• Observer Editor

    Jason Jamerson: Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase

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    Nov. 5–7. Rising, versatile Detroit native with an amusing, wide-ranging act covering diverse topics, from attending a birthday party thrown by overly religious relatives to his annoyance at weed smokers. Opening act TBA. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. 7:15 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 9:45 p.m. (Sat.), 212 S. Fourth Ave. $20 (Thurs., $15) at aacomedy.com & (if available) at the door. (734) 996–9080.

  • Observer Editor

    “The Great American Songbook: George Gershwin”: Kerrytown Concert House

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    Nov. 6 & 8. U-M musical theater professor Tyler Driskill, a singer-pianist, and U-M musical theater professor emeritus Brent Wagner present lecture-demos on why the Great American Songbook is so great. Tonight: They demonstrate the genius of Gershwin’s masterful compositions, including his work with his lyricist brother Ira, from “I Got Rhythm,” to “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” and one of the most lasting standards in the American songbook, “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess. Includes performances by U-M musical theater students. 7:30–9 p.m. (Fri.) & 4–6 p.m. (Sun.), 415 N. Fourth Ave. Tickets $25–$35 (students, $15–$25) in advance at kerrytownconcerthouse.com & (if available) at the door. (734) 769–2999.

  • Observer Editor

    Duo CPE: Academy of Early Music

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    Cleveland-based duo of fortepianist Mikhail Grazhdanov and soprano Andréa Walker showcases the polarity between polite and untethered expression cultivated in the German salon circa 1800 through poetic declamation and a performance of cantatas by CPE Bach and Johann Friedrich Reichardt, dramatic keyboard music by CPE Bach, and lieder by Louise Reichardt, Mozart, and Haydn. Preceded at 6:45 p.m. by a talk. 7:30 p.m., St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 306 N. Division. $35 (seniors, $30; students, $10) in advance at academyofearlymusic.org & (if available) at the door. $5 increase after Oct. 30. (734) 228–4338.

  • Observer Editor

    “Peter and the Starcatcher”: Huron Players

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    Nov. 6–8. JD Beniston directs Huron High School students in Rick Elice’s 2009 Tony Award–winning play. Adapted from Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson’s 2004 novel which gives a backstory to Peter Pan, the narrative follows the nautical adventures of pirates, crocodiles, and three orphan boys. 7:30 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sat. & Sun.), Huron High School, Meyers Auditorium, 2727 Fuller. Tickets $15 (students & staff, $10) in advance at huronplayers.ludus.com & at the door (cash, check, or Venmo). huronplayers.weebly.com.

  • Observer Editor

    “Family Pains”: PTD Productions

    “Family Pains”: PTD Productions
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    Nov. 5–8 & 11–14. Marie Jones directs local actors in the premiere of Michigan playwright Erin Osgood’s new family comedy-drama about a young woman who surprises her conservative family by bringing her new Black wife to Thanksgiving dinner. 7:30 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun. & Wed.), Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron St., Ypsi. Tickets $20 (students & seniors, $15; Thurs., pay what you can), in advance at ptdproductions.com, by phone, & at the door. (734) 483–7345.

  • Nightspots

    Laith Al-Saadi.: Rumpus Room

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    Rumpus Room 506 N. Main, Chelsea, Chelsea

    This veteran local singer-guitarist, a former finalist on The Voice, plays an eclectic mix of roots Americana, classic rock, and blues, including many originals. Guitar World calls him “a cross between Danny Gatton and Buddy Guy at their best.” $20.

  • Free
    Observer Editor

    Matthew Bengtson and Joseph Gascho: U-M Music School Faculty Recital

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    These U-M early music professors perform a program of keyboard works by Scarlatti, Marcello, Vivaldi, and others on a recently acquired copy of a 1722 fortepiano by Bartolomeo Cristofori, widely regarded as the inventor of the piano. Also tomorrow at 2 p.m., renowned keyboard builders Thomas and Barbara Wolf present a guest lecture on how they built the instrument, followed at 4 p.m. by a student keyboard recital. 8 p.m., U-M Moore Bldg., McIntosh Theatre, 1100 Baits. Free. (734) 764–0583.

  • Observer Editor

    Brad Phillips: Rancho Tranquilico

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    Rescheduled from Oct. 10. House concert by this nationally renowned Saline-bred multi-instrumental string virtuoso and multi-genre singer-songwriter whose one-man show includes traditional music, popular covers, and originals, all performed on guitar, fiddle, or mandolin. BYOB. No tobacco products or pets. 8 p.m. (doors, 7:30 p.m.), 11300 Island Lake Rd., Dexter. Park along the driveway. $25 payable via Venmo: @bradphillipsmusicllc. Preregistration required; space limited. (734) 223–2321, [email protected].

  • Observer Editor

    “The Skin of Our Teeth”: U-M Rude Mechanicals

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    Nov. 6–8. This U-M student theater troupe performs Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize–winning 1942 satirical allegory, which he called “a history of mankind in comic strip.” The Antrobus family barely survives the Ice Age only to be plunged into Noah’s Flood and washed up onto a postapocalyptic wasteland. The tragedies are put on hold when the actors break character and poke fun at the notion of a play, and the family’s ditzy maid adds a flirty comic touch, but the sinister, slow evolution of the family’s bratty boy into a mindless, militaristic possible murderer adds considerable darkness to this work that Wilder said “mostly comes alive under conditions of crisis.” 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, 911 North University. Tickets $15 (students & seniors, $10) in advance at muto.umich.edu & at the door. (734) 763–1107, [email protected].

  • Observer Editor

    “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”: Theatre Nova

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    Every Fri.–Sun., Nov. 6–15. Diane Hill directs local actors in this ensemble musical comedy, subtitled “A Cabaret of Love, Lies, and Bad Decisions,” a celebration of the funniest, most disastrous productions in Broadway history. Music by Brian Rose. 8 p.m. (Fri.), 7 p.m. (Sat.), 3 p.m. (Sat., except Nov. 7), & 2 p.m. (Sun.). Theatre Nova, 410 W. Huron St. Tickets $35–$100 in advance at theatrenova.org & (if available) at the door. (734) 635–8450.

  • Free
    Observer Editor

    “Witch”: U-M Residential College Players

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    Nov. 6 & 7. RC students perform Jen Silverman’s 2018 dark comedy, a feminist retelling of the 1621 Jacobean tragicomedy The Witch of Edmonton, about the real-life trial and execution of Elizabeth Sawyer, an impoverished English woman who is not actually a practitioner of witchcraft, but rather a brilliant, defiant cynic who refuses to sell her soul cheaply. 8 p.m., East Quad Keene Theater, 701 East University. Free; donations accepted. (734) 647–4354.

  • Observer Editor

    U-M Men’s Glee Club Fall Concert

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    Matthew Abernathy leads this student a cappella ensemble in a program of songs TBA. 8 p.m., Hill Auditorium. Tickets $8–$25 in advance at tickets.smtd.umich.edu & at the door. (734) 615–3204.

  • Free
    Observer Editor

    “Femme Feedback” Comedy Night: Bløm Mead + Cider

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    A variety of women and trans comics try out new material with a veteran comic presiding to offer feedback. 8–10 p.m., 100 S. Fourth Ave. Free, but purchase of food & drink encouraged. (734) 548–9729, drinkblom.com/events.  

  • Nightspots

    The Minor Pieces.: Ark

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    Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor

    Newly formed local folk-rock & Americana quartet that plays everything from soulful country-flavored ballads to raucous blues-rock anthems. Opener: the country-folk duo of Hunter Neff & Mike Harrington.

  • Nightspots

    Steve Somers & Friends: Ypsi Alehouse

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    Ypsi Alehouse 124 Pearl, #100, Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti

    Jazz & blues standards by an ensemble led by WCC jazz guitar instructor Somers.

  • Observer Editor

    “La Rondine (The Swallow)”: U-M Voice & Opera Department

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    November 5–8. U-M opera students, accompanied by the University Symphony Orchestra, perform Puccini’s bittersweet love story about a French courtesan and an idealistic young man who offers an alternative to her life of excess. Sung in Italian, English supertitles. 7:30 p.m. (Thurs.), 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), and 2 p.m. (Sun.), Power Center. Tickets $29–$35 (students, $16) in advance at smtd.umich.edu & at the door. (734) 615–3204. tickets.smtd.umich.edu/6978/6979

  • Nightspots

    Seizure Pleaser.: The Arboretum

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    The Arboretum 984 E. Michigan Ave., Saline

    Detroit-area electronic music project. Openers: fellow area electronic music acts Cap Spit, Omo, and Brainfone.