13 Best Things to Do in Metro Phoenix, November 21 to 27

Need plans? The New Times' calendar is chock-full of them. But here's where you'll find the cream of the crop: our top picks for being out and about in the Valley from November 21 through 27.

La Crafty Noche
As a spiritual protector or just a festive decoration, why not add a diminutive guardian angel to your life? La Crafty Noche, with the Crafty Chica (a.k.a. Kathy Cano-Murillo), is a workshop where you will paint a small ceramic angel using acrylic paints or glazes.

Attendees will also make a set of angel paper dolls, and all creations are theirs to keep. Get crafty and creative from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Monday, November 21, at Changing Hands Bookstore, 300 West Camelback Road. Admission is $50 and includes all supplies and a special gift. Call 602-274-0067 or visit changinghands.com to register. Amy Young

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses – Master Quest
Think about The Legend of Zelda. Were you the kind of dweeb who loved the score as much as the game? Or, did you just play it so much the music was always stuck in your head?

Either way, there’s an event for you.

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses – Master Quest features the theme music from the Nintendo game performed by a live orchestra and backdropped by a huge screen showing some of the most memorable moments of the game.

Experience Symphony of the Goddesses from 7:30 to 10 p.m. on Monday, November 21, at Symphony Hall, 75 North Second Street. Tickets range from $35 to $95. Call 602-262-6225 or visit zelda-symphony.com for more details. Lauren Cusimano

Beautiful
Long before reality television shows gave voice to aspiring superstars, singer and songwriter Carole King was making her mark with songs like “You’ve Got a Friend” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”

Her rise to fame amid personal turmoil is chronicled in the Broadway musical Beautiful. That soundtrack won the 2015 Grammy for best musical theater album more than four decades after King’s 1971 album Tapestry became the soundtrack for a generation wrestling with social upheaval through war and the civil rights movement.

See the touring production of Beautiful at ASU Gammage, 1200 South Forest Avenue in Tempe, at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 22. Tickets are available through the ASU Gammage box office. The musical continues through Sunday, November 27. Visit asugammage.com. Lynn Trimble

ZooLights
For the Grinches among us, looking on the bright side can prove tough. But it’s virtually impossible to avoid at ZooLights, the holiday display that brightens up the Phoenix Zoo, 455 North Galvin Parkway, starting Wednesday, November 23. That’s right: Before sitting down for the most dreaded family meal of the year, you can experience a little shine with millions of lights and a three-story holiday tree. Happy Thanksgiving Eve, indeed. Hours are 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., and the lights remain up through Sunday, January 8. Tickets are $19.95, with discounts available. Find details at phoenixzoo.org. Becky Bartkowski

Hannibal Buress
Chances are, you like comedian Hannibal Buress more than comedian Bill Cosby does. Buress took some hard (but deserved) shots at Cosby during a tour in 2014. A clip of that bit from a show in Philadelphia went viral. Shortly after, more women came forward to accuse the former Jell-O spokesman of sex crimes. Buress might or might not talk about Cosby at his one-night-only Hannibal Montanabal Experience show.
He will, however, fill you in on his current activities as a stand-up comedian and actor — and how things change as his career continues to grow.

Laugh along starting at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23, at Stand Up Live, 50 West Jefferson Street. Admission is $25; seating is first-come, first-served. All tickets require a two-drink minimum. Call 480-719-6100 or visit standuplive.com. Amy Young

Gratitude Flow
Any yogi knows life is about duality — the yin with the yang, balance. With that in mind, you can start your Thanksgiving with some serious shanti, stretching your belly and making some space at Sutra’s eighth annual Gratitude Flow. Hosted in Coronado Park, 1300 East Coronado Road, the event aims to help you focus on thankfulness and getting inner peace in the middle of hectic holiday preparation with sun salutations under the sky. Chances are, you’ll need some centering before listening to Uncle Jeff explain why Trump is #totallyhispresident for the seventh consecutive time. The community class kicks off at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 24. It is a donation-based event in support of UMOM New Day Centers, which means you can either pay $5 or bring a new or used coat for their annual winter coat drive. See details at www.facebook.com/events/1826899264206422. Heather Hoch

Read on for post-Thanksgiving plans.

The Herd
Heavy-hitting English actor Rory Kinnear, who’s rocked the role of Bill Tanner in James Bond movies as well as an Olivier-winning Iago in Othello, is also the author of domestic comedy-drama The Herd.

The setting is Andy’s 21st birthday party, though he hasn’t arrived yet. His beleaguered mom and funky family pass the time in angst-fueled ways, each one fighting for some autonomy and, perhaps, joy. Andy’s disabilities have catalyzed potent life choices by everyone present, and passions run high. Kinnear’s dialogue sprinkles a substantial helping of wit upon the bleak emotional realism, which is generally a good thing.

The play has been well-received in both British and American cities, and it sees its regional première at Theatre Artists Studio through Sunday, December 11. Showtime on opening night, Friday, November 25, is 7:30 p.m. at 4848 East Cactus Road in Scottsdale. Tickets are $15 to $25 at thestudiophx.org or 602-765-0120. Julie Peterson

Suns vs. Timberwolves
The 2016 Phoenix Suns are a work in progress, and that’s a good thing. Rather than waste another year wallowing in mediocrity or worse, the Suns have wisely chosen a slower, steadier path to redemption: the draft. While it’s easy to point to the Warriors and the Cavaliers as models of such success, the Minnesota Timberwolves might soon prove to be the NBA’s finest example. All but one of the Wolves starters was drafted by the team within the last few years and none are older than 26. Two similarly stacked teams with a common vision face off when the Suns host Minnesota at Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 East Jefferson Street, at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 25. Tickets are $19 and up. Visit suns.com or call 602-379-7800 for details. Rob Kroehler

MasKuerade
The day after Thanksgiving, most brave the lines for the best deals of the year, spend time with family, or reflect on the caloric damage incurred the previous day. But people who do Thanksgiving weekend right get dressed up and go to a swanky party. Thankfully, the likeminded Phoenix Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. is throwing the Black Friday MasKuerade Party, pegged a “grown and sexy affair.” This party, sure to be more lit than recently unstrung Christmas lights, runs from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday, November 25, at Club Palazzo, 710 North Central Avenue. Admission is $15 and, yeah, masks are required. It’s only right. For more info and to purchase tickets, visit phoenixkappas.com or call 602-705-3595. Evie Carpenter

Al Madrigal
Al Madrigal may not be the most recognizable name associated with Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show of old, but the former senior Latino correspondent is uniquely familiar with the Grand Canyon State, having covered SB 1070 and immigration.

So it’s safe to say given recent events — the ousting of Sheriff Joe, former Governor Jan Brewer’s name making a Trump administration short list — that Madrigal will have plenty to talk about instead of the weather when he takes the stage Thanksgiving weekend at Stand Up Live, 50 West Jefferson Street.

The comedian, who made the switch from late-night satire to sitcoms in primetime (appearing in NBC’s short-lived About a Boy and the CBS series Gary Unmarried), performs on Friday, November 25, at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tickets are $22 per 21-and-over show, with a two-drink minimum. Madrigal performs through Sunday, November 27. Call 480-719-6100 or see standuplive.com for details. Janessa Hilliard

King of the Cage
Cage fighting is a sport that garners little room for indifference. People love it or hate it. It’s violent, gruesome, and often mean-spirited, but it’s also a display of strength, physicality, stamina, and strategy. It’s kinda like a physical metaphor for a political spat on social media. So next time a detractor wanders into your cyber echo chamber and you harangue him for disagreeing with you on foreign policy, remember the cage fighter, who at least has the courage to throw down in person. And in this day and age, there’s a strange beauty in that. King of the Cage comes to Fountain Hills’ Fort McDowell Casino, 10424 North Fort McDowell Road, at 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 26. Tickets to the 21-and-over event start at $30. Visit www.fortmcdowellcasino.com or call 1-800-843-3678. Rob Kroehler

A Bloody Mary Christmas
’Tis the season for you to be grumpy? If you could find solace in a seasonal musical comedy written just for those who’d rather hide out until the holiday merriment is in the rearview mirror, then get ready for a night out at the theater.

A Bloody Mary Christmas, now in its seventh year, is not only a show for those who don’t like the holidays, it also speaks to those who find musicals annoying, too. Watch characters Mabel, Bertha, and Blanche — a trio of Sun City retirees — sing, dance, and drink as they fight eviction from their condo. Join other holiday-haters at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 26, at Space 55, 636 East Pierce Street. Admission is $20, and the show runs through December 30. Visit www.space55.org. Amy Young

Eva Hesse
You’re either entirely familiar or in for a treat when it comes to the work of Eva Hesse. A postwar sculptor, Hesse was one of the coolest weirdos the New York City art scene had — and then lost to a brain tumor in 1970.

To showcase her life and work, a new documentary has been released from Zeitgeist Films, and Eva Hesse, a film by Marcie Begleiter, is making its way to the Valley. Presented by No Festival Required Independent Cinema, Eva Hesse will be shown from 3 to 4:45 p.m. (doors at 2:45 p.m.) and from 5 to 6:45 p.m. on Sunday, November 27, at Chartreuse Gallery, 1301 Grand Avenue. This salon screening is $10 per viewer. For further details, visit nofestivalrequired.com. Lauren Cusimano