KC events Nov. 1-7: Armistice Commemoration, Midwest GameFest, Tom Papa, Thundergong!

If games are your thing, the Midwest GameFest will have something for you. Role-playing, historical miniatures, board games, card games and cosplay will be just some of the attractions, with single-game events as well as tournaments and competitive play. Exhibitors will include game designers and dealers, and there will be workshops, game demonstrations, benefit events, a used-game sale and special gaming events. Noon-midnight, Thursday, Nov. 1; 8 a.m.-midnight, Friday-Saturday, Nov. 2-3; 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4. Tickets are $10-$50 through midwestgamefest.org.

With music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, “Show Boat” has been a staple of the American stage for nearly a century. The musical, first produced in 1927 by Florenz Ziegfeld, follows the lives of the performers, stagehands and dock workers on the Mississippi River showboat the Cotton Blossom. It features classic songs such as “Ol’ Man River,” “Make Believe” and “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man.” Runs through Nov. 18. 816-221-6987. Tickets are $29-$58 through mthkc.com.

Tom Papa is known as a comedian and has been for 20 years, but he’s also a multimedia sensation. The New Jersey native’s book, “Your Dad Stole My Rake: And Other Family Dilemmas,” came out earlier this year. He is host of Food Network’s new series “Baked.” He is head writer and sometimes performer on the popular NPR radio show “Live From Here.” He has a weekly podcast and a SiriusXM show. And his movie and TV acting credits include “Behind the Candelabra,” “Analyze That,” “The Informant!” and “The New Adventures of Old Christine.” 816-205-8560. Tickets are $27.50-$52.50 through thetrumankc.com.

After four years of fighting, hostilities on the Western Front of World War I ended on Nov. 11, 1918, at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month. So the 100th anniversary is a big deal. The highlight of the 10-day commemoration will be “Peace and Remembrance,” a light installation that will set the nation’s official WWI memorial aglow with poppies each evening. Also scheduled are a symposium, research stations and special exhibitions, capped by the Armistice Ceremony with other activities Nov. 11. “Peace and Remembrance,” 7 p.m. Thursday-Friday, Nov. 2-3, and 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4, through Nov. 11. Museum hours, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. 816-888-8100. theworldwar.org. Museum admission, $10-$16.

Spinning Tree Theatre will present the Kansas City premiere of Douglas Carter Beane’s musical, which starred Nathan Lane when it played on Broadway in 2013. Set in the 1930s, “The Nance” tells the story of a burlesque house in New York City, whose mayor wants to clean up the city before the 1937 World’s Fair by banning burlesque. The title refers to a stereotypical gay vaudeville character, typically played by a straight actor. In “The Nance,” however, the nance really is gay. Runs through Nov. 18. 816-569-5277. Tickets are $15-$45 through spinningtreetheatre.com.

One of the world’s favorite operas, Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” tells the tragic love story of a young geisha and her doomed marriage to a U.S. Naval officer. Making her Lyric Opera debut as Butterfly will be Karah Son, who has sung the role at Opera Australia, the Welsh National Opera and the Glyndebourne Festival. Pinkerton will be played by Georgy Vasiliev, who also will make his Lyric Opera debut and who recently sang the role at Opera Australia. Also, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 and 9, 2 p.m. Nov. 11. Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. 816-471-7344. Tickets are $35.50-$199.50 through kcopera.org.

Jason Sudeikis will again serve as host for the second version of the charity event, and the headliner for Thundergong! — a concert with a lot of laughs — will be Chance the Rapper. Will Forte will return, and other performers will include Sam Richardson, Rob Zabrecky and Ultimate Fakebook, with Summer Breeze as the house band. Last year’s show raised $150,000 for Steps of Faith, matching its annual budget. Tickets are $45-$150 through thundergong.org.

The national tour of Monty Python’s “Spamalot,” complete with flying cows, killer rabbits and taunting Frenchmen, will stop for one show in Lawrence. Inspired by the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” the musical follows King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table on their comic quest for the Holy Grail. It won three Tony Awards in 2005, including for Best Musical. 785-864-2787. Tickets are $21-$55 through lied.ku.edu.

The William Baker Festival Singers will open their 21st season with “The Sacred Fire,” featuring classic works by Hildegard von Bingen, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert as well as modern works. The Kansas City Women’s Chorus and the Raymore-Peculiar Chamber Singers will be guests on the program, and the combined chorus will perform Beethoven’s “Hallelujah.” 913-488-7524. Tickets are $5-$15 through festivalsingers.org.

Don’t look now, but the holiday season is here. The Coterie Theatre will kick off things with the children’s classic based on a 1964 TV movie, although Rudolph first appeared in a 1939 booklet published by the department store Montgomery Ward. Not to give away the ending, but the glowing-nosed Rudolph saves the foul-weather day for Santa and the rest of his reindeer. Runs through Dec. 30. 816-474-6552. Tickets are $13-$19 through thecoterie.org.

Carol Burnett has been making people laugh for more than six decades, and she’s still doing so at a hectic pace. Her current tour will take her from Kansas City to St. Louis (Nov. 8), Dallas (Nov. 11) and Houston (Nov. 13). Her signature claim to fame, “The Carol Burnett Show,” ran from 1967 to 1978 and won 23 Emmy Awards. Burnett has won six Emmys, and she was nominated for one this year for “The Carol Burnett Show 50th Anniversary Special.” 816-283-9921. Tickets are $65-$175 through midlandkc.com.

Those who find their inspiration from former professional wrestlers who battled crack cocaine and other substances but have turned their lives around will want to check out this appearance by Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Billed as an “uncensored night of comedy, tales from the road, Q&A and more,” the show promises to take the audience behind the scenes of the World Wrestling Federation. Roberts, 63, known for a feud with André the Giant, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014. 816-442-8179. Tickets are $20-$50 through theriotroom.com.

Crescendo, Nov. 2, Kauffman Center. conservatory.umkc.edu

Vikingur Olafsson, Nov. 2, Folly. chambermusic.org

Ballet Folklórico de México, Nov. 3, Kauffman Center. hjseries.org

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Nov. 7, Kauffman Center. chambermusic.org

“The Doo-Wop Boys,” Nov. 1-Dec. 16, Chestnut Fine Arts Center. chestnutfinearts.com

“Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot,” Nov. 3-18, White Theatre. thejkc.org

“The Madess of Lady Bright,” Kansas City Public Theatre, Nov. 5 and 9-11, Uptown Arts Bar and Hamburger Mary’s. kcpublictheatre.org

“Elf The Musical,” Nov. 7, Lied Center. lied.ku.edu

Amigo the Devil with Harley Poe and Ghosts of Grandad’s Past, Nov. 1, Riot Room. theriotroom.com

Bettye LaVette, Nov. 1, Knuckleheads. knuckleheadskc.com

Black Lips with Surfbort, Nov. 1, Riot Room. theriotroom.com

Hot Rize, Nov. 1, Liberty Hall. libertyhall.net

The Band Perry, Nov. 2, Granada. thegranada.com

Big Gigantic, Nov. 2, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. midlandkc.com

Lynyrd Skynyrd with Jamey Johnson and The Marshall Tucker Band, Nov. 2, Sprint Center. sprintcenter.com

Jeff Black, Nov. 2, Knuckleheads. knuckleheadskc.com

Sir Sly and Joywave, Nov. 2, The Truman. thetrumankc.com

Jason Boland & The Stragglers, Nov. 3, The Truman. thetrumankc.com

Bloodletting Tour featuring Decrepit, Birtharsis, Internal Bleeding and more, Nov. 4, Aftershock. aftershockshows.com

The Fab Four – The Ultimate Tribute, Nov. 4, Yardley Hall. jccc.edu/theseries

Lil Xan, Nov. 4, Uptown. uptowntheater.com

Pokey LaFarge, Nov. 4, Knuckleheads. knuckleheadskc.com

Gary Clark Jr., Nov. 6, Uptown. uptowntheater.com

Coheed and Cambria, Nov. 6, Liberty Hall. libertyhall.net

Good Charlotte, Nov. 7, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. midlandkc.com

First Fridays in the Crossroads, Nov. 2, Crossroads Arts District. kccrossroads.org

1918: Crucible of War, Nov. 1-3, National WWI Museum and Memorial. theworldwar.org

Center Ice Terrace Opens, Nov. 2-March 10, Crown Center Square. crowncenter.com

Great Kansas City Pet Expo, Nov. 3-4, Overland Park Convention Center. greatkcpetexpo.com

Rock It, Nov. 3, Union Station. facebook.com/events/265051967665659

Day of the Dead, Nov. 4, Nelson-Atkins Museum. nelson-atkins.org

Jazz Ambassadors of U.S. Army Field Band, “The Greatest Generation,” Nov. 4, Kauffman Center. kauffmancenter.org

Sporting Kansas City in playoffs, TBA. Children’s Mercy Park. sportingkc.com

Kansas City Mavericks (hockey) Wichita, Nov. 2; Utah, Nov. 3; Allen, Nov. 6. Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. kcmavericks.com

Turkic Food Festival. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 3. Dialogue Institute of the Southwest, 4215 Shawnee, Kansas City, Kan. dialoguekc.org, 913-894-6700

Helping Hops Nano-brewfest. Benefits American Cancer Society Hope Lodge. 5:30 p.m. Nov. 1. $20 suggested donation. The Oliver Building, 1321 W. 13th. eventbrite.com/event/50882575152

Downtown Wine Walk. Benefits The Children’s Place. 2 p.m. Nov. 3. $30-$75. Power & Light District, 13th and Walnut. powerandlightdistrict.com/events

British Faire & Tea. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 3. $1-$18. Shawnee Civic Centre, 13817 Johnson Drive, Shawnee. dbekansas.org/faire