STAGE
A Christmas Carol
After a five-year run of one-man holiday shows, Portland Center Stage is returning to Dickens with a brand-new, flashy adaptation by Mead Hunter. This special-effects extravaganza has a great cast, an astounding set and an excellent, original score of familiar Victorian carols. I’ve just one quibble: The Ghosts of Christmas Past, clad all in white with glowing red eyes, look more like a band of horrible albino Jawas than time-traveling spirits. Sure, they’ll walk Scrooge through the mistakes of his youth, but only if they can stop on the way back to devour a baby or two. PCS has put together the most impressive of this year’s holiday shows, and the most soul-shakingly terrifying. BEN WATERHOUSE.
Portland Center Stage, 128 NW 11th Ave., 445-3700. 7:30 pm Tuesdays-Saturdays, 2 and 7:30 pm Sundays, noon Thursday, 2 pm Dec. 22. Closes Dec. 23. $16.50-$61.50. All ages. Map
A Tuna Christmas
[OPENS FRIDAY] New for-profit company Oregon Repertory Theatre tackles the holiday-themed sequel to the perennially popular two-man farce,
Greater Tuna. BEN WATERHOUSE.
Winningstad Theatre, Portland Center for Performing Arts, 1111 SW Broadway., 248-4335. 8 pm Fridays-Saturdays, 7 pm Tuesdays-Thursdays, 2 and 7 pm Sundays and Dec. 22. $25-$42.50. All ages. Map
As Is
I was surprised to hear that Troy Lakey’s Key Productions had chosen William M. Hoffman’s 1985 drama about the burgeoning AIDS epidemic and its effect on the lives of an infected writer and his loved ones for their second production. It's a tough show to pull off, and just the third directing project for longtime Portland actor Michael Mendelson. It’s a pretty good production, well-cast and competently acted throughout. Mendelson’s direction favors too much melodramatic shouting, but he’s created some very nice blocking and held a few of the script’s more maudlin moments in check. Although David Berkson is somewhat emotionally flat as Rich, a volatile and dying gay writer, Michael Teufel gives a fine performance (when he’s not yelling) as Rich’s former lover and caretaker, Saul. The supporting actors similarly range from decent to good. It’s not a great staging, but certainly above average for Portland, and it’s further proof that Lakey means business. BEN WATERHOUSE.
Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, 5340 N Interstate Ave., 781-3464. 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 3 pm Sundays. Closes Dec. 22. $20. All ages. Map
Biglittlethings
Imago's endearing (and
good) holiday show is back, fresh from a tour to Macau, China. Polar bears, worms, fish, anteaters and all. BEN WATERHOUSE.
Imago Theatre, 17 SE 8th Ave., 231-3959. 7:30 pm fridays, 2 and 7 pm Saturdays, noon and 3 pm Sundays, 3 pm Jan. 2-4. $16-$31. All ages. Map
Cinderella
I worry about the young actors-in-training on display in John Monteverde’s production of this Rodgers and Hammerstein made-for-TV musical. Two reasons: They’ve been handed lackluster material with which they’re expected to develop their skills, and then left to hang by a creative team that should know better. There is one standout: 21-year-old Jonathan Swartout as a puppy-dog prince. He has a pleasant voice, too, until the microphone permanently attached to his forehead roars it all out of distortion. Are all singing actors today unable to vocally project in even a space as small as the West End Theater without the aid of blaring head-mics? And why was the fairy godmother (Marilyn Stacey) wigged and dressed like Drew Carey in drag? Will Kari Virding as Cinderella ever stop smiling? STEPHEN MARC BEAUDOIN.
West End Theater, 1220 SW Taylor St., 593-2466. 593-2466. 7 pm Fridays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays, 2 and 7 pm Dec. 26-27. Closes Dec. 30. $16-$20. All ages. Map
Disney's Beauty and the Beast
Northwest Children's Theater remounts last year's popular production.
NW Neighborhood Cultural Center, 1819 NW Everett St., 222-4480. 222-4480. 7 pm Fridays, 2 and 7 pm Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays and Dec. 19-20, 24 and 26-27. Closes Dec. 30. $18-$22. All ages. Map
Gone in 60 Sketches
The latest comedy show from the 3rd Floor crams 60 sketches into 90 minutes. BEN WATERHOUSE.
El Centro Milagro, 525 SE Stark St., 236-7253. 8 pm Fridays-Saturdays. Closes Dec. 29. $10. All ages. Map
Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol
Public Playhouse presents Tom Mula's behind-the-scenes take on Scrooge's Christmas Eve travels.
The CoHo Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh St., 922-0532. 7:30 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes Dec. 22. $10-$16. All ages. Map
Mars on Life
[EXTENDED RUN] Susannah Mars is one part old-school diva, one part Martha Stewart and one part indie comedian. It’s a bizarre combination for a “holiday cabaret,” but Mars’ multiple personas bring something for everyone. Sometimes she’s graceful and sublime, perfectly polished in four-inch heels and a well-lacquered hairdo; the next minute she’s prancing around in a potato latke costume, or singing, “For Betty Crocker I’d go gay.” These unabashedly weird moments are the real treat of the show, but Mars brings a refreshing candidness to the more traditional songs as well. A guest artist accompanies Mars during each performance. STACY RIGER.
Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., 241-1278. 241-9807. 7:30 pm Tuesdays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes Dec. 30. $20-$47. All ages. Map
Roger and the Cave Monster
This disappointing first effort from Portland Ensemble Theatre Company was probably intended to be an edgy romantic comedy with a profound theme or two. That's what the boy-meets-subterannean-wild-child plot indicates, anyway. But playwright Craig Jessen can't choose a voice and stick with it, and the whole thing comes across as a triple-length episode of
Two and a Half Men. Stay away. BEN WATERHOUSE.
Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont St., 544-6650. 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes Dec. 23. $12-$15. All ages. Map
Rose City Vaudeville
A wide-ranging variety show in the spirit of the Gay Nineties. The first Gay Nineties. BEN WATERHOUSE.
Hippodrome, 315 SE 3rd Ave., 7 pm Thursday, Jan. 31. $15-$20. All ages. Map
A Scandal in Bohemia
Northwest Classical Theatre Company’s in-your-lap performance of this Holmes mystery properly uses the space—or lack thereof—in the intimate Shoe Box Theater to serve up subtlety and nuance. Timing is on Leif Norby’s side as he takes a turn as a spot-on Sherlock, playing off Chris Porter’s jovial, elegantly baffled Dr. Watson. The action never truly leaves the parlor as the King of Bohemia (Jayson Shanafelt, with a fun—if caricatured—take on the German patois) solicits Holmes’s help to thwart the mean machinations of an ex-lover, and as Holmes finds himself fascinated by a member of the fairer sex (a lively Allison Anderson). Grant Turner’s adaptation of Doyle’s tale suffers from excessive transition scenes and overly liberal use of the blackout, but otherwise stands as a self-contained Holmes primer and a nostalgic visit to Baker Street. SAUNDRA SORENSON.
Shoe Box Theater, 2110 SE 10th Ave., 971-244-3740. 7 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes Jan. 6. $12-$18. All ages. Map
Sometimes Toilet Water
Billed as “a kids’ show written mostly by kids and performed mostly by grownups,” Sometimes Toilet Water is Curious Productions’ latest undertaking, an introduction to improv-style comedy for the very young. BEN WATERHOUSE.
The CoHo Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh St., 380-3516. 2 pm Saturdays. Closes Dec. 22. $5-$10. All ages. Map
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Lakewood Theatre tackles the much-performed stage adaptation of Barbara Robinson's heartwarming story of a small-town Christmas pageant gone horribly, adorably wrong. Joe Theissen directs. BEN WATERHOUSE.
Lakewood Center for the Arts, 368 S State St., Lake Oswego., 635-3901. 7:30 pm Wednesdays-Fridays, 2 and 7 pm Saturdays-Sundays. Closes Dec. 22. $10-$12. All ages. Map
The Holly Jolly Holiday Hullabaloo.... Again
Integrity Productions' silly song-and-dance holiday series returns with a new take on
Little Red Riding Hood. Take the kids. BEN WATERHOUSE.
Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont St., 286-3456. 7 pm Wednesdays-Fridays, 2 and 4 pm Saturdays-Sundays. Closes Dec. 29. $5-$10. All ages. Map
The HollyTones... On Ice!
The Portland trio is back for its eighth season of cheery cabaret. BEN WATERHOUSE.
Wilf's Restaurant, 800 NW 6th Ave., 223-0070. 223-0070. 7:30 pm Tuesdays and Wednesday, Dec. 19. Closes Dec. 19. $15. All ages. Map
CLASSICAL
A December Feast
See performance box. STEPHEN MARC BEAUDOIN.
St. Philip Neri Church, 2408 SE 16th Ave., 764-7525. 7:30 pm Wednesday, Dec. 19. $15. All ages. Map
Christmas Oratorio and more
Ralph Nelson's Bach Cantata Choir takes up the final three cantatas of J.S. Bach's
Christmas Oratorio and Buxtehude's buoyant
In Dulci Jubilo. STEPHEN MARC BEAUDOIN.
Rose City Park Presbyterian Church, 1907 NE 45th Ave., 282-0965. 7:30 pm Friday, Dec. 21. $15-$20. All ages. Map
Eddie Parente and Friends
Irish fiddler Eddie Parente heads up the monthly Third Friday Céilí, sharing the stage with Irish accordion guru Mike Beglan and guitarist Danny O'Hanlon.
STEPHEN MARC BEAUDOIN.
Portland Policeman's Athletic Association, 618 SE Alder St., 691-2078. 8 pm Friday, Dec. 21. Call 503-206-9311 for info. $8-$10. All ages. Map
Messiah and Music for Christmas
Resistance is futile: Messiah is back. And for the first time in a decade, PBO artistic director Monica Huggett leads the work (the full piece is heard Saturday and Sunday and the shows are already sold out), with a clutch of new soloists. Chief among them is soprano Yulia van Doren, an attractively voiced young soprano making some noise on the early music circuit, and a student in Dawn Upshaw's new master's program in voice at Bard College. Also up: Seattle tenor Ross Hauck, returning mezzo Elspeth Franks and genre-bending baritone Peter Becker. Cappella Romana (this writer included) is the collaborating chorus. And on the Thursday-Friday programs, the first chunk of Messiah is offered, alongside the Locatelli Christmas Concerto and two infrequently heard Russian choral works: the Bortnyansky
Choral Concerto and Vasily Titov
Magnificat. STEPHEN MARC BEAUDOIN.
First Baptist Church, 909 SW 11th Ave., 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 20-22. Call 800-494-8497 for tickets. $18-$48. All ages. Map
DANCE
Do Jump! for the Holidays
On the eve of
Nutcracker season, Do Jump! sends up the original seasonal ballet in
Divided We Fall, a comic combination of acrobatics and acting, music and dance—look for Aaron Wheeler-Kay’s new tap piece at this year’s installment. In the other half of this annual holiday show, the "actorbats" offer
At Such a Dizzy Height, in which director Robin Lane puts Marc Chagall paintings in motion with aerial dance and circus arts, layered with video. Keep an eye out for flying set pieces (participating jugglers the Vanillatown Vaudevillians are highly suspect in this regard) and your ears open to the live klezmer accompaniment from members of Klezmocracy. HEATHER WISNER.
Newmark Theatre, Portland Center for the Performing Arts, 1111 SW Broadway., 248-4335. 3 pm Sundays Dec. 23 and 30; 7:30 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, Sundays Dec. 20-22, 26-29. $25-$29. 21+. Map
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker
Oregon Ballet Theatre stages one of the oldest American versions of this holiday chestnut: George Balanchine’s dazzling creation for New York City Ballet, featuring the Dewdrop Fairy and (spoiler alert!) the magically sprouting Christmas tree. Dancers don’t always love
The Nutcracker—one friend, cast for many years in the taxing Chinese tea version, calls it "The Buttcracker"—but audiences always do, and countless ballet careers have been launched from so many starry-eyed tots picturing themselves in tulle and tiara, whirling through the enchanted Land of Sweets. HEATHER WISNER.
Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., 248-4335. 222-5538. 7:30 pm Wednesday-Friday, 2 and 7:30 pm Saturday, 1 pm Sunday (1 and 5 pm Dec. 23), noon Monday. $10.50-$120. All ages. Map
Mike Barber and Cydney Wilkes
To get what these
Ten Tiny Dances collaborators are doing, it helps to know where their inspiration is coming from. They’ll be dancing works in progress; solos adapted from Deborah Hay’s new piece
The Runner. Hay is a veteran of Merce Cunningham’s company and the ’60s experimental dance lab Judson Church, and her mission has long been changing the way dance is done—and seen. Some 22 people learned
The Runner at her Solo Commissioning Project in Scotland this year; they had to commit to practicing the work every day for three months before performing it live in their respective towns, and they were held to such aesthetic criteria as: “Your ability to laugh at your serious intentions at any given moment is a tool you like to remember to use.” This show is the first step in the process, which moves to Texas in July (where Hay reworks their adaptations into a new duet) and returns to Portland next October for a performance of the originals and the remake. HEATHER WISNER.
Lent School Gymnasium, 5105 SE 97th Ave., 997-7514. 8 pm Thursday, Dec. 20. $10 suggested donation. All ages. Map
Pacific Artists Ballet Theatre
In a ballet death match between
The Nutcracker and
La Boutique Fantasque, who would win?
Nutcracker has toy soldiers and mice;
La Boutique has Cossack soldiers and poodles.
Nutcracker: magic tree.
La Boutique: magic toy store.
Nutcracker: sugarplum and dewdrop fairies.
La Boutique: Just one fairy, dully named Blue.
Nutcracker: choreography by Balanchine.
La Boutique: choreography by Balanchine contemporary Léonide Massine. Hmm—let’s just call it a draw, shall we? There’s enough room in this town for two holiday ballets, and
La Boutique, a former Ballet Russe repertory piece, offers a key element of kid-friendly drama: toys that come to life under the noses of oblivious adults. Former Los Angeles Ballet Artistic Director John Clifford helms the show, danced by a pre-professional troupe to the music of Rossini. HEATHER WISNER.
Portland State University, Hoffman Hall, 1825 SW Broadway., 725-3000. 7:30 pm Friday, 2 and 7:30 pm Saturday, 1 and 4 pm Sunday, Dec. 21-23. $10-$18. All ages. Map
The Party Project
If you’re not already dancing in
The Party Project—and at last count, at least 30 people were—you’re still invited to the party. Tahni Holt, mastermind of the late Monster Squad dance troupe, is South Waterfront’s artist in residence this month, and in that seasonal spirit, she has crafted movement for dancers and non-dancers alike based on movies with party themes. The dancers will perform inside glass-walled buildings; viewers (hot drinks in hand) will stroll around the periphery, catching glimpses of the action from sidewalks and balconies. HEATHER WISNER.
Bella Espresso Cafe, 3580 SW River Parkway., 467-7532. Meet at the Bella Espresso Cafe at 4 pm Saturday, Dec. 22. Free. All ages. Map
