Christmas music playing in department stores, in the malls, on the radio and Internet tell us “tis the season to be jolly.” To help maintain the holiday festive mood, let me suggest one or more of the theatrical Christmas productions playing around town. You’ll find below summaries and particulars for three different Christmas productions playing throughout the Metro area.
A Christmas Carol presented by SistaStyle Productions
Playing through Dec. 8 at the Darkhorse Theatre, Mary McCallum’s African American version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol tells the story of Eberta Scrooge, a Black female, NRA-gun-toting Republican.
Journey with your family through this beloved modern tale with a timely twist. Witness Eberta Scrooge’s discovery of the true meaning of Christmas over the course of one fateful evening (complete with Christmas songs and your favorite Nashville actors).
A Christmas Carol continues at the Darkhorse Theatre, 4610 Charlotte Avenue, through December 8, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 4 pm. Tickets are $12. For more information, call 615-476-6430 or visit www.sistastyle.net.
Try a musical version of A Christmas Carol playing at the Keeton Theatre
A Christmas Carol, The Musical by Lynn Ahrens and Alan Menken (Little Shop of Horrors) plays at the Keeton Theatre, 108 Donelson Pike, Nashville, in a dinner theatre format through December 16. The stage version of A Christmas Carol, The Musical was presented for the final time at Madison Square Garden on December 27, 2003. A year later, a film adaptation of the play premiered on NBC, starring Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge. Touting the optimistic sentiment that “it’s never too late to change.” A Christmas Carol, The Musical will be a delight for audiences, both young and old.
A Christmas Carol, The Musical performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Dinner is at 6 pm with the show at 7 pm; Sunday lunches are at 1 pm, with the show at 2 pm. Call the Keeton Theatre box office at 883-8375 or order tickets on-line at www.thelarrykeetontheatre.org.
Miracle on 34th Street plays at Steeple Players Theatre
Steeple Players Theatre continues performances of Miracle on 34th Street through December 16. Get into the holiday spirit with the Steeple Players for this classic holiday tale at their theatre location at 260 W. Main St., Hendersonville, Tenn.
Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn starred in the 1947 motion picture version of Miracle on 34th Street, (adapted from the novel by Valentine Davies). The play stays true to the original story of the renewal of a little girl’s belief in miracles—and the premise that there really is a Santa Claus.
“This is a tale that we want to believe in, that creates a world we seem to desperately desire, free of the blatant commercialism that surrounds us, where love and decency and generosity of spirit are their own rewards,” writes the Santa Cruz Sentinel of this most heartwarming holiday story.
Kris Kringle, an old man in a retirement home, gets a job working as Santa for Macy’s Department Store. Kris unleashes waves of good will with Macy’s customers and the commercial world of New York City by referring parents to other stores to find exactly the toy their child has asked for. Kris is seen as deluded and dangerous by Macy’s vocational counselor, who plots to have Kris shanghaied to Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital. Kris ends up in a court competency hearing. Especially at stake is one little girl’s belief in Santa. Join Steeple Players for this heartwarming tale and experience the true joy of this holiday season.
Miracle on 34th Street runs approximately 100 minutes. Performances are each Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm; and Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm through December 16.
