This week, it’s music, music and more music

Music

Pianist Joyce Yang performs with the MSO for the third time Wednesday. Photo by Larry Ford.

Audiences get a double dose of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra this week. The orchestra offers both a “Tchaikovsky Spectacular” and a Broadway-centric Pops concert. The classical concert comes first, bringing back guest pianist Joyce Yang. Yang performed Rachmaninoff concertos in 2009 and 2010; this will be her first Tchaikovsky with the MSO. They’ll be performing his Polonaise (from Eugene Onegin), Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, and Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor. The concert is Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m.

Then, this weekend, Pops conductor Marvin Hamlisch leads Marvin Does Broadway. Songs from A Chorus Line will be especially prominent, as Hamlisch wrote the Tony Award-winning score for the musical. Shows are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets for both this and the classical program Wednesday start at $22, and can be purchased at (414) 291-7605 or the MSO website.

Savion Glover visits Milwaukee Tuesday as part of the Marcus Center Presents series.

The Marcus Center for the Performing Arts brings tap dancer Savion Glover to Milwaukee this Tuesday, Nov. 8. Glover’s show pays tribute to other tap artists, including former teacher Gregory Hines, but the focus of the show is all on his unique style. The show starts at 7:30, and tickets range from $30 to $80. To order call (414) 273-7206 or visit the online box office.

Alverno Presents’ last show of the fall is this Saturday, when the college hosts the Jacky Terrasson Trio. The group is spearheaded by blisteringly fast pianist Terrasson himself, who’s supported on bass by Ben Williams and on drums by Jamire Williams (no relation). The show begins Saturday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m., and tickets are $25. Call (414) 382-6044 or visit Alverno’s website to order.

Sunday, the Wisconsin Philharmonic presents its second annual Salute to Our Veterans concert. This year’s concert has an Americans-in-Paris theme, concluding with Gershwin’s An American in Paris. The concert begins Nov. 13 at 3 p.m. at Carroll University in Waukesha. Tickets are $15 to $35, and can be purchased at (262) 547-1858 or the online box office.

Danceworks opens their season with a collaborative blend of tango and opera.

Dance 

Danceworks’ first show of their 15th anniversary season looks to be a fiery one. The company will present Maria de Buenos Aires, a mix of tango and opera set to the music of Astor Piazzolla, this weekend. Maria is a collaborative effort: Milwaukee Opera Theatre, the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra and guest choreographer/UWM dance professor Simone Ferro join the company for the show. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Nov. 10-12) at 8 p.m. at Calvary Presbyterian Church (the big red one on 10th Street and Wisconsin Avenue), and free tango lessons at 7:15 p.m. are included. Tickets are $20, $25 for reserved seats and $15 for students and seniors; call (414) 277-8480 or visit the online box office.

Theater

They say history is written by the victors. If so, then comedy group Broadminded, which opens its new revisionist sketch show Encyclopedia Broadtannica this weekend at the Alchemist Theatre, is more victorious than ever. The four-woman troupe promises historical attack ads, time travel and even some contemporary history gags. Encyclopedia Broadtannica runs through Nov. 20, with shows Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be bought at the Alchemist’s box office.

Soulstice Theatre: The Nerd, through Nov. 19

Milwaukee Rep: Lombardi, through Nov. 20 (RUN EXTENDED)

Carte Blanche Studios: Reefer Madness, through Nov. 20

Boulevard Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest, through Dec. 3

Fireside Theatre: A Fireside Christmas, through Dec. 22

Milwaukee Rep: Song Man Dance Man, through Jan. 8

Last Chance

Pink Banana Theatre: Dead Man’s Cell Phone, through Nov. 12

Milwaukee Rep: Yellowman, through Nov. 13

First Stage: Don’t Tell Me I Can’t Fly, through Nov. 13