South Sound holiday shows for families

December doesn’t just mean caroling and sipping hot cocoa beside a roaring fire. It also has some of the most family friendly theater of the entire year.

The South Sound theater scene this time of year offers a mix of holiday classics and a dash of original works straight from the sugar-and-spice rack.

The must-see show of the season is always some rendition of The Nutcracker, luckily there are a few versions playing in the area. The ballet, based on the century-old tale by E. T. A. Hoffman, is the story of a girl named Clara, who receives a nutcracker as a gift from her godfather. That night Clara dreams of an epic battle between her nutcracker and the evil mouse king who has taken over the fantasy kingdom. Clara foils the mouse’s reign and saves the nutcracker, which transforms into a happily-ever-after prince. There is dancing, magic, and fantasy enough to please the whole family!

Local performances include Ballet Northwest’s rendition at Washington Center for the Performing Arts in Olympia. Performances are Fridays, December 9 and 16 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, December 10 and 17 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sundays, December 11 and 18 at 2 p.m. “If you haven’t seen The Nutcracker performed by youth, this is the ballet to see,” says Artistic Director and Choreographer Bernard Johansen. “The young dancers bring vitality to the ballet that is compelling to watch. We welcome everyone to come see The Nutcracker.”

Another production, with the Northwest Sinfonietta and Tacoma City Ballet, plays at Tacoma’s Pantages Theater between December 10 and 23, with special Sugar Plum Teas held before select performances to add a bit of fancy fare to the offering.

For something home-grown, theatergoers should look at an original work set to play in Federal Way. Four Christmases was commissioned in 2001 by Centerstage Artistic Director Alan Bryce, and takes to the stage after four years of work that involved noted composer John Forster jetting to London to research that most beloved of English theatrical institutions: the traditional English holiday “panto.” He came back with a deeply affecting tale of a regional English Theatre Company and the panto they perform every year.

The Centerstage version sparkles with an original score and a “show-within-a-show” format that celebrates this ancient theatrical genre. The show runs through December 11.

Another Old English Christmas show can be found at Tacoma’s Rialto Theater, which will play home to Christmas Revels. The show has Elizabeth I gracing the stage along with Will Kemp, an actor in William Shakespeare’s company and perhaps the most famous court fool ever to honor the jester profession. The show runs December 17, 18, 20, and 21.

One of the most sought after original Christmas shows in the Puget Sound can be found in Olympia’s Harlequin Productions Theater. The acting troupe has staged a big band show set in the fictional New York nightclub, the Stardust, for more than a decade. Now into its 11th episode, the series follows the stories of the cabaret singers as they live and work through the war years. This year’s A Stardust Christmas has the troupe staging a radio show off the cuff since the crew shows up a week earlier than first planned. The show runs through December 27.