Holiday Theatre Hot List! 2019
Songwriters
The holiday season has officially arrived and seeing shows with your loved ones is a great way to celebrate. We’ve rounded up a dozen festive productions for different types of audiences, so whether you’re with the kids, out on a date, or looking to drink, laugh or sing along, there’s a production for you.
At press time, many of these shows were offering discounts to TDF members. During this busy time of year, it’s best to check our offers daily as ticket availability changes frequently. New for 2019: See a complete list of seasonal spectacles we’re selling by logging in to your TDF account and clicking the “Holiday” filter.
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FOR TRADITIONALISTS: Christmas Spectacular Starring The Radio City Rockettes
1260 Sixth Avenue at 50th Street
Runs through January 5, 2020. At press time, discount tickets were available for Christmas Spectacular Starring The Radio City Rockettes. It’s also frequently available at the TKTS Ticket Booths.
Although Santa, the Three Kings and lots of local landmarks put in appearances, this extravaganza is all about The Rockettes and their stunning synchronized dance numbers, like the awesome Toy Soldiers. A New York City tradition since 1933, this iconic Christmas show truly jump-starts the holiday feels — just walking into the bedazzled Radio City is sure to put you in a holiday mood.
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FOR COUPLES: Nutcracker Rouge: A Burlesque Confection
Théâtre XIV, 383 Troutman Street between Wyckoff and Irving Avenues in Bushwick, Brooklyn
Runs through January 26, 2020.
Leave any kids at home and your inhibitions at the door! Company XIV‘s burlesque and circus-filled, NC-17-rated take on the classic Nutcracker tale returns for its annual holiday run. With sumptuous design, liberal libations and lots of sex appeal, this show is sure to heat up your holidays.
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FOR FAMILIES: Twas the Night Before…
Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Seventh Avenue at 32nd Street
Runs December 12-29.
Cirque du Soleil’s brand-new Christmas spectacle centers on a young holiday hater named Isabella, who journeys to a fantastical land where she connects with characters from Clement Clarke Moore’s namesake poem. Expect an array of jaw-dropping acts and dazzling design that will leave you as wide-eyed as a kid on December 25.
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FOR CIRCUS FREAKS: Big Apple Circus
Damrosch Park, 60 Lincoln Center Plaza near 62nd Street
Runs through February 2, 2020. At press time, discount tickets were available for the Big Apple Circus. It’s also occasionally available at the TKTS Ticket Booths.
Even Christmas trees aren’t as sparkly as this seasonal staple, which features all new acts for its 42nd edition. Ringmistress Storm Marrero presides over the proceedings with her powerhouse pipes, as acts adorable (America’s Got Talent finalists the Savitsky Cats, acrobatic horse riders Caleb Carinci and Renny Spencer) and awe-inspiring (Jayson Dominguez on his Wheel of Death, hand-to-hand balancing duo Dupla Mão na Roda) astound audiences. It’s a one-ring, two-act wonder that captivates all ages.
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FOR FIRST-TIME THEATREGOERS: A Charlie Brown Christmas
The Secret Theatre, 4402 23rd Street near 44th Avenue in Long Island City, Queens
Runs December 19-January 4, 2020. At press time, discount tickets were available for A Charlie Brown Christmas.
With its brief running time, inexpensive tickets and familiar Peanuts characters, this stage adaptation of the beloved holiday TV special is aimed at the sippy-cup set. An ideal holiday show for preschoolers.
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FOR UNCONVENTIONAL CLASSICISTS: A Christmas Carol in Harlem
Aaron Davis Hall, 160 Convent Avenue near 135th Street
Runs December 4-21.
Granted, there is a cornucopia of Christmas Carols playing around town, including a , a one-man incarnation at a historic house, a musical for families and a queer take. But the Classical Theatre of Harlem puts a modern-day, gospel-infused spin on Charles Dickens’ iconic tale that cleverly examines the ramifications of gentrification, making the story feel more urgent and poignant than ever.
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FOR LIQUOR LOVERS: The Imbible: Christmas Carol Cocktails
The Producers Club Theaters, 358 West 44th Street near Ninth Avenue, 2nd Floor
Runs through December 28. Tickets are occasionally available at the TKTS Ticket Booths.
Get ready to indulge at this alcohol-soaked Christmas tale set the day after Scrooge gets woke. The reformed curmudgeon plans to throw the best holiday bash ever — but he has no idea how to go about it. So Marley returns as party planner and takes Scrooge and the audience on a tour of cocktails past.
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FOR DANCE FANS:
New York City Center, 131 West 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues
Runs December 4-January 5, 2020. At press time, discount tickets were available for . It’s also occasionally available at the TKTS Ticket Booths.
The lauded dance company returns to City Center for its annual holiday run. While the venerable troupe of breathtaking dancers always puts its best footwork forward, the pieces run the gamut from harrowing (two politically charged world premieres about race and gun violence) to uplifting (Alvin Ailey’s renowned Revelations). Peruse the programs carefully to figure out which is best for you.
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FOR SOLO SHOW FANS: The Santa Closet
Teatro Circulo, 64 East 4th Street between Bowery and Second Avenue, 3rd Floor
Runs December 3-22. At press time, discount tickets were available for The Santa Closet.
Playwright-performer Jeffrey Solomon embodies all of the characters in this LGBTQ holiday tale of a little boy who asks Kris Kringle for a gender-nonconforming present for Christmas. Soon Santa-Gate ensues. Will Big Red give the greatest gift of all and stand up for civil rights?
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For other ways of buying tickets, including full-price sales, lottery and standing room info, peruse our list of holiday shows on TDF Show Finder
Top image: Christmas Spectacular Starring The Radio City Rockettes. Photo courtesy of MSG.
RAVEN SNOOK