San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Seasonal festivities at a healthy distance
Here’s a guide to holiday excitement you can find at home or around the Bay Area.
Unique Derique’s Fool La La: Home for the Holidaze: A Bay Area favorite prince of fools, Unique Derique makes his MarshStream debut with a familyfriendly clown show that invites audience members to connect with some much needed holiday joy. After the show, there will be a livestreamed juggling and hambone workshop. 2 p. m. Dec. 27. Free, donations encouraged. Viewing available via Zoom link and on YouTube. 4156410235. themarsh. org/ marshstream
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Presents: Simple Gifts: The Bay Area theater company is set to host a livestreamed celebration highlighting holiday songs and traditions from around the world. It will feature local theater performers sharing music and memories, as they explore a variety of winter celebrations, including Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hanukkah, Noche Buena, Diwali, and Las Posadas. Each performance is set to be followed by postshow conversations with the cast. 2 p. m. Dec. 27. $ 10 donation. Ondemand viewing available Dec. 28Jan. 1. 6504631960. theatreworks. org
Berkeley Rep Presents: The Steadfast Tin Soldier: Looking glass Theatre Company presents Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman’s play, based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story about a little tin soldier who never gives up, as a livestreamed event featuring live music composed by Andre Pluess and Amanda Dehnert. Scenic design by Todd Rosenthal, costumes designed by Ana Kuzmanic, choreography by Tracy Walsh, Sylvia HernandezDiStasi and featuring puppet design with the Chicago Puppet Studio.
4 p. m. Dec. 27. $ 25$ 75. Ticket holders will have access to the production for 48 hours after initial viewing. 5106472949. berkeleyrep. org
35th annual Japanese New Year bell ringing ceremony: This year, the museum plans to partner with Rev. Gengo Akiba and the Oakland Zen temple Kojinan for a livestreamed event featuring blessings, chanting of the heartsutra and bell ringing. The event will also offer a behindthescenes look at the preparations for the ceremony. Activities also include a Japanese New Year bell ringing storytelling program for children and families. 10 a. m. Dec. 31. Free$ 25. Available to stream on the museum’s YouTube and Facebook channels. 4155813500. asianart.org
New Years Queens: Goodbye 2020: An 11hour online drag extravaganza is set to broadcast live New Year’s Eve countdowns from Los Angeles, New York and London, hosted by RuPaul’s Drag Race personalities Alaska, Bob the Drag Queen, Miz Cracker, Peppermint, Katya and Trixie Mattel. Performers also include BeBe Zahara Benet, BenDeLaCreme, Boulet Brothers, Divina De Campo, Ginger Minj, Jinkx Monsoon, Jujubee, Manila Luzon, Sharon Needles, and Trinity the Tuck. 3 p. m. 2 a. m. Dec. 31Jan. 1. $ 39, VIP packages available which will offer an opportunity to interact with the queens during the broadcast. sessionslive. com/ newyearsqueens
Opera San José: The Parting Glass: Bid adieu to 2020 with an online New Year’s Eve celebration made especially for music lovers. Set in a pub, the program includes drinking songs spanning centuries and countries. It was conceived by OSJ bassbaritone Nathan Stark and directed by Tara Branham. Christoper James Ray conducts baritones Eugene Brancoveanu and Efraín Solís, mezzosoprano Ashley Dixon, soprano Maya Kherani, and tenor Carlos Enrique Santelli, along with fellow resident artists in this livestreamed production captured at the Heiman Digital Media Studio.
6: 30 p. m. Dec. 31. Free, reservations required. VIP experience options available from $ 150. Reserve a virtual seat at 4084374450. operasj. org
Bob Weir and Wolf Bros New Year’s Eve 2020: A livestreamed concert featuring Bob Weir, Don Was, Jay Lane, Jeff Chimenti, and Greg Leisz, performed at TRI Studios in San Rafael, and available to enjoy from the comfort of your home to mark the end of a tumultuous year. 7 p. m. Dec. 31. $ 20, add an event Tshirt and/ or poster for additional fee. stream. fans. live
Ongoing
San Francisco Ballet: “Nutcracker Online”: The San Francisco Ballet’s annual “Nutcracker” performance is set to come to your home this year through a new virtual, interactive experience. Patrons will get a chance to watch a newly mastered recording of a previous year’s performance and enjoy a digital tour of War Memorial Opera House, including interactive activities. Through Dec. 31. $ 49, includes 48 hour access to the programming. 4158652000. sfballet.org
Opera San José Presents: “Three Decembers”: A new, fully staged and livestreamed production of Jake Heggie’s chamber opera directed by Tara Branham, featuring mezzosoprano Susan Graham, alongside Opera San José resident artists Maya Kherani and Efraín Solís. Based on the unpublished play “Some Christmas Letters” by Terrence McNally, it features a libretto by Gene Scheer and pianists Veronika AgranovDafoe and Sunny Yoon in an arrangement created and conducted by Christopher James Ray.
Through Dec. 31. $ 40$ 50. 4084374450. operasj. org
American Conservatory Theater Presents: “A Christmas Carol: On Air”: The Charles Dickens classic comes to life as a radio play. With adaptation and direction by Peter J. Kuo, the tale of reckoning and redemption will feature the music, spooky ghosts and other elements that have made the production a cornerstone of the ACT repertory, as well as a beloved holiday tradition for many Bay Area families. Live stream available through Dec. 31. $ 40$ 60. Tickets available online or call 4157492228. www. actsf. org
Taylor Mac’s Holiday Sauce: “Pandemic”: The 2020 Ibsen Award winner and longtime collaborators Machine Dazzle, Matt Ray and producers Pomegranate Arts, join together to celebrate the holidays in all of their dysfunction. The livestreamed event will reframe holiday favorites with a blend of music, film, burlesque and random acts of fabulousness. Ticket holders are also invited to attend a virtual afterparty following the live production. Available on demand through Jan. 2. $ 10. 6507242464. live. stanford. edu
Christmas in the Park Holiday DriveThru Experience: See whimsical lighted displays, decorated Christmas trees, Santa, and more set throughout a 14acre historical site offering the charm and ambiance of olden times in a safe, drivethrough environment. 410 p. m. Through Jan. 3. $ 10$ 40, reservations required. History Park, 635 Phelan Ave., San Jose. 4082719627. christmas inthepark. com
Anne Schrager is the calendar producer for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: listings@ sfchronicle. com