It’s no Halloween, of course, but Christmas always brings forth a respectable crop of live shows. Well, maybe not entirely respectable. For every wondrous visit from the ghost of Charles Dickens, there’s an unholy late-night thing about Santa and what really goes on with those elves. Here’s an assortment of new cases in point. For more—and there will be much, much more—check our listings now and over the next few weeks.
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The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey Based on the 1995 children’s book by Susan Wojciechowski, Provision Theater’s original musical presents the heartwarming tale of a scrooge turned softie. When ten-year-old Thomas loses the wooden nativity scene his dead father left him, his mother convinces local grouch and woodcarver extraordinaire Jonathan Toomey to carve a replacement. What follows is your typical Christmastime story of love, loss, and redemption spurred by the holiday spirit. Directed by Timothy Gregory (who also wrote the adaptation with composer Michael Mahler), Christmas Miracle‘s unique smarts lie in its elaborate staging, scene-stealing backup band, and delightful child actors. Liberal doses of all-ages humor help when things verge on cheesiness. Although clearly aimed at young children, the production’s quality and irreverence might appeal to—and even thaw—a heart as jaded as Jonathan Toomey’s. —Marissa Oberlander Through 12/23: Wed 10 AM, Fri-Sat 8 PM, Sun 3 PM, Provision Theater Company, 1001 W. Roosevelt, 773-506-4429, provisiontheater.org, $10-$32.
The Gifts of the Magi Mark St. Germain and Randy Courts evidently decided that O. Henry’s short story “The Gift of the Magi” was too thin to stand on its own, so they paired it with another of his corny little tales for this uninspired 1984 musical. The second story, “The Cop and the Anthem,” concerns a bum named Soapy who tries to get himself arrested as a way of securing room and board for the winter. In St. Germain’s script, Soapy’s tedious comic scenes are interspersed with saccharine ones about a dirt-poor married couple practicing sacrificial gift giving on Christmas Eve. Mark Lococo’s staging for Porchlight Music Theatre is an exercise in risk-free nostalgia, featuring a cast whose fine voices are wasted on Courts’s instantly forgotten score. —Zac Thompson Through 12/23: Fri 8 PM, Sat 4 and 8 PM, Sun 2 PM, Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont, 773-327-5252, stage773.com, $39.
