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Observer Editor

Two hour-long sets by this local jazz ensemble led by Hall, a vocalist known for her ability to breathe new life into the Great American Songbook. 11:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m., Blue LLama, 314 S. Main. Tickets $65 (includes a multicourse prix fixe brunch) in advance only at bluellamaclub.com. (734) 372–3200.

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May 10 & 11. Norm Richert directs local actors in a dinner/lunch theater production of the 1964 musical, an adaptation of stories by celebrated Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem with a book by Joseph Stein and Sheldon Harnick and music by Jerry Bock. The plot concerns life in a 1905 Jewish Ukrainian shtetl before a pogrom forces an exodus. Proceeds benefit St. Andrew’s Youth and Pilgrimage programs. Food service begins at 6 p.m. on Sat and 11:30 a.m. on Sun. 7 p.m. (Sat.) & 12:30 p.m. (Sun.), St. Andrew’s, 306 N. Division. $10 (or $25 or $50 to support youth ministry; kids, $5; with meal, add $10-$15). Preregistration required at tinyurl.com/fiddler-aa-5-2025.

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Observer Editor

Two hour-long sets by this local jazz ensemble led by Hall, a vocalist known for her ability to breathe new life into the Great American Songbook. 11:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m., Blue LLama, 314 S. Main. Tickets $65 (includes a multicourse prix fixe brunch) in advance only at bluellamaclub.com. (734) 372–3200.

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May 8–11. An ensemble of local musicians performs songs written and originally performed by the highly influential singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, known for their intimate lyrics and sophisticated compositions that draw on pop, jazz, rock, and folk. Rolling Stone named her “one of the greatest songwriters ever.” 7:30 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Encore, 7714 Ann Arbor St., Dexter. Tickets $31.50 in advance at theencoretheatre.org (with $3.50 fee) and at the door (no fee). (734) 268–6200.

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Every Fri.–Sun., Apr. 11–May 11. Bryana Hall directs the premiere of Detroit playwright D.L. Patrick’s drama about Gladys Atkinson Sweet, who, along with her husband and 9 other African Americans, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder following the attack on her Detroit home in 1925 by more than 700 white neighbors. A notorious case litigated by Clarence Darrow, the story is told in the play from the perspective of Gladys Sweet. Part of Theatre Nova’s new play development residency. 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), 3 p.m. (Sat.), and 2 p.m. (Sun.). Theatre Nova, 410 W. Huron St. Tickets $30 (age 65 and older, $25; students with ID, $15 at the door, also $5 on Apr. 12) in advance at theatrenova.org & at the door. (734) 635–8450.

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Every Wed.–Sun., Apr. 3–May 25. Susan Angelo directs the premiere of local actor-playwright Paul Stroili’s comedy about the widow of a history buff who tries to bring to fruition her late husband’s dream of a full-scale reenactment of the 1835 boundary dispute sometimes called the Michigan/Ohio War. She calls on her Wolverine daughter and Buckeye son to help. Adult language and subject matter. 3 p.m. (Wed., Thurs., & Sat.), 7:30 p.m. (Thurs.), 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.). Purple Rose Theatre, 137 Park St., Chelsea. Tickets $31.50–$52.50 in advance at purplerosetheatre.org and (734) 433–7673, and (if available) at the door. Discounts available.

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May 8–11. Lindsey Brown directs local actors in Robert Harling’s loving and beloved 1987 portrait of eccentricity in the small-town South. Set in a home-based beauty parlor in Chinquapin, Louisiana, this comic drama celebrates the strength of 6 humorous and individualistic women who share light moments and pull together when tragedy strikes. 7:30 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Arthur Miller Theatre, 1226 Murfin. $25 (seniors, $22; students, $15) at a2ct.ludus.com and (if available) at the door. a2ct.org, (734) 971–2228.

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May 9–11, 16–18. Kylista Geiger and Kristin Anne Danko direct local actors in the premiere of their lighthearted musical spoof about a married couple in 1972 suburbia who suspect that their 23-year-old daughter’s new boyfriend might be their long-lost son—and the daughter’s twin. Reception with cast, crew, and writers to follow on opening night. 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun.), The Back Office Studio, 13 N. Washington St., Ypsilanti. $15 (students, $12) at ticketstripe.com/strangerinnook and (if available) at the door. ntgypsi.org.

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May 9–11. Henry & Maria Russell direct area homeschooled teens in Shakespeare’s tormenting yet sublime story of an aging king who decides to divide his kingdom among his 3 daughters. It’s one of Western literature’s most wrenching studies of arrogance, blind pride, and filial relationships. 7 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) & 3 p.m. (Sun.), Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre. $10 (families, $40) in advance at the Michigan League box office & at the door. (517) 740–1469. 

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May 11 & 18. Players of all ages and skill levels invited to play 8 games of pinball for International Flipper Association points and other prizes. The May 11 tournament is a launch party for the new Dungeons & Dragons pinball machine. 5 p.m. (registration opens at 4:45 p.m.; ask for Ryan at the glass desk), Pinball Pete’s, 1214 South University. No entry fee; $1 per game. (734) 213–2502.

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May 11 & 25. “Who Can Say” (6:30 p.m.) is an improv performance in a game show format, in which experienced amateur improvisers compete for the “Golden Beer” using prompts and challenges. The Improv Jam (7:30 p.m.) allows anyone to play short-form improv games and participate in a long-form improv. No experience required. 6:30 p.m., HSBT, 2350 W. Liberty. $15 in advance at heardotsay.com/events and $18 (if available) at the door. The 7:30 improv jam is pay what you want. hello@heardotsay.com.

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May 9 & 11 (different locations).  Jacob Carroll directs this women’s early-music choir in a program featuring Italian late-Renaissance composer Maddalena Casulana’s book of madrigals published in 1570, among the first by a female composer. Also, works by American David Lang, Italian Renaissance composer Palestrina’s settings of the Lamentations of Jeremiah, and the 9th-century Gregorian Reproaches. Accompaniment by viola da gambist Lily Schrantz, theorbo player Brian Kay, and violists Marc Armitano, Jamie Gallupe, and David Webster Hunt III. 7:30 p.m., St. Joseph Catholic Parish, 3430 Dover, Dexter. Tickets $20 (seniors, $15; students, $10) at annarborgrailsingers.org or by cash or check at the door. annarborgrailsingers.org, (415) 662–0631. 

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