Theatrical Outfit’s fizzy “Miss Bennet” and the Alliance’s “Christmas Carol” close Sunday, while the Outfit’s “Lady Day,” Aurora’s “Maytag Virgin” and “The Li0n King” (Fox Theatre) lie just beyond the holiday bend. Pictured: The company (and goats) of “Heidi” at Synchronicity Theatre. Photo by Jerry Siegel.
** Indicates an Encore Atlanta winter season top pick.
Recommended
** Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley. CLOSES SUNDAY. An Encore Atlanta top pick. Theatrical Outfit presents the Southeastern premiere of this smart, witty, joyful piece from Decatur-born, San Francisco-based playwright Lauren Gunderson (Silent Sky, I and You, The Taming, etc.) and colleague Margot Melcon. The comic drama, based on characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, takes us to 1815 England and into the world of middle sister Mary Bennet — who might find more than books in the stately home’s library. The cast: Amelia Fischer is Mary, with Galen Crawley, Devon Hales, Jonathan Horne, Lee Osorio, Maria Rodriguez-Sager, Julissa Sabino and Juan Carlos Unzueta. $20.50-$49. 84 Luckie St. NW. Dec. 21 show is sold out. Tickets remain for Dec. 22-24 (four shows only). Details, tickets HERE or at 678.528.1500.
Select holiday
Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker. THROUGH DEC. 28. Atlanta Ballet dances its John McFall-choreographed Nut for the 23rd and final time. A new version debuts in 2018. McFall, the company’s artistic director from 1994 to 2016, slipped out of retirement to lead the company one more time. You know the story. A nutcracker doll comes to life, turns into a prince and takes young Marya on a fantastical adventure. $21.25-$125.25. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2 + 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 2 + 7 p.m. Sunday. Also at 2 p.m. Dec. 21-22, 26 + 28; and 1 p.m. Dec. 24. No show Christmas Day. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. NE. Details, tickets HERE or at 855.285.8499. Tickets also at the Fox and Atlanta Ballet box offices.
[READ: McFALL ‘NUT’ KNOWN FOR ITS MAGIC, STORYTELLING]
A Christmas Carol. CLOSES SUNDAY. Alliance Theatre. Scrooge & Co. take their musical, multicultural story to Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre while magic, in the form of renovations, consumes their Midtown mainstage. David de Vries returns as the miserly Ebenezer for a fourth season, ably assisted by such longtime cohorts as Cynthia D. Barker (Mrs. Cratchit); Andrew Benator (Marley); Lowrey Brown (Young Scrooge); Je Nie Fleming (Mrs. Fezziwig, Mrs. Dilber); Neal A. Ghant (Bob Cratchit); Bart Hansard (Mr. Fezziwig, Ghost of Christmas Present); Joe Knezevich (Fred); and Courtney Patterson (Ghost of Christmas Past). Marco Schittone again plays Tiny Tim. Rosemary Newcott again directs. $20-$60. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 + 7:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. Details, tickets HERE or at 800.745.3000. Also at Bank of North Georgia and Cobb Energy Centre box offices.
[READ: FOR LONGTIME DIRECTOR, EVERY ‘CAROL’ IS A NEW ONE]
The First Noel. CLOSES SUNDAY. True Colors Theatre Company. This musical, set in 1980s Harlem, follows three generations of a family faced with loss. The score reimagines traditional holiday favorites in jazz, gospel and pop styles. For all ages. The cast includes Terry Henry, Brittany L. Inge, Margo Moorer and Brad Raymond. Jasmine Guy directs. $16 + $28 including fees (and selling well). 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Also at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 23. Ferst Center for the Arts on the Georgia Tech campus, 349 Ferst Drive NW. Free parking. Details, tickets HERE or at 877.725.8849 (Ticket Alternative).
Heidi. THROUGH DEC. 31. At Synchronicity Theatre. Johanna Spyri’s 19th-century children’s novel becomes a family musical in this staging for ages 3 and up. Heidi brings joy to everyone she meets, from her crusty grandfather in the Swiss Alps to a wheelchair-bound friend in the city. Even the goats sing. The score is by Joan Cushing (Junie B. Jones, Miss Nelson, Petite Rouge). Every Friday is PJs & Play (kids in pajamas get free milk, cookies and — for this show only — Swiss chocolates). $15-$22. 7 p.m. Friday; 1 + 4 p.m. Saturday; and 2 + 5 p.m. Sunday. Also at 2 p.m. Dec. 21, 26-28 and 11 a.m. Dec. 24. No show Christmas Day. A KidNight Countdown, with a kid-friendly toast and treat, follows the 5 p.m. show Dec. 31. Synchronicity is in Midtown’s One Peachtree Pointe complex at 1545 Peachtree St. NE. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.484.8636.
ALSO FOR THE HOLIDAYS:.
- A Christmas Carol / The 12 Dates of Christmas. THROUGH DEC. 23. In repertory, at Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville. $25 + $30. Call the box office (678.226.6222) for Christmas Carol tickets. 12 Dates details, tickets HERE. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com.
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Enoch King (from left), Topher Payne and Lala Cochran in “The Santaland Diaries.” Photo: Horizon Theatre Invasion: Christmas Carol. THROUGH DEC. 30. Dad’s Garage Theatre Company. $17.50-$39.50 (buy online and save). Details, tickets HERE or at 404.523.3141.
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. THROUGH DEC. 31. Center for Puppetry Arts. $25. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.873.3391.
- The Santaland Diaries. THROUGH DEC. 31. Not for children! Horizon Theatre. $25 and up. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.584.7450.
- The Snow Queen. THROUGH DEC. 30. Serenbe Playhouse. $15-$28. Directions, parking info HERE. Details, tickets HERE or at 770.463.1110. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com.
Coming up
The Adventures of Gingerbread Man. JAN. 2-7. The folktales “Hansel and Gretel,” “Androcles and the Lion,” “The Frog Prince” and “The Three Wishes” are told with glove, rod and hand-and-rod puppets by Atlanta’s All Hands Productions. For ages 4 and up. $11.25-$19.50. 10 + 11:30 a.m. Tuesday-Friday; 11 a.m., 1 + 3 p.m. Saturday; and 1 + 3 p.m. Sunday. Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. NW. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.873.3391.
** Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill. PREVIEWS JAN. 11-12. OPENS JAN. 13. At Theatrical Outfit. Philadelphia, 1959. An audience gathers at Emerson’s, a seedy bar on the city’s south side, to witness, unknowingly, one of legendary singer Billie Holiday’s last solo performances. She died four months later at age 44. The evening, both intimate and epic, includes stories about her down-and-out life and a songlist that features “God Bless the Child,” “Strange Fruit,” “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” and about a dozen others. Terry Burrell (Broadway’s Thoroughly Modern Millie, Dreamgirls, Into the Woods; the Alliance Theatre’s Ethel) plays Holiday. The 2014 Broadway version earned Audra McDonald her sixth Tony Award. $18-$51. Through Feb. 4. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2:30 p.m. Jan. 14, 18, 20-21, 25, 27-28 and Feb. 1, 3, 4. The Balzer Theater at Herren’s, 84 Luckie St. NW. Details, tickets HERE or at 678.528.1500. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com.
The Lion King. JAN. 10-28. Broadway in Atlanta brings Disney’s circle of life back to the Fox Theatre for a three-week run. A cast of more than 40 breathes life into a lion cub named Simba along with strutting giraffes, lumbering elephants, swooping birds, leaping gazelles and more. The original production, which won six Tony awards, is in its 21st season on Broadway. This new North American tour is named for the character of Rafiki. $39-$169 plus fees. Seats for the first week of the run and weekends are selling well. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 + 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 + 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Also at 1 p.m. Jan 11. 660 Peachtree St. NE. Details, tickets HERE or at 1.855.285.8499.
[READ: PEEK BEHIND THE MIGHTY MASKS AND PUPPET-COMBO COSTUMES]
** Maytag Virgin. JAN. 11-FEB. 11. A regional premiere at Aurora Theatre. Audrey Cefaly’s dramatic comedy follows Alabama schoolteacher Lizzy Nash (Courtney Patterson) and her new neighbor, Jack Key (Brad Brinkley), in the year after the unexpected death of Lizzy’s husband. DC Theatre Scene called the play “a witty and earnest meditation on how people connect even when they feel they’re not ready.” Melissa Foulger, a name you should know, directs. $20-$55. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 2:30 + 8 p.m. Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Jan. 16 show sold out. 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.
