The holiday season will soon be upon us, and with it comes a plethora of live theater choices.
How better to escape pushy crowds, long lines, traffic, overbearing relatives and the thought of what Jan. 20 holds in store for our nation?
There’s a conspicuous absence of productions of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol this year, but that may be because the thought of a cold-hearted, bitter and selfish man seeing the error of his ways and undergoing a transformation would require a suspension of belief currently beyond human capability.
Instead, North Bay theater companies are providing a variety of options for theater goers looking for some holiday cheer.
One may start in Healdsburg with the Raven Players production of Cinderella – A Family Holiday Panto. Panto is short for pantomime, but banish thoughts of silent, white-face clowns annoying you at Fisherman’s Wharf from your mind. British “pantos” are raucous entertainments featuring jokes, slapstick, cross-dressing performers, music, dance and audience interaction. The fun kicks off Nov. 15 at the Raven Performing Arts Theater in Healdsburg. raventheater.org
For those seeking a more traditional Broadway-style musical, Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse will mount Irving Berlin’s White Christmas: The Musical. Based on the 1954 film starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, this stage adaptation features 17 Irving Berlin songs including, of course, the title tune. The snow starts falling on 6th Street’s GK Hardt stage on Nov. 22. 6thstreetplayhouse.com
Audiences old enough to remember a time when Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life seemed to be playing on every TV station for two months straight may get a sense of déjà vu with two productions of different adaptations of the story running in Sonoma County.
Rohnert Park’s Spreckels Theatre Company is presenting It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. The show is performed as a 1940s live radio broadcast in front of a studio audience. Five actors perform dozens of characters and produce sound effects. The show goes on-air in Spreckels Condiotti Black Box Theatre on Nov. 22. spreckelsonline.com
6th Street Playhouse will be presenting two workshop performances of local composer Janis Dunson Wilson’s musical adaptation of It’s a Wonderful Life, featuring over two dozen original songs which will be performed with a live orchestra. There will be two performances only—Dec. 17 and 18. 6thstreetplayhouse.com
Sonoma Arts Live is going with Little Women. Based on the Louisa May Alcott novel, this musical adaptation follows the adventures of sisters Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March over a decade. While not a holiday musical per se, many of the scenes are set at Christmas time. The Rotary Stage at the Sonoma Community Center hosts the show beginning Dec. 6. sonomartslive.com
Sonoma’s Sebastiani Theatre will host four performances of the Transcendence Theatre Company annual Broadway Holiday production on Dec. 18 and 19. This all-new production features festive musical favorites, hit tunes and other on-stage antics by Broadway performers from such hit shows as Frozen, Mrs. Doubtfire and Wicked. bestnightever.org
Napa’s Lucky Penny Productions opened the Lucky Penny Community Arts center almost 10 years ago with a production of Oliver! They now are wondering “Who Will Buy?” a ticket to one of the performances of their remounting of Lionel Bart’s classic musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. I’ll be “Reviewing the Situation” myself. “Consider Yourself” welcome to join them starting Nov. 29. luckypennynapa.com
As always, North Bay theater companies would appreciate your consideration of gifting season tickets to your arts-minded family and/or friends. Support live local theater… while we can.
