Christmas Favorites

It’s December and holiday shows are popping up all over Dayton.Maybe you can’t make it to the theater, or maybe you would like your child to learn the story of your favorite Christmas classic before seeing it for the first time.Here are a few versions that you and your family can enjoy at home:

A Christmas Carol is being presented by the Human Race Theatre Company. This edition is unabridged and illustrated. If you would prefer to watch this story, this version stars Patrick Stewart among other well-known actors and is a solid adaptation of the original.

Scrooge is the classic musical version of A Christmas Carol. It is not being staged in Dayton this year, so watch it on DVD.

The Nutcracker is being staged by the South Dayton Dance Theatre and also by the Dayton Ballet.For ballet, knowing the plot before watching can be particularly useful, so let children familiarize themselves with it through this retelling of the original German story. If you can’t make it to the Schuster Center or you just can’t get enough, listen to this recording by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. If you’d rather watch from home, try this motion picture version.

The Dayton Philharmonic is continuing with its traditional pre-Christmas performance of Handel's Messiah. This version is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Dayton Playhouse is staging Miracle on 34th St, the story of a Macy’s Santa who might be the genuine article.Read the original story here. Or watch the classic film version!

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, the story of a church pageant, is frequently staged by area theatres.This year it’s at Playhouse South.