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By Christopher Cappiello
Holiday Theater Roundup
As the days get shorter and the stores get more crowded,
it’s easy to lose sight of what all the holiday fuss
is about. Before your inner Scrooge completely consumes you,
check out this sampling of holiday-themed theater, block
out a night, and give yourself a chance to remember why this
is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year.
Winter Wonderettes
 At the Nov. 12 Ovation Awards ceremony, The Marvelous Wonderettes
took home the award for best musical in an intimate theater,
crowning an incredible year in which the Energizer bunny
of 99-seat theater was still selling out more than 12 months
after opening—an unheard of feat in a town that can
leave even the best of productions with more actors on
stage than ticket buyers in the seats.
Through New Year’s, The Marvelous Wonderettes gives
way to The Winter Wonderettes, set six months after the first
show’s ending. The same four gals—high school
classmates from the 1950s reunited a decade later—are
planning their hometown’s holiday soiree. When Santa
goes AWOL, the girls dig deep into their irresistible musical
catalog to create an evening of tight-harmonied holiday goodness.
Julie Dixon Jackson and Bets Malone reprise their roles from
Marvelous, while Misty Cotton and Jill Van Velzer—known
to local audiences as stars of the Colony Theatre’s
acclaimed 2002 Side Show—join them.
The Winter Wonderettes runs through Dec. 31 at the El Portal
Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., NoHo. www.marvelouswonderettes.com
Santasia
Mixing wacky sketch comedy, deliciously ludicrous dance numbers,
heartfelt holiday monologues and even some imaginative
film work, Santasia is a buffet of Christmas-season entertainment
that celebrates its eighth anniversary this year. In the
tradition of troupes like Kids in the Hall, Santasia uses
an all-male ensemble of seven, providing plenty of opportunity
for cross-dressing silliness in the wonderfully old-fashioned
variety-show format. Santasia’s big laughs and even
bigger heart are a perfect antidote to holiday stress.
These boys have a loyal following, though, so reserve early.
Santasia runs Nov. 29-Dec. 25 at the Whitefire Theatre, 13500
Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. www.santasia.com
A Christmas Carol
Dickens’ tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts that
haunt him has probably endured more adaptations than any
other story—in film, musical form, celebrity solo shows
and even a Mr. Magoo cartoon. This year, the Celebration
Theatre gives the familiar tale a dark, gay spin, telling
the story of Eben Scrooge, the grim, nasty fashion designer
and owner of S&M, the company he runs alone since the
death of his partner, Jake Marley. The Celebration has been
on a tear lately, so expect good things from this new adaptation
by company member Jason Moyer.
A Christmas Carol begins an open run Dec. 6 at the Celebration
Theatre, 7051 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd. www.celebrationtheatre.com
A Charlie James Brown Christmas
In the tradition of past Troubadour Theater Company holiday
shows—Little Drummer Bowie, Santa Claus Is Comin’ to
Motown, It’s a Stevie Wonderful Life, to name a few—the
inventive and interactive company is back this year with
A Charlie James Brown Christmas. This year the Peanuts
gang gets the Troubie treatment, with hilariously adapted
music accompanying a familiar holiday tale. Can we expect
to hear Snoopy sing, “It’s a Dog’s, Dog’s,
Dog’s World?” Or Charlie Brown belting out, “I
Feel Bad”? Anything goes with this reliably ridiculous
gang under Matt Walker’s direction.
A Charlie James Brown Christmas runs Dec. 12-Jan. 20 at the
Falcon Theatre, 4252 W. Riverside Dr., Burbank. www.troubie.com
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