This time of year is perfect for gathering up your friends and family and heading as far from the mall as possible. So in between your last minute holiday purchases, put on your crushed velvet and patent-leather finery (universal Christmas attire still, right?) and go see a play. There are so many great ones in town this month, I just couldn’t choose one. Maybe you shouldn’t, either.
Ka-HOOTZ for KIDS! presents
Wonderdog Written by Lou Clark Directed by Susan Pearson
The Three Señorita Pigletitas Written by Patricia Crespin Directed by Maggz Gallegos
VSA North Fourth Art Center 4904 Fourth Street NW, 344-4542 vsartsnm.org/theater $10
Runs through Dec. 13 Friday and Saturday 7 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m.
This double feature for kids follows the new girl in school, a talking dog and the Three Little Pigs, Nuevo Mexicano style. Perfect for the young, or even just the once-young.
Genesis: Lead Me Home
Written by Shannon Rogers Directed by Elizabeth Dwyer Sandlin Lady Luck Productions
The Orpheum Arts Space 500 Second Street SW, 400-8121 ladyluckproductions@gmail.com Thursday opening reception $12, $9 students $10, $7 students Friday though Sunday
A new work, Genesis: Lead Me Home examines how we view our mothers, who they were before we were born, and the ramifications of the deification of women (Virgin Mary, anyone?). Lady Luck Productions is a brand-new company dedicated to the promotion of female artists, a worthy endeavor any time of year.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr.
Directed by Doug Montoya and Kristin K. Berg Cardboard Playhouse Productions
The Box Performance Space 114 Gold SW, 404-1578 theboxabq.com $10
Runs through Dec. 20 Fridays 7 p.m., Saturdays 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m.
This stage adaptation of the film version of the French fairy tale has been juniorfied. Parents will enjoy the Oscar-winning songs and romance, kids will love that a teapot talks. The Box has a new location, too; all the better to make merrier in.
Jesus Hopped the A-Train
Written by Stephen Adly Guirgis Directed by Theodore Hamblin Apocracy Theatre Company
Auxiliary Dog Theatre 3011 Monte Vista NE, 254-7716 auxdog.org $12, $10 students
Runs through Dec. 20 Fridays and Saturdays 8 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m.
Not your typical holiday Christ fare, this Jesus play is the story of Angel, a young man whose struggle with spirituality and redemption includes the shooting of a cult leader. Guaranteed sugar-free.
Incorruptible
Written by Michael Hollinger Directed by David Sinkus Mother Road Theatre Company
The Filling Station 1024 Fourth Street SW, 243-0596 motherroad.org $16
Runs through Dec. 20 Thursdays and Fridays 8 p.m., Saturdays 6 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m.
This farcical winner of Mother Road's 2009 Prebut contest follows Dark Ages France villagers and the one-eyed minstrel who schools them in creative debt repayment. Which, after this past year, seems pretty topical. Described as "lightning-fast" and "irreverent," the play features local stalwarts Chad Brummett, Leslee Richards and Courtney Cunningham. Dress code is early sackcloth.
Runs through Dec. 20 Fridays and Saturdays 8 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m.
Oh, rich people. You are so endlessly entertaining, what with your childish hubris and inflated sense of consequence. On the other hand, you generally dress well and your easily bought Ivy League educations have provided you with a vocabulary perfect for bon mots. And god bless Noel Coward, whose play Private Lives captures a former couple and their new partners and their comedy of manners so perfectly. This is a classic of smart theater, if not exactly filled with the holiday spirit of giving.
Revenge of the Nutcracker
Written by Kenneth Ansloan Directed by Dean Eldon Squibb The Dolls
The Vortex 2004 1/2 Central SE, 247-8600 vortexabq.org $15
Runs through Dec. 20 Fridays and Saturdays 8 p.m., Sundays 6 p.m.
Outside of The Nutcracker, no other Christmastime event is so anticipated as The Dolls' annual holiday show. This year, the indomitable drag troupe presents Revenge of the Nutcracker, thereby becoming all things to all people. Revenge follows the angel Joan Crawford's mission to get her wings, along with the inevitable antics that will hilariously ensue.
Since 1996, the BRT has done its part to keep Christmas tradition alive with this annual staging of the ballet classic. If you've never been, go. Even better, take a child who's never seen The Nutcracker. Regardless of your religion, sharing this event is the embodiment of the Christmas spirit. Last year's shows sold out quickly, so don't delay.
White Christmas
Directed by Henry Avery Book by David Ives and Paul Blake Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin
Albuquerque Little Theatre 224 San Pasquale SW, 242-4750 albuquerquelittletheatre.org $22, $20 seniors, $18 students
The classic 1954 movie may be best remembered for its title song, but White Christmas is also a story of a couple of smart sisters who save the day and land their men (at least, that's the way I remember it). ALT must agree, since it's hosting a Sister Sunday on Dec. 20 for this musical, where all sisters, biological and otherwise, can get their photos for free. Rosemary Clooney would be proud.
The Secret Garden
Book and lyrics by Marsha Norman Music by Lucy Simon Directed by Bill Potenziani Musical Theatre Southwest
African American Performing Arts Center 310 San Pedro NE (at Expo NM’s Copper gate), 265-9119 $20, $18 students/seniors, $16 children 12-and-under
Runs through Dec. 27 Fridays and Saturdays 8 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m. (No Christmas Day show; additional matinee on Saturday, Dec. 26)
The much beloved British book by Frances Hodgson Burnett was turned into a magical musical by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman; this version won a Tony Award for Best Book. The Secret Garden is a hallmark of English children's literature—mystical, hopeful, strange and haunting. A perfect holiday treat for all ages.
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