HOLIDAY GUIDE
For more ideas about gifts, decorating, where to eat and what to do, check out our Atlanta Holiday Guide at AJC.com/holidayguide.
Literally from one end of metro Atlanta to the other — not just from downtown to Little Five Points to Midtown, but also from Lawrenceville and Dunwoody to Decatur and Tyrone — local theater companies are decking their halls this holiday season. Traditional favorites dominate the lineup of shows, although there are a few new offerings on tap, too.
Here are the highlights:
ALLIANCE THEATRE: 1280 Peachtree St. (at the Woodruff Arts Center), Atlanta. 404-733-5000, www.alliancetheatre.org.
Now in its 26th year, with its sumptuous production design and star-studded local cast, the Alliance's "A Christmas Carol" is the undisputed granddaddy of all "Christmas Carols." David de Vries returns for his second turn as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, having inherited the part last year from Chris Kayser, who stepped down after playing it in 16 previous versions. Among the familiar faces reprising their supporting roles are Bart Hansard (as the Ghost of Christmas Present), Elizabeth Wells (as Christmas Past) and Neal Ghant (as Bob Cratchit). And who should be appearing this time as Jacob Marley? Why, none other than Kayser. Through Dec. 27.
Meanwhile, in the downstairs Hertz studio space, the popular improv company Dad's Garage mounts another of its irreverent holiday "mash-ups" (in the tradition of last year's "It's a Wonderful Laugh!"). Directed and co-written by Dad's artistic director Kevin Gillese, "Merry %#!*ing Christmas" throws together such characters as Scrooge, Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman, with unpredictable results. Nov. 27-Dec. 19.
HORIZON THEATRE: 1083 Austin Ave. (in Little Five Points), Atlanta. 404-584-7450, www.horizontheatre.com.
Harold M. Leaver appears in his 17th annual Horizon production of the David Sedaris comedy "The Santaland Diaries," portraying a sarcastic (and often sloshed) department-store Santa. On-again, off-again co-stars LaLa Cochran and Enoch King are back, too, as a couple of his merry elves. Through Dec. 31.
While the three of them entertain the grown-ups in the house by night, by day, two alternating casts of youngsters perform the family-friendly "Madeline's Christmas," in a sixth annual collaboration between Horizon and the Atlanta Children's Theatre, under the direction of Spring Mason. Dec. 5-31.
CENTER FOR PUPPETRY ARTS: 1404 Spring St., Atlanta. 404-873-3391, www.puppet.org.
For both the young and the young at heart, the center's sixth annual presentation of "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is based on the classic 1960s television special, adapted by Jon Ludwig, the company's artistic director. Through Dec. 27.
SYNCHRONICITY THEATRE: 1545 Peachtree St. (at the Peachtree Pointe complex), Atlanta. 404-484-8636, www.synchrotheatre.com.
"Back by popular demand" from several years ago, Synchronicity artistic director Rachel May remounts "A Year With Frog and Toad" (a musical based on the children's books by Arnold Lobel), now co-starring Robert Lee Hindsman and Chase Davidson. Not a Christmas story, per se, but abounding with a suitably heartwarming spirit. Dec. 4-27.
THEATRICAL OUTFIT: 84 Luckie St., Atlanta. 678-528-1500, www.theatricaloutfit.org.
Although not a traditional Christmas piece, either, the Outfit offers one of the few "new" shows this season, a musical version of the famous Victorian-era novel "A Little Princess" (by Frances Hodgson Burnett), about a suddenly orphaned girl and a mean-spirited boarding-school matron. Mira Hirsch directs an ensemble that includes Emerson Steele (in the title role), Christy Baggett, Bryant Smith, Mary Nye Bennett and Jeanette Illidge. Dec. 3-27.
STAGE DOOR PLAYERS: 5339 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. 770-396-1726, www.stagedoorplayers.net.
The venerable Dunwoody troupe premieres the latest comedy by popular Atlanta playwright Topher Payne. In "Let Nothing You Dismay," an extended dysfunctional family gathers for a highly hectic holiday. Eight actors play 22 roles, led by Shelly McCook and Doyle Reynolds, and directed by Shannon Eubanks. Dec. 4-20.
AURORA THEATRE: 128 E. Pike St., Lawrenceville. 678-226-6222, www.auroratheatre.com.
Aurora's "Christmas Canteen 2015" marks the 20th anniversary of the annual holiday show, a throwback to the nostalgic musical revues of the Stage Door Canteen during the 1940s. Written by and starring Brandon O'Dell (a veteran of more than half of those earlier "Canteens"), this year's edition adds Travis Smith and Jen MacQueen to the mix, among others. Through Dec. 20.
Rotating performances in the company's studio space are remounts of two one-person shows. In the comedic "The 12 Dates of Christmas," Jaclyn Hofmann plays a newly single woman who's looking for love. And, for the ninth year, Aurora artistic director Anthony Rodriguez performs a pared-down storytelling version of "A Christmas Carol." Nov. 27-Dec. 20.
ART STATION: 5384 Manor Drive, Stone Mountain. 770-469-1105, www.artstation.org.
Bill Oberst Jr., a frequent visiting artist at the theater (where he's best-known to audiences for his solo show about the late AJC columnist Lewis Grizzard), returns to ART Station for "A One-Man Christmas Carol." His rendition features live musical accompaniment by Patrick Hutchison and Lisa Paige. Dec. 16-20.
NEW AMERICAN SHAKESPEARE TAVERN: 499 Peachtree St., Atlanta. 404-874-5299, www.shakespearetavern.com.
Now in its 12th annual production, director Tony Brown's Tavern version of "Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol" uses a handful of actors to take a similar "storytelling" approach to the classic tale, in addition to highlighting a lot of traditional music. Dec. 3-23.
DOMINION ENTERTAINMENT: Performing at the Southwest Arts Center, 915 New Hope Road, Atlanta. www.blacknativityatlanta.com.
Adapted from Langston Hughes' acclaimed 1960s play, "Black Nativity: A Gospel Christmas Musical Celebration" is a revival of last year's independent production that incorporates poetry, gospel music and African dance to recount the biblical story of Mary, Joseph and the birth of Jesus. Directed by Robert John Connor. Dec. 2-20.
LEGACY THEATRE: 1175 Senoia Road, Tyrone. 770-306-3343, www.thelegacytheatre.org.
Traditional mountain music permeates in "Appalachian Christmas Homecoming," a period piece/memory play written by Atlantan Phillip DePoy about three generations of a family who gather in rural Mossy Rock for the holidays. Through Dec. 20.
ONSTAGE ATLANTA: 2969 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur. 404-897-1802, www.onstageatlanta.com.
"The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical" involves the redneck residents of Armadillo Acres. Need we say more? Nov. 27-Dec. 20.
7 STAGES: 1105 Euclid Ave. (in Little Five Points), Atlanta. 404-523-7647, www.7stages.org.
Loosely based on a haunting figure from European folklore, 7 Stages' "Krampus Xmas" (co-directed by Michael Haverty and Heidi S. Howard) features music by the Little Five Points Rockstar Orchestra and burlesque dancing by members from Syrens of the South. Dec. 17-19.
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