Bob Goepfert

This week is not only Thanksgiving, it’s also the start of the holiday season. There is an abundance of things to do between Thanksgiving and Christmas. So much so that many worthy events go under the radar and can easily be missed.

David Amram turned 95 on Monday. On Friday, the Musicians of Ma’alwyck are honoring the legendary composer with a concert featuring several of his compositions and remarkably, a performance by Amram himself.

Perhaps because of the many holidays in November it is a slow month in theater. But what is available is well-worth attending.

The musical “Wicked” is in the middle of its two-weekend run at Proctors in Schenectady. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should.

There is no doubt the face of democracy is changing. So fast that artists have not yet found a way to create original work that addresses the issue. In theater the solution has been to look to the past.

In the Mary Zimmerman play “Metamorphosis” humans are frail and their gods are petty.

When you leave the production of “Becky Nurse of Salem” at Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany you’ll remember the dynamic performance of Brenny Campbell in the lead role.

To fully appreciate “A Beautiful Noise - the Neil Diamond Musical,” playing at Proctors through Sunday, you have to create a no-judgment zone.

If you want to experience a good play written by a potentially great playwright rush to Cohoes Music Hall before “The Comeuppance” closes on Sunday.

Paula Vogel’s newest work “Mother Play: a play in five evictions” confirms the theory that if American playwrights did not suffer childhood family dysfunction there would be no drama on our stages.