“Hostages,” “In a Black Mood.” Merry Xmas.

No time like snow time for show time. Here’s a little taste; come back to Thirdcoast for the full, meaty coverage.

Theater

 

Carte Blanche Studio is staging Brendan Behan‘s The Hostage. It’s set in Ireland in the late 1950s, and is about two soldiers, one British and one Irish, held hostage as pawns in the conflict between the British government and the Irish Republican Army. It sounds like a set-up for political tragedy, and apparently it was in Behan’s 1957 original, An Giall, which he wrote in Gaelic. But the later English-language version, with input from influential director Joan Littlewood, took a somewhat more comic turn and stylized turn. Characters break out in song and dance, for example. (Click here for more on the show’s history and for a detailed plot summary.)

The Hostage opened at Carte Blanche Studio, an 80-seat venue at 1024 S. 5th St., on Dec. 10. It runs there through Dec. 29. Tickets are $20 for all shows.

Guys and Dolls isn’t a Christmas show, but you might think of it when you see those red kettles and hear those bells ring this time of the year. Off the Wall Theater will open Frank Loesser’s classic musical, after Damon Runyan’s tales of mugs and wiseguys and the Salvation Army types who would reform them, Wednesday (Dec. 15). Guys and dolls alike get to sing some nifty, jazzy tunes in this 1950 show, including If I Were Bell and Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat. Dale Gutzman, who has a history of pulling off big musicals in his tiny 60-seat space at 127 E. Wells St., is directing.  The music director is Matt Zembrowski. The leads are Parker Cristan (Sky Masterson), Sharon Rise (Sarah), Kristin Pagenkopf (Adelaide) and Karl Miller (Nathan Detroit).

Guys and Dolls runs through Dec. 30; note that the Dec. 18 and 19 shows are sold out. Tickets are $28.50 and $24.50, $35 on New Year’s Eve. Click here or call 414-327-3552 to order. Sunday shows begin at 4:30 p.m., all others at 7:30 p.m., except for the 8 p.m. start on New Year’s Eve.

Music

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will again make a little hometown holiday tour of Handel’s Messiah. As it did last year, the five-concert tour will begin at the St. Mary Catholic Faith Community in Hales Corners and move on to the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist and the Basilica of St. Josaphat Wednesday through Sunday (Dec. 15-19). Tickets are $30-$38; call 414-291-7605. Click here for the full schedule.

Dance

Elizabeth Johnson, artistic director of the ever-provocative Your Mother Dances company, has brewed up some mischief for the coming weekend (Dec. 17-19) in the Dance Studio Theater (Room 254 of Mitchell Hall) at UWM. I interviewed Elizabeth Monday (that story to come soon). She’s calling the program In a Black Mood, but assured me that some of the numbers will be cheery. $25 and $20, $15 for students and seniors, at the Peck School of the Arts box office, 414-229-4308.

Last Chance

 

Mother Superior’s H0-Ho-Holy Night: Vicky Quade’s show runs through Dec. 19 at Marcus Center Vogel Hall.
Milwaukee Repertory Theater: Bombshells, through Dec. 19.
Skylight Opera Theatre: H.M.S. Pinafore, through Dec. 19.
Sunset Theatre: It’s a Wonderful Life, through Dec. 19; The Santaland Diaries, through Dec. 18.
Alchemist Theatre: Rudolph the Pissed-Off Reindeer, through Dec. 18.

Ongoing

Milwaukee Ballet: The Nutcracker, through Dec. 26 at Marcus Center Uihlein Hall.
Milwaukee Repertory Theater: Liberace! through Jan. 16; Bombshells through Dec. 19; and A Christmas Carol through Dec. 26.
Next Act Theatre: John McGivern’s Home for the Holidays, through Jan. 2 at the Milwaukee Rep’s Stiemke space.