Double-week priority list includes Randy Newman, Matthew Morrison, and more

Thanksgiving meeans, this time out, the IBJ A&E Priority List covers two weeks. Here are some options besides eating more leftovers and hitting a movie theater.

Circle of Lights

In celebration of year 52 for the Monument Circle holiday celebration, 52 garland strands and 52 oversized decorations (half peppermint sticks/half toy soldiers) are displayed along with more than 4,700 lights. The kick-off event includes entertainment from Josh Kaufman (see interview with him backstage on Broadway here http://www.ibj.com/articles/50467-after-winning-the-voice-kaufman-goes-broadway) and performers from the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s Yuletide Celebration. Monument Circle, Nov. 28 Details

Randy Newman

The Tony-short-of-an-EGOT singer-songwriter makes his Palladium debut as part of a two-week tour. If you know Newman only from “Short People” and his Pixar and Disney scores, you are in for some surprises. For prep, listen to such great tunes as “Louisiana 1927” and the oft-covered “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today.” Nov. 21  Palladium Details

Matthew Morrison

Before he was a household name (among rabid theater-geek teens) via TV’s “Glee,” Matthew Morrison was featured in such Broadway productions as “South Pacific” and “Hairspray.” Here, he headlines a one-nighter with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra focusing on show tunes and Sinatra-esque hits. Nov. 22 Hilbert Circle Theatre Details

Evening with the Stars

The annual all-star (seriously, some of the best ballet dancers in the world have appeared at previous installments) event moves from September to November this year and from the Murat to Clowes Hall. The lineup includes New York City Ballet’s Gonzalo Garcia, American Ballet Theatre’s Marcelo Gomes, the Royal Ballet’s Melissa Hamilton, Dutch National Ballet Studio’s Veronika Verterich, and many more. Nov. 22 Clowes Hall Details

“The Stabilizer: B Movie Bingo”

Here’s something you might not have expected to find at the IMA—a movie cliché Bingo game in which participants watch terrible movies and compete for prizes. Nov. 21  Indianapolis Museum of Art Details

Also over the next two weeks

Former Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra maestro Mario Venzago returns to Indy to conduct Beethoven’s “Eroica” Nov. 20-21 at Hilbert Circle Theatre.

This year’s Tonic Ball, benefiting Second Helpings, celebrates the music of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters with side trips into the tunes of Velvet Underground/Lou Reed and Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks Nov. 21 at multiple Fountain Square locations.

More than 50 ethnic groups are represented at the Indy International Festival Nov. 21-23 at the Fairgrounds Coliseum, which features food, live entertainment and interactive activities.

Pianist George Winston plays the Palladium Nov. 20. Tony Bennett follows on Nov. 21. Then Randy Newman (see above) on Nov. 23 and Celtic Thunder on Nov. 26.

Rob Johansen, Ryan O’Shea, Arianne Villareal and more are featured in “A Very Phoenix Xmas 9: Flashing Through the Snow,” this year’s edition of the Phoenix Theatre’s irreverent holiday variety show Nov. 28-Dec. 21.

Whisper tours, solitary activities, headphone concerts and silent movies are all part of Silent Night, an alternative to Black Friday mall madness Nov. 29 Indianapolis Museum of Art.

The Indiana Repertory Theatre branches into children’s programming with “The Velveteen Rabbit,” adapted by James Still, Nov. 22-Dec. 13 in the IRT’s Cabaret.

And check out these recent reviews, etc. All can be found at www.ibj.com/arts

Interview with Josh Kaufman 

Review: “Old Jews Telling Jokes”

Review: “Georgia O’Keeffe and the Southwestern Still Life”

Review: “Interstellar”