’Tis the Season for the Stage: Six Must-see Performances

Catch these shows before Dec. 25

By Rachel Pasche | Dec. 9, 2023

Festive performances abound in northern Michigan at this time of year, from yuletide classics like The Nutcracker and Handel’s Messiah to family-friendly showcases. There’s no shortage of holiday cheer to be found at these upcoming events, so get out your calendar and make note of the pre-2024 fun!

1. Messiah, Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra

Great Lakes Center for the Arts; Thursday, Dec. 7, and Friday, Dec. 8, at 7pm
There’s something intrinsically beautiful about a live chamber orchestra, and that may be even more true when the orchestra performs music as historic and spiritually uplifting as Handel’s Messiah. The oratorio was originally performed in 1742 in Dublin, Ireland, and is believed to have been performed every year since in cities around the globe.

“This is an annual tradition, cherished by our communities. I believe we have been performing it since our inception in 2000,” says Deedee Picard, head of events and communication for the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra (GLCO).

The orchestra lineup for this performance contains 22 musicians, who will be joined by the GLCO Chorus of 43 plus four guest soloists for the occasion. The result is a powerful concert that takes listeners through biblical passages, prophesies, and scriptures, ending with a chorus of “Hallelujah.”

Tickets range from $35 to $65. glcorchestra.org

2. Home for the Holidays—Let It Swing, Traverse Symphony Orchestra

Lars Hockstad Auditorium, Traverse City; Saturday, Dec. 16, 7:30; Sunday, Dec. 17, 3pm
There’s nothing quite like the oldies, and that’s what the Traverse Symphony Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Singers are playing during their holiday pops concert. Audience members can expect to hear a variety of holiday hits and favorite genres, including swing, jazz, classical, and Broadway. The performance hopes to evoke nostalgia for old favorite TV specials from Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, and Manhattan Transfer in addition to giving some of the classic festive tunes a jazzy twist. Attendees can arrive 45 minutes early to listen to some toe-tapping holiday favorites before the real performance begins.

Tickets range from $25.50 to $61.50. (Note: Students and first-time attendees are eligible to receive 50 percent off single ticket purchases.) traversesymphony.org/concert/h4h-swing

3. Christmas by Candlelight

Cheboygan Opera House; Wednesday, Dec. 13, 7:30pm
The Jewel of the North is hosting an evening of Christmas song with soprano and harpist Karen Beacom and cellist Maggie Twining. Beacom, an Upper Midwest finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, has performed dozens of leading roles in opera and musical theater throughout her career. Twining began playing cello at age 10, teaches cello and violin, and has been director of the Preparatory Strings (Beginning Orchestra) and the Keweenaw Youth Symphony Orchestra for the past 10 years.

Tickets range from $10 (students) to $20 (adults). theoperahouse.org

4. The Nutcracker, Crooked Tree Arts Center School of Ballet

Great Lakes Center for the Arts; Saturday, Dec. 16, 3pm & 7pm; Sunday, Dec 17, 3pm
No matter how many times you’ve seen it, The Nutcracker ballet always offers a dose of Christmas magic. Heather Raue and Finley Van Patten, the artistic director and assistant to the artistic director of the Crooked Tree Arts Center School of Ballet, say this year’s performance should be especially remarkable. That’s thanks to the seven choreographers who contributed to the ballet—most notably Peter Sparling, University of Michigan dance professor emeritus.

We’re told Sparling brings a “fresh, new take to the Waltz of the Flowers,” through which the directors “sought to reimagine the entire ballet … connecting themes from Clara’s adventures in the Party Scene, which is now set in the 1920s, into Act II Land of the Sweets.”

Tickets range from $10 (students) to $35 (adults) to $75 (box seating). crookedtree.org/ballet

5. A Special Christmas, Northern Lights Dance Academy and Cadillac Classic Arts Co.

Cadillac High School; Saturday, Dec 16, 2pm & 6:30pm; Sunday, Dec 17, 2pm
If you’re looking to add another Christmas dance performance to your holiday schedule, the Northern Lights Irish Dance and Ballet Academy and the Cadillac Classic Arts Co. have just the thing. This year, the organizations will be performing Leo Tolstoy’s Christmas story, Papa Panov’s Special Christmas, as told through dance.

After five years of putting on their production of A Christmas Carol, Elizabeth Dewey, the studio manager and director, says, “We knew we needed a change. We happened upon Papa Panov’s Special Christmas and knew it would make a beautiful production about the true meaning of Christmas.” The show combines elements of Irish dance, ballet, contemporary dance, acting, and narration.

Tickets range from $5 (2-11 years) to $10 (12 years and up). vbs20.com/Irish

6. Sounds of the Season, Interlochen Center for the Arts

Saturday, Dec. 16, 7:30pm; Sunday, Dec. 17, 2pm
The annual student and staff showcase at Interlochen Center for the Arts (pictured) celebrates both the holidays and the talented members of the school. The presentation features performances by the Interlochen Arts Academy choir, wind symphony, musical theater, and longtime instructor of voice Jeffrey Norris, with over 100 student performers taking the stage.

Brent Wrobel, director of Interlochen Presents, comments on the huge number of visitors that come annually, saying, “The show is very popular and often sells out. Last year we added a second performance and greeted almost 2,000 guests.”

He says the interactive nature of the show adds to the appeal. “Each audience member will receive their own set of jingle bells. We also invite our youngest audience members on stage to help us ring some larger bells, and we have an audience sing-along.” Wrobel adds that the showcase “reminds me how important the arts are, especially during the holiday season.”

Attendees are welcome to cookies and candy canes in the lobby post-performance while they wait to greet their favorite characters.

Tickets range from $19 (children through college students) to $36 (adults). interlochen.org/concerts-and-events