Every year, insurance agent Bob Finhead's whacked out friends and clients stop by his small-town Iowa office for their annual holiday bash. The town mayor, the sheriff, the twin farmer sisters, the stoner, the town floozy and the pastor's wife have already RSVP'd for this year's event. But Bob has dreams of a bigger life and wants to escape their narrow-minded thinking. Will he be able to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional inventor and move to the big city, or will he come to realize how much he is the heart and soul of the town? Will any of this matter once the party starts, the bickering and fighting begins, and the drinks hit the floor?
Holiday & Christmas Plays in LA
A List of Holiday & Christmas Shows in the Los Angeles Area this 2023 Season
Get ready to immerse yourself in the seasonal bliss and enchanting festivities! We're thrilled to present to you a selection of the best Christmas and Holiday Shows hitting Los Angeles in 2023. Whether you're a fan of spirited musicals, dramatic plays, family-friendly performances, dance extravaganzas, or the enduring appeal of classical works, LA is set to captivate your senses with its array of holiday spectacles. With the festive period just around the corner, we have carefully compiled a list of shows that will ignite the Christmas spark within you.
Check back soon as we continue to add more shows as the holidays get closer.
Most Popular Holiday & Christmas Shows in LA
The region's longest-running musically merry holiday tradition returns! A Noise Within's delightfully festive and inspirational annual production is perfect for all ages. Make cherished memories with your family this season by witnessing Ebenezer Scrooge's joyful transformation in a perfect burst of boundless good cheer for the season, and beyond!
Other Holiday & Christmas Shows in LA
A holiday tradition cherished by many in Orange County returns once again! From the first " Bah humbug" to the final " Wassail," this timeless tale is sure to fill you with holiday cheer. All your favorite Dickens characters will be there-Tiny Tim and the Cratchit family, the Fezziwigs, the Ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, and of course the surly Ebenezer Scrooge, played by SCR Founding Member Richard Doyle. Don't miss it!
From the songwriting team behind the smash hit Tony Award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen and the critically-acclaimed films La La Land and The Greatest Showman, A Christmas Story, The Musical, brings the classic 1983 movie to hilarious life on stage! Set in 1940s Indiana, a young and bespectacled Ralphie Parker schemes his way toward the holiday gift of his dreams, an official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle. An infamous leg lamp, outrageous pink bunny pajamas, a maniacal department store Santa, and a triple-dog-dare to lick a freezing flagpole are just a few of the distractions that stand between Ralphie and his Christmas wish. Nominated for three 2013 Tony Awards including Best Musical, the Associated Press calls A Christmas Story, The Musical "a joyous Christmas miracle," while The New York Times writes "I was dazzled. You'd have to have a Grinch-sized heart not to feel a smile spreading across your face."
Cori is back again in 2023 in Cori Cable Kidder's Holiday Spectacular: A 1940s Christmas Revue. The particular decade was a rich one for memorable songs remembered fondly decades later. The first half of the decade reflected the fact that so many of our brave young men and women were overseas, fighting to ensure that a free America would endure. The second half of the Forties celebrated an America flush with victory, with a booming economy, a booming population and a vision of an ever-brighter future. The music was performed by crooners, small combos and big bands. The songs touched upon the world at war (Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, We'll Meet Again, I'll Be Seeing You), marked our coming home (It's Been a Long, Long Time), and celebrated the holidays (White Christmas, The Christmas Song, Let It Snow!). The music varied from ballads to boogie to swing. Some of it we call The Great American Songbook and much of it we still want to hear when the holidays approach.
Immerse yourself in the enchantment of Dr. Seuss' timeless festive tale How the Grinch Stole Christmas as it springs to life on stage. The show is replete with the beloved songs "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and "Welcome Christmas." Through this touching holiday staple, The Grinch realizes that Christmas holds greater significance than what he initially expected. Max the Dog acts as the storyteller, as the cunning and ill-tempered Grinch, who has a heart that is "two sizes too small," sets out to rob the jubilant Whos of their Christmas joy. They are an exuberant group, whose happiness knows no bounds during the festive season. Revel in the festive season with this production, which The New York Times acclaimed as "100 times better than any bedtime story!"
"Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas" follows Nancy and her presents with elegant wrapping paper, festive decorations, Christmas cookies with sprinkles - and who could forget the tree? After all, there is no such thing as too much tinsel. Ooh, la la! This year, Nancy is especially excited. After selling some of her old gowns and accessories, she has enough money to buy a brand-new sparkly tree topper. She simply cannot wait to decorate the Christmas tree. But when things don't turn out the way Nancy planned, does Christmas still stand a chance of being splendiferous?
Enjoy this modernized spin on the classic Christmas tale of the Gift of the Magi! When a wife and husband give each other hand picked Christmas gifts, they realize that each person personally sacrificed their own happiness to obtain each gift proving love is more powerful than gift giving.
Actress, dancer and choreographer Debbie Allen's fun, fresh spin on the classic holiday ballet returns to the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker gives the seasonal favorite a rich new cultural context and updated characters, and features a lively contemporary score with original songs from multiple-Grammy-winner Mariah Carey and others. After young Kara receives a nutcracker filled with hot chocolate, she falls asleep and journeys to enchanted lands, including Candy Cane Lane, Egypt, the Rainforest, Jazzland, Russia and the Land of the Kimono Dolls. Great for all ages, little ones will have no trouble following along thanks to the narration by three wisecracking mice.
This family-friendly performance features lively instrumental tunes on fiddle, flute, uilleann pipes and harp, along with thrilling Irish old-style dancing from Samantha Harvey. In addition, evocative photographic images provide a backdrop to some of the rich historical traditions of Ireland. Take a memorable glimpse into the enchanting spirit of Christmas, as the finest traditional artists from Ireland, bring you on a fun-filled start to the holiday season of 2023. "Irish Christmas in America admirably refuses to pander to the lowest common denominator. By doing so, they all convey the spirit of the season with uncommon taste and integrity." Irish Echo
It is Christmas Eve, 1947 in the studio of radio studio WNBC in New York City and a major snowstorm has hit the Big Apple. None of the Broadway stars who were scheduled to perform WNBC's annual live radio broadcast of "It's A Wonderful Life" were able to get through the storm so the station's General Manager has to scramble to gather a cast of anyone still left in the building - the copy boy, secretaries - even a nun soliciting donations for homeless orphans! During the broadcast, everything that could go wrong DOES! But in the end, this merry band of misfits delivers one of the funniest and most heartwarming renditions of the holiday classic ever to go out over the airwaves. Performed as a "live" radio broadcast complete with live foley sound effects, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE - ON AIR is a hilariously fun way to celebrate the holidays with the entire family.
To keep her religious mother from knowing she's divorced, Wendy pays her ex to pose as her husband when she goes home for the holidays, and of course, hilarity ensues. This farce of the highest order is guaranteed to light up the holiday season!
In this new musical comedy, Shelly Abrams has inherited a shuttered Catskills lodge. But he has high hopes of bringing it back with a big holiday show - called Christmas With A Twist! - like the ones his Grandparents used to stage. Joined by his three most talented friends from The Big Apple and an ageless accompanist that came with the place, he seeks to recreate the warmth, love and laughter that once filled the hall in it's heyday. Oy to the World is a ninety-minute musical comedy the whole family will enjoy.
You better watch out, you better not cry, because something magical is coming to the Playhouse this holiday season. Sam Pinkleton, the creative mind behind 2021's production of Head Over Heels, returns to the Playhouse to sleigh audiences with a brand-new holiday show that's sure to leave you feeling merry and bright. So get ready to jingle all the way and join us for a holly jolly spectacular you'll never forget.
Thanksgiving. Christmas. Hanukkah. New Year's Eve. Everyone knows that November and December are THE months for holiday festivities. But these are just a few of the holidays and traditions celebrated around the globe at this time of year. For Force of Nature Productions' 5th original, holiday-themed short play festival, we invite you to take a trip around the world with us, and discover some of the lesser-known holiday celebrations!
The children of Mars aren't themselves of late. When they watch Earthlings experiencing the joys of the holidays, they become withdrawn and unhappy. A wise prophet is consulted, scientific research is conducted and a brain is "borrowed" all in an effort to solve the problem. Finally, it's determined that Santa Claus must be abducted from Earth and brought to Mars. The trip does not always go smoothly, as the Martian pilots are nearly done in by earthly holiday goodies, and Santa and his elf helper are determined to fight the kidnappers and return to Earth in time for Christmas.
Santasia's relentless assault on your holiday funny-bone will have you hurting from laughter. This side splitting comedy is stocking stuffed with dynamic musical parodies, heartfelt sentiment and classic Rankin and Bass original inspired claymation movies.
It's the waning weeks of the year, evenings come sooner, there's a nip of coolness in the air, the sky gets dark faster. You look up, and there are....so many stars.
A real Christmas crowd-pleaser with lots of laughs and nostalgia, this fun musical parodies the hit film Die Hard on the 35th anniversary of that action classic's release. New York cop John McClane flies to Los Angeles to visit his estranged wife Holly for Christmas. But soon after he shows up at Nakatomi Plaza for her office work party, terrorists take over the building and it's up to John to save the day.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar has been dazzling audiences around the globe for over eight years, faithfully bringing to the stage Eric Carle's timeless classics. Created by Jonathan Rockefeller, each production of the critically acclaimed show features a menagerie of over 75 magical puppets, including the star of the show -The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Well, wake up and get your one-horse-open-sleigh over to the Colony Theater because the Troubies are back in the USSR (United States Stage Right), and ready to start a Revolution! This year the award-winning Troubies have combined the classic 1954 film, White Christmas, with the Beatles epic double record, the White Album. The result is a hippy, trippy, and-a-lil nippy - take on the beloved holiday musical extravaganza.