Get Nutty one last time
It’s been a staple of the season for over a decade. The Texas Ballet Theater pop culture send-off will bow out on Friday, Dec. 16 at Bass Performance Hall (525 Commerce St, 817-212-4280) following some clearly fun new leadership. I laugh. TBT Acting Creative Director Tim O’Keefe said, “We are sad to see this long tradition come to an end at TBT, but we are excited for the future and look forward to starting new traditions that will also fun. for the public and the dancers, like Nutty.
Sandwiching The Nutty Nutcracker will be several representations of its source material. The Nutcracker by TBT-winning artistic director Ben Stevenson will run until Christmas Eve (Saturday, December 24) at Bass Hall.
Scrooged
Whenever there’s an adaptation of Christmas Carol, pop the popcorn and plant my ass in the front row. My favorite version is by far the best: 1970s Scrooge with Albert Finney and music by Leslie “Candy Man” Bricusse. If you haven’t seen it and still dare to file Christmas Carol adaptations, you should be boiled with your own pudding and buried with a holly stake through your heart, filthy animal. A distant second is a new one, Spirited, starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds. There are a few LOL moments but it’s cuter than anything else, and in our house, cute is fine, says the guy who watched A Castle for Christmas three times last year. Through Friday, Dec. 23, Casa Mañana (3101 W Lancaster Av, 817-332-2272) has another fun, and probably cute, new take on the Dickens classic. Casa says A Christmas Carol: A New Musical Comedy is loaded with current pop culture references and features a contemporary pop score that “is sure to have you dancing down the aisles.” Sounds good to me, because apparently if there’s no song and dance in your Christmas carol, then there’s no A-Train. (I said what I said!) Tickets cost between $29 and $44.
Im Cabaret, au Cabaret, to Caba-raaay (winter version)
Want a great way to spend your vacation in top gear on your red and green spirit Vespa? At 8 p.m. the day before The Nutty Nutcracker, head to Amphibian Stage (120 S Main St, 817-923-3012) for a “night of top-notch music, holiday charm, and winter magic” — plus a champagne station and hors d’oeuvres past Tasha Monticure from South Main Bodega, all included with your $40 ticket. Led by fun musical director Drew Wutke, Broadway’s Tari Kelly (Boy from Oz, Something Rotten!, Billy Crystal’s Mr. Saturday Night) and Lauren Urso of Dallas, who has performed around the world, will present holiday classics and Broadway favorites (“Willkommen” to start, maybe?) and will also lead a “boozy” vocal (“Thank you very much, maybe?). The Phibs winter cabaret is Thursday, December 15 at 8 p.m.
O holy visitors of the night
Whenever we can free up space in our entertainment media for the underrepresented among us, we should, and that’s why I’ll sing the praises of Amahl and the Night Visitors despite his Jesus- y. Nothing against the saviour. He grew up to be a great Buddhist. But, man, what the right-wing fringe fiends are doing to him and the church I grew up with makes me want to avoid anything about their loud, dumb, bigoted noise all the more. I’m having a hard time even listening to Christmas music this year, and it’s my all-time favorite kind of music. In any event. Amahl and the Night Visitors. On their way to pay homage to the 8-pound, 6-ounce baby Jesus, handicapped shepherd Amahl and his sweet mother meet the three wise men. Kindness and generosity follow. The opera premiered on network television more than 60 years ago, and it’s getting the full in-person treatment this year by Fort Worth Opera starting Friday and running through Sunday, December 11 at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden ( 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd, 817-463-4160). Tickets are $25-39 and kids under 4 are free as long as they… sit on an adult’s lap. I understand babysitters are in high demand, but if you’re taking a 4-year-old to the opera, Buddha bless you. And the people who have to sit near you.
Be impactful
Now in its fifth year, the annual Circle Theater fundraiser returns on Saturday, December 10. Hosted by the incomparable Denise Lee, Holiday Punch is an evening of carnival games, raffles, giveaways, original shows and lots of music that “you know and love.” Oh, so a little “My Favorite Things” by Coltrane and a little Scrooge? I’m in! With your $50 ticket purchase, you are automatically entered into a gift basket draw. And some of them are out of the chizzain. One includes a bottle of wine, $50 Airbnb gift card, $100 Tangerine Lounge gift certificate, and wine tasting for two at Lost Oak Winery, while another includes two tickets to the four-day weekend, two tickets to a Lost Oak wine tasting, two tickets to Billy Bob’s, a $20 gift card to Buffalo Bros, and a bottle of TX Whiskey. Shit. The fun starts at 7 p.m. at 230 W 4th St (817-877-3040).
All aboard!
The Jubilee Theater (506 Main St, 817-338-4411) will be kicking old school until Friday, Dec. 23 with Take the Soul Train to Christmas. No, this show isn’t about shaking what you got at stake (as far as we know), but rather it’s about kids taking a trip through history while researching a school assignment on how African Americans have celebrated Christmas in the past. Tickets cost between $29 and $44.
Fra-GEE-Lay
A young Israeli vacationing with her grandmother in the United States finds herself stuck in a motel room on Christmas Eve with an “eccentric” delivery man. “Is their meeting an accident or is it the destiny of future generations? A “hilarious and heartwarming romantic comedy,” Handle With Care “exudes tons of comedic energy and insight,” says The New York Times. The play’s regional premiere will be on Thursday and will run through Sunday, January 8, 2023 at Stage West (821-823 W Vickery Blvd, 817-784-9378). Tickets are $40.
Courtesy of Stage West
what a ham
The Herdman siblings are “the worst kids in the history of the world,” writes the author of the bestselling Best Christmas Pageant Ever which was clearly published before 17-year-old white trash Kyle Shittenhouse crossed the line. state lines and murders several protesters with an assault weapon he was not allowed to touch let alone use. Anyway, the six “rowdy” Herdman children support an annual holiday contest in a tale that involves the three wise men, frightened shepherds and a ham at the Artisan Center Theater (444 E Pipeline Rd, Hurst, 817 -284-1200) through Friday, December 23. Tickets cost between $10 and $15.
A not so silent night
For the Callahan Kids’ Christmas reunion television special, everyone is thrilled with the return of the former child stars to television until the “kids” realize that “as adults, they are no longer cute and their talent is lacking”. Now the only thing that can save the show is (#thoughtsandprayers) “a Christmas miracle”. Through Sunday, December 18 at Theater Arlington (305 W Main St, Arlington, 817-275-7661), Holiday Musical is suitable for children ages 6 and up. Tickets are $32.
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