Highlights this weekend are holiday-themed — such as an immersive reimagining of “A Christmas Carol” in lower Manhattan and a “Soul Train” inspired dance show on the Upper West Side.
Plus, Norm Lewis is back in “Broadway’s living room” with his hearty brew of yuletide classics, while Hanukkah is celebrated nightly in Hudson Yards.
Theater
“A Christmas Carol”
PAC NYC — 251 Fulton St., Manhattan (Financial District)
Through Jan. 4, various showtimes.
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” writer Jack Thorne’s immersive stage adaptation of Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella “A Christmas Carol” is big, bold and beguiling. The multiple Olivier and Tony Award-winning production conceived by Matthew Warchus at London’s Old Vic Theater has become London’s longest running adaptation of the beloved holiday favorite. It made its way to Broadway in 2019 with a starry, smash hit production that left audiences mesmerized.
For its most recent return to the city, two-time Tony winner star Michael Cerveris stars as Ebenezer Scrooge. Co-directed by Thomas Caruso, the unique staging tells a more fleshed-out origin story of a cold-hearted, cantankerous businessman who has an out-of-body epiphany to do good after a visit from three ghosts on Christmas Eve.
Audience members are in the center of all the action throughout the production. Performers in top hats and top coats play mandolins and accordions on stage before the show action starts, and at one point a super-sized turkey ziplines through the theater. All the while, the action is lit by countless lanterns and moved along by beautiful orchestrations, a dazzling ensemble of ringing bells and singing (and dancing) to Christmas carols.
“We were lucky enough to get a call from [PAC NYC artistic director Bill Rauch] asking if we would bring this production to PAC and it was like being kids in a candy store at this theater,” Caruso said following Sunday’s matinee.
The “cruciform staging” — shaped like a cross in the middle of the theater– allows for people to experience the show from all sides. “It gave us so much room to kind of play and expand the production and to make it more inclusive for the audience on all sides,” he shared.
Cerveris, last seen on Broadway in “Tammy Faye,” said performing in the round again is a highlight for him.
“I love the fact that you do have to act with your back, you have to act with every part of you,” the “Assassins” star said. “I love the fact that you get to look directly at your scene partners, instead of having to open up for the audience to see you. And I love the fact that there are times when … the people behind me have literally the same perspective… and it suddenly kind of connects me even more to the audience.”
Tickets start at $67, discounts available.
Dance
“A Soulful Christmas: A Groovy Revue”
The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater — 10 West 64th St., Manhattan (Upper West Side)
Through Dec. 21. Various showtimes.
Kendrell Bowman is back for the ninth year of his “Soul Train” inspired revue celebrating the holidays with disco, R&B, pop and soul.
The theater writer, producer and director, known for his off-Broadway bio-musicals of disco trailblazer Sylvester and R&B chanteuse Phyllis Hyman, tells the Daily News he has added some new elements to “A Soulful Christmas,” which has become a New York City holiday tradition.
“I added some new costumes, songs and a new cast, which is the best cast I’ve had in all nine years, especially vocally,” Bowman said, adding that the new venue allows him to bring more immersive elements that encourage audience members to join in on the fun.
The campy and threadbare production, co-created with Broadway showman Anthony Wayne, is a throwback to 1970s grooves and tight-knit choreography, with all the elements of a “Soul Train” show taping hosted by “Ron Cornelius” (played here by Denzel Fields) and featuring acts singing classics by The Jackson Five, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations and Diana Ross.
Tickets start at $99.
Opera
“The Magic Flute—Holiday Presentation”
Metropolitan Opera House – 30 Lincoln Center Plaza, Manhattan (Upper West Side)
Through Jan. 3. Various showtimes.
The Met’s holiday season presentation of the abridged, English-language version of Mozart’s fairy tale is back with a family-friendly production featuring the opera house’s debuts of tenor Duke Kim and soprano Aigul Khismatullina.
Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner Julie Taymor — most famous for her groundbreaking adaptation of Disney’s “The Lion King” — helms the show, which was choreographed by Mark Dendy, translated by poet J.D. McClatchy, and is conducted alternately by Nimrod David Pfeffer and J. David Jackson.
Younger opera fans should take part in the “Fridays Under 40” series with special discounted rates and complimentary wine and themed activities ahead of the 90-minute performance.
Tickets start at $35.
Cabaret
“Norm Lewis: Christmas Lives Here”
54 Below — 254 W 54th St, Manhattan (Midtown)
Through Dec. 24, 7 p.m.
Tony and Grammy Award nominee Norm Lewis — who made Broadway history as the first Black actor to play the title role in “The Phantom of the Opera” — will perform a mix of new material and fan favorites such as “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Home” and “Why Couldn’t it Be Christmas Every Day?”
Tickets start at $106.50, plus fees.
Family
“PAW Patrol Holidays”
Brooklyn Children’s Museum—145 Brooklyn Ave., Brooklyn (Crown Heights)
Sat. Dec. 20. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
As part of Nickelodeon’s Our World initiative, this event offers families the opportunity to spend the day with beloved PAW Patrol characters while creating art, having sing-alongs and watching the new holiday special, “A PAW Patrol Christmas.”
There will also be a meet-and greet that includes photo ops with police pup Chase and chopper pilot Skye.
“These beloved pups are adored by families for being heroic community helpers, quick to respond to an emergency with skill and teamwork — and they’re playful, too, just like the kids we serve,” Brooklyn Children’s Museum President & CEO Atiba T. Edwards said.
Tickets are $15.
Music
“Big Band Holidays”
Rose Theater — 10 Columbus Circle, Manhattan (Upper West Side)
Through Dec. 21, Various showtimes.
The Grammy-nominated Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is home for the holidays with its “swinging seasonal classics and new arrangements of timeless holiday tunes.”
Featured this year are two emerging jazz vocalists: Hartt School of Music alum Shenel Johns and Kate Kortum, 2025 winner of the Sarah Vaughan International Competition.
During the Sunday afternoon show, there’s a special “relaxed performance” for people with autism, sensory and communication disorders or learning disabilities.
Tickets start at $60.
Free
Menorah Lighting Celebration
Hudson Yards — 20 Hudson Yards, Manhattan (Hudson Yards)
Through Dec. 22, Sundown.
For New Yorkers who don’t want to deal with the crowds at Brooklyn’s largest Hanukkah menorah at Grand Army Plaza, Hudson Yards has teamed up with Chabad of Midtown for daily menorah lightings at sundown on the Public Square & Gardens.
Other festive happenings are available after the ceremony, such as selfies with Santa, a glittering light display and hot chocolate at the La Maison du Chocolat pop-up.
Free.
If you have an upcoming weekend event you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming roundup, please email: nycevents@nydailynews.com with the full listing details. Consideration does not guarantee inclusion.
