Goldstar

Last year The Boston Globe called Boston Ballet's The Nutcracker, "a sugar rush into the holiday season." This magical journey through an enchanted winter wonderland is back, featuring the Boston Ballet company along with more than 250 children from Boston Ballet School, and live performance of the cherished Tchaikovsky score by the Boston Ballet Orchestra. Learn more...

From the Top, the popular showcase for America's best young classical musicians, tapes its NPR radio show before a live audience at New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall. Hosted by acclaimed pianist Christopher O'Riley, come see why audiences across the country have been swept away by the music and stories of From the Top's talented teen and pre-teen performers. See below for performer details. Learn more...

The Reagle Players 27th edition of the holiday tradition It's ChristmasTime, a show with a great heart, charming visual appeal and exacting production values that stars Broadway's Sarah Pfisterer (The Phantom of the Opera) and features all your Christmas favorites, including a Radio City Music Hall-style "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers," "Teddy Bears' Nutcracker," and "The Living Nativity." Learn more...

From playwright Craig Lucas comes this darkly comic tale of a modern-day Alice in a perilous winter wonderland. When Rachel jumps out of a window on Christmas Eve, she embarks on a series of outrageous and harrowing adventures that test her belief that it is indeed a wonderful life. Learn more...

It's Christmas Eve 1864 and in the White House, President and Mrs. Lincoln plot their gift-giving. On the Potomac, a young rebel soldier challenges a Union blacksmith's mercy. In the streets, a fugitive from slavery searches for her daughter on the night she finds freedom. In this new play with music from Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel, these stories and more are woven into an American tapestry. Learn more...

Improv Asylum's Main Stage Show features a troupe of actors plus a musician who bring together improvisation and sketch material in front of a live audience. Their performers develop hilarious scenes based solely on the audience's suggestions. Because the shows are improvised on the spot, nothing is predictable and anything can happen -- no two shows are ever the same. Learn more...

Jimmy Dunn headlines Mottley's Comedy Club. Known for his sports humor, he's the former host of NESN's Fan Attic and voice of NESN's Sox Appeal. He's also been seen on Comedy Central and Jimmy Kimmel Live, and shares a jail cell with Matt Damon in the movie Stuck on You. Learn more...

Ira Proctor, one of the best of New England's headlining comics, headlines Mottley's Comedy Club. He's been seen at Montreal's prestigious Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, on NESN's Comedy All-Stars, and in Comedy Central's Laugh Riots competition. Learn more...

Sing-A-Long Mary Poppins invites audiences of all ages to step in time with Mary, Bert and the gang. For this special engagement, a restored 35mm print of the classic 1964 film has been customized with on-screen lyrics so that audiences can sing along. A host will introduce the film and lead the crowd through audience participation activities and demonstrate the use of the complimentary props. Learn more...

Stoneham Theatre presents a stage adaptation of Charles Dickens' beloved Christmas story. Join Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim and all three ghosts for this tale of redemption and forgiveness that captures the true spirit and magic of the holiday season. Learn more...

Wheelock Family Theatre presents A Tale of Two Cities. Based on the classic Charles Dickens novel, the play tells a story of political upheaval during the French Revolution, in which love, honor, and loyalty are tested by fear and chaos. Learn more...

Seizing the opportunity to do research for his new book, Jack Exley uproots his family and moves to Rwanda in early 1994. As Jack, his wife and his teenage son encounter foreign culture and eye opening politics, they each find their own brand of trouble. Realizing that in this place no one is exactly what they seem, his family begins to unearth unexpected truths about this tiny, troubled nation...and about themselves. From award-winning playwright J.T. Rogers (Madagascar, White People). Learn more...

Swaggering, carefree carnival barker Billy Bigelow, captivates and marries naive millworker, Julie Jordan. When Billy loses his job after learning Julie is pregnant, he is coerced into being a robbery accomplice. To avoid prison, he takes his own life and returns to Earth 15 years later to see the daughter he never knew. Includes such memorable songs as "If I Loved You," "June is Busting Out All Over" and "You'll Never Walk Alone." Learn more...

Boston Baroque performs Handel's Messiah at Jordan Hall. The ensemble has earned international acclaim for their thrilling annual performance of Handel's beloved oratorio on authentic period instruments, and their Messiah recording was nominated for a Grammy award. An illustrious roster of vocal soloists is led by soprano Amanda Forsythe. Learn more...

The Regent Theatre welcomes Randy Roberts. One of America's top female impersonators, his quick wit and dead-on impressions of stars ranging from Mae West and Joan Rivers to Cher and Bette Midler have sold out clubs, theaters, and casinos across the nation and beyond. Learn more...

The Awesome '80s Prom is a hilarious interactive show and dance party in the style of Tony 'n Tina's Wedding, set at Wanaget High's Senior Prom... in 1989! All your favorite characters from your favorite '80s movies are at the prom, from the captain of the football team to the Asian exchange student, from the geek to the hottie head cheerleader, they're all competing for Prom King and Queen. The audience decides who wins! Learn more...

Apollinaire Theatre Company presents Anthony Neilson's The Wonderful World of Dissocia. This wildly imaginative, bold and moving play, which earned high praise upon its British premiere in 2004, follows a woman as she attempts to find one lost hour that has tipped the balance of her life. Learn more...

Harrison Stebbins headlines Mottley's Comedy Club, voted "Best Comedy Club 2009" by the Boston Phoenix. Stebbins is known for his manic on-stage persona, animated performances, and lightning-fast improvisation. He's headlined top venues across New England. Learn more...

Direct from Las Vegas, The Regent Theatre presents The King of Rock & The King of Pop, a live tribute to legendary singers and performers Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson. This holiday spectacular stars Doug Church and Kenny Wizz, two of the most acclaimed tribute artists performing today. Learn more...

Step aboard the Spirit ship for unparalleled cruising fun in Boston Harbor. Dine on a delicious buffet brunch, lunch, or dinner, dance, enjoy Broadway-quality entertainers and catch breathtaking views of the city's historic skyline. Learn more...

Tru Grace: Holiday Memoirs is a pair of heartwarming journeys into the foibles of the holiday season. A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote recounts the author's memories of his wildly eccentric older cousin and The Loudest Voice by Grace Paley is set at a Russian Jewish immigrant school that stages The Navity. It's a perfect holiday alternative with an intergenerational cast, puppetry, music and fruitcakes. Learn more...

Gore Place presents Not Another Bite! Wined & Dined in 1809. Led by a guide in period dress, visitors will tour this beautiful and historic 1806 mansion and hear stories of sumptuous dining and gracious entertainment in the early 19th century. Learn more...

The Boston Civic Symphony presents their annual holiday pops concert. Conductor Max Hobart will lead the orchestra in a performance of "The Snowman," with Leslie Holmes, narrator, and Ryan Williams, soprano. There will be music from How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas, plus holiday favorites, a singalong, children conducting the orchestra and a visit from Santa himself. Learn more...

Harriet Ann Jacobs shocking, autobiographical 19th century tale of life as a slave, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, comes to life in a new drama by Lydia R. Diamond. This sophisticated coming of age story illuminates both human oppression and how certain people rise above it, providing a fresh look at American history in the process. Learn more...

Boston Baroque celebrates the New Year with a comic double bill. Mozart's sparkling operetta Bastien & Bastienne stars soprano Kristen Watson as a charming shepherdess whose romantic troubles lead her to consult a magician. Baritone David Kravitz stars as a pompous conductor in Cimarosa's hilarious The Music Director. The concert also includes Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G minor and a champagne reception. Learn more...

Merrimack Repertory Theatre presents Heroes. Tom Stoppard's Olivier Award-winning translation of Gerald Sibleyras's French play tells the funny and bittersweet story of three French World War I veterans who keep each other company on the back terrace of a retired soldiers' home, exchanging quips and contending with the frustrations of old age. Learn more...

Improv Asylum founders/original cast members Chet Harding and Norm Laviolette take the stage with current Improv Asylum actors, alums and special guests to perform two extended sets of anything-goes, hilarious longform improvisation. Learn more...

In a kingdom somewhere, a king and a commoner swap identities, a prince and his lover plot to protect their union, two advisors conspire to foil everything, and a man known only as "Salesman" bargains for everyone's "happily ever after." Written by Canadian playwright Chris Craddock. Learn more...

Mottley's Comedy Club presents The Dress-Up Show. Erin Judge (Comedy Central's Live at Gotham) and Bethany van Delft present a stylish twist on the traditional comedy showcase. Boston's funniest comics perform wearing their most stylish apparel, and the audience is invited to dress up as well. Learn more...

Mottley's Comedy Club, voted "Best Comedy Club 2009" by the Boston Phoenix, presents Mottley's Comedy Bailout. Hosted by Jon Lincoln and Chris Coxen, the show features an assortment of top talent from Boston's famous stand-up comedy scene. Learn more...