12 holiday arts events to attend in Greater Boston

The Yuletide season can feel incomplete without a bevvy of holiday-themed shows and events that spark awe, spur laughter and remind us of what’s most important. And, this season, local theaters, art makers and other presenters have numerous offerings from the various reimaginings of Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol” to an immersive art experience with projections and illuminated work and live reenactments of holiday-themed TV sitcoms. Below are 12 (of many) holiday productions to consider.

Whodunit fans eager for Christmas cheer might be intrigued by playwright Mark Shanahan’s “A Sherlock Carol.” Ilyse Robbins directs this comedy that splices the stories of Sherlock Holmes with “A Christmas Carol,” where James Moriarty dies and leaves Sherlock reeling. Tiny Tim and Scrooge make appearances amid the action and, of course, there are more mysterious deaths to solve. Leigh Barrett, Christopher Chew, Mark Linehan, Paul Melendy, Michelle Moran and Jon Vellante star in this Christmas-time crime production.

For those more interested in the naughty and bawdy, The Gold Dust Orphans are back with “Sweeney Claus: The Demon Father of Sleet Street.” Set in Scituate, the show follows Dasher, one of Santa’s reindeer who becomes hell bent on revenge when he finds his wife and daughter missing. Dasher worries they’ve been skinned for their pelts, so he sets out on a quest to find and kill Santa Claus, whom he believes is to blame. Along the way, he runs into a few snags of his own. A stay in a mental hospital, secret disguises and plotting Santa’s demise are at the core of this adult-only comedy.

In Matthew Keenan’s adaptation of “A Christmas Carol,” Charles Dickens’ tale is set in a Dublin pub where a pub owner — whose life is marked by loss — is rude to patrons and despises the joyous holiday spirit that surrounds him. This curmudgeon has his own set of visitors who try to keep him from veering too far off into anger. The production, with direction from Weylin Symes, aims to “blend Irish humor, tradition and the timeless spirit of ‘A Christmas Carol,’” according to the show’s description.

Each year, Mount Auburn Cemetery — the first U.S. garden cemetery — hosts “SOLSTICE: Reflections on Winter Light,” where eventgoers sojourn through the grounds where art, sonic experiences and nature collide. Created by artist collective MASARY, the goal of the art installation is to get visitors into nature and reflect on the year about to end. Attendees are encouraged to take their time traversing through the landscape’s lantern-lit pathways and encounter the animation works projected onto Bigelow Chapel inspired by solstice cycles. Additionally, the Hazel Dell hollow at Mount Auburn will have a projection that charts the life of a star, and on Beech Avenue, there will be a 300-foot illuminated artwork.

Charles Dickens’ 1843 play “A Christmas Carol,” which is a story of reflection and redemption (as much as it is about poverty and gratefulness), still endures. And this year, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company stages a return of its 2024 production of Steve Wargo’s adaptation of the work, which is more closely aligned with the original text than other plays in the same vein this season. In last year’s offering, with musical direction by Dan Rodriguez, the fantastic arrangements of 19th-century carols by Dianne Adams McDowell were beautifully sung by cast members amid stellar scenic designs. Will Lyman will reprise his role as the infamous Ebenezer Scrooge, whose ghostly visits change him for the better. Steven Maler directs.

Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston’s “ChristmasTime” celebration features more than a hundred performers and an orchestra. This year, there’s a voyage to the North Pole, a nativity scene and precision dancers who execute “intricate, synchronized routines with exceptional accuracy,” and plenty of merry tunes to sing along to.

Storytelling, dance, a chorus of kids, and cabaret all combine in Peter DiMuro’s Public Displays of Motion show “Funny Uncle Cabaret.” The show celebrates chosen families and LGBTQIA+ joy. The company’s collaborators will share their own works, and there will be appearances from guest artists such as singer and educator Robert McFletcher-Jones. Brian Patton will provide musical direction and piano accompaniment.

Pascale Florestal directs The Front Porch Arts Collective’s “Holiday Feast,” where local artists aim to serve up laughter and family hijinks from Black TV sitcoms onstage.  Last year, The Porch included episodes from “The Jeffersons,” “A Different World” and “Family Matters.” On deck for the 2025 rendition are glimpses into the friendships among characters in “227,” the lives of twins separated at birth in “Sister, Sister,” the father-son duo in “Sanford and Son” and the ups and downs of a family in “black-ish.” The episodes from the show center on a robber clad as Santa Claus, a visit from the spirit of Christmas past, and the use of Christmas money to pay a loan shark.

The “Urban Nutcracker,” a diverse take on the classic, is celebrating 25 years. The show, with artistic direction and choreography by Anthony Williams, is anchored in ballet, but also features flamenco, tap, hip-hop and other styles of dance. Set in downtown Boston, the production blends the music stylings of Duke Ellington and the score from Tchaikovsky. Showgoers will notice some key landmarks worked into the production, such as the Citgo sign, the “Make Way for Ducklings” statues and the State House’s golden dome.

If singing around the piano is more your style, then “A Cosmopolitan Christmas” is for you. Broadway star Mary Callanan, who starred in “Annie” and “Mamma Mia,” actor and singer Robert Saoud (wonderful in 2023’s “The Band’s Visit”) and Brian Patton on the keys join together for this musical celebration. This seasonal music celebration promises to be full of "joy, laughter and gaiety."