, 911 North University. Tickets $29–$35 (students, $16) in advance at tickets.smtd.umich.edu & at the door. (734) 764–0538.
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Observer Editor
“Jack Tucker Comedy Standup Show”: University Musical Society
MoreNov. 18–22. New York City cult favorite Zach Zucker, a French-trained comedic performer known for blending clowning with satire, appears as Tucker, a dim, delusional, and overconfident hack stand-up whose desperate need to be adored drives him to the brink of comedy chaos. With an absurdist sound design fueling the unraveling, the result is a “raucously funny” “triumph” according to the New York Times reviewer, who says “not since The Play That Goes Wrong have I seen mistakes this meticulous.” Age 14 & up. 7:30 p.m. (Wed.–Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Arthur Miller Theatre, 1226 Murfin. $36–$46 (students, $15–$20). (734) 764–2538, ums.org.
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Observer Editor
“West Side Story”: U-M MUSKET
MoreNov. 20–22. Gonzalo Delgado directs fellow U-M students in Arthur Laurents’ spirited musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, set in New York and featuring the rival street gangs the Sharks and the Jets. The beloved Leonard Bernstein–Stephen Sondheim score includes such favorites as “Maria,” “Tonight,” and “America.” 7:30 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Power Center. Tickets $15 (students and kids age 12 & under, $9) in advance at ummusket.org & at the door. [email protected].
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Observer Editor
“A Beautiful Mind”: Fathom Entertainment
More(734) 973–8424 (Cinemark), (734) 316–5500 (Emagine). Tickets $12.50 (except as noted) in advance at fathomentertainment.com/events and at the door. Cinemark (4100 Carpenter, Ypsi) & Emagine (1335 E. Michigan Ave., Saline).
Nov. 22 & 23: “A Beautiful Mind” (Ron Howard, 2001). Biopic about John Forbes Nash, a Nobel-winning mathematician who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and eventually recovered. Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly. 2:30 p.m. (Sun.) & 6:30 p.m. (Mon.)
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Free
Observer Editor
“Recollections, Change, & Hope”: Washtenaw Chorale
MoreAlex Cave directs this 40-member local choir in a program that includes songs from musical theater, Americana, and pieces by contemporary composers, as well as Scottish favorites “Skye Boat Song” and “Loch Lomond.” Cellist Carol Gagliardi joins the chorale in Elaine Hagenberg’s “Refuge” and Paul Langford’s (arr.) “When October Goes/Autumn Leaves.” 3 p.m., Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1500 Scio Church Rd. Free; donations appreciated. (734) 649–2766, washtenawchorale.org.
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Observer Editor
Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony Concerts: EMU Music Department
MoreMary Schneider and J. Nick Smith direct these music student ensembles in a joint performance. 3–5 p.m., EMU Pease Auditorium, 494 College Pl., Ypsi. Tickets $8 (EMU students & kids, free) only at emich.ludus.com. (734) 487–4143, [email protected].
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Free
Observer Editor
“Cold Reads, New Plays”: Forge Theater
MoreAll invited to participate in, or just listen to, readings of new theater works by Forge members. 3–5 p.m., 3000 Packard, ste. B (entrance on Platt behind Little Caesars). Preregistration requested at forgetheatercollaborative.com. Free. (734) 219–9434.
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Free
Observer Editor
“Cooking to the President’s Taste: Asian Heritage Chefs in White House History”: Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor
MoreChefs and coauthors Adrian Miller and Deborah Chang discuss their book about chefs who have served US presidents on yachts, at retreats, and in the White House. 4–5:30 p.m., AADL Downtown, 4th fl. Also via YouTube; URL at culinaryhistoriansannarbor.org or aadl.org/events. Free. (734) 327–4200.
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Observer Editor
“Fragments”: Ann Arbor Grail Singers
MoreJacob Carroll directs this women’s early-music choir in a program that juxtaposes English choral music of the Renaissance with the medieval-era music of the Notre Dame school of polyphony. Works include John Dunstable’s Magnificat, John Taverner’s Missa Playnsong, and a selection of Gregorian chants dedicated to holy women. Also, the premiere of four short pieces composed for the Grail Singers by Nora Farley, with text from the Sappho fragments. Accompaniment by Abigail Petersen on chamber organ. 4 p.m., St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 306 N. Division. Tickets $20 (seniors, $15; students, $10) at annarborgrailsingers.org & (if available) by cash or check at the door. (415) 662–0631, annarborgrailsingers.org.
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Free
Observer Editor
“Hunger for Truth: The Rhea Clyman Story”: Ann Arbor District Library
MoreOccasional screenings in the Downtown Branch lower level program rm., and other locations as noted. Free. (734) 327–4200.
Nov. 22: “Hunger for Truth: The Rhea Clyman Story” (Andrew Tkach, 2018). Feature-length documentary about this young Canadian reporter who traversed the starving Soviet heartland in 1932 when Stalin’s man-made famine was ravaging Ukraine. Followed by a chance to make a didukh, a sheaf of wheat, which symbolizes ancestral memory, hope, and abundant harvest, and a moment of silence to honor the victims of the Holodomor genocide. 5 p.m. AADL Downtown, 3rd fl.
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Nightspots
Phil Ogilvie’s Rhythm Kings.: Zal Gaz Grotto
MoreZal Gaz Grotto 2070 W. Stadium, Ann ArborLocal 10-piece big band led by tubaist Chris Smith that specializes in the old-time big band music of the late 1920s and early 1930s associated with Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver.
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Observer Editor
Pinball Tournament: Pinball Pete’s
MoreNov. 8 & 22. Players of all ages and skill levels invited to play 8 games of pinball for International Flipper Association points and other prizes. 5 p.m. (registration opens at 4:45 p.m.; ask for Ryan at the glass desk), Pinball Pete’s, 500 E. Liberty. No entry fee; $1 per game. michiganflippers.com.
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Nightspots
Janis Siegel.: Blue LLama
MoreBlue LLama 314 S. Main, Ann ArborJazz ensemble led by this veteran Grammy-winning vocalist, a member of the celebrated vocalese trio Manhattan Transfer. Dinner & show, $95.
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Observer Editor
“Mic Drop”: Hear.Say Brewing + Theater
MoreExperienced improvisers compete by improvising songs with live accompaniment. Followed at 7:30 p.m. by a pay-what-you-want Musical Improv Jam: All invited to sing or move in musical/comical improv games and exercises led by a facilitator and accompanist. No experience required. Spectators welcome. 6:30 p.m., 2350 W. Liberty. $15 in advance at heardotsay.com/events & $18 (if available) at the door.
