Area stages get decked out for holiday entertainment

It happens every year: The second Halloween is over, the jack-o’-lanterns and spooky decorations get torn down and the tinsel and Christmas trees go up. You start to hear “The Little Drummer Boy” over the mall’s sound system, and holiday sales start coming at you thick and fast.

Area stages are following suit, with several comedies, dramas and musical performances to choose from. Here are some holiday-themed theatrical entertainment options that are sure to put you in the yuletide spirit. We’ll round up the holiday music concerts in next week’s issue of 7.

Nov. 25 – The winter theater season kicks off the day after Thanksgiving with “All Is Calm” at the Modern Theater Spokane, 174 S. Howard St. The musical dramatizes the Christmas truce of 1914, and its staging has become an annual tradition for the Modern. It runs through Christmas Eve, and tickets are available through www.themoderntheater.org. “The Christmas Show” stars Ellen and Margaret Travolta, and it’s an evening of holiday music and comic storytelling. Performances are scheduled through Dec. 18 at the Coeur d’Alene Resort, 115 S. Second St.; you can get tickets at the resort’s concierge desk or at www.cdachristmas.com. At Spokane Civic Theatre, the “Forever Plaid” show gets a holiday theme with “Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings.” It runs through Dec. 18 at the theater, 1020 N. Howard St. Call (509) 325-2507 or visit www.spokanecivictheatre.com for tickets and information.

Dec. 1 – Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is one of the most adapted stories ever written, and the theater department at the University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive in Moscow, is putting its own spin on the classic tale. The production has been a tradition at UI for four years, and this will be its final run on stage; it shows through Dec. 11. Tickets are available at (208) 885-6465 or at the door an hour before each performance. P.I. Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker” is a Christmastime tradition for a lot of families, and the version running at the Fox Theater, 1001 W. Sprague Ave., through Dec. 4 features California’s State Street Ballet and local dancers, plus boasts a live musical score courtesy of the Spokane Symphony. Tickets are available through TicketsWest.

Dec. 2 – Another oft-recited holiday tale, Clement C. Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” gets a contemporary twist in “ ’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” opening at the Modern Theater Coeur d’Alene, 1320 E. Garden Ave. Written by the prolific Ken Ludwig, the show concerns a mouse, an elf and a little girl who are owed a visit by Santa. It runs through Dec. 18. StageWest Community Theatre is staging two classic stories, “The Littlest Angel” and O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi,” as a combination of live radio drama and dinner theater. Performances will be at Cheney’s Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 639 Elm St., through Dec. 11. The Dec. 10 show will be a dinner theater show, reservations for dinner must be made prior to Dec. 9. call (509) 768-4792 for tickets and information.

Dec. 3 – The Bing Crosby Holiday Film Festival celebrates the screen legacy of Spokane’s most famous resident, and it occurs, of course, at the Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave. This year’s film lineup includes 1941’s “Birth of the Blues,” 1945’s “The Bells of St. Mary’s” and 1954’s “White Christmas,” and Hot Club of Spokane will deliver live renditions of jazz standards from Crosby, Mildred Bailey and Al Rinker. Doors open at 10 a.m. Admission is $10 at the door; cash only.

Dec. 4 – The author of the “Chornicles of Narnia” series discusses his life and career in “Christmas with C.S. Lewis,” which will be staged at the Bing. This touring one-man show stars actor David Payne as Lewis, who addresses his Christianity, his doomed marriage and his friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien. The only Spokane showtime is 2 p.m.; tickets are available through TicketsWest.

Dec. 6 – Who doesn’t love “A Charlie Brown Christmas”? The 1965 TV special has been adapted into a stage play, which will be presented by Academy students at Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard St. You have three chances to see it on Dec. 6 and 7; for showtimes and tickets, visit www.spokanecivictheatre.com.

Dec. 8 – “The Santaland Diaries” is a satirical comedy about the trials and tribulations of working as a department store elf, and it opens at Moscow’s Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre, 508 S. Main St. Actor David Harlan delivers a monologue inspired by a David Sedaris short story; performances run through Dec. 11 and shows again on Dec. 21 and 22. Visit www.kenworthy.org for information.

Dec. 9 – For more Dickensian theater, check out Civic’s production of “The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge,” which runs through Dec. 18. The play, directed by Chris Taylor, imagines the famed miser relapsing and suing the ghosts who tried to change his ways for emotional distress. Tickets are available through TicketsWest. The annual “Traditions of Christmas” variety show opens at Coeur d’Alene’s Kroc Center, 1765 W. Golf Course Road, boasting USO-style musical performances. For showtimes and tickets, visit www.traditionsofchristmasnw.com. And “A Christmas Story,” inspired by the 1983 film classic, hits Theater Arts for Children in Spokane Valley, 2114 N. Pines Road, Suite 3. The show runs from Dec. 9 to 11 and Dec. 16 to 19; see www.theaterartsforchildren.weebly.com for information.

Dec. 18 – Although not explicitly Christmas-themed, the beloved stage show “War Horse” is an uplifting, family-friendly tale. Showing as part of the Bing’s ongoing Stage to Screen film series, this production, originally staged in London, features elaborate, life-size puppets in telling the story of a boy and his horse separated during WWI. Tickets can be purchased at www.friendsofthebing.org.

Dec. 23 – It wouldn’t be Christmas without a mention of Frank Capra’s 1946 masterpiece “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which comes to life as an old-timey radio play at the Bing on Dec. 23 and 24. Presented by the Civic Theatre, the cast reads from script pages in front of microphones and produce incidental sound effects in the moment. Tickets are on sale at www.friendsofthebing.org.