There are lots of notable shows on the local theater calendar this weekend, including two openings and a handful of closings. Before the holiday rush, this is a good time to treat yourself to a ticket or two.

One opening is a show that I have been looking forward to since first hearing about it a few months ago: “Shylock,”adapted by Lara Haberberger. This fresh take on Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice” is set in a Nazi concentration camp, placing the play’s antisemitism front and center.

Presented by American Repertory Theater of WNY at the Compass Performing Arts Center (formerly TheaterLoft) on Elmwood Avenue, the show opens Nov. 21. Performances are Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 5 p.m.

The second is one everyone should recognize: “The Wizard of Oz.” The Lancaster Opera House is kicking off the holidays with a show that was once a television holiday tradition. Based on the 1939 movie, this live production pairs nicely with the opening of the movie version of its sister show, “Wicked.”

“Oz” opens Nov. 22 and runs through Dec. 8 in the Opera House theater, 21 Central Ave., Lancaster. Go to lancasteropera.org for dates and showtimes, a nice mix of evening and matinees for all ages.

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This also is the final weekend for several productions, each appealing in its own way.

Ujima Theatre Company gets us primed for the upcoming holiday with the pointedly comic satire “The Thanksgiving Play,” by Native American playwright Larissa Fasthorse.

The action takes place along the road of good intentions, in which Logan, a high school drama teacher, is attempting to present an authentic holiday play celebrating Thanksgiving while being respectful of the indigenous cultures that were steamrolled by the early colonists.

As the saying goes, “Good luck with that!”

Fasthorse tips her comic hand early on when Jackson, Logan’s earnest colleague, presents her with a gift: A water bottle made from glass that has been recycled from the broken windows of housing projects.

That turns out to be a metaphor for the entire play project. Logan is trying to craft a meaningful holiday experience while theoretically being inclusive and avoiding cultural appropriation, which turns out to be much more difficult that expected.

When uninformed expectations collide with politically correct guardrails, the sparks fly widely enough to illuminate a host of misconceptions for Logan and her team.

Fasthorse allows the cast and audience to have fun with the characters’ woke silliness without being mean about it. The message she delivers is deceptively simple: If you want to be inclusive, include people.

“The Thanksgiving Play,” with actors Elizabeth Oddy, Daniel Bills-Warman, Connor Graham and Melinda Capeles, continues in Ujima’s Lorna C. Hill Theater, 429 Plymouth Ave., Nov. 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m., and Nov. 24 at 4 p.m. Go to ujimacoinc.org.

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“The Marvelous Wonderettes: Dream On,” a musical revue of songs from the 1960s and ’70s, finishes a quick two-week run this weekend at O’Connell & Company. Joey Bucheker directs and choreographs performances by Dasia Cervi, Smirna Mercedes, Casey Moyer and Audrianna Yates​​​​ as high school pals who reconnect 10 and 20 years after graduation.

More than two dozen songs, including girl group hits, R&B numbers, disco and pop classics, tell their story. Expect to find yourself singing along.“Marvelous Wonderettes” is at the O’Connell & Co. main theater, 4110 Bailey Ave., Amherst (parking on site). Performances are Nov. 21, 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 23 and 24 at 2 p.m. Go to oconnnellandcompany.com.

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If the Bills bye-week has you craving some sports, “King James” at the D’Youville Kavinoky Theatre could be the fix you need. It’s a winning dramedy by Rajiv Joseph, who also wrote the hugely compelling two-man show “Guards at the Taj” that Road Less Traveled produced a couple years ago. Though set in Cleveland, the themes of “King James” are familiar to anyone who has found themselves living vicariously through a local sports team.

Brendan Didio and Jake Hayes winningly star as Matt and Shawn, two guys who bond over a common love of pro basketball. We meet them in early adulthood, when they are trying to launch their own careers at the same time that a teenage LeBron James joins the hometown Cleveland Cavaliers.

“King James” follows all three over the years, through success and setbacks, “Decisions” big and small, and choices that feel like betrayals. Brightly funny and sharply emotional, the performances leave you wanting to hug your friends and shout for your team.

Remaining shows for “King James” are Nov. 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 23 at 3:30 p.m. and Nov. 24 at 2 p.m. at the Kavinoky Theatre on the D’Youville University campus, 320 Porter Ave. (entrance on Prospect or from the parking lot on Fargo). Go to kavinokytheatre.com.

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In a departure from its usual classic comedic and dramatic programming, the Irish Classical Theatre Company is wrapping up a preview production of a brand new musical. “The Fitzgeralds of St. Paul” by Christie Baugher is a sung-through memory play about a very famous marriage. F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, are played by visiting artists Jewell Wilson Bridges and Shannon O’Boyle with a luminous combination of talent and heart.

Zelda’s memories dash around, noting her husband’s early collection of rejection notices in “the Upper Manhattan Museum of Literary Disappointments” before they both became famous for writing and for being with one another. An onstage musical ensemble of Melissa Bender, Peggy Scalzo and Bridget Moriarty, all in tuxedos, provides an added layer of Jazz Age flair to the enterprise.

Knowing a little about the Fitzgeralds beforehand helps but isn’t necessary. Parsing what is real and what is Zelda’s mind playing its tricks (e.g. no, Scott didn’t have an affair with Ernest Hemingway) is part of being there. At 90 minutes without intermission, the dream flows effortlessly.

“The Fitzgeralds of St. Paul” concludes with shows Nov. 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 23 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. (The Nov. 24 closing matinee and reception are sold out.) Performances are in the Andrews Theatre, 625 Main St.; go to irishclassical.com.

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The stunning one-man show “Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski” wraps up at the Jewish Repertory Theatre with performances Nov. 21 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. and matinees Nov. 23 at 3:30 p.m. and Nov. 24 at 2 p.m. David Lundy gives an exceptional performance as a Polish gentile who finds himself spying for and then advocating on behalf of the Jews of Europe as the Nazi horror unfolds.

Follow the link for our review.

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Two more shows, reviewed earlier, continue through Dec. 8: “Something Rotten” at MusicalFare, through Dec. 8; and “Witch” at Road Less Traveled Productions, through Dec. 8. Reviews can be found under the theater tab at thebuffalohive.com or follow the links.