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Some local stages stick with the classics for the holidays, such as the Denver Center Theatre Company’s A Christmas Carol and the Colorado Ballet’s The Nutcracker. But if you like things light and perhaps a little bit wacked, there are a few ways to buck tradition and deck the halls with plenty of jolly. Read on for four possibilities.
See also: Gone to the Dogs: Dog Park — The Musical
Fully Committed Aurora Fox Arts Center November 21 through December 28 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays 2 p.m. Sundays www.AuroraFox.org”>Tickets: $24 to $28 303-739-1970
Steve Burge first took on the forty characters in Becky Mode’s one-man show in 2009, with hilarious and well-timed results, according to Westword‘s Juliet Wittman. This season, the Aurora Fox revives the comedy about the guy who mans the phones at a New York five-star restaurant on the brink of Christmas. Burge seamlessly handles everything — from the voices of the callers to the frantic kitchen staff behind the scenes — in this scaldingly funny tribute to restaurant life.
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Continue reading for more offbeat holiday shows.
The SantaLand Diaries Jones Theatre November 28 through December 24 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. most Saturdays 3 and 7 p.m. most Sundays and Tuesday, December 23 3 p.m. Wednesday, December 24 Tickets start at $25 303-893-4100
David Sedaris’s evilly funny memoir about his stint as a Macy’s elf has become part of the Christmas canon in these parts, translating wonderfully to the stage. Denver’s Crumpet à la mode is the naturally elfin Matt Zambrano, under the direction of Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company’s Stephen Weitz. BETC and Off-Center @ The Jones team up this year to bring the show back to Denver audiences, and it’s not-to-miss: It’ll make your heart, uh, jingle.
Moulin Scrooge The Bug Theater December 5 through 20 8 p.m. Fridays 7 p.m. Saturdays (includes community meal) Tickets: $20 to $40 Earlybird prices, $16 to $35, through December 1
In Moulin Scrooge, the Boulder-based Catamounts and Band of Toughs companies collaborate to reinterpret A Christmas Carol in a Parisian cabaret. A musical mashup guaranteed to have you rolling in the aisles, Moulin Scrooge was written by Peter Gwinn of The Colbert Report. And the Catamounts have added a twist from their Boulder shows — community meals served before every Saturday-night performance, where audiences can get cozy before the show goes on.
BALLS! VI: A Holiday Spectacular Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret 7 p.m. Monday, December 8 and 15 Tickets: $18 to $22 303-293-0075
BALLS!, the annual variety show with a heart, continues its philanthropic holiday run with sock-puppet hijinks, sing-alongs and special guests. Do-gooders GerRee Hinshaw, Emily K. Harrison, Jim Ruberto and Mare Trevathan host, and drop-in guests might include musicians John Common and Jess DeNicola, Jen Korte, storyteller Adam Goldstein, drag artist Luke List and comedians Mara Wiles and Eric Mather, depending on which night you go. This year’s charitable recipient, the Denver Actors Fund, is one close to the hearts of the local theater community — the nonprofit serves actors and theater workers in need due to medical emergencies.
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