Calendar

Observer Editor

Dec. 4–7. Barbara Day directs local child and adult actors in Peter Bloedel’s archly comic 2011 play, which renders the classic Dickens Christmas story in rhymed couplets, à la Dr. Seuss. Several Seussian characters, like Bed-Headed Fred and Timmy Loo Hoo, even show up, as does Santa, at the very end of the show. 7 p.m. (Thurs. & Fri.) & 2 p.m. (Sat. & Sun.), The Well Church, 211 Willis Rd., Saline. The venue has some stairs. $15 ($12, seniors and kids 17 & under) in advance at our.show/sapaseussifiedchristmascarol or at the door. [email protected], salineareaplayers.com.

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Film screenings every Wed.–Sun. Tickets $10.50 unless otherwise noted (children under 12, students, seniors age 65 and older, & U.S. veterans, $8.50; MTF members, $8) in advance online (recommended) & at the door. (734) 668–8397. For updated schedule, see marquee-arts.org/calendar. 

Dec. 5 & 6. “Earth’s Greatest Enemy” (Abby Martin & Mike Prysner, 2025). Documentary about how the U.S. military, as the world's largest polluter, impacts the environment while operating with minimal accountability. Followed by Q&A with Martin. 7 p.m. (Fri.) & 2 p.m. (Sat.).

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Dec. 5–14. Megan Wright-Jones directs 3 casts of local youth actors in grades 2–12 in a 1-hour version of Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin’s 2011 musical. The story, based on Roald Dahl’s children’s novel, centers on a precocious 5-year-old girl with the gift of telekinesis who loves reading. New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley called the original Broadway production “a sweet and sharp-witted work.” 6 & 8 p.m. (Dec. 5), noon; 2, 6, & 8 p.m. (Dec. 6); noon & 2 p.m. (Dec. 7); 7 p.m. (Dec. 12); 2 & 7 p.m. (Dec. 13); and noon (Dec. 14). Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron St., Ypsi. Tickets $20 in advance at pytmi.square.site & (if available) at the door. (734) 660–2966, pytmi.com.

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Dec. 4-7. This accomplished town-and-gown company performs Gilbert & Sullivan’s 1889 comic operetta about 2 handsome gondoliers whose romances with Venetian peasant girls are interrupted when a misunderstanding makes them kings for a day. Accidental bigamy, an arranged royal marriage, and switched-at-birth babies add twists to the lighthearted musical satire. 8 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sat. & Sun.), Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, 911 North University. Tickets $30 (seniors, $27; students with ID, $10) in advance at the Michigan League Ticket Office, muto.umich.edu, and at the door. (734) 763–8587.

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Every Fri.–Sun., Dec. 5–Jan. 4. Mike Sandusky directs Carla Milarch and R. MacKenzie Lewis’s latest seasonal panto comedy, a hip-hop version of the English folktale of Dick Whittington. Loosely based on a lord mayor of London in the late Middle Ages, Whittington rises from poverty to wealth by selling his cat to a rat-infested town. British panto is a genre that blends familiar children’s stories with a bit of vaudeville to create a raucous family entertainment. Theatre Nova’s panto, a popular annual tradition, usually sells out. 7:30 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), 3 p.m. (Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Theatre Nova, 410 W. Huron St. Tickets $32 ($25, seniors; $15, students; $12, age 16 and under) in advance at theatrenova.org & at the door. (734) 635–8450.

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Every Wed.–Sun., Sept. 25–Dec. 21. Rhiannon Ragland directs Purple Rose founder Jeff Daniels’ 2005 comedy about two very different sisters who get themselves into an outrageous pickle over an old high school boyfriend, a chaotic church social, and a secret family recipe for Christmas sausage. Adult language and subject matter. 7:30 p.m. (Thurs.), 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), 3 p.m. (Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.). Purple Rose Theatre, 137 Park St., Chelsea. Tickets $30–$50 in advance at purplerosetheatre.org & by phone, and (if available) at the door. Discounts available for students, seniors, teachers, military personnel, and groups. (734) 433–7673. 

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Game vs. Rutgers. The U-M also plays home games this month vs. Villanova (Dec. 9, 6:30 p.m.), La Salle (Dec. 21, 4 p.m.), & McNeese St. (Dec. 29, 7 p.m.). 4 p.m., Crisler Center. Tickets from $15 in advance at mgoblue.com and at the gate. (734) 764–0247.

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Dec. 5–14. Megan Wright-Jones directs 3 casts of local youth actors in grades 2–12 in a 1-hour version of Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin’s 2011 musical. The story, based on Roald Dahl’s children’s novel, centers on a precocious 5-year-old girl with the gift of telekinesis who loves reading. New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley called the original Broadway production “a sweet and sharp-witted work.” 6 & 8 p.m. (Dec. 5), noon; 2, 6, & 8 p.m. (Dec. 6); noon & 2 p.m. (Dec. 7); 7 p.m. (Dec. 12); 2 & 7 p.m. (Dec. 13); and noon (Dec. 14). Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron St., Ypsi. Tickets $20 in advance at pytmi.square.site & (if available) at the door. (734) 660–2966, pytmi.com.

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Dec. 6, 19, & 27 (different programs). This Detroit-based ensemble presents candlelight concerts. Tonight: “The Best of Hans Zimmer” (6:30 p.m.) features music by the Oscar-winning German film composer; and “A Tribute to Coldplay and Imagine Dragons” (8:45 p.m.), features instrumental arrangements of music by these 2 early 21st-century rock bands. Age 8 & up. 6:30 & 8:45 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 1432 Washtenaw. $28–$62 per show. Preregistration required at feverup.com/en/ann-arbor/candlelight.  

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Every Mon.–Wed., except Dec. 24, Fri., & Sat. All invited to play both casual and tournament forms of the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering (MTG).

Mon. (6:30 p.m.): “Just Another Modern Monday.” Three rounds using powerful cards, for experienced players, with prizes. $10.

Tues. (6:30 p.m.): “MTG Pauper.” A fun and fast format for all skill levels, three rounds. $5.

Wed. & Sat. (5 p.m.): “Casual Commander Night.” A drop-in session of the most popular form of the game. Free.

Wed. (6:30 p.m.): “MTG Standard Showdown.” Three rounds, with competitive tournament rules, prizes of store credit. $10.

Fri. (6:30 p.m.): “Friday Night Magic.” Cost and format vary.

Various times, Sylvan Factory, 2459 W. Stadium. Various costs.  (734) 929–5877, sylvanfactory.com.

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Dec. 5 & 6. Performers ages 7–18 present the 2015 Disney musical about the adventures of the teenage children of the Disney villains Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Jafar, and Cruella De Vil, after they venture off their home Isle of the Lost. Music by Madeline Smith & Matthew Tishler. Book and lyrics by Nick Blaemire. 7 p.m., Saline High School, 1300 Campus Pkwy., Saline. Tickets $15 in advance at varsitybluesperformingarts.com and at the door.

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Dec. 4–Jan. 11 (different times). Daniel Cooney directs this local professional theater company in Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, and Jennifer Lee’s 2018 stage musical, itself based on the 2013 animated Disney movie, a loose adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen.” It tells the story of Queen Elsa of Arendelle, whose self-seclusion in an ice palace prompts her younger sister Anna to attempt to find her, aided by a cast of characters including Olaf the snowman and Kristoff the ice vendor. The musical features numbers like “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” and “Let It Go.” 7 p.m., Encore, 7714 Ann Arbor St., Dexter. Tickets $44–$65 (17 and under $34) in advance at theencoretheatre.org & at the door. (734) 268–6200.

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Dec. 5–7. This U-M student musical theater troupe performs the landmark 1943 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, a sentimental love story set in Oklahoma Territory on the eve of statehood. The show’s many well-known songs include “I’m Just a Girl Who Can’t Say No,” “People Will Say We’re in Love,” “Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” and the rousing title chorus. The production incorporates many of the introspective elements of the show’s acclaimed 2019 Broadway revival, an “Oklahoma! for an era in which longstanding American legacies are being examined with newly skeptical eyes,” according to New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley. 7 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) and 2 p.m. (Sun.), Arthur Miller Theatre, 1226 Murfin, North Campus. Tickets $20 (students, $17) in advance at muto.umich.edu & at the door. (734) 763–1107, [email protected].

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Dec. 4–6. Seattle-based comic whose warm monotone belies a sardonic, self-deprecating sense of humor. Postings on Johnson’s popular TikTok account have gone viral several times, leading to widespread media coverage. Preceded by opening acts TBA. Alcohol served. 7:15 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 9:45 p.m. (Sat.), 212 S. Fourth Ave. $21 (Thurs., $16) at aacomedy.com and (if available) at the door. (734) 996–9080.

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Dec. 5–7 & 11–14. NTG founder Kristin Ann Danko directs local actors in her 2019 Hallmark Christmas musical parody, cowritten with local playwright A.M. Dean. It’s about a single woman, about to turn 30, returning home for the holidays to celebrate the engagements of both her sister and her dad. If she can win the affections of a local lad and make it into a triple engagement, she’ll have herself a Christmas for the books. For mature audiences. 7:30 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun.), The Back Office Studio, 13 N. Washington St., Ypsi. Tickets $20 (students, $12) in advance at ticketstripe.com/manforchristmas and (if available) at the door. [email protected].

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Every Fri.–Sun., Dec. 5–Jan. 4. Mike Sandusky directs Carla Milarch and R. MacKenzie Lewis’s latest seasonal panto comedy, a hip-hop version of the English folktale of Dick Whittington. Loosely based on a lord mayor of London in the late Middle Ages, Whittington rises from poverty to wealth by selling his cat to a rat-infested town. British panto is a genre that blends familiar children’s stories with a bit of vaudeville to create a raucous family entertainment. Theatre Nova’s panto, a popular annual tradition, usually sells out. 7:30 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), 3 p.m. (Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Theatre Nova, 410 W. Huron St. Tickets $32 ($25, seniors; $15, students; $12, age 16 and under) in advance at theatrenova.org & at the door. (734) 635–8450.

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Local jazz composer-pianist Dean Solden performs a mix of jazz, classical, and original songs. 7:30 p.m., Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. Fourth Ave. Tickets $25 (students, $10) in advance at evite.me/8tbmmhamuk and (if available) at the door. (734) 260–3600.

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Dec. 6 & 7. Scott Hanoian directs the 175-voice Choral Union and members of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra in Handel’s beloved oratorio. The soloists, all established professionals with national or international reputations, are soprano Sherezade Panthaki, countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, tenor Miles Mykkanen, and bass-baritone Enrico Lagasca. The Choral Union Messiah, featuring a thunderous sing-along of the “Hallelujah Chorus,” has been an Ann Arbor tradition ever since organist (and U-M president) Henry Frieze led an impromptu community chorus in the spring of 1879, a performance that led to the formation of both the Choral Union and the UMS. 7:30 p.m. (Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Hill Auditorium. Tickets $17–$48 (students, $15–$20) in advance at tickets.ums.org, at the Michigan League, & by phone, and (if available) at the door. (734) 764–2538.

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Dec. 5–14. Megan Wright-Jones directs 3 casts of local youth actors in grades 2–12 in a 1-hour version of Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin’s 2011 musical. The story, based on Roald Dahl’s children’s novel, centers on a precocious 5-year-old girl with the gift of telekinesis who loves reading. New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley called the original Broadway production “a sweet and sharp-witted work.” 6 & 8 p.m. (Dec. 5), noon; 2, 6, & 8 p.m. (Dec. 6); noon & 2 p.m. (Dec. 7); 7 p.m. (Dec. 12); 2 & 7 p.m. (Dec. 13); and noon (Dec. 14). Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron St., Ypsi. Tickets $20 in advance at pytmi.square.site & (if available) at the door. (734) 660–2966, pytmi.com.

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Every Wed.–Sun., Sept. 25–Dec. 21. Rhiannon Ragland directs Purple Rose founder Jeff Daniels’ 2005 comedy about two very different sisters who get themselves into an outrageous pickle over an old high school boyfriend, a chaotic church social, and a secret family recipe for Christmas sausage. Adult language and subject matter. 7:30 p.m. (Thurs.), 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), 3 p.m. (Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.). Purple Rose Theatre, 137 Park St., Chelsea. Tickets $30–$50 in advance at purplerosetheatre.org & by phone, and (if available) at the door. Discounts available for students, seniors, teachers, military personnel, and groups. (734) 433–7673. 

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Dec. 4-7. This accomplished town-and-gown company performs Gilbert & Sullivan’s 1889 comic operetta about 2 handsome gondoliers whose romances with Venetian peasant girls are interrupted when a misunderstanding makes them kings for a day. Accidental bigamy, an arranged royal marriage, and switched-at-birth babies add twists to the lighthearted musical satire. 8 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 2 p.m. (Sat. & Sun.), Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, 911 North University. Tickets $30 (seniors, $27; students with ID, $10) in advance at the Michigan League Ticket Office, muto.umich.edu, and at the door. (734) 763–8587.

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Every Thurs.–Sun. (except Nov. 27), Nov. 21–Dec. 7. Kelley Rawls directs local actors in Larissa FastHorse’s 2018 satirical comedy about a troupe of terminally woke theater artists who scramble to create a grade school pageant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month. 8 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat., except Dec. 5), 10 p.m. (Fri., Dec. 5), and 2 p.m. (Sun.), Cahoots, 206 E. Huron St. Tickets $20 (students, $15; kids 12 & under, $14; seniors, $18) in advance at pennyseats.org and (if available) at the door. (734) 926-5346, [email protected].

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Dec. 6, 19, & 27 (different programs). This Detroit-based ensemble presents candlelight concerts. Tonight: “The Best of Hans Zimmer” (6:30 p.m.) features music by the Oscar-winning German film composer; and “A Tribute to Coldplay and Imagine Dragons” (8:45 p.m.), features instrumental arrangements of music by these 2 early 21st-century rock bands. Age 8 & up. 6:30 & 8:45 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 1432 Washtenaw. $28–$62 per show. Preregistration required at feverup.com/en/ann-arbor/candlelight.  

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Dec. 4–6. Seattle-based comic whose warm monotone belies a sardonic, self-deprecating sense of humor. Postings on Johnson’s popular TikTok account have gone viral several times, leading to widespread media coverage. Preceded by opening acts TBA. Alcohol served. 7:15 p.m. (Thurs.–Sat.) & 9:45 p.m. (Sat.), 212 S. Fourth Ave. $21 (Thurs., $16) at aacomedy.com and (if available) at the door. (734) 996–9080.

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