December Staff Picks
Despite some unseasonably warm days, we are well on our way into the Holiday Season. With so many incredible and festive performances and events happening this month, it was hard to narrow down to just a few picks for the month. Grab your hot cocoa, and find the perfect show to share with your friends, family, or just something for yourself, this holiday season!
Fiddler on the Roof: New Repertory Theatre
Now – January 1
“Without tradition, life would be as shaky as a fiddler on the roof!” The holidays are about traditions, and spending time with loved ones – even if you don’t always agree with them. This Tony Award-winning musical holds a near and dear place in my heart, and reminds me that, despite anything that might be happening in the world, there is always joy and humor to be found. This production is directed by Austin Pendleton, who originated the role of Motel the Tailor on Broadway. L’chaim!
Urban Nutcracker: Tony Williams Dance Center
December 16 – 31 | BosTix Deal Available
Urban Nutcracker blends the rhythms of Duke Ellington with the classical music of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. This annual tradition showcases a broad diversity of dance forms celebrating multicultural Boston. Join heroine Clarice as she explores iconic Boston scenes such as Make Way for Ducklings, Top of the Hub, Chinatown, and the Boston Public Garden.
Blink!: Faneuil Hall Marketplace
Now – January 1 | Free
Lights, sounds, Holiday Pops! This magical and unforgettable light show uses over 350,000 LED lights to illuminate Boston’s skyline – to the song stylings of the Holiday Pops – in a seven-minute spectacle that runs continuously each evening beginning at 4:30 pm.
Fingersmith: American Repertory Theater
Now – January 8 | BosTix Deal Available
This Victorian thriller, based on the best-selling novel by Sarah Waters, follows Sue Trinder, a pickpocket in London, as she works with a con man called Gentleman to try and cheat a gullible young heiress out of her fortune. Unfortunately for Sue, nothing is quite as it seems, and layers of twists and turns play out upon the stage. Love, sexuality, betrayal, with a side of corsets, madhouses, and mansions. What more could you want?
Slutcracker: Somerville Theatre
Now – December 31
Leave the kids at home for this grown-up retelling of the Nutcracker story! Slutcracker preserves the structure of the original ballet, except that the main characters are now adults. A courtship and a devious Aunt Drosselmeyer set the stage for Clara’s transformation and awakening in the Kingdom of Sexual Fantasy. Slutcracker plays with expectations of gender and sexuality, and features some of the best burlesque in town. Dancing en pointe and using bull whips are impressive in and of themselves; they’re even better together.
Marissa Friedman, Project Coordinator & Executive Assistant
