Catch a Christmas Carol!

December 20, 2018

Make Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol one of your holiday traditions! The family-friendly favorite is live on stage in all of its traditional 19th-Century splendor at the Denver Center for Performing Arts! Or meet up with your friends for a comical adult spin on the story with Second City’s Twist Your Dickens! And a unique telling of the tale is a radio play within a play—at Aurora’s Vintage Theatre. Don’t miss your chance to be enchanted by the story of Scrooge!

Thursday-Sunday, December 20-23

CIRQUE ÉLOIZE – HOTEL
A mesmerizing theatrical and musical event awaits you inside the doors of this Grand Hotel! Cirque Éloize, the magical and poetic acrobatic dance company that has been inspiring audiences for 25 years with their one-of-a-kind creations, is back in Denver for a few special nights!

This performance is the story of an elegant hotel—and all the travelers who pass by each other on their stopovers there. Lives of strangers intersect, collide and briefly connect in poignant revelations and memories. This colorful, timeless story will sweep you away to the grandeur of Hotel.

Buell Theatre/DCPA,1350 Curtis St., Denver
Thurs., 10:30 a.m.; Thurs./Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 2:00 p.m.; Sun., 1:00 p.m.
Tickets: $30-$90
Phone: 303-571-4401

A CHRISTMAS CAROL – THE CLASSIC
The entire family will enjoy the classic, heartwarming stage version of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens! Filled with all the good cheer that the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future bring—along with a healthy dose of Tiny Tim’s optimism—this feel-good story will take you on Scrooge’s overnight redemptive journey. No matter how many times you’ve seen the story, A Christmas Carol is worth seeing again and again!

The Stage Theatre, Speer Blvd. &, Arapahoe St., Denver
Thurs., 1:30 and 6:30 p.m.; Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sat./Sun., 1:30 p.m.; Sun., 6:30 p.m.
Tickets: $30-$100
Phone: 303-571-4401

LIGHT! AT GAYLORD ROCKIES
Come and behold a forest of fully-lit, color-changing trees beside a field of glowing orbs, known as The Valley of Light! This spectacular interactive holiday experience will delight the entire family! Walk through the stunning lighting display that moves in fanciful patterns on both indoor and outdoor paths of illumination. Snowflakes dance to the ambient music, and you will feel transported as you listen to the giant musical wind chimes. With a 12-foot-tall holiday ornament as a backdrop, take the best holiday photos of the season!

Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, 6700 N. Gaylord Rockies Blvd., Aurora 
5:15 – 10:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE
Phone: 720-452-6900

DENVER ZOO CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
The holidays wouldn’t be the same without a visit to the festivities at the Denver Zoo! In addition to the magical Zoo Lights interactive display, there’s also the new 4D theatre to check out, with screenings of Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas.

Kids will love riding on the zoo train or the carousel. And you can still reserve a spot to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus for the best photo opp in town! 

Denver Zoo, 2300 Steele St., Denver
5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Tickets: $9-$20
Phone: 720-337-1400

SANTALAND DIARIES – ON STAGE
If you know and love David Sedaris’ best-known work, you will love this stage version! If you have never heard of Crumpet, the deviant elf at Macy’s Santaland display, but acknowledge the exhaustion that comes from Christmas shopping, you will really love this honest and sardonic account of working in retail during the holidays! Treat yourself to this hilarious and unsentimental take on Christmas!

Jones Theatre, Speer Blvd. & Arapahoe St., Denver
Thurs./Fri./Sat./Sun., 7:00 p.m.; Fri., 10:00 p.m.; Sat./Sun., 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $35-$50
Phone: 303-571-4401

SECOND CITY’S TWIST ON DICKENS
Second City does a number on A Christmas Carol with a series of outrageously funny sketches that imagines “what if…?” Writers from the renowned comedy company have cleverly redesigned Dickens’ tale of Scrooge, Tiny Tim and the Christmas ghosts for a special holiday treat! You won’t want to miss this adult comedy the Chicago Sun-Times deems a “fresh and bountiful feast of funny.”

Aurora Arts Fox Center, 9900 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora
Thurs./Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $20-$37
Phone: 303-739-1970

SCROOGE’S RADIO SHOW 
You won’t want to miss this entertaining play about a radio show that is supposed to air a live broadcast of a reading of A Christmas Carol but gets sabotaged by the weather. A raging blizzard prevents the actors from arriving at the station, so a clever sound engineer must put on the show himself! This funny, inventive adaptation of the classic Dickens’ story will leave you laughing—and appreciating anew the heartwarming story we all know and love.

Vintage Theatre Productions, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora
Thurs./Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sat./Sun., 2:30 p.m.; Sun., 6:30 p.m.
Tickets: $32
Phone: 303-856-7830

XANADU ON STAGE
Want a break from the holidays? The mythical roller-disco musical from the 1980s should do it! Xanadu is the story of a Greek muse who travels through time and ends up human in 1980 Venice Beach, California. She’s just in time to inspire and rescue a struggling artist to invent the phenomenon of roller-disco!

Don’t miss the fun and adventure of this hilarious roller-skating musical about following your dreams. With music that is sure to have you singing along, you’re in for a feel-good experience!

Garner Galleria Theatre/DCPA, 1101 13th St., Denver
Thurs./Fri./Sat./Sun., 7:30 p.m.; Sat./Sun., 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $46-$49
Phone: 303-571-4401

Friday, December 21

KIDS NIGHT OUT WITH SANTA PAWS
Santa’s canine companion, Santa Paws, is ready to help your kids celebrate the holidays! With this special Kids Night Out, your children will enjoy a screening of the movie about the canine helper who journeys with Santa Claus on an important mission.

Kids Night Out is a fun evening for the kids with dinner, arts and crafts, and games in addition to the movie. You can enjoy your own night out, knowing they are safe at the YMCA Southshore’s Lakehouse. This event is open to potty-trained children through the age of 12! Registration is required.

The Lakehouse, YMCA Southshore, 27151 E. Lakeview Dr., Aurora
6:00-10:00 p.m.
Cost: $15-$17
Phone: 720-870-2221 

Friday-Saturday, December 21-22

TOO HOT TO HANDEL
The Too Hot to Handel Community Chorus joins the Colorado Symphony in a jazzed-up, exuberant rendition of Handel’s Messiah!  The stirring Christmas classic is infused with jazz, R&B, and gospel for a performance that will have you rejoicing from your seat! 

Featuring audience-favorite guest soloists Cynthia Renée Saffron, Karen Marie Richardson, and Rodrick Dixon, and members of the Colorado Symphony Chorus, this exhilarating night of music is sure to put you in the holiday spirit.

Boettcher Concert Hall/DCPA, Speer Blvd. & Arapahoe St., Denver
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $20-$94
Phone: 303-623-7876

Friday-Sunday, December 21-23

PRACTICALLY PERFECT IN EVERY WAY
Mary Poppins is all over the place these days—including at your neighborhood theatre! Treat your family to the beloved family classic about the nanny who helps a family find one another again. With all the favorite songs from the original Disney movie, you’ll be singing along to Chim Chim Cher-ee and Let’s Go Fly A Kite long after the curtain closes!

Vintage Theatre Productions, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora
Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sat./Sun., 2:30 p.m.
Tickets: $38
Phone: 303-856-7830

Saturday, December 22

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO SEE SANTA!
Last chance for your kids to get their Christmas list to Santa! He’ll be coming to Aurora Central Library, where your kids can visit with him and get a FREE photo with the big man himself! If possible, please bring a non-perishable food item to donate to a local food bank. Sign in at the “Ask Here” desk near the main staircase to receive a reservation token before getting in line to meet Santa!

Central Library, 14949 E. Alameda Pkwy., Aurora
12:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Cost: FREE
Phone: 303-739-6600 

Saturday-Sunday, December 22-23

AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM $1 ADMISSION FOR KIDS!
To give kids something fun to do over their holiday break, why not take them out of this world? All of the exciting interactive displays and movies at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum will be available to kids ages 6-16 for only $1! And for one day only—on Sunday—Santa and Mrs. Claus will also be visiting the museum from 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.!

Wings Over the Rockies, 7711 East Academy Blvd., Denver
Sat., 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Sun., 12:00-5:00 p.m.
Tickets: $1-$15
Phone: 303-360-5360

HOLIDAY CAROUSEL AT DENVER PAVILIONS
There is nothing more festive than walking around the 16th Street Mall when it’s all decked out in holiday style! While you are there Christmas shopping or just taking in the holiday spirit, treat the kids to a magical and festive ride on the carousel. This is a fantastic photo opp for Christmas cards! Rides are free with purchases from certain Denver Pavilions restaurants, retailers and entertainment venues. 

Denver Pavilions, 500 16th St., Ste. 10, Denver
11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Tickets: $3

Plenty to do Close to Southshore!

There’s no end to your entertainment choices near the master-planned community of Southshore! This lakeside community is minutes from Southlands, and a short drive to downtown Denver. Explore the models from Toll Brothers, Richmond American Homes or Century Communities. Available in ranch and two-story designs, Southshore homes are priced between the upper $300s and the $700s.