Music seems to be the best way to express holiday cheer (in a year when we truly need it) and multiple venues are using music to do just that. Fans of plays do not fear, we have a few options for you and there’s also a preview of a musical-in-development that was 10,000 years in the making.

Here are my Best Bets at Home: December 18th – December 20th:

MUSICAL: Iceboy! – PlayhouseLive – Now Available

As part of their original programming, Pasadena Playhouse’s PlayhouseLive offers a look into a musical in development called Iceboy!

Them musical tells the story of a Broadway star, Vera Vimm, who adopts a 10,000 year old Neanderthal, IceBoy. After being thawed out he becomes a fast-rising star whose popularity and fame begins to eclipse Vimm’s career.

Megan Mullally (Young Frankenstein) plays Vimm; Adam Devine plays Iceboy. Nick Offerman (Annapurna) and Laura Bell Bundy (Legally Blonde) are also in this preview. Three-time Tony nominee Kevin Chamberlin directs.

IceBoy! was written by by Mark Hollmann (Tony Award-winner for Urinetown), Erin Quinn Purcell (Duet!) and Jay Reiss (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee). This 22-1/2 minute preview features four songs from the musical.

This is free to view, but you do need to register at PlayhouseLive.

MAGIC/PLAY: Elephant Room: Dust from the Stars – Center Theatre Group Digital Stage – Now – December 20th

Some show are just so out there that you have two choices: you go with it or you resist. According to the New York Times, it might be futile to resist the charms of Elephant Room: Dust from the Stars.

Elisabeth Vincentelli, writing for the paper, said, “The show, part of the Fringe Festival in Philadelphia, packs a lot in just over an hour and is the most resourceful, gleefully entertaining new theater piece I have seen during the pandemic. Yes, it all happens on Zoom. Yes, there are tricks, some of them involving the audience. And yes, it’s possible to laugh alone in front of your computer.”

That’s good information to have because the video about the show might leave you scratching your head (or thinking you’ve wandered into magic-meets-Spinal Tap):

Perhaps you have. This meta-show, which appears to be taking place in our present-day world, will hopefully explain just what the meta is for.

Tickets are $10 for non-members/free for members. Performances take place on Friday, December 18th at 7:00 PM PST; Saturday, December 19th and Sunday, December 20th at 1:00 PM PST and 7:00 PM PST.

INTERNATIONAL HOLIDAY MUSIC: Nochebuena en Casa – The Soraya – December 18th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

Acclaimed writer/director/producer Dan Guerrero is your host for this at-home version of The Soraya’s annual holiday concert.

The artists performing include Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles, Aida Cuevas, Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar, Suzanna Guzmán and José “Pepe” Martínez Jr. with Susie García. Some of them will welcome you into their homes for their performances, others were filmed safely on the stage at The Soraya.

There is no cost to watch this festive show which begins streaming on Friday, December 18th at 5:00 PM PST.

JAZZ: Kenny Barron: Quartets – Village Vanguard – December 18th – December 19th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

When Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz needed a pianist they turned to Kenny Barron. The eleven-time Grammy Award nominee, who has recorded with more artists than this page can hold, has two performances this weekend from New York’s Village Vanguard.

He is performing in quartet formation, but the two performances will feauture slightly, but significantly, different line-ups.

At the core of both performances will be Kiyoshi Kitagawa on bass and Jonathan Blake on drum. Rounding out the quartet on Friday will be vibraphonist Steve Nelson (who appeared on Barron’s 1982 recording Golden Lotus). For Saturday’s performance saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins joins Barron. Omega, by Wilkins, was named Best Jazz Album of 2020 by the New York Times.

Tickets for each concert are $10.

GOSPEL MUSIC: Blind Boys of Alabama Holiday Show – SFJAZZ – December 18th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

This week’s Fridays at Five concert from SFJAZZ is a bit of a departure from their regular jazz programming, but the concert being shown is an annual holiday tradition at the venue.

Blind Boys of Alabama will perform a concert of gospel and holiday music as only they can. If you’ve never heard them, you should. They are terrific.

The five-time Grammy Award-winning ensemble perform in this concert from 2018. They have recorded two Christmas albums: the 2003 Christmas release, Go Tell It on the Mountain, and their 2014 Talkin’ Christmas, which was a collaboration with blues great Taj Mahal.

The concert will stream only once at the allotted time. To view the Fridays at Five concerts you need either a monthly membership ($5) or an annual membership ($60).

PLAY READING: A Christmas Carol – Primary Stages – December 18th – December 22nd

Pulitzer Prize finalist Theresa Rebeck has co-written (with Erin Daley) a new version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol which will have a live-reading on Friday, December 18th as a fundraiser for New York’s Primary Stages and their programming aimed at younger audiences.

Starring as Scrooge is four-time Tony-nominated actor Raúl Esparza (Speed-the-Plow; Company).

Joining him are Mary Bacon (Rock ‘n’ Roll), Abadi Bacon Leynse, Kimberly Chatterjee (Life Sucks), W. Tré Davis (Seared), David Mason (Seared), Krysta Rodriguez (Spring Awakening) and Matthew Saldivar (Bernhardt/Hamlet). Rebeck is directing the reading.

The Friday, December 18th, performance is live at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST. Tickets for the live reading are $100. Beginning December 19th, and through December 22nd, the reading will be available for free viewing.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Bach’s Brandenburg 5 – Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra – December 18th – 9:30 PM EST/6:30 PM PST

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra continues their Close Quarters series with this concert that features Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major and Claude Debussy’s Syrinx.

Music Director Jaime Martín will perform Syrinx which is a brief work by the French composer for solo flute.

Featured musicians performing the Bach will be Martín on flute; Conductor Laureate Jeffrey Kahane on fortepiano and Tereza Stanislav on violin.

Joining them will be Margaret Batjer, Susan Rishik and Josefina Vergara on violin; Erik Rynearson and Robert Brophy on viola; Andrew Shulman and Armen Ksajikian on cello and David Grossman on bass.

This series involves newly-created visuals to accompany each performance. This fourth episode of the Close Quarters series features the art of Ardeshir Tabrizi.

The concert is free and can be watched on the LA Chamber Orchestra website, their YouTube channel or their Facebook page.

JAZZ: Cyrus Chestnut & Dezron Douglas – MEZZROW – December 19th – 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST and 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Jazz pianist and bassist Dezron Douglas team up for two shows from New York’s Mezzrow. They last performed together at sister club Small’s in July. (You can watch that and many other archived videos from Smalls and Mezzrow with a membership.)

Chestnut has released 34 records. He and Douglas have recorded together since 2007’s Cyrus Plays Elvis. They have five other recordings together. Douglas, amongst his many performances, appears in Beyonce’s Homecoming.

I’m a fan of both musicians. Though somewhat crudely filmed, you always get great music from these performances live at Small’s and Mezzrow.

There is no charge to watch the concert. However, those who have the means can purchase tax-deductible “reservations” for $50 for each set.

JAZZ: Big Band Holidays – Jazz at Lincoln Center – December 19th – December 26th

Every year Jazz at Lincoln Center celebrates the holidays with a big band concert filled with seasonal songs. This year is no exception, but it will be virtual instead of live.

Wynton Marsalis leads the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in the concert. Special guests include Rubén Baldes, Kurt Elling, Ashley Pezzotti and Catherine Russell.

Premieres at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST on December 19th and will remain available for streaming through December 26th. Tickets are $25 for non-members; $20 for members.

PLAY: Interviewing Miss Davis – Fountain Theatre – December 19th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you who Miss Davis is. (Okay, I will.) Bette Davis, of course. This play by Laura Maria Censabella is based on her experiences.

Just after leaving college with dreams of being a writer, she gets a job interview with the screen legend to be her assistant. Would this job be a fast track to her dreams or sideline her aspirations?

And what of her possible new employer? A woman who famously said, “In this business until you’re known as a monster, you’re not a star.”

Karen Kondazian plays Davis in this reading. Wonjung Kim plays the woman being interviewed and Aleisha Force is the longtime assistant who is leaving Davis.

There is no charge to watch Interviewing Miss Davis. There will be a Hollywood holiday theme party along with the reading.

FILMED RADIO PLAY: It’s a Wonderful Life – Laguna Playhouse – December 19th – January 1st

Who doesn’t watch It’s a Wonderful Life during the holidays? Well, even if you are one of those who doesn’t consider the play a seasonal tradition, you might want to check out this version from the Laguna Playhouse.

Nick Cearley and Lauren Molina, who are known together as The Skivvies, have filmed a radio play version that has been adapted by Joe Landry to suit their talents. Since The Skivvies usually perform in their underwear, I’m not sure I can guarantee which talents Landry is relying on.

One thing that does serve as a foundation for his work is the screenplay from the original Frank Capra movie written by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Capra and Jo Swerling.

For the uninitiated, It’s a Wonderful Life tells the story of George Bailey. He’s suicidal and it’s only because of the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence, that Bailey learns just how valuable his life has always been. The film starred Jimmy Stewart and features the classic line, “every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.”

Maybe in this version every time a bell rings a cast member removes an article of clothing.

Tickets are $20.

VOCALS CONCERT: Audra Mae: Songs of Joy and Peace with Dylan Meek – The Sorting Room at The Wallis – December 19th – 11:00 PM EST/8:00 PM PST

Christina Aguilera, Avicii, Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion and Miranda Lambert are just some of the performers who have recorded songs written/co-written by Audra Mae. The singer-songwriter, who happens to be the great great niece of Judy Garland, is also a singer with multiple albums of her own.

She performs a concert of holidays songs and is joined by Dylan Meek, a singer/jazz pianist who was mentored by Johnny O’Neal. The concert is part of The Sorting Room series from The Wallis in Beverly Hills and is produced in conjunction with For the Record Live.

Mae has two special guests joining for the show: Darren Criss and Tracie Thoms.

Tickets are $25 and will allow for streaming for 24 hours from the start time.

BROADWAY VOCALS: Adam Pascal with Seth Rudetsky – December 20th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

Broadway fans, and particularly Rent-heads, know Adam Pascal from his role as Roger in the original production of Jonathan Larson’s Rent. His other Broadway credits include the Elton John and Tim Rice musical, Aida, Cabaret, Chicago, Memphis, Something Rotten! and most recently, Pretty Woman.

He’s Seth Rudetsky‘s guest for this week’s concert and conversation. Pascal knows Rudetsky well. He appeared in his musical, Disaster!

This replaces the concert with Pascal that was originally scheduled for November.

If Sunday’s live stream doesn’t work for you, they will re-stream the concert on Monday, December 21st at 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST.

Tickets are $25.

Those are my Best Bets at Home: December 18th – December 20th. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Enjoy your weekend. Happy Holidays!

Photo: Jesse Vargas and Megan Mullally in Iceboy (Photo by Jeff Lorch/Courtesy Pasadena Playhouse)

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Guerrero will leads us through a program that includes Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles, Aida Cuevas, Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar, Suzanna Guzmán and José “Pepe” Martínez Jr. with Susie García.

His background, before writing and starring in his one-man show Gaytino! and producing award-winning television shows, includes being a New York-based talent agent working with Broadway talent (some of his clients were cast members in the original company of A Chorus Line.)

Last week I spoke with Guerrero by phone about Nochebuena, Latinos in the entertainment industry and his own still-alive dreams of appearing on Broadway. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What makes Nochebuena en Casa special for you personally?

Having to deal with what we’re dealing with and to create Nochebuena this way, it’s very personal. Most of the artists, Suzanna Guzmán, Susie García, Pepe Martínez have opened up their homes for this special. They are all artists who have performed at the Soraya many times. It’s a very family-personal look at Nochebuena which makes it very special.

The Latino community is one of the hardest-hit communities by the pandemic. Do you think this particular show will have greater emotional resonance for them?

Needless to say the Latino community is all about La Virgen de Guadalupe, Los Tres Reyes, so being able to escape for an hour to see artists performing that are close to them and personal for them, I think will be something special. Everyone will enjoy it, but it might be more personal and hit home and remind recent immigrants of home, so it might be bittersweet for them.

What will it take for Latino artists to start getting the same recognition other POC have increasingly been able to in the last year or two?

I wish I had the answer. I would bottle it up and sell it at swap meets. We get lost in the color war. Latinos can be blonde, blue-eyed, we can be anything. In order for an audience to go, ‘that’s a Latino’ then they have to be dark-skinned and more indigenous looking.

I know that a lot of it is business. We go to movies in droves, they don’t need to woo us when they’re selling to emerging countries. I went to a screening of a pilot. A one-hour drama and not a single Latino. The lights came on and I said, “Did you not see Latinos? You couldn’t find one that was right or good enough for this?” The room came to a screeching halt, but I couldn’t help it. I don’t understand.

Do you have any sense of optimism that it will get better?

I think the younger generation of Latinos is very aggressive in a good way. Most importantly, I find that they are very generous with each other. I hope the next generation will make more noise. Not just actors – we have to be in the room. We have writers, producers, directors, what we still don’t have are people who can greenlight a project. Is it better today? Absolutely. Is it still lousy? No question.

In 2008 you told The Oregonian, “I’m still waiting to star in a Broadway musical, but I ain’t dead yet.” Now that you’ve completed 80 revolutions around the sun, what would you like to accomplish?

I stand by my words! I go through moments. My 80th birthday was mid-October and I thought, “Maybe it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee.” Then I thought, what the hell. I believe in reaching for the stars because even if you don’t get there, you’ve traveled a long way.

I remember being in the dressing room with Angela Lansbury opening night of Gypsy. Somehow I wound up in a conversation with her. She said how incredibly nervous she had been that night. She had already done it in the West End and all over the country. She said, “But this is Broadway, this is New York.” Even after all those years, she was just an actress nervous about an opening night. It never ends, you always feel like you’re trying to break in.

It isn’t Broadway, but you were in a summer stock production of Bye Bye Birdie. Is life still a ball and do you got a lot of livin’ to do?

Oh yes. Absolutely. Underlined and in ALL CAPS with an exclamation point! I’m thrilled to be able to feel that way. I’ve reinvented myself so many times. It’s impossible to shake that cage and keep moving forward. You might make a left turn you didn’t expect, but you keep moving and moving forward. I’m glad I always moved quickly. It’s important to always keep moving forward, even if it’s not on a straight line.

Nochebuena en Casa is free to view on The Soraya website.

Photo of Dan Guerrero (Photo by Steven Edward Chapman/Courtesy The Soraya)

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But that doesn’t mean she can’t voice what’s on her mind. On Tuesday, September 29, she will take the stage of the Valley Performing Arts Centerwith family friend Dan Guerrero to talk about her life, her career, and the music that inspired her. Here Ronstadt not only looks back on the diversity of her career but has plenty to say about the disease she’s battling and the politics that inhibit a possible cure.

Looking over your career, it’s safe to say you can’t be pigeonholed into one category. Was that a calculated approach or did you follow your instincts?
I hope you can’t. I’m a music fan, and if I heard different things that I admired greatly early enough, I tried to emulate that. If I didn’t hear it before I was ten, I couldn’t approach it with any authenticity—a visual artist friend said he could draw fish but couldn’t draw horses because he didn’t know horses. And I felt that way about music. Growing up in Tucson, I loved Mexican music and hoped I could sing it, but it was years before I could get aligned with a band and musicians and do the woodshedding I needed. Rock ‘n’ roll was on the radio, and I loved that. There was a reason why I made those choices though wildly diverse.

Is any of the work you’ve done—from Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance to the Nelson Riddle-arranged What’s New to your hit songs—closer to who you are?
The Mexican music is closest to my heart. The first songs I heard were in Spanish. Those songs are so full of emotion and are so powerful. Mexicans value poetry above all else. The Aztecs felt poetry was essential for expressing any profound emotion. It was the most distilled way to express yourself. It’s a rich tradition. I love music from farmers living close to the land, and those songs are about that. Romance comes out of that concept.

Obviously your fans are going to be happy to see you on stage again, but what do these Q&As offer you personally?
It’s a chance to think about things in a different way. I get a lot of interesting questions from the audience. It’s an ongoing conversation with them. You get the benefit of hindsight, which is helpful. It will be based on my book Simple Dreams, and we have photos and videos from my career.

Given today’s emphasis on brand more than music, do you think the music industry was easier for you than it is for women today?
I think there’s plenty of music out there. Talent doesn’t leave the gene pool. The girl from Alabama Shakes [Brittany Howard] is a really, really good singer. I think Amy Winehouse was incredible. Adele is great. Taylor Swift writes great songs and is a great role model. She doesn’t have the Joni Mitchell voice, but she’s a good storyteller. It comes down to communication.

I don’t think it’s ever easy. You have to show up with something to say. It doesn’t matter how good a voice you have or how much talent, your message has to come across with startling clarity and resonate with the zeitgeist. It’s disturbing when I hear someone really good and the culture doesn’t pick up on it. The zeitgeist is so slow to Barack Obama, who is a person with great ability. The zeitgeist embraces a buffoon like Donald Trump. What’s happening to this culture that they talk about that? It’s disturbing that the idea that a Mexican national who is perfectly legal is getting beaten upbecause of Trump. It’s like the Weimar Republic beating up Jews in Germany. The harm can’t be undone.

How does your Parkinson’s influence your daily decisions?
Parkinson’s is about finding everything I can about stem cell research. Why don’t we have it? Making stem cells from your own cells and body fat. I don’t see anything wrong with fetal tissue. People who are desperately sick can’t use it. The Republicans have stopped that research and it’s really a shame. Stem cell research shows incredible promise for diseases like diabetes and cancer and spinal cord injuries. We have to have a sane, competent person in the White House, not a buffoon with the ability to use nuclear weapons.

Photography Courtesy: Facebook/LindaRonstadt

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