Brace yourselves: The Nutcracker is coming. Photo: thedirthill/Flickr
The holidays are here, and with it, your chance to see The Nutcracker anywhere from your child’s ballet recital all the way up to The Kennedy Center. In fact, odds are good that if you stumble through any random door this month, you might find yourself interrupting a production of the ballet. But there’s still many, many worthy shows to see in the area that don’t feature a single toy soldier coming to life (well, except for that one from Round House Theater that squeaks through on the technicality of being a musical, not a ballet, which typically wouldn’t be covered in our round up).
Paul Morella in “A Christmas Carol” at Olney Theatre. Photo by Stan Barouh.
>>AS YOU LIKE IT: Read our review here. Another opportunity to brush up your Shakespeare this month comes by way of Shakespeare Theatre Company. Directed by Michael Attenborough, (no, not the nature guy, also not John Hammond (RIP), but he’s related) the comedy features all the classic cross-dressing, mistaken identity antics you can reasonably expect from a Shakespeare play. The dude really loved putting boys playing girls playing boys on the stage. Through December 14. Tickets $20-110
>>THE INTELLIGENT HOMOSEXUAL’S GUIDE TO CAPITALISM AND SOCIALISM WITH A KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES: Yes, that’s the whole title. Theater J brings this play that refreshingly has a lot to say about gay people without being set at the start of the AIDS crisis. Still, for an ostensible comedy, there are some pretty heavy themes on display, as the patriarch of a family gathers his children to tell them why he’s planning to end his own life. Through December 21. Tickets $45-65
>>DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID: Here’s what we said last month: Ariel wants to walk with the humans she’s so fascinated by, (you could say she wants to be “part of our world”) but finds that difficult to do as she doesn’t have any feet. She trades her voice for a chance on the surface. Olney Theatre reminds you that there is a surprising amount of singing for a play about a girl who loses her voice. Through December 28.
>>5 GUYS NAMED MOE: This musical by way of Arena Stage offers an excuse to toe-tap your way through remixes of classics like “Let the Good Times Roll.” Robert O’Hara directs. Through December 28
>>THE NUTCRACKER: The only reason this list isn’t overwhelmed with Nutcrackers is, as stated above, because the monthly round up typically doesn’t stray from traditional theater. Round House Theatre gets one on the list anyway with a technicality: this version is not the ballet, but a musical adaptation of the book. Through December 28.
>>A CHRISTMAS CAROL: Here’s what we said last month: I spent a good deal of the October theater guide lamenting the lack of spooky Halloween plays, but here’s one just in time for Christmas. At least there are ghosts. Olney Theatre will be presenting Ebenezer Scrooge’s ghost-hosted tour of his life. Through December 28.
>>BAD JEWS: Read our review here. Despite the title, this is not the most Jewish-centric play currently playing (see Fiddler, below) but it aims to be one of the funniest. Studio Theatre’s production traces three cousins reflecting on their grandfather’s experience in the Holocaust. Yes, of course it’s a comedy. Recently extended beyond Christmas Hanukkah, through January 4. Tickets $20-78.
>>FAMOUS PUPPET DEATH SCENES: We sat down with Old Trout Puppet Workshop to talk about their gleefully macabre display of, well, puppets dying on stage, running now at Woolly Mammoth. Check out our interview here. Through January 4. Tickets $20-78
>>TERMINUS: Hitting Studio Theatre’s 2ndStage, this experimental play of monologues delivered by characters named “A,” “B,” and “C” leans heavily on language and lyrical tradition to tell a strange and surreal story. Tom Story directs. Through January 4. Tickets $30-35
>>THE TEMPEST: One of Shakespeare’s most action-packed plays is currently being performed by the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Director Ethan McSweeny has quite a few visual tricks up his sleeve that brings island nymphs, giant magical puppets, and of course the titular storm to life. Through January 11.
>>FIDDLER ON THE ROOF: Read our review here. Odds are good that just reading the title of this play will get “If I Were a Rich Man” stuck in the head of even the most infrequent theater goer. If you don’t even know how that song goes (lucky), your chance to catch up with this musical institution (celebrating its 50th anniversary) is at Arena Stage. Recently extended through January 11. Tickets $84-99
>>101 DALMATIANS: Here’s what we said last month: This is, ahem, not the Disney version, but an adaptation of the book. Bring your kids to Imagination Stage to see if they can tell the difference. Through January 11.
>>DINER: This musical has Sheryl Crow’s name all over it (she’s also been voicing plenty of area radio ads promoting the play), though Signature Theater does go to some lengths to remind potential ticket buyers that she wrote the lyrics but will not be appearing on-stage. The musical adaptation of the movie, once aiming for a Broadway opening, is instead premiering here. Through January 25.
Marc Okrand in a Klingon Christmas Carol. Photo courtesy WSC Avant Bard | Marc Okrand jIH De’ qaStaHvIS tlhIngan Christmas Carol. MIllogh moj je batlh WSC Avant Bard.
>>JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT: This musical straight out of the 1970s wears its hippie heart on its sleeve; it’s flashy and exuberant even by Andrew Lloyd Webber standards. The Kennedy Center has you covered with a huge dose of holiday cheer, even though it’s not at all a show about the holidays. Runs December 16 through January 4. Tickets $25-155
>>MAYOR FOR LIFE: THE UNTOLD STORY: Yes, this play is about exactly who you think it is. The Anacostia Playhouse is staging this one-man play about a Street Sense vendor recalling his memories of Marion. Runs December 15 at 6:15 and 8:15 p.m.
>>A KLINGON CHRISTMAS CAROL: If this title means nothing to you, probably no amount of explanation will elucidate things for you. This show is performed by WSC Avant Bard at Theater J in the “original” tlhlngan Hol or, you know, Klingon. The show stars Avant Bard’s board president and linguist Marc Okrand, who also just so happens to be the inventor of the Klingon language. Supertitles available for those without a Klingon-English dictionary, though die hard Star Trek fans will no doubt not require them. Runs December 15 at 8 p.m. only.
