Jolly holiday shows light up local stages

By K. Michelle Moran
C & G Staff Writer

» Click on image to view full size « Photo courtesy of Rick Smith, Rick’s Photography Meadow Brook Theatre celebrates its 30th anniversary production of “A Christmas Carol” with a cast that includes many professional actors familiar to MBT audiences. Photo courtesy of Rick Smith, Rick’s Photography Meadow Brook Theatre celebrates its 30th anniversary production of “A Christmas Carol” with a cast that includes many professional actors familiar to MBT audiences.

METRO DETROIT — Whether you’re suffering from the stress of the season or looking for a way to get into the holiday spirit, an array of concerts, plays and other productions could be just the ticket.

For many families, it isn’t the holiday season without seeing “A Christmas Carol” performed at Meadow Brook Theatre, on the Oakland University campus in Rochester. “Carol” is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a run of the beloved Dickens classic Nov. 19-Dec. 23, with Thomas Mahard once again playing Ebeneezer Scrooge opposite a cast of other top actors. For tickets or more information: (248) 377-3300, www.ticketmaster.com or www.mbtheatre.com.

“I believe that ‘A Christmas Carol’ appeals to so many because of the way the story is told, as an introspective look into one’s own life,” said MBT artistic director Travis Walter via email. “We are always told to be good or Santa won’t bring us any toys, and it must be ingrained in us at this time of year that we look back on our past failures and achievements, assess the good we have or haven’t done, and strive to make the next year better.”

Tradition also reigns at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, located on the main campus of Macomb Community College in Clinton Township. Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings will perform the popular “Holiday Brass” concert, accompanied by the Dakota High School varsity choirs, at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6. The Lettermen will sing classic hits such as “The Way You Look Tonight” at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 10. Natalie MacMaster will give Christmas a Celtic spin during “Christmas in Cape Breton” at 4 p.m. Dec. 11. And the Detroit Concert Choir will perform a mix of holiday favorites during a concert at 3 p.m. Dec. 18. For tickets: (586) 286-2222 or www.macombcenter.com.

Orchestra Hall in Detroit gives the holidays a classical spin, with MacMaster delivering her “Christmas in Cape Breton” performance at 8 p.m. Dec. 5. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra will perform “The Four Seasons!” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8 and 8 p.m. Dec. 10, as well as Handel’s “Messiah” at 3 p.m. Dec. 10 and 11; the “Messiah” concerts will be conducted by Christopher Warren-Green. For tickets: (313) 576-5111 or www.detroitsymphony.com.

Laughter and music are on the bill for the 20th anniversary season of the historic Gem and Century Theatres in downtown Detroit. “The All Night Strut Holiday Show!” at the Gem Nov. 23-Dec. 31 will dazzle with a production that brings back “The All Night Strut!” and adds holiday songs. Mary Zentmyer returns as Sister in “Sister’s Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold” Nov. 23-Dec. 31 at the Century, a show that involves the audience in Sister’s comedic quest to crack this age-old case. For tickets: (313) 963-9800 or www.gemtheatre.com, or contact Ticketmaster.

The 10th anniversary production of the jazz gospel version of Handel’s “Messiah,” “Too Hot to Handel,” will bring down the roof of the Detroit Opera House Dec. 4. Mack Avenue Records is one of the sponsors, and the show will again feature Rackham Symphony Choir — under the direction of Suzanne Mallare Acton of Grosse Pointe Park — alongside vocalists Rodrick Dixon, Alfreda Burke and Karen Marie Richardson, and a band of jazz legends that includes Marion Hayden, Alvin Waddles and Chris Collins. A pre-concert artist chat begins at 2 p.m., with the concert beginning at 3 p.m. For regular tickets and more information: (313) 237-SING, www.MichiganOpera.org or www.TicketMaster.com. For patron tickets: (313) 404-0222.

“Our audiences have grown each year, with hundreds coming back multiple times,” Acton said in a press release. “It is a testimony to the power of the show to lift people’s spirits.”

Needed seasonal humor comes courtesy of Go Comedy! Improv Theater in Ferndale, which is presenting the new original comedy and holiday show, “Mid-Life Christmas,” starting Nov. 17. The sketch revue runs Thursday-Saturday evenings and features Christa Coulter of Royal Oak, Chris DiAngelo of Ferndale, Carrie Lynn Hall of Southfield, Jennifer Hansen of Madison Heights, Bryan Lark of Ferndale and Tommy Simon of Detroit. For tickets: (248) 327-0575, www.gocomedy.net or pj@gocomedy.net.

“It was fun to take a look at the magic of the holidays through a comedic perspective,” said Pj Jacokes of Ferndale, the show’s creator and director, by email. “The end result was a sweet, funny and sometimes dark look at what they mean to us.”

For more laughs, Eastpointe’s Broadway Onstage introduces a new spoof — “The Christmas Carol Caper, Scrooge This” — by producer/actor Dennis Wickline. A comedy and mystery rolled into one, the show is about a regional acting company’s production of “A Christmas Carol” that goes awry when two of the key actors are missing and a murder investigation begins in the middle of opening night. “Scrooge This” runs Dec. 2-23. For tickets: (586) 771-6333 or www.broadwayonstage.com.

The award-winning Oakland County-based theater company Etico Productions is staging “Every Christmas Story Ever Told … and Then Some” Dec. 1-11 on the grounds of Play and Stay Pet Care, 1705 Austin in Troy. The zany romp incorporates holiday stories such as “A Christmas Carol” and characters such as the Grinch. A portion of the $25 tickets will go toward local animal advocacy groups. Actor and comedian Arel Basil Gribbel stars, and the show is directed by John Manfredi. For tickets: Sara Dean, (269) 599-9352 or sara lynnedean@gmail.com.

Young performers bring the season to life with local flair as Mosaic Youth Theatre stages the joyous musical, “Woodward Wonderland: A Detroit Holiday Celebration,” Dec. 9-11 at the Detroit Institute of Arts. For tickets: (313) 833-4005 or www.mosaicdetroit.com.

Downtown Detroit’s Fox Theatre has a series of holiday-themed concerts, including: Donny and Marie Osmond’s “Christmas in Detroit” Nov. 29-Dec. 4, “Celtic Thunder — Christmas” Dec. 7, Mannheim Steamroller at 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Dec. 10, the Moscow Ballet’s “The Great Russian Nutcracker” Dec. 11, “Cirque Dreams Holidaze” Dec. 13-18, and Karen Newman’s “Christmas Eve on Woodward Avenue” Dec. 21.

For tickets: (800) 745-300, (313) 471-6611 or www.olympiaentertainment.com.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer K. Michelle Moran at kmoran@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1047.