Best 2015 Holiday-Themed Stage Productions In Minnesota
The holiday season is warming up with holiday-themed stage productions. Twin Cities has many upcoming theatrical performances where local and outside talent will be stepping into the spotlight. These productions might be worth the price of a ticket.
Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker
Orpheum Theater
910 Hennepin Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 339-7007
www.hennepintheatretrust.org
Date(s): Dec. 5, 2015 at 3 p.m. Tickets on sale up through Dec. 5.
The first Moscow Ballet first toured the U.S. in 1993. For one day only, the ballet company will be in Twin Cities to perform one of the greatest holiday dance theatricals. The sets are spectacular and the costumes stunning. But the grace and skill of the dancers in this tale of a young girl, her jealous brother, and a fantasy nutcracker prince create a breath-taking performance. An enduring classic, the Tchaikovsky ballet masterpiece premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1892.
A Don't Hug Me Christmas Carol
New Century Theatre
615 Hennepin Ave., Suite 145
(Street Level at City Center)
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 455-9501
www.hennepintheatretrust.org
Date(s): Nov.27, 2015 to Jan. 3, 2016 at various times. Tickets online or at the box office.
Another chapter to the Don't Hug Me hit musical series, this comedy satire captures the angst of a contemporary Scrooge. But he's just a family man. On the night before Christmas, cantankerous Bunyan Bay bar owner Gunner Johnson has a marital rift. On the lake, where he goes to snowmobile and escape family and Christmas, Johnson has an accident that puts him into a coma. While the young father and husband is comatose, a ghostly but not ghastly visitor guides him on a Scroogey journey. Johnson's life plays out to the tune of original song medleys. Compare this parody of "A Christmas Carol" to traditional adaptations of the Charles Dickens classic.
A Christmas Carol
Guthrie Theater
818 South 2nd St.
Minneapolis, MN 55415
(612) 377-2224
www.guthrietheater.org
Date(s): Nov.12, 2015 to Dec. 27, 2015 at various times. Tickets online or at the box office.
Note: Children under age 5 will not be admitted. Contact the theater for more information.
What would Christmas be without a production of "A Christmas Carol?" It's a long-standing holiday tradition that celebrates the life of that beloved curmudgeon, Ebeneezer Scrooge. This perennial tale about a grasping, introverted but wealthy miser will always touch the heartstrings of generations, miserly or not. This production gives a cherished glimpse into a gentleman's Victorian reaction to holiday stress. Compare it to the modernized version at New Century Theatre.
Related: Fall Theater Preview In Minnesota
The Trump Who Stole Christmas
Brave New Workshop Comedy Theatre
824 Hennepin Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 332-6620
www.theatre.bravenewworkshop.com
Date(s): Nov.13, 2015 to Jan. 30, 2016 at various times. Tickets online or at the box office.
Plenty of controversy is dogging the 2016 presidential hopeful. Now the aspiring candidate is accused of being a Grinch. Might he also be Mr. Scrooge? Put this comedy production on your holiday wish list. A Grinch or Scrooge that adapts a Trump persona brings a gift of laughter in exchange for Christmas.
The Chanukah Guest
1978 Ford Parkway
St. Paul, MN 55116
(651) 647-4315
www.mnjewishtheatre.org
Date(s): Dec. 6 to Dec. 22, 2015. Call the box office for tickets and performance schedules.
It's a kind of new twist on the Robert Southey story, Goldilocks and The Three Bears. On the first night of Chanukah, a kind elderly woman mistakes a bear for a visiting rabbi. The bear devours the batch of potato pancakes (latke) meant for the rightful expected guest. What can a gracious hostess do? The play is a heart warming adaptation of an Eric Kimmel story about human nature, animal nature and forgiveness.
Linda Cameron has written home design, home improvement and lifestyle articles for The Boston Globe and City Shopper Magazine. She has related interests in the building industry, travel, real estate and financing. She is a contributor to Examiner, House Spot, Techsling and Behance, covering topics on career, people, businesses, education and technology.
