December Theater Guide: Celebrate a Feast of Family Favorites

PMT’s ‘A Lyrical Christmas Carol’ is a Pittsburgh holiday tradition and was written by Ken and Jane Gargaro. (Photo: Matt Polk)

In our house, since I was a child, the rule was “No Christmas music until after Thanksgiving.” Which meant that my father would play his favorite Fred Waring & The Pennsylvanians album—replete with stereophonic sleigh bells, a lot of high-fidelity “Fa-la-la’s”, and every last chorus of that one partridge still sticking to his pear tree—as soon as the jellied cranberry was saved in the fridge. He wasted not a minute. And nor shall we. Because, just like hot gravy on a mound of mashed potatoes, there’s lots to cover. 

Of course, if you’re no fan of jellied cranberry, you might prefer the orange zest kind, or the chopped relish style. And so Pittsburgh’s many stages this season offer three different variations of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker: PBT’s Pittsburgh version, Texture’s traditional take, or the Cultural Trust’s hip hop mash-up. Dickens’s classic A Christmas Carol will arrive in multiple varieties, too: choose among the CLO’s Musical Carol or PMT’s Lyrical Carol or Kinetic’s Sherlock Carol. Any or all are sure to please.

But then some families eschew turkey altogether. If yours is the kind that would rather share fish, or a roast beef, or fancy lasagna, then you may be happy to consider these alternatives. The Public will feature Jean Shepherd’s 1940s story (wherein Ralphie’s old man gets his “gam” lamp,) City Theatre will present a twist on Jane Austen’s tales (in which the Wickhams’ estate is turned upside down,) and Bricolage will perform a radio production of Bruce Willis’ adventure, Die Hard N’at (certain to settle the debate, once and for all, that the original film is one of the finest Christmas movies ever made.) 

No matter what your tastes may long for this December, Pittsburgh is offering a feast worth celebrating. Grab a large plate, step up to the banquet table, and do as my father would instruct us each and every holiday: “Go pat that pony!”

Shows are previewed below in three sections. Spotlight Picks for the month are followed by Other Shows of Interest, and then a look-ahead to Big Shows on the Horizon. Spotlight Picks are listed by run dates. The Theater Guide is created by the theater writers and editors of Entertainment Central including Mike Vargo (M.V.) and C. Prentiss Orr (C.P.O.).

THE WICKHAMS: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY (comedy) by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon. City Theatre. Through December 22.

For those who might well remember City Theatre’s December offering last year, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, Lauren Gunderson’s comic take on a reimagined adventure in the fictional world of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, we return this year to a new adventure.  The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley pivots the perspective of the story to the household staff downstairs. Two years after the conclusion of Austen’s 1813 novel, all of the Bennets and Darcys are flitting around upstairs when an unexpected guest is welcomed into the festive fray. Mrs. Reynolds, the no-nonsense housekeeper, Brian, the lovesick footman, and Cassie, an eager-to-please new maid must make the estate “very merry, indeed,” despite the very much “married” intruder who shows up just before Christmas Eve. It all becomes a festive farce, replete with figgy-pudding, frantic fun, and foolish folly. Which is all to suggest you might consider making City Theatre’s offering one of your family’s affairs this holiday season. The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley is produced in association with Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama. 7 p.m. 1300 Bingham St., South Side. (C.P.O.)

A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE PLAY (comedy) by Philip Grecian, adapted from the film and story by Jean Shepherd and others. Pittsburgh Public Theater. December 4 – 22.

Chances are, if you’re not familiar with the classic film about little Ralphie Parker whose holiday memories of freezing his tongue to a lamppost, witnessing his father’s obsession for roast turkey, or hoping against all hope (lest he shoot his eye out) to find that Red Ryder BB gun under the Christmas tree, you’ll want to attend any of dozens of other holiday events. But wait; Pittsburgh Public Theater’s production of A Christmas Story is returning to the O’Reilly Theater for the third time this December. So you know it’s got to be a Pittsburgh favorite. With a splendid cast and a setting reminiscent of small-town America when the biggest boxed stores were called Higbee’s, A Christmas Story is a sweet and sentimental journey of American values in the early 1940s. Pittsburgh Public Theater tickets go faster than a slide in Santa-land. 621 Penn Ave., Cultural District. (C.P.O.)

DIE HARD N’AT by Gayle Pazerski, adapted from the movie. Bricolage Production Company. December 6 – 22. 

If your holiday spirit needs an injection of laughter, there’s a play on the schedule that is bursting with ho-ho-ho-ness, and it’s not about Santa. Die Hard N’at is a Pittsburgh-ized parody of the 1988 action film. The original Die Hard qualified as a “Christmas movie” only because it was set at Yuletide: A vicious gang of armed thieves, led by an evil German mastermind (played by Alan Rickman), take hostages at an office Christmas party. An off-duty cop (Bruce Willis) saves the day amid gunfire, explosions, and hair-raising escapades—proving, apparently, that an all-American, lone-wolf hero can protect us from foreign intruders. There’s a lot to lampoon here, and the folks at Bricolage Production Company know how. Die Hard N’at moves the action from a skyscraper in L.A. to Pittsburgh’s fictional Terrible Tower. The movie’s extreme violence is eliminated. Instead you get a cavalcade of crazy schemes and counter-schemes, as the sophisticated evil mastermind bumps up against the bumbling but bumptious bumptitude of Yinzer Nation. 

The cast includes Patrick Jordan as the heroic cop and Wali Jamal (speaking in a marvelously fluty German-ish accent) as the archvillain. Gayle Pazerski wrote the script; see our review of Bricolage’s 2018 production for details. And see Die Hard N’at in the barebones black box theater. 1211 Braddock Ave., Braddock. (M.V.) 

THE NUTCRACKER (ballet) by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, with choreography by Terrence S. Orr. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. December 6 – 27. 

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre artists Ariana Chernyshev and David O’Matz dance in ‘The Nutcracker.’ (Photo: Michael Henninger)

Here comes the ballet that even non-ballet fans enjoy. The Nutcracker provides a huge share of annual ticket sales for ballet companies across the nation, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s production is among the grandest of all. It was developed by PBT artistic director Terrence S. Orr, who drew in part from the original 1892 choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. But Orr also studied many contemporary versions, then teamed with his PBT colleagues to create a one-of-a-kind synthesis of classical ballet, modern artistry, and stunning stagecraft. (See the background story here.) This Nutcracker is set at an old-time Christmas party in Pittsburgh at the turn of the last century. Then, as we move into the realm of fantasy—with the Nutcracker doll coming to life and leading a cast of adult and child dancers through a visit to the Land of Enchantment—there are dazzling special dances, amazing magic tricks, and breathtaking stage effects. The music of course is by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Reserve early for PBT’s The Nutcracker. Benedum Center, 237 7th St., Cultural District. (M.V.)

A MUSICAL CHRISTMAS CAROL by David H. Bell, from the Dickens story. Pittsburgh CLO. December 13 – 22. 

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is considered schmaltz by some and high art by many others. In Japan, the novella has been viewed as one of the great works of English literature—“possibly in a league with Hamlet,” as one Japanese scholar wrote. Famous actors who’ve played Ebenezer Scrooge range from Basil Rathbone to Jim Carrey, and, memorably, Michael Caine in The Muppet Christmas Carol, with Kermit and Miss Piggy as Bob and Mrs. Cratchit. In Pittsburgh CLO’s production of A Musical Christmas Carol, Scrooge is played by Charles Shaughnessy, a veteran of numerous network TV shows. The stage adaptation of the story is by David H. Bell, best known for Hot Mikado, the jazzed-up remake of The Mikado. There’s no bebop in A Musical Christmas Carol, but Bell has added some scenes that help to fill out Dickens’ original story nicely. Byham Theater, 101 6th St., Cultural District. (M.V.)

A SHERLOCK CAROL (comedy) by Mark Shanahan, from the Dickens story as well as from a mystery by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Kinetic Theatre. December 13 – 22.

Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has been adapted, satirized, and restaged to fit so many different eras, it should come as no mystery that a new version follows the genre of another great English author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. So when a grown up Tiny Tim comes to seek the assistance of master detective Sherlock Holmes, we have not one, but two great Christmas presents to open this holiday. Dickens literarily meets Doyle when Ebenezer Scrooge is found dead. We know the killer is not the notorious Dr. Moriarty, because he too is dead, a matter which still haunts Holmes. Yet a great mystery is suddenly afoot amidst a festive feast of holiday fun. In this comic romp, performed by seven actors, come deduce which culprit has cooked his goose. Kinetic Theatre promises a Dickens of a mystery. Henry Heymann Theater in the Stephen Foster Memorial located at 4301 Forbes Avenue, Oakland. (C.P.O.) 

THE NUTCRACKER (ballet) by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Texture Contemporary Ballet. December 14 with the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra (Palace Theatre) and 21 (August Wilson Center). 

For kids and older adults who love Tchaikovsky’s immortal Christmas ballet but who have early bedtimes (all the better for dreaming of sugarplums), Pittsburgh’s Texture Contemporary Ballet offers three daytime performances for anyone to enjoy. At Greensburg’s Palace Theatre, Texture’s School and Company will present one morning (11 a.m.) and one matinee (3 p.m.) performance on December 14 with the Westmoreland Symphony. The following Saturday, December 21, the production comes to life at the August Wilson Center for two more performances, the first at 2 p.m. and a second at 7 p.m. Led by Artistic Director Alan Obozur in choreography he created along with his former associate, Kelsey Bartman, Texture Contemporary Ballet features a full company of professional dancers as well as students of the Texture Ballet School, too. The Palace Theatre is at 21 W. Otterman St., Greensburg, and the August Wilson Center is at 980 Liberty Ave., Cultural District. (C.P.O.)

THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER (dance) by Jennifer Weber and Mike Fitelson. National touring company at Benedum Center. December 17 only, at 7:30 p.m. 

‘The Hip Hop Nutcracker’ at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will have you doing a holiday handstand too. (Photo: Timothy Norris)

Flash back to 1983 and the movie Flashdance, filmed in Pittsburgh: An aspiring young dancer nails her audition at a classical dance academy by incorporating b-boy moves she’s seen on the street. Fantasy predicts reality. Now our city is visited by the touring production of The Hip Hop Nutcracker.  Here we have real, world-class b-boys and b-girls dancing the popular Christmas tale to the beats of Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet music, augmented by new sounds from DJ Boo. The show was conceived by Mike Fitelson, executive producer at the United Palace theater in New York’s Washington Heights, and choreographer Jennifer Weber of Brooklyn-based Decadancetheatre. Dancing the role of The Nutcracker is Ryan Nebreja, and the VIP MC for the show is Kurtis Blow. The Hip Hop Nutcracker might be the season’s sleeper hit, so if you’re hip, hop on some good seats before they’re gone. Part of the Dentons Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents Series. 7:30 p.m. at Benedum Center, 237 7th St., Cultural District. (M.V.)

A LYRICAL CHRISTMAS CAROL (musical) by Ken and Jane Gargaro, from Dickens’ story. Pittsburgh Musical Theater. December 18 – 22. 

The centuries have seen countless stage versions of the Christmas tale by Charles Dickens, and a longtime standard here in Pittsburgh is Ken and Jane Gargaro’s A Lyrical Christmas Carol. Ken Gargaro was founding director of the Pittsburgh Musical Theater school and performance center. He wrote A Lyrical Christmas Carol with Jane and premiered the show in 1991. It has been delighting local audiences ever since. As always, the cast includes accomplished adult performers along with outstanding younger folks from the PMT school. The show features song-and-dance numbers that’ll send you home from the theater in a supercharged holiday spirit. In PMT’s Gargaro Theater, 327 S. Main St., West End. (M.V.)

Other Shows of Interest
(By Opening Date)

Sunday, December 1
Who’s Holiday (CLO)

Friday, December 6
Babes in Toyland (Pittsburgh Savoyards)
Gift of the Magi (Lincoln Park)

Saturday, December 14 
The Nutcracker (Palace Theater)

Thursday, December 19
A Christmas Carol (Palace Theatre)

University Theater
In addition to Pittsburgh’s professional and community theater companies we have many outstanding university theater programs as well. Check their box office pages for what’s onstage:

Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama
Duquesne University Red Masquers
Point Park University’s Playhouse
University of Pittsburgh Department of Theatre Arts

Big Shows on the Horizon
(By Opening Date)

January 7
Funny Girl (PNC Broadway)

January 25
Armida (Pittsburgh Opera)

January 28
Life of Pi (PNC Broadway)

C. Prentiss Orr is a Pittsburgh-based writer who covers theater and other topics for Entertainment Central. He is the author of the books The Surveyor and the Silversmith and Pittsburgh Born, Pittsburgh Bred.

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