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Holiday theater roundup

Yes, it’s cold and dark, but live theater lives to warm you up

In the calm, wintry months ahead of us, Take 6 will provide some much needed harmony. Photo credit: Facebook

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What's this? What's this? A chill is in the air! What's this? E-scooters everywhere! What's this? The summer has now gone, soon we'll be freezing, though our snowy nights are rare! What ... is ... this?

It's the holiday season in the South Sound, with all the quiet nights, crisp atmosphere, and rain-soaked socks that come with it! For the curmudgeons that just like to hunker down and wait until warmth returns, there are plenty of activities that will fit your needs. But what to do if you're a fan of the more joyous, celebratory aspects of the season? Here, we have just a sampling of the activities going on in some of the most consistently excellent theaters in our area.

Following their sold out performance of The Hip Hop Nutcracker, Tacoma Arts Live (formerly the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts) will be continuing to kick off the holiday season with a series of shows. First, Glee star, Hollywood Game Night host, and Christopher Guest mockumentary mainstay Jane Lynch will be stopping by the Pantages with A Swingin' Little Christmas Friday, Nov. 23. Mixing comedy with ‘50s and ‘60s music, this promises to be a cozy and hilarious way to welcome these chilly months. Later, Friday, Dec. 7, Windham Hill's Winter Solstice celebrates its 30th year of spreading beautifully warm winter music. Seattle Men's Chorus hits the Rialto Theater Saturday, Dec. 8, to provide more holiday mirth, and world-renowned a capella group Take 6 will regale the Pantages with gorgeous harmonies Saturday, Dec. 22.

Tacoma Arts Live, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, times and ticket info at tacomaartslive.org, 253.581.5890

Meanwhile, in Olympia, the Washington Center for the Performing Arts will be doing their part to keep the festive cheer alive and well, mostly through performances drawing from classical inspiration. Friday, Nov. 30, the South Puget Sound Community College's chorus and chamber choir will be presenting Winter Roses, featuring holiday classics from Bach, Mendelssohn, Whitacre and more. The following night, the Masterworks Choral Ensemble will have a Yuletide Celebration, showcasing early Christmas favorites. From Dec. 7-16, Ballet Northwest will be staging the unimpeachable holiday standard The Nutcracker, including an offbeat version called The Nutty-Cracker, which will have one performance Tuesday, Dec. 13.

Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, times and ticket info at washingtoncenter.org, 360.753.8586

South Puget Sound Community College, Kenneth J. Minnaert Center, 2011 Mottman Rd. SW, Olympia, spscc.edu

Opening Friday, Nov. 23, Lakewood Playhouse will present Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus, an adaptation of a television special, that is itself based on a famous letter to the editor of The Sun from 1897. We expect a surplus of good feelings from this one. On that same day, Tacoma Musical Playhouse will open their production of Irving Berlin's White Christmas. The movie that spawned one of the most indelible holiday songs is getting the theatrical treatment at a theater that lives on musicals.

Lakewood Playhouse, 5729 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd., Lakewood, 253.588.0042, lakewoodplayhouse.org

Tacoma Musical Playhouse, 7116 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253.565.6867, tmp.org

Olympia Family Theater opens Tiny Tim's Christmas Carol Friday, Nov. 30. Subverting the Dickens story, this version finds the beloved Cratchit boy working to save the soul of the miserly Scrooge. Tacoma Little Theatre, meanwhile, brings a different Dickens spin with Scrooge! The Musical, opening Friday, Dec. 7. Can a good tempo and a compelling melody fix Scrooge's heart? It's worth a shot!

Olympia Family Theater, 612 4th Ave. E., Olympia, 360.570.1638, olyft.org

Tacoma Little Theatre, 210 N. I St., Tacoma, times and ticket info at tacomalittletheatre.com, 253.272.2281

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