The holiday season is officially underway, and we’ve curated the best events to celebrate the happiest season of all. Check out the dance, theatre and music events in the San Francisco Bay Area this week that will put you in a holly jolly mood.
Dance
Nutcracker
Step into the reverie of little Clara in this unforgettable holiday tale and enter a magical wonderland of toy soldiers, a blizzard of snowflakes, and a kaleidoscope of more than 150 dancers. Battle the King of Mice and of course, dance through the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Helgi Tomasson’s dazzling San Francisco-inspired production is accompanied by a brilliant live orchestra performing Tchaikovsky’s beloved score.
December 10–30
San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House
Mark Foehringer’s Nutcracker Sweets
Celebrate the holidays with Mark Foehringer’s Nutcracker Sweets, a unique 50-minute production of the classic holiday ballet designed for families with small children and audiences of all ages. This special production is danced storytelling that is affordable, magical, zany, and fun. Foehringer uses his choreographic skills in contemporary dance and ballet to craft a show that is sure to thrill dance newcomers and the most jaded balletomane. See all of the favorite Nutcracker characters in beautiful costumes performing on a colorful set with live chamber orchestra music.
December 11–29
Mark Foehringer Dance Project | SF, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture
Music
Handel’s “Messiah”
Experience the glorious majesty of Handel’s “Messiah” performed by the Grammy Award-winning SF Symphony Chorus and world-class soloists. Featuring the famous “Hallelujah” Chorus, the magnificent power of 100 voices in harmony makes this celebrated masterpiece an unmissable holiday favorite and one of the best-loved musical works of all time.
December 10–11
San Francisco Symphony, Davies Symphony Hall
A Merry-Achi Christmas With Mariachi Sol De México® De José Hernández
Led by the incomparable José Hernández, Mariachi Sol de Mexico® returns to Davies Symphony Hall for a festive musical tribute to Mexico’s Christmas traditions. Experience a multicultural celebration as the ensemble sings and plays holiday favorites from both Mexico and America in a vibrant performance you won’t want to miss.
December 12
San Francisco Symphony, Davies Symphony Hall
Love Actually—Film With Live Orchestra
Funny, irresistible, and heart-warming, Love Actually is set in contemporary London in the weeks before Christmas and tells one story that weaves together a spectacular amount of love stories—sometimes romantic, sometimes sad, sometimes stupid—all funny in their own way.
December 14–15
San Francisco Symphony, Davies Symphony Hall
A Chanticleer Christmas
It wouldn’t be the holidays without Chanticleer at Memorial Church. San Francisco’s treasured men’s vocal ensemble creates a new Christmas program each year, activating the church’s gorgeous acoustics to create a feeling of community and serene beauty.
December 16
Chanticleer, Memorial Church
Theatre
It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play
Don’t touch your dial! America’s favorite holiday classic is on tonight at a snowbound 1940s radio station, with every memorable character, wacky sound effect, and the heartwarming conclusion of the iconic film recreated live before your ears—and eyes! With humor and humanity, George Bailey’s tale of love, loss, and redemption mixes an exuberant cast and a wealth of seasonal songs into a radio days hit come to life! A heaven-sent gift for the entire family.
December 10–26
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Lucie Stern Theatre
A Christmas Carol
BroadwaySF’s Golden Gate Theatre usually hosts touring companies of actors from all over the country and beyond. But A Christmas Carol not only rehearsed locally but also cast a bevy of Bay Area actors in its ensemble. That means Samuel Faustine, Rodney Earl Jackson Jr, Annie Sherman, Monica Ho, Ash Malloy, Colin Thompson, Ben Beckley and Wiley Naman Strasser all get to perform on one of the Bay Area’s grandest stages. Jack Thorne’s music-filled adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novella, which won five 2020 Tony Awards, is known for painting Ebenezer Scrooge less as an out-and-out monster and more as a harried businessman. He’s harder to distance yourself from, harder to peremptorily condemn, when he reminds you of someone you might hasten past in the Financial District.
December 10–26
BroadwaySF, Golden Gate Theatre