Out on the Town: A curated calendar – April 22 to May 6

Ongoing

Chicago, a “tale of fame, fortune and all that jazz,” has been honored with six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and a Grammy. The touring production — starring Heisman Trophy winner and 2017 NFL Hall of Fame nominee Eddie George — comes to Uihlein Hall at Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St., Milwaukee, April 25–30 (see website for show times). Tickets range from $31–$179. 414-273-7206 or marcuscenter.org

Next Act Theatre presents the Milwaukee premiere of Bloomsday by Steven Dietz, running through April 30 at Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St., Milwaukee. Tickets are $30–$40, depending on performance day. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. April 20–21, April 24, April 26–28; 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. April 22 and April 29; and 2 p.m. April 23 and April 30. Directed by Joseph Hanreddy, the production is described as an “Irish time-travel love story that blends wit, humor and heartache into a buoyant, moving appeal for making the most of the present before it is past.” 414-278-0765 or nextact.org

Milwaukee Collects features works of art from local private collections — from Impressionist paintings to hallmarks of Art Deco design — by artists from Jules Chéret to Ed Ruscha. The exhibition runs through May 21 at the Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 N. Art Museum Drive, Milwaukee. Museum hours are Tuesday–Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for Thursdays when the museum is open until 8 p.m. Museum admission is $17 for adults, $15 for students and seniors (65+), and free for kids 12 and under. Milwaukee Collects is drawn from nearly 50 collections and includes more than 100 objects. 414-224-3200 or mam.org

Drawn Out features giant compositions from Todd Mrozinski’s new series of graphite drawings of trees and clouds — which stretch up to 7 feet long — as well as Mark Ottens’ hallucinational, microscopically detailed 8-foot pen drawing, referred to as an “epic doodle.” The exhibition includes small-scale works by Mrozinski, Ottens, Adolph Rosenblatt and recent MIAD grad Melissa Lee Johnson. Drawn Out runs through June 4 at Portrait Society Gallery, 207 E. Buffalo St. Fifth Floor, in Milwaukee. Hours are Thursdays–Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. 414-870-9930 or portraitsocietygallery.com

April 22 to April 28

The Wisconsin Area Music Industry honors area musicians and industry members at the 37th Annual WAMI Awards, taking place at Turner Hall Ballroom, 1040 N. Fourth St., Milwaukee, April 23 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25, with VIP packages also available. The event features performances from Wisconsin artists including The Prince Experience, The Pukes, This Time Tomorrow All-Star Band, Scott E. Berendt and The Us Project, Bella Cain, Green Screen Kid, NO/NO, Big N’ Tasty Blues (house band) and a Tribute to Al Jarreau and Clyde Stubblefield. 414-286-3663 or pabsttheater.org

Madison Museum of Contemporary Art’s biennial event Hair Affair: The Art of Hair, has become known as the wildest runway show and outlandish fundraiser for the museum, celebrating the intersection of art and hair design with local salons and stylists. The event takes place 7–11 p.m. April 27 at the museum, 227 State St., Madison. Tickets are $60–$90. The event also will feature hors d’oeuvre from Fresco, cocktails, a live DJ, and a silent auction. mmoca.org or 608-257-0158

Stand-up comedian, podcast host and actor Marc Maron brings The Too Real Tour to Wisconsin for two shows. The first is April 27 at 7 p.m. at The Pabst Theater, 144 E. Wells St., Milwaukee. Tickets are $29.50. The second is April 28 at 7 p.m. at the Orpheum Theatre, 216 State St., Madison. Tickets are $15–$30. Maron is known for his hit podcast WTF with Marc Maron, which averages 6.5 million downloads each month. He also has appeared on television talk shows, including those hosted by David Letterman, Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Bill Maher and Conan O’Brien. 414-286-3663 or pabsttheater.org and 608-250-2600 or madisonorpheum.com

Arte Para Todos (Art for Everyone) is a four-day music and art series — running April 27–30 — where all participating local bands are waiving their fees and 100 percent of proceeds from each event goes to supporting art and music programs in four local schools. The APT 2017 events are split up by neighborhood, including Walker’s Point, Bay View, Harambee, Riverwest and the East Side (see website for schedule). The event will span 28 venues and feature more than 90 bands and many visual artists. Tickets are $20 for a four-day pass, $13 for one-day pass, and $8 cash at the door for any event in the festival. arteparatodos.me.

April 29 to May 6

The Historic Milwaukee Poetry Event features The Last Poets, consisting of several groups of poets and musicians from the late 1960s African-American civil rights movement — considered the rappers of the civil rights era and the godfathers of hip-hop. The event takes place April 29 at 7 p.m. at Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall at Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St., Milwaukee. Tickets are $25. 414-273-7206 or marcuscenter.org

SOUL is an evening celebrating the culmination of creative work done by young people and professional artists working in collaboration during Express Yourself Milwaukee’s yearlong multi-disciplinary arts exploration. The performance brings together dance, music, spoken word and visual arts. SOUL will be performed May 4 at 6:30 p.m. at the Milwaukee Theatre, 500 W. Kilbourn Ave. The family-friendly event is free and open to the public. 414-272-3498 or exyomke.org

Comedian and transformational speaker Kyle Cease says of himself, “If Eckhart Tolle and Jim Carrey had a baby, that baby would be Kyle Cease.” He brings his one-of-a-kind, self-help wisdom to The Pabst Theater, 144 E. Wells St., Milwaukee, May 5 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30. Each ticket buyer will receive a copy of Cease’s new book I Hope I Screw This Up. 414-286-3663 or pabsttheater.org

The Florentine Opera draws its 83rd season to a close with Rossini’s tale of opera’s most famous barber Figaro, The Barber of Seville, under the baton of Joseph Rescigno. Performances take place May 5 at 7:30 p.m. and May 7 at 2:30 p.m. at Uihlein Hall at Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St., Milwaukee. Tickets are $40–$158. 414-273-7206 or marcuscenter.org

Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood of Whose Line is it Anyway?! bring their comedy improv chops back to town with an all-new show — The Scared Scriptless Tour — for their 13th year at The Pabst Theater, 144 E. Wells St., Milwaukee, May 6 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $29.50–$49.50. Mochrie calls the show “the most fun you can have with a theater full of people that’s legal and doesn’t include washing up.” 414-286-3663 or pabsttheater.org

Formed in 1995, Recycled Percussion became a national phenomenon during its performances on America’s Got Talent in 2009, and currently headlines in Las Vegas at the Saxe Theater at Planet Hollywood. The group brings its “junk rock music” to the Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall at Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St., Milwaukee, for shows May 6 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $45. 414-273-7206 or marcuscenter.org