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ENTERTAINMENT
Tri-State thespians spread cheer through the stage
The City of Huntington Foundation, Inc.'s 5th Avenue Theatre Company presents "A Christmas Carol" at the Jean C. Stephenson Auditorium in City Hall Friday, November 30, 2007.
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On Christmas Carol, on Grinch, on Nutcracker, on Miracle On 34th Street and all on this weekend.
Lined up like reindeer for night take-off, local thespians have decked the halls, are ready for the holidays and are waiting to light up the stages from Charleston and Huntington to Ashland and beyond.
If you think you need a guide to theater this weekend, you're right. You can thank us later.
Here's a quick look at everything from ballet and bawdy elves to a Broadway makeover of a Christmas classic.
Not your uncle's Christmas carol
Now in its second weekend, The 5th Avenue Theatre Company presents "A Christmas Carol," the musical co-written by Alan Menken, who's written music for such movies as current film, "Enchanted," as well as "Beauty and the Beast" and "Little Shop of Horrors."
Packed with a cast of more than 60 actors, including such local theater veterans as Clint McElroy as Scrooge, "A Christmas Carol" takes the stage at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Jean Carlo Stephenson Auditorium at Huntington City Hall.
You'll want to arrive at least 30 minutes early since a children's pre-show begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets are $10 and $8 for children under 12. Call (304) 696-5522.
A playhouse full of magic
For the 26th year, the Huntington Dance Theatre dances in Christmas with its intoxicating blend of costumes, sets and choreography creating the magical storybook tale of "The Nutcracker."
See the theatre's original choreography on stage with the hum-along Tchaikovsky music and bolstered by guest appearances by Alexander Kedrov, formerly of the Bolshoi Ballet Company, as the Snow King and Donald Lane, currently the Co-Artistic Director of the West Virginia Dance Company, as the Sugarplum Fairy's Cavalier.
Show times are 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse.
Come an hour early for Suits at the Suite, a high-end fashion exhibit and silent auction presented in partnership with the non-profit group, Dress for Success. Tickets are $12 to $16 and are on sale now at the box office.
Call (304) 696-2787.
All the whos in Huntington
Jessica Lynn Who, (also known as Jessica Fox) directs a Whobilation Celebration of "The Grinch" at the new Jeslyn Performing Arts Center, 1030 4th Ave., Huntington.
The old Camelot Theatre comes alive with the heart-warming production which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the beloved Christmas story originally written by Dr. Seuss.
Those little Whos in Whoville know how to melt a heart even if it's made of unwashed socks.
Show times are 7 p.m. Dec. 7-8, and Dec. 15, as well as 3 p.m. Dec. 16.
Tickets are $10 and $8 for students/seniors. Call (304) 697-0607.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Backstage production
The Backstage Players kick off a busy weekend at the Paramount Arts Center with a special holiday production of the classic, "Miracle on 34th Street."
The classic story that shares the joy of believing in the magic of Christmas, starts at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Paramount, 1300 Winchester Ave., Ashland.
Tickets are $10 and $7 for students and seniors.
Call (606) 324-3175.
Elf gone wild
You think your holiday is stressful, try being a Macy's elf.
Enjoy comic writer David Sedaris' sardonic stage sleighride of a play, "The Santaland Diaries," that follows local actor Scott Eubank playing an out-of-work slacker who finds work as a Macy's elf during the insanely busy holiday rush.
The Charleston Stage Company whips up the hilariously twisted Christmas comedy at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at the West Virginia State University Capitol Center Theatre, 123 Summers St., Charleston.
Tickets are $15 ($10 for students/seniors and free to WVSU students with valid ID's). Call (304) 766-5725. Go online at www.charlestonstagecompany.com.
Moscow Ballet at Paramount
Get a rare sugarplum treat of world-class ballet as the Paramount Arts Center and the Ashland Youth Ballet present a return visit by The Moscow Ballet for two performances of the timeless masterpiece, "The Nutcracker" at 3 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9.
Lavish costumes and 50-foot backdrops add to the splendor of this enchanting holiday classic at the Paramount, located at 1300 Winchester Ave., Ashland.
Tickets are $10, $35, $40, $45 and $55.
A College Christmas Carol
Not that they're counting but this is the 15th annual presentation of "A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley" at the Ashland Community and Technical College Theater in the J.B. Sowards Theater on the College Drive Campus in Ashland.
Performances, which feature a cast of 50 adults and children from throughout the Tri-State, are 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets are $6 and $4 for students, seniors and groups of 10 or more. Tickets can be reserved through the bookstore at (606) 326-2014. Unreserved tickets will be sold at the door for each performance.
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