Christmas classics with Baltimore twists and plays about mental illness are among the shows that theater audience can look forward to this winter.
Check them out in this winter edition of our local theater roundup:
Santa Claus is Comin’: A Motown Christmas Revue, ongoing through Jan. 4, Baltimore Center Stage. Hear the classic holiday tunes with a Motown twist in this musical revue.
Elf, ongoing through Jan. 4, Toby’s Dinner Theatre. Inspired by the holiday flick starring Will Ferrell, the “Elf” musical follows Buddy, a young orphan grows up in the North Pole after climbing into Santa’s bag of gifts one Christmas. In adulthood, Buddy travels to New York City in search of his birth father and his own identity. Along the way, he helps New Yorkers tap into the spirit of Christmas.
Deceived, ongoing through Jan. 4, Everyman Theatre. A woman questions her relationships and even her own sanity when she starts seeing and hearing things that aren’t there. “Deceived” is an adaptation of the 1944 psychological thriller film “Gaslight.”
A Christmas Carol for Edgar Allan Poe, Friday, Dec. 5, through Sunday, Dec. 21, Motor House. Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” gets a Baltimore twist in this show focusing on the life of horror writer Edgar Allan Poe.
A Tuna Christmas, Friday, Dec. 5, through Sunday, Dec. 21, Spotlighters Theatre. In the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, a serial vandal threatens to derail an annual Christmas yard display contest. One resident is trying to get off probation, another hopes to hold her family together, and another is trying to put on a successful production of a holiday classic.
Unmistakably Maryland Nutcracker, Saturday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 7, Towson University Stephens Hall Theatre. The MidAtlantic Youth Ballet presents its 19th annual Maryland-themed Nutcracker, with landmarks, icons, and culture unique to Maryland. With more than 120 local dancers ranging in age from 4 to adult from dance programs throughout the Greater Baltimore area, proceeds support the nonprofit dance company’s mission to make dance education affordable and accessible. Tickets available here.
Nutcracker! Magic of Christmas Ballet, Saturday, Dec. 6, Hippodrome Theatre. See a Christmas classic come to life as ballet dancers perform Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.”
Wicked, Wednesday, Dec. 17, through Sunday, Jan. 11, Hippodrome Theatre. Two witches — one green, one blonde, both initially loathsome to one another — begin as reluctant roommates who eventually forge a friendship that lasts for good. Based on Gregory Maguire’s novel (and recently adapted into a hit film starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande), the “Wicked” stage musical tells the story of what came before “The Wizard of Oz.”
BAH HUMBUG – A Christmas Carol (Mostly) Improvised! Monday, Dec. 22, and Tuesday, Dec. 23, The Theater at Creative Alliance. Producer Michael Harris and a team of Baltimore’s best improvisers will turn your suggestions into a hilarious, unpredictable reboot of the Dickens’ Classic.
Rock of Ages, Friday, Jan. 9, through Sunday, March 15, Toby’s Dinner Theatre. A “small town girl living in a lonely world” and a “city boy, born and raised in South Detroit” fall for each other in this musical full of music from the 1980s.
Seven Guitars, Friday, Jan. 9, through Sunday, Feb. 1, Spotlighters Theatre. In August Wilson’s play “Seven Guitars,” the funeral of one of the play’s main characters sandwiches a series of flashbacks. An aspiring blues musician, an ailing old man, and three single women each navigate the struggles of Black Americans and the search for meaning in the post-war poverty of 1940s Pittsburgh.
The Shark is Broken, Friday, Jan. 9, through Sunday, Feb. 1, Vagabond Players. The play provides a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the movie “Jaws,” which celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Langston Hughes’ Shakespeare in Harlem, Thursday, Jan. 15, through Sunday, Jan. 18, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. “Shakespeare in Harlem” adapts a collection of Langston Hughes’ poems for the stage, which explores the Black experience during the Harlem Renaissance.
The Great Gatsby, Saturday, Jan. 31, through Saturday, Feb. 7, Hippodrome Theatre. Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald of the same name, “The Great Gatsby” follows a millionaire in the Roaring 20s yearning for his former lover, who is now married to someone else.
Dawn, Sunday, Feb. 1, through Sunday, March 1, Everyman Theatre. A first-generation Cambodian American woman wrestles with difficult emotions and her parents’ beliefs as survivors of the Khmer Rouge, as their family works to heal from the past. The play marks its world premiere by Tuyết Thị Phạm.
August Wilson’s Fences, Friday, Feb. 6, through Saturday, March 1, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. Playwright August Wilson’s “Fences” tells the story of a Black family in 1950s Pittsburgh, exploring race, class, marriage, parenthood. This play, which won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1987, is the sixth show in The Baltimore August Wilson Celebration.
Trinity, Thursday, Feb. 12, through Sunday, March 8, Baltimore Center Stage. Three women role-play different scenarios, from playful moments to more vulnerable experiences. “Trinity” marks the playwriting debut of actor Lena Waithe, known for her roles in projects like “Master of None” and “Westworld.” She also wrote the television series “The Chi” and executive produced the horror anthology series “Them,” among other projects.
Dance Nation, Thursday, Feb. 12, through Sunday, March 8, Fells Point Corner Theatre. The claws come out when a group of pre-teen competitive dancers seek to win a national dance competition.
Arsenic and Old Lace, Friday, Feb. 20, through Sunday, March 15, Vagabond Players. In this dark comedy set in a Brooklyn home, all is not what it seems. The play features elderly sisters with a secret, a nephew who believes he is Theodore Roosevelt, and a bit of murder for good measure.
Back to the Future, Tuesday, Feb. 24, through Sunday, March 1, Hippodrome Theatre. When Marty McFly travels back in time to 1955, he accidentally changes history — including his own family. He must set things right in the past in order to live to see his present and future. The “Back to the Future” musical features songs from the beloved 1985 sci-fi film it is based upon, as well as some new songs crafted specially for the stage show.
‘Til Death Do Us Part: Late Nite Catechism 3, Saturday, Feb. 28, Hippodrome Theatre. In this comedic show that calls upon audience participation, a nun offers lessson on the Sacraments of Marriage and the Last Rites.
Antigone, Friday, March 6, through Sunday, March 29, Spotlighters Theatre. Spotlighters Theatre will present their production of Sophocles’ play “Antigone,” which follows the children of Oedipus and his mother, Jocasta.
Next to Normal, Friday, March 6, through Sunday, March 15, M&T Bank Exchange. Iron Crow Theatre will present their production of “Next to Normal,” a musical about a family struggling to hold it together amid grief, mental illness, and loss of self.
Hadestown, Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14, Hippodrome Theatre. Join Orpheus as he travels way down under the ground to find Eurydice in the underworld. With music by Anaïs Mitchell, the show explores love, loss, hope, despair, balance, and bargaining.
