The temperature is dipping, Mariah Carey is defrosting and Atlanta theaters are drumming up holiday joy.
Whether you’re looking for a heartwarming show for the family or something a little more raucous, here’s your guide to Atlanta theater for the Christmas season.
The Center for Puppetry Arts is leading the herd this year with a classic: “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” running through Dec. 31. Adapted by Jon Ludwig from the 1964 stop-motion special, this gem has been a tradition at the Center for Puppetry Arts for years, putting smiles on the faces of children and parents alike. The production coincides with the Festive Features Museum Exhibition, which will take visitors on a trip through the history of puppetry in holiday specials.
Credit: Clay Walker
Credit: Clay Walker
Of course, local theaters would deserve a lump of coal if they didn’t rattle the chains of Charles Dickens for Ebenezer Scrooge’s annual yuletide guilt trip. Multiple theaters are joining in the festivities this year, some with returning productions and others with new takes on the classic.
Alliance Theatre is bringing back its annual production of “A Christmas Carol,” this year directed by Caitlin Hargraves based on original staging by Leora Morris. The cast features Andrew Benator as Scrooge, with Matthew Morris as Jacob Marley and Rhyn McLemore, Brad Raymond, and Lindsay Ricketson as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, respectively. Most are returning players, though this will be Hargraves’ first year directing it. This production runs through Dec. 24.
Shakespeare Tavern will also produce “Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol,” running from Dec. 2 to 23. Adapted by J. Tony Brown, this production has been a tradition at Shakespeare Tavern for over 20 years.
Laura J. Cole, director of education and training, will take the director’s reins this time around. Brown has done a “tremendous job and I hope I can honor the traditions he started,” Cole said, adding that she hopes to create “new traditions” as well.
Credit: Greg Mooney
Credit: Greg Mooney
O’Neil Delaphena stars as the infamous miser, backed by an ensemble that includes Shakespeare Tavern stalwarts such as Adam King (“Troilus & Cressida,” “As You Like It”), Mary Ruth Ralston (“The Tempest,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”) and David Rucker III (“The Tempest,” “Troilus & Cressida”).
The Georgia Ensemble Theatre and Destination Theatre will also put Scrooge onstage for a two-performance fundraiser on Dec. 17. Barry Westmoreland and Cory Phelps star in “The Greatest Christmas Story Ever Told By Two People, Or … A Christmas Carol?” They’re describing this twist on the story as “‘A Christmas Carol’ meets ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’”
Dad’s Garage has its own tradition called “Invasion: A Christmas Carol.” This annual show focuses on staging a relatively faithful production with an improv twist. One surprise guest character — the likes of Ursula the Sea Witch, Ted Lasso or Thanos — pops in, leaving the actors (who will be equally surprised) to try to salvage the story. This year’s “Invasion” will run from Nov. 24 to Dec. 30.
Credit: Casey Gardner Ford
Credit: Casey Gardner Ford
As Christmas is historically a time for nostalgia, other period pieces will grace stages in December as well.
City Springs Theatre Company is taking a characteristically razzle-dazzle approach with Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” running from Dec. 8 to 24. Meanwhile, Marietta’s Theatre in the Square will mount “The Gift of the Magi 2.0,” an adaptation of O. Henry’s classic short story that shifts the setting to 1950s Atlanta. “Magi 2.0″ runs from Nov. 25 to Dec. 10.
Theatrical Outfit will perform Philip Grecian’s stage adaptation of the 1983 comedy “A Christmas Story,” running from Nov. 29 to Dec. 24. Directed by Rosemary Newcott, the production features Atlanta mainstays like Tom Key as grown-up Ralphie, with Robin Bloodworth and Maria Rodriguez-Sager as his parents. Max Walls will take on the iconic role of the kid desperate to secure a Red Ryder BB gun.
The holiday season certainly requires the classics, but Atlanta also has its own unique traditions that set it apart from other cities.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
From Nov. 24 to Dec. 23, Aurora Theatre will host its 28th “Christmas Canteen,” an eclectic holiday revue that includes musical numbers and comedy routines. This year’s extravaganza is directed by Katie Chambers and hosted by Russell Alexander and Galen Crawley.
Horizon Theatre will bring back “Y’allmark Christmas: An Improvised Holiday ‘Movie’” for the second year. Partnering with Dad’s Garage and hosted by Atlanta playwright Topher Payne, this improv event from Dec. 8 to 30 combines holiday tropes with audience suggestions to fashion a new holiday movie every night. The cast is made up of three rotating actors from Dad’s Garage, as well as a different surprise guest actor from Horizon each night.
Rounding out the holiday season, Actor’s Express will bring back Libby Whittemore for her 14th year. Her two-hour special, “Ho, Ho, Home for the Holidays and a Connie Sue Day Christmas,” is a favorite of Atlanta theatergoers. She’ll belt out Christmas classics both as herself and as her big-haired, smart-mouthed alter ego Connie Sue Day, the self-proclaimed “31st Lady of Country Music.” Actor’s Express will host four performances, from Dec. 14 to 17.
It’s a season full of tradition and experimentation, with moods ranging from nostalgic to irreverent. So make your to-do list and — no matter how long — make time for a laugh, a tale and a song.
THEATER PREVIEW
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
Through Dec. 31. 10 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; 11 a.m. Saturdays; 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. $21-$36. Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. NW, Atlanta. 404-873-3391, puppet.org.
“A Christmas Carol”
Through Dec. 24. 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays; 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. $45-$110. Alliance Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-733-4600, alliancetheatre.org.
“Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol”
Dec. 2-23. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Sundays. $30-$42. Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse, 499 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-874-5299, shakespearetavern.com.
“The Greatest Christmas Story Ever Told By Two People, Or...A Christmas Carol?”
Dec. 17. 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. $29-$54. Georgia Ensemble Theatre Studio, 615 Hembree Parkway, Roswell. 770-641-1260, get.org.
“Invasion: A Christmas Carol”
Nov. 24-Dec. 30. 8 p.m. Fridays-Sundays and Tuesday, Dec. 19, to Thursday, Dec. 21; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Christmas Eve. $31-$56. Dad’s Garage Main Stage, 569 Ezzard St., Atlanta. 404-523-3141, dadsgarage.com.
“White Christmas”
Dec. 8-24. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. $42-$130. Byers Theatre, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs. 404-477-4365, cityspringstheatre.com.
“The Gift of the Magi 2.0″
Nov. 25-Dec. 10. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. $15-$40. Marietta’s Theatre in the Square, 11 Whitlock Ave. NW, Marietta. 770-426-4800, mariettatheatresquare.com.
“A Christmas Story”
Nov. 29-Dec. 24. 7 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays; 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. $25-$45. Balzer Theatre, 84 Luckie St. NW, Atlanta. 678-528-1500, theatricaloutfit.org.
“Christmas Canteen 2023″
Nov. 24-Dec. 23. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. $17-$100. Lawrenceville Arts Center, 125 N Clayton St., Lawrenceville. 678-226-6222, auroratheatre.com.
“Y’allmark Christmas: An Improvised Holiday Movie”
Dec. 8-30. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays; 4 p.m. Dec. 14; 2 p.m. Dec. 18; and starting Dec. 19, also 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Wednesdays. $30-$45. Horizon Theatre, 1083 Austin Ave., Atlanta. 404-584-7450, horizontheatre.com.
“Libby’s Annual Christmas Cabaret: ‘Ho, Ho, Home for the Holidays and a Connie Sue Day Christmas’”
Dec. 14-17. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. $41. Actor’s Express Theatre, 887 W Marietta St. SW, Atlanta. 404-607-7469, actors-express.com.
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