LAST CHANCE TO SEE THESE HOLIDAY SHOWS
The Grammy-winning Phoenix Chorale will celebrate the life of former conductor Anders Öhrwall, who passed away this year, in a series of holiday concerts under the direction of artistic director Charles Bruffy with Paradise Winds. They’ll be performing four arrangements of the 16th-century carol “Gaudete” (which means “rejoice”), including Öhrwall’s arrangement for choir, flute, oboe and bassoon. Öhrwall’s “Gaudete” is a 10-song choral suite from Sweden’s oldest songbook, originally arranged for the Swedish Radio Youth Choir. Details: 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23, at Christ Church of the Ascension, 4015 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley. $35, $30 in advance; $19, $14 in advance for students. $5 off for students and military. 602-2532224, phoenixchorale.org. Details: Sunday, Dec. 23. Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. Second St. $19-$39. 480-4998587, scottsdaleperformingarts.org. ‘SISTER’S CHRISTMAS CATECHISM: THE MYSTERY OF THE MAGI’S GOLD’ Patti Hannon has been playing Sister, the I’ve-got-a-ruler-and-I’mnot-afraid-to-use-it nun in the “Late Nite Catechism” series, since 1996, so she’s had plenty of practice separating the naughty from the nice in these interactive stage comedies. The family-friendly holiday edition is a spoof on the forensic-investigation genre, with plenty of improv to make sure each performance is different from the last. ‘THE VELVETEEN RABBIT’ Adapted by Burgess Clark, “The Velveteen Rabbit” is a story about the strength and power of a young boy’s imagination and love. Presented by Youth Works Theater and based on the novel by Margery Williams about a boy and his stuffed rabbit’s quest to be real. The play features original puppets and actors. Details: 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23. Peoria Center for the Performing Arts, 8355 W. Peoria Ave. $13. 623-815-7930, theaterworks.org. ‘A BROADWAY CHRISTMAS CAROL: A HUMOROUS RETELLING OF THE HOLIDAY CLASSIC’ Sondheim, Porter and Rodgers & Hammerstein meet such Dickens characters as Scrooge, Cratchit, the Ghosts and Tiny Tim for a zany holiday show. Lunch or dinner is served in the main theater, followed by the show in the Encore Room. Dessert and cocktails available in the lobby and during intermission. Meals begin two hours before curtain. Details: 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23. Arizona Broadway Theatre, 7701 W. Paradise Lane, Peoria. $39-$46 for lunch or dinner and show, $24-$31 for show only. 623776-8400, azbroadway.org. ‘A WINNIE-THE-POOH CHRISTMAS TAIL’ Valley Youth Theatre’s annual holiday show for a whopping 17 seasons, it’s a musical salute to the beloved children’s books by A.A. Milne, starring a young boy named Christopher Robin and his talking animal pals Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, Roo and, of course, the “hunny”loving bear of the title. Details: Through Sunday, Dec. 23. Valley Youth Theatre, 525 N. First St., Phoenix. $20. 602-253-8188, vyt.com. Details: Through Sunday, Dec. 23. Peoria Center for the Performing ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’ Theater Works brings back its version of Charles Dickens’ classic story about the rehabilitation of the original holiday humbug. Valley stage veteran Mike Lawler stars as Ebenezer Scrooge, and the theater’s executive director, Dan Schay, makes a rare stage appearance as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Arts, 8355 W. Peoria Ave. $13-$31. 623-815-7930, theaterworks.org. Details: Sunday, Dec. 23. Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway. $12-$25. 480-3502822, childsplayaz.org. ‘JUNIE B. IN JINGLE BELLS, BATMAN SMELLS!’ Childsplay, Tempe’s professional theater for young audiences, brings back its holiday hit featuring the popular children’s-book character with a mouth full of sass and a penchant for malapropisms. In this lightly comic play, Junie is faced with a dilemma when she is assigned to play Secret Santa to her nemesis, tattletale May. A VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS WITH JOHN DOAN Step back in time and experience what Christmas may have been like a century ago. The Higley Center for the Performing Arts and AMAZ Radio present the live version of the Emmy-nominated Public Broadcasting television special, which explores how Victorians invented many of the Christmas traditions we remember — and a few we may have forgotten. Instruments fea- In this musical, watch as the Herdmans, the worst kids in the history of the world, get all the lead parts in the Christmas Play and learn the true meaning of Christmas. Tickets available online or at the box office. Doors open one hour prior to showtime and wheelchair seating is available. Details: 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23. Spotlight Youth Theatre, 10620 N. 43rd Ave., Glendale. $12.50. 623-5218093, spotlightyouththeatre.org. ‘THE LEPRECHAUN AND THE REINDEER’ In this heartwarming musical puppet show, Pat O’Flynn is a having a wee bit of trouble in the magic department, so he travels to the North Pole to look for a job and makes friends with a baby reindeer. The show is recommended for families with Fountain Hills Theater’s holiday musical allows audience members who arrive 15 minutes early to choose from more than 100 favorite Christmas songs to be brought to life in a revue. Created by Peter J. Hill. Details: 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23. Fountain Hills Theater, 11445 N. Saguaro Blvd. $20, $15 for age 17 and younger. 480-837-9661, ext. 3, fhtaz.org.