Holiday Gift Guide: Holiday Entertainment
Getting Plowed. Photo courtesy of Brave New Workshop
1. GETTING PLOWED: A HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE
Through Jan. 4, 2020
Brave New Workshop
824 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis
612-332-6620
www.bravenewworkshop.com
For all of the joys and good tidings of the holiday season, this time of year can still be a little bit rough. Be it the cold weather, insane lines at the mall during Black Friday, or getting through a holiday dinner with visiting relatives, the always hilarious folks at Minneapolis’ Brave New Workshop Theatre know the feeling, and they have just the survival guide for you! Join cast members Lauren Anderson, Denzel Belin, Taj Ruler, and Tom Reed in this Caleb McEwen-directed adventure through the madcap maladies of the winter holiday season, including the return of BNW’s beloved “12 Days Of Christmas” musical routine.
A Christmas Carol. Photo by Dan Norman
2. A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Nov. 12-Dec. 29
Guthrie Theater
818 S. 2nd St., Minneapolis
612-377-2224
guthrietheater.org
Bah, humbug! The Guthrie’s Christmastime tradition returns for another year, regaling audiences with a stellar retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic tale. The role of the miser of all misers, Ebenezer Scrooge, will be portrayed by Nathaniel Fuller, with Charity Jones playing the role for select dates in a continuation of her gender-bending performances of Scrooge that started at the Guthrie in 2017.
Black Nativity. Photo by Allen Weeks
3. BLACK NATIVITY: LET US REJOICE TOGETHER
Nov. 21-Dec. 22
Penumbra Theatre
270 N. Kent St., St. Paul
651-224-3180
penumbratheatre.org
The beauty and grace of Penumbra Theatre’s rendition of playwright legend Langston Hughes’ timeless Black Nativity returns for the holiday season. A retelling of the biblical Nativity story using an entirely black cast with a number of classic Christmas carols sung gospel-style, director Lou Bellamy and musical director Sanford Moore helm a celebration of life, joy, and fellowship fronted by extremely talented lead vocalists, the Kingdom Life Church Choir, and features choreography by TU Dance’s Uri Sands.
White Christmas. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures and the Heights Theater
4. WHITE CHRISTMAS AT THE HEIGHTS THEATER
Nov. 29-Dec. 8
The Heights Theater
3951 Central Ave. NE, Minneapolis
763-789-4992
www.heightstheater.com
Join the legendary Heights Theater in their annual tradition of bringing the 1954 Bing Crosby/Danny Kaye Christmas classic to the big screen! The beloved story of two WWII soldiers entertaining their fellow troops in a Christmas show in 1944 Europe will kick off with a live, 20-minute concert by jazz artist Maud Hixon and accompanying pianist Rick Carlson, preceded by a pre-show performance by Lou Hurvitz and Ed Copeland at the keys of the Heights Mighty Wurlitzer.
A Three Tenors Christmas. Photo courtesy of Chanhassen Dinner Theatres
4. A THREE TENORS CHRISTMAS
Nov. 30, Dec. 1, Dec. 3
Chanhassen Dinner Theatres
501 W. 78th St., Chanhassen
952-934-1525
chanhassendt.com
If you want to class up your holiday goings-on with some good ol’ fashioned opera, then Chanhassen Dinner Theatres has the thing for you. Inspired by the legendary Three Tenors, vocal trio Nathan Bird, Aaron Humble, and David Walton return to the Fireside Theatre—alongside pianist Mark Bilyeu and a trio of instrumentalists—to wow your ears with incredible arrangements of Christmas classics, including “O Holy Night” and “Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming”. On top of that, the trio will perform classic opera standards including the powerful “Nessun Dorma” and “Una furtiva lagrima”.
Miss Richfield 1981. Photo courtesy of Illusion Theater
5. MISS RICHFIELD 1981: GENDER FLUIDS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Dec. 6-22
Illusion Theater
528 Hennepin Ave. N., Minneapolis
612-339-4944
www.illusiontheater.org
A national treasure as much as she is a Twin Cities institution, the incomparable Miss Richfield 1981 returns to the Illusion Theater for her latest holiday revue of irreverent and fabulous proportions! The ultimate beauty queen will attempt to find non-binary answers to our increasingly wild and complex society, complete with brand-new outfits, videos, and songs. Join her as she seeks to find an approach to happiness that will celebrate all genders across the spectrum!
Christmas with Cantus. Photo by Nate Ryan
6. CHRISTMAS WITH CANTUS
Dec. 12-22
Various Metro Area Locations
www.cantussings.org
Another holiday season, another reason to see the amazing all-male a cappella group Cantus, who will thrill audiences with their incredible vocal harmonies for a Yuletide event you’ll never forget. This year, the ensemble will reimagine three beloved Christmas stories: The Little Matchstick Girl, Christmas or The Good Fairy, and The Nutcracker. From Westminster Hall in Minneapolis and Hamline United Methodist Church in St. Paul, to the Ordway Concert Hall and Stillwater’s Trinity Lutheran Church, the metro area will have plenty of opportunities to see this unique brand of holiday storytelling in person.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Photo by Jason McEachern
7. TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA
Dec. 28
Xcel Energy Center
199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul
651-726-8200
www.xcelenergycenter.com
What’s a holiday season without a little bit of prog rock? One of the 21st century’s top-selling live music acts returns to Minnesota for its “Christmas Eve and Other Stories” tour, based on their 1996 debut studio album. The music follows the story of a young angel sent to Earth to reignite the spark of goodness in humanity. Brace yourself for rock/metal renditions of “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24”, “Christmas Canon”, “Promises To Keep”, and much more.
