Christmas Week News Roundup
Things slow down a bit this week to allow families to focus on celebrating Christmas in their own traditional ways, but there are still some performing arts events out there that can enhance your festive mood or otherwise deserve your attention.
One show that’s most deserving of attention is the musical The Color Purple, which will have two performances this week at the Majestic Theater as part of a national Tour. Y’all remember Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel by the same name on which both the Steven Spielberg movie and the musical version are based. The latter premiered on Broadway in 2005, adapted for the stage by prominent playwright Marsha Norman, with songs by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray. The 2015 revival won two Tony Awards in 2016, including Best Musical Revival and it also won the 2017 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album.
It was a powerful story when we first encountered it in 1982, and, according to the critics, it remains powerful in the musical retelling. “A glory to Behold!” gushed the New York Times critic. “A direct hit to the heart,” said The Hollywood Reporter. (You may be interested to learn that a new film production is apparently in the making, as well.)
Like the book, the musical tells the story of Celie, a black woman living in the South, who survives years of abuse by both her stepfather and her husband, but eventually reaches independence and self-realization. (Dec. 29-30 at 7:30 p.m.; Majestic Theater, 224 E Houston St., tickets start at $55, Majestic box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-982-2787 to charge by phone. For box office hours call 210-226-3333)
For those who missed both previous Nutcracker productions, there’s a consolation prize: The Great Russian Nutcracker which will waltz into the Majestic Theater Dec. 26-27 for three performances. It’s different from the traditional American version we are accustomed to, but that’s what makes it worth seeing. All the dancers are Russian-trained, the choreography can be spectacular and there’s quite a bit of bravura dancing. The ballet’s heroine is named Masha and is older than the more familiar Clara in American productions, and she and her Prince are taken to the Land of Peace and Harmony instead of the Land of the Sweets. Guiding them on that journey is the stunning Dove of Peace, which first appears at the start of Act II. The night I attended the show a couple of years ago, you could hear the entire audience audibly gasp in awe at the sight of the huge, all-white Dove. It takes a few seconds to realize that this mythical creature with huge wings is composed of two bodies that eventually break out of the configuration to dance a lovely duet. (Dec. 26 at 7 p.m., Dec. 27 at 3 and 7 p.m.; Majestic Theater, 224 E. Houston; tickets www.ticketmaster.com)
And there’s more at the Majestic! Elves are always popular at this time of year, and we have already had a couple of shows featuring them, but here comes one you have not seen on stage before: The Elf on the Shelf. Yes, it’s another book-animation-special-stage-adaptation that capitalizes on the popularity of the original work and various box kits. But it’s worth mentioning that the original book, written by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell in 2004, won Book of the Year Award from Creative Child Awards in 2008, as well as the National Best Book Award sponsored by USA Book News. Each book comes complete with one of Santa’s Scout Elves who comes to visit your household during the day to observe whether the kids are naughty or nice. At night, he returns to the North Pole to report to Santa.
The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Musical is an original new show developed by Sara Wordsworth as writer/lyricist, Russ Kaplan as composer, and Sam Scalamoni as director. The story features a visiting elf, who helps its “human family to overcome personal loss and remember the importance of Christmas cheer.” (One show only, Dec. 28 at 7 p.m., Majestic Theater; tickets start at $29.50; www.majesticempire.com or www.ticketmaster.com
Not everything is taking place at the Majestic, however. Over at the Tobin Center, another kind of touring show will stop for a single night Monday, Dec.23. A circus arts ensemble, called Cirque Musica will present its Holiday Wishes show, featuring acrobats, aerialist dancers, and other assorted daredevils who defy gravity and perform amazing athletic feats while a symphonic orchestra plays holiday music. (Dec. 23 at 7 p.m.; Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, tickets 210-223-8624 or https://tobi.tobincenter.org
San Antonio theaters usually take a break right around this time but there’s a notable exception this year. The Public Theater of San Antonio is actually opening a new show the day after Christmas, and it looks like a winner.Based on the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, and adapted for the stage by Simon Stephens, it tells the story of an autistic teenager who is being suspected of killing his neighbor’s dog. To clear his name, he determines to resolve the mystery. “This profoundly moving play about adolescence, fractured families, mathematics, colors and light, takes us on a thrilling journey that upturns his world,” says the press material. (Dec.26 – Jan. 19, 2020, Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.; Public Theater of San Antonio in San Pedro Springs Park; tickets at www.thepublicsa.org or call 210-733-7258)