You know what they say about Christmas in L.A.... "It's a warm holiday"... "The orange and palm trees sway..." etc., etc. Well, here to dump some picturesque fake snow all over your SoCal holiday season is TheatreInLA's Holiday Shows Round-up! To help you dream of whatever color Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Scientology holiday you're inclined to have, TheatreInLA presents a complete list of all of the live seasonal entertainment playing through December around the Los Angeles area. As with all theatre in town, the shows range from timeless to timely, classic to brand new, family-friendly to not.
On the timeless/classic/family-friendly axis, there are multiple productions of A Christmas Carol. The Sierra Madre Playhouse is presenting an "all-new musical stage adaptation...featuring both familiar Christmas songs and some musical surprises." A production at the Grove Theatre in Upland is being undertaken with a cast of 50. And the Crown City Theatre Company in North Hollywood is presenting something both familiar and a little different: A Chicago Christmas Carol fuses the Dickens story with Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, placing the action in the context of early 20th century labor reform as Scrooge becomes the heartless owner of a meatpacking plant, at least until the denizens of 1908 Chicago help him to change his ways.
Way back in 1992, author David Sedaris first made a name for himself on National Public Radio with an essay called "SantaLand Diaries", about his misadventures working as an elf at Macy's during Christmas time. It was a significant hit, and was subsequently adapted into a one-person play by Joe Mantello (Wicked, Take Me Out). This year, the Blank Theatre Company presents this stage version of The Santaland Diaries at the Stella Adler Theater in Hollywood.
The sheer variety of holiday-themed offerings almost ensures that there is something for everyone, no matter what their level of seasonal enthusiasm. Those looking to have a laugh at the expense of some well-worn holiday stories should check out The Eight: Reindeer Monologues ("What's the true story behind Rudolph's unlikely rise to fame? Does Mrs. Claus have a serious drinking problem?") at Chance Theater. There is also Yo Ho Ho! A Pirate's Christmas (pretty self-explanatory) at NoHo Arts Center, or perhaps The Zombie Holiday Special (ditto) at Theatre Asylum. And for the ultimate in Christmas humbuggery (and I mean that in every sense of the word), there is Merry Filthy Christmas, billed as no less than "the holidays' most disgustingly and disturbingly awesome show." You've been warned.
As stated, many of these shows are perfect for the entire family, while others are most assuredly not (see above). Please take the time to research individual plays you may be interested in. Information can be found by clicking on any of the titles listed on the TheatreInLA site, and from there you can also navigate to the theatre's website.
For a complete list of the holiday shows go to our Holiday Plays page.
Luke Heiden
Contributing Writer