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)

The post Best Bets at Home: December 18th – December 20th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

“We looked around and really started understanding we’re not going to be back in a while,” he told me during a recent phone call. “We studied the data and knew fairly early on life would not be normal. At the same time we discussed is this the time to hibernate or should we innovate. The mission here is to enrich the lives of our community and we don’t have to be in the building to do that.”

Feldman and his team decided in April to create newly-filmed programming and give birth to PlayhouseLive. They also re-purposed some existing materials and dug into their archives (including the discovery of some never-before-seen film of the Playhouse from 1932.)

PlayhouseLive launched two weeks ago with several shows: Still. by poetry-slam champion Javon Johnson and The Circus from Bob Baker’s Marionette Theatre – two theatre on demand offerings. Intermission with Hashtag Booked (an interview show with Alfred Molina as the first guest) is available with membership to Playhouse Live. All were filmed specifically by and for PlayhouseLive. There is also free programming including Page to Stage which currently goes behind-the-scenes with their 2019 production of Little Shop of Horrors.

“From the beginning we saw Zoom play readings and I participated in it and enjoyed it, but there was a disconnect between the work at Pasadena Playhouse and Zoom. We work really hard to deliver world class theatre and we wanted to match the quality of the filming and the work itself to stand out.”

Finding the right balance of material was of paramount importance to everyone involved. Some might be surprised that PlayhouseLive launched with a provocative piece like Still. in which Johnson employs intense descriptions of Black lives and profanity. Feldman sees Still. as part of the Playhouse’s on-going mission and the direction he’s been taking the theatre since joining in 2017.

“For those who have been following what we’re doing a show like Still. is not a surprise. We did Bordertown Now with an all Latinx cast and creative team that dealt with issues of immigration. We did Ragtime. We don’t shy away from hot-button issues. That’s the role of the arts and of theatre, to provoke conversation. We like to provide the widest tent possible. Whether you like a musical, a straight play, there’s something for everyone. My job is to make sure we serve different groups.”

Upcoming announced future programming at PlayhouseLive include Iceboy! (which will star Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman and Adam Devine), a celebration of composer Jerry Herman and a collaboration with the Ojai Playwrights Conference.

What future PlayhouseLive and in-person productions will be weighs heavily on Feldman. It isn’t just the pandemic, but issues of civil rights – not just in the public-at-large, but also within the theatre community – and a divided country are amongst his considerations today.

“We had not announced what we are doing next year or what we were going to do. What I was looking at doesn’t quite make sense now. While our audience was on the rise, there were questions about the viability of the field as well as race and inequity in the theatre. I’m doing some deep-dive thinking with our board and staff.”

It’s hard to know how or when theatres can re-open. This another challenge for the Pasadena Playhouse and every other arts organization.

“You can look at it as doom and gloom. I don’t. We stopped making firm plans. Now we’re looking at a series of scenarios that show different timetables of coming back and different kinds of returns. It’ll be a long time before you see a Ragtime here. We usually plan a year in advance. This is a tough lesson of being flexible and nimble and we will be ready to return as soon as it is safe to do so for our patrons, artists, crews and production teams.”

When Feldman first joined the Pasadena Playhouse he told the Los Angeles Times he wanted “to be like Hal Prince.” (Prince was a 21-time Tony Award winning producer and director.) Prince’s philosophy of working in theatre is perhaps best summed up in this quote:

“The idea is to work and experiment. Some things will be creatively successful. Some things will succeed at the box office. And some things will only, which is the biggest only, teach you things that see the future. And they’re probably as valuable as any of your successes.”

Feldman pauses for a minute before discussing how he feels his idol’s comments reflect on the challenges he is facing today.

“The future is a question mark because we aren’t sure when we’ll be back on stage. We know it will be a rolling effort and not a light switch. I’ve learned that the way we were doing it before is not the answer in basically every respect. What I’m working on now is giving our organization enough resources to navigate through this so we can re-envision and build on what we’ve learned. If we were coming back anew, what would that be? I hope it results in transformative change.”

Photo: Danny Feldman (Courtesy Pasadena Playhouse)

Update: This post has been updated to include a period – “.” at the end of the title of the show. Still. is the show’s complete title.

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