It’s hard to believe the holiday season is already here. I hope all of you have enjoyed reading this column as much as I have writing it – and that it has helped you discover exciting, entertaining experiences to savor and share.
May you enjoy time to relax and reflect with family and friends. But should cabin fever set in – or you simply need to shake off shopping fatigue – here are holiday-themed options for you:
“ELF THE MUSICAL, JR.”
Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette As Buddy the Elf says, the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear. The Civic Theatre in Lafayette gives bright young talents that chance in this adaptation of the holiday comedy. The songs gleefully expand on the film’s family-friendly blend of storybook whimsy and big laughs, as a human raised as an elf at the North Pole takes a journey to meet his birth father and save Christmas.
Catch the show at 7:30 p.m. EST Dec. 2-3 and 9-10, or 2:30 p.m. EST Dec. 4 and 11. Tickets are $11 for adults and $6 for youth, and available at (765) 423-7529 or lafayettecivic.org. The theater address is 313 N. Fifth St.
“TUBA CHRISTMAS” / “HOLIDAY CHEER & ALL THAT JAZZ”
Purdue Bands & Orchestras
Have some high skills on low brass? Consider taking part in “Tuba Christmas,” a tradition spanning more than four decades, on Dec. 9, and presented by Purdue Bands & Orchestras. Don’t know a sousaphone from your smartphone? You can still enjoy this concert featuring more than 80 musicians performing holiday favorites on tubas, euphoniums and more. It’s $10 to perform, with registration at 4:30 p.m. EST at Elliott Hall of Music on the Purdue West Lafayette campus, a 5:30 p.m. EST rehearsal, and a 7 to 8 p.m. EST performance in Loeb Playhouse. Learn more at www.tubachristmas.com or by emailing Purdue director of bands Jay Gephart at jsgephart@purdue.edu.
Then, stick around to enjoy “Holiday Cheer & All That Jazz” – a free concert showcasing Purdue’s jazz bands and swing to the sounds of Bing Crosby, Michael Bublé, the Andrews Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald, Glenn Miller, and Stan Kenton.
FAMILY CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Bach Chorale Singers
For nearly a half-century, these Lafayette singers have shared joyful secular and sacred choral music.
Their holiday program at the iconic, candlelit First Baptist Church – 411 N. Seventh St. in Lafayette – runs from 7:30 to 9 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 10. Get advance tickets online at bachchorale.org.
“FRUITCAKES”
The Sugar Creek Players
For more than 25 years, Crawfordsville’s Sugar Creek Players have presented live, local stage productions at the downtown Vanity Theater.
Their 2016-17 season’s holiday show is “Fruitcakes,” about a young runaway who winds up in a hamlet populated by eccentrics – and a Christmas hog named Buster – and learns to appreciate small-town living.
Catch the production at 7:30 p.m. EST Dec. 2-3 and 9-10, or 2 p.m. EST Dec. 4 and 11. Tickets range from $8 to $12, and are available online at www.sugarcreekplayers.org or by calling (765) 362-7077. The address is 122 South Washington St.
Grabbing food before or after? Hit up Johnny Provolone’s a few doors down for some of the area’s best pizza.
