Want to get out and about this holiday weekend? Our top recommendation comes with a holiday greeting of its own: “Bah, humbug.” The Alliance Theatre’s annual “A Christmas Carol” continues through Dec. 27 with David de Vries (left) as Ebenezer Scrooge and Bart Hansard as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Photo by Greg Mooney.
Recommended
Christmas Canteen 2015. THROUGH DEC. 20. Aurora Theatre’s annual holiday revue turns 20 with more of the audience-pleasing jokes and songs for which it’s known. $30-$65; 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2:30 + 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday (no shows Nov. 25-26). Already sold out: Nov. 27, 29 and Dec. 6. 128 E. Pike St., Lawrenceville. Free, covered, attached parking in city deck at 153 E. Crogan St. Details, tickets HERE or at 678.226.6222.
A Christmas Carol. THROUGH DEC. 27. Bah, humbug, indeed. The Alliance Theatre’s multicultural, musical staging of the Dickens classic is a holiday tradition for many of us. David de Vries returns as Scrooge; longtime Scrooge Chris Kayser returns, after a year off, as Marley. Let the caroling begin! Tickets start at $20. Show times vary; please go HERE for details. Tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com for Sunday night show only. For more, see this ENCORE FEATURE.
Last chance
ThanksKilling the Musical. CLOSES SATURDAY. What happens when you take a terrible movie about five college kids headed home for Thanksgiving who cross paths with a homicidal turkey possessed by an ancient Indian curse, and then set out to make an even more terrible musical? Find out with this special holiday treat from Dad’s Garage Theatre Company. Easily offended? Don’t go. $10.50-$22.50. Dad’s Garage at 7 Stages, 1105 Euclid Ave. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.523.3141.
This weekend only
ASO: The Music of John Williams. SATURDAY. Composer John Williams, the longtime conductor of the Boston Pops, wrote music for such movies as Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, the Star Wars series, Superman and War Horse. Join the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and POPS! conductor Michael Krajewski to hear more than a few. $43-$75 and selling briskly. 2 p.m. Saturday (a family-friendly 75 minutes). Note: Friday-Saturday evening concerts are sold out. Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000.
Opening this week
The 12 Dates of Christmas. OPENS SATURDAY | THROUGH DEC. 19. Funny lady Jaclyn Hofmann returns for a third season as Mary who, unfortunately, sees her fiancé kiss another woman on national TV during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. At Aurora Theatre, in repertory with artistic director Anthony P. Rodriguez’s one-man A Christmas Carol. $20-$30. Performances: 8 p.m. Saturday, Wednesday and Dec. 4, 10, 12, 16 + 18; 2:30 p.m. Sunday and Dec. 5, 13 + 19. Free, covered, attached parking in city deck at 153 E. Crogan St. Details, tickets HERE or at 678.226.6222.
A Christmas Carol. OPENS FRIDAY | THROUGH DEC. 20. Aurora Theatre artistic director Anthony P. Rodriguez (pictured) again delivers his one-man version of Dickens’ classic holiday parable. In repertory with the one-woman comedy The 12 Dates of Christmas. $20-$30. Performances: 8 p.m. Friday and Dec. 3, 5, 9, 11, 17 + 19; 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Dec. 6, 12 + 20. Free, covered, attached parking in city deck at 153 E. Crogan St. Details, tickets HERE or at 678.226.6222.
Now playing
The Santaland Diaries. THROUGH DEC. 31. Crumpet is back, and he’s not happy about it. Crumpet (Harold Leaver) recounts the true-life tale of an out-of-work writer’s stint as a Macy’s Department Store elf. It didn’t go well, which in writer David Sedaris’ hands, is very funny — and not for children. Enoch King and Lala Cochran complete the cast. $25-$45. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 8:30 p.m. Saturday; and 6 p.m. Sunday. Horizon Theatre, 1105 Euclid Ave. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.584.7450.
Next week
Black Nativity. OPENS DEC. 2 | THROUGH DEC. 20. A gospel adaptation of Langston Hughes’ original Broadway song-play. It tells the story of the Nativity through Scripture, poetry, dance and song that connects a contemporary church revival to the time of the birth of Christ. Directed by Robert John Connor, with musical direction by Keith Wilson and choreography by Dawn Axam. Presented by Dominion Entertainment Group in association with the Fulton County Cultural Arts Department. $15-$50. 8 p.m. Dec. 2-5, 10-11 and 17-18; 2 + 8 p.m. Dec. 5, 12 and 19; 4 p.m. Dec. 6, 13 and 20; and 11 a.m. Dec. 9 + 16. Southwest Arts Center, 915 New Hope Road. Tickets HERE.
Elf the Musical. DEC. 2-6. The Broadway show based on the 2003 Will Ferrell movie about an orphan named Buddy who grows up at the North Pole unaware he’s actually human. All grown, he travels to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity and help the Big Apple remember the true meaning of Christmas. $40-$100. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2 + 8 p.m. Saturday; and 1 + 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Presented by Broadway in Atlanta at the Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E. Details HERE. Tickets HERE or at 855.285.849.
Let Nothing You Dismay. OPENS DEC. 4 | THROUGH DEC. 20. A world premiere comedy by Atlanta playwright Topher Payne at Stage Door Players. It’s Christmas, and Kevin and Allie are about to become parents. Although they’ve asked their families to keep their distance until the baby is home, no one listens. Cast: Bryan Brendle, Amanda Kucher, Mark Gray, Shelly McCook, Doyle Reynolds, Gina Rickicki, Emily Sams, Ben Silver. $15-$30. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Also at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16. 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. Details, tickets HERE or at 770.396.1726.
A Little Princess. PREVIEWS DEC. 3-4 | OPENS DEC. 5. Privileged Sara Crewe, daughter of an adventurer in Africa, finds herself in drab Victorian London, where she’s forced to become a servant. Emerson Steele (Broadway’s recent Violet revival) plays Sara. This family musical by Brian Crawley and Andrew Lippa is based on the Frances Hodgson Burnett novel. $25-$50. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2:30 + 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Also at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 22 and 2:30 p.m. Dec. 23. At Theatrical Outfit. The Balzer Theatre at Herren’s, 84 Luckie St. N.W. Details, tickets HERE or at 678.528.1500. (Pictured: Steele. Photo by BreeAnne Clowdus)
Michael Feinstein’s Sinatra Centennial Celebration. DEC. 3. Pop singer/pianist Michael Feinstein, often called the ambassador of the Great American Songbook, honors the centennial of Frank Sinatra’s birth in a concert with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. “He changed the way that everybody sings American music,” Feinstein says of Ol’ Blue Eyes. “There was Before Sinatra and After Sinatra.” $25-$100. 8 p.m. Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000.
The Snow Queen. OPENS DEC. 3 | THROUGH DEC. 23. The story of best friends Gerda and Kai, and the evil queen who separates them, returns for a second season at Serenbe Playhouse. Adapted by frequent Serenbe collaborator Rachel Teagle from the Hans Christian Andersen tale. Performance, which lasts about 50 minutes, takes place outdoors in the Natural Playground at Serenbe. It’s family-friendly, performed rain or shine, requires walking and takes place in a dark environment. Warm clothing is advised. $15-$20. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 6 + 8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Already sold out: Dec. 4, 5, 12 (both shows), 19 (both shows) and the 6 p.m. show on Dec. 20. 10642 Serenbe Lane, Chattahoochee Hills. Directions HERE. Details, tickets HERE or at 770.463.1110. (Photo by BreeAnne Clowdus)
A Year With Frog and Toad. DEC. 4-27. Synchronicity Theatre reprises its popular musical with a new cast. The cheerful Frog and rather grumpy Toad might get hopping mad at each other sometimes, but their friendship sees them through a year of adventures, from growing seeds to sledding down a snowy hill at breakneck speed. Chase Davidson (Actor’s Express’ Rent) is Frog; Robert Lee Hindsman (AE’s Stupid F*cking Bird) is Toad. $15-$35. 7:30 p.m. Friday; 1 + 4:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 + 5:30 p.m. Sunday; 2 p.m. Dec. 21-23; 11 a.m. Dec. 24. Student matinees (call ahead) at 10:30 a.m. through Dec. 17. Synchronicity Theatre at Peachtree Pointe, 1545 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.484.3686.
