Theatre Talk: Holiday shows and more

Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal

Special to The Village News

Broadway San Diego is hosting a one-night only show at the Balboa Theatre downtown starring Harry Connick Jr. He will play one night only, Dec. 11. Nearby, on the Civic Theater stage, watch out for "Annie" opening Dec. 27. Tickets are on sale now; call 619-564-3000 or visit https://www.broadwaysd.com/.

The quintessential production of "The Nutcracker" will be performed by the City Ballet of San Diego at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido – only five shows Dec. 21 through Dec. 23. Visit https://cityballet.org/ or call 858-272-8663 for tickets.

New Village Arts at 2787 State St. Carlsbad, will open Dec. 20 at their newly remodeled Dea Hurston Theater complex with their ground-breaking production of "1222 Oceanfront: A Black Family Christmas". This refreshing show deserves to be a Christmas tradition. For tickets, call 760-433-3245 or visit https://newvillagearts.org.

Just down I-5 is North Coast Repertory. They are hosting "2 Pianos, 4 Hands," a terrific musical extravaganza. We saw one of the two artists, Jefferson McDonald, onboard the Diamond Princess over the Thanksgiving holiday cruise to Baja. He played Jerry Lee Lewis's top hits and I can hardly wait to see him again, at 987 Lomas Santa Fe Dr., Suite D, Solana Beach. For tickets, call 858-481-1055, or visit https://northcoastrep.org. This will be a wonderful show which will tour the U.S. after leaving San Diego.

Old Globe Theater in Balboa Park is in the holiday mode with two shows. "Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas" runs side by side with "Ebenezer Scrooges' Big San Diego Christmas." There is something for everyone. Call 619-234-5623 or visit https://www.theoldglobe.org.

CTK King's Players is staging "The Best Christmas Ever" with a cast of local kids, great for the entire family, at 1620 S. Stage Coach Lane, Fallbrook. Tickets call 760-468-9774 or visit https://www.curtaincallcompany.com/.

The Cygnet Theatre Old Town San Diego continues with "A Christmas Carol" until Dec. 30, at 4040 Twiggs St., San Diego. For tickets, call 619-337-1525 or visit https://www.cygnettheatre.com/.

Diversionary Theatre LGBTQ+ will continue with "The Mystery of Irma Vep" until Dec. 24, at 4545 Park Blvd. #10, San Diego, CA. Call for 619-220-0097 or visit https://www. diversionary.org for tickets.

San Diego Musical Theatre at 4650 Mercury St. presents "Plaid Tidings" with lots of free parking. For tickets, call 858-560-5740 or visit http://www.sdmt.org.

If you're taking a drive down to Coronado Island, be sure to catch the Lambs' Playhouse production of "A Christmas Carol," 1142 Orange Ave., Coronado. For tickets, call 619-437-6000 or visit https://www.lambsplayers.org/.

La Jolla Playhouse and Diversionary Theatre will continue with William Shakespeare's "As You Like It" with a "vibrant...cast of trans, non-binary and Queer performers," re-imagined by Christopher Ashley and Will Davis, 2910 La Jolla Village Dr. La Jolla. For tickets, call 858-550-1010 or visit https://lajollaplayhouse.org/. Closes Dec. 11.

San Diego Ballet will perform "The Nutcracker'' across and around the county. For tickets, visit http://www.sandiegoballet.orgor reach out to [email protected] or call 619-294-7378.

The San Diego Symphony will perform at the Rady Shell with "Noel, Noel," "The Nutcracker" and other holiday shows like "Love Actually." Call 619-235-0804 or visit http://www.sandiegosymphony.org.

PowPac Community Theatre swings into Christmas with "1940 Radio Christmas Carol" until Dec. 18. For tickets, call 858-679-8085 or visit http://powpac.org.

The Welk Resort Theatre is coming back Jan. 28, 2023. To check out their new season visit sandiegotickets.welkresorts.com.

Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal can be reached at [email protected].