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Arts & Entertainment

Best Holiday Theater Around San Diego County

Ten shows that will ring your chimes (or jingle your bells).

So how do you like your holiday theater fare: Traditional? Comical? Musical? Cynical? With songs sung in four-part '50s harmony or gospel or hip-hop or Spanish? There's something for every taste and temperament on San Diego stages.

Here, in no particular order, are 10 you should sample. Each has its own unique flavor.

1. Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole ChristmasThe Green Meanie returns! The kiddie favorite—fun for adults, too—is back at the Old Globe for the 13th year (it even had a stint on Broadway, but we saw it first!). The brief, intermissionless musical—now available in 11 a.m. performances for the under 3 set—brings the timeless classic to magical life, in all its pink-red-black-and-white glory, plus a splash of fuzzy green. The musical theater version (with book and lyrics by Timothy Mason, music by Mel Marvin) is narrated by Old Max, the Grinch's formerly frisky pup, recalling that fateful year the Grinch made an assault on the Whos down in Whoville and attempted to stop Christmas from coming. Of course, he fails, and everyone learns a lesson about the real meaning of the holiday. There's even a bit of snow falling on the audience at the end to seal the deal.

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At the Old Globe Theatre, through Dec. 26. Tickets are $20-$57 for kids, $39-$77 for adults. For tickets or information, call 619-23-GLOBE (234-5623) or visit theoldglobe.org

2. It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play—For the fifth year at Cygnet Theatre, the beloved 1946 Frank Capra film is turned into an old-time radio broadcast, with all the sound effects visible, thanks to the wizardry of Foley master Scott Paulson. The story is a perennial tearjerker. Who among us hasn't thought, at one time or another, that the world wouldn't even notice if we were never born? Who doesn't rejoice at George's 11th-hour deliverance, thanks to the love and generosity of all the folks he'd helped over the years, putting aside all his own dreams to sustain the family's ramshackle Building and Loan in tiny, fictional Bedford Falls, NY? Bring tissues, along with your holiday spirit, for this one, with its outstanding cast, each playing multiple roles and punctuating the action with holiday songs and funny commercial breaks, 1940s style.

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At Cygnet Theatre in Old Town, through Dec. 31. Tickets are $34-$49. For tickets or information, call 619-337-1525 or visit cygnettheatre.com.

NOTE: It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play is also being presented at the Welk Resort Theatre in Escondido, running with Big Band Christmas, through Dec. 31. Tickets are $54-$57 ($68-$73 including buffet). For tickets or information, call 888-802-7469 or visit welktheatersandiego.com.

3.  Plaid Tidings: A Special Holiday Edition of Forever Plaid—A late addition to the Old Globe's holiday season that's filling the air with splendid four-part harmony. The Plaids are back (from the dead, again), to complete their unfinished chords and appear on The Ed Sullivan Show once again (which gives the guys an opportunity to show off their multiple talents, from juggling to fire-swallowing). The cast is great, the singing is superb. And if it's nerdy and corny, well, what do you expect from something that's plaid? There isn't much plot line here; the focus is on tight-harmony songs, which range from '50s favorites from "Forever Plaid" ("Sha-Boom," "Stranger in Paradise," "Moments to Remember") to a mashup of Christmas carols. The arrangements are fantastic; the show, like its predecessor, is supremely silly but simply irresistible.

In the Old Globe's Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, through Dec. 26. Tickets are $37-$67. For tickets or information, call 619-23-GLOBE (234-5623) or visit theoldglobe.org.

4. Festival of Christmas—For 33 years, Lamb's Players Theatre has been presenting a Festival show, one of 14 scripts penned by resident playwright Kerry Meads, who also appears in this year's offering, Set in a New York TV studio, circa 1952, before a holiday broadcast of The Festival of Popular Song, the show brings together an array of quirky characters who get snowed in and have nothing to do but sing. The arrangements are spectacular, and the singing and costumes are too. The plot may be a tad shopworn and sentimental, but it's still a fun, music-filled activity for the whole family.

At in Coronado, through Dec. 29. Tickets are $28-$58. For tickets or information, call 619-437-6000 or visit lambsplayers.org.

5. An American Christmas—Another Lamb's Players tradition, going strong for nearly two decades, takes you back a century every year. So it's 1910, and you're invited to the Hotel Del Coronado for dinner with the Marshall family, plus a little news, history and lots of glorious song, from popular tunes of the day to Christmas classics. It's all intertwined with a delicious, five-course gourmet dinner, served up by the cast of 28, which provides a complete and festive evening of seasonal entertainment.

At the , through Dec. 26. Tickets are $120; $35 for children 5-12. For tickets or information, call 619-437-6000 or visit lambsplayers.org.

6. La Pastorela de Libertad—It's the 20th anniversary of Teatro Máscara Mágica's Mexican musical twist on the traditional Christmas story. A folk art form that dates back to the very beginning of Christianity, the pastorela follows the journey of the shepherds to Bethlehem. Along the way, they face danger and temptation, placed in their path by the evil Lucifer and his wicked minions. The bilingual script (primarily English, with carols sung in Spanish), is created and updated every year by local playwright Max Branscomb, who has provided more than 40 pastorelas to cities on both sides of the border. The cast, helmed by acclaimed director William Virchis, includes Miss California finalist Marina Inserra. Feliz Navidad!

At the Lyceum Theatre in Horton Plaza, though Dec. 19. Tickets are $7-$15 and are available by calling 619-544-1000.

7. The Santaland Diaries—The hilarious radio monologues that launched the career of humorist David Sedaris on NPR were adapted for the stage in 1996. After a sold-out run last year, New Village Arts happily brings back versatile, comical Daren Scott as the out-of-work actor who, in desperation, applies for a holiday job as an elf in Macy's Herald Square. His cynical take on the holidays—and life in general—make for a strychnine-laced alternative to the sugar-plum sweetness of the season.

At New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad, through Dec. 24. Tickets are $20. For tickets or information, call 760-433-3245 or visit newvillagearts.org.

8. Oh Come All Ye Faithful: Black Nativity, The Musical—A soulful retelling of the Christmas story, though gospel music, hip-hop, ballet, krunk dance, spoken word, rap and Praise and Worship. In association with The San Diego Continuing Education Division, Common Ground Theatre promises "a powerful, entertaining and soul-uplifting night at the theater." There's a pre-show gospel opener, and a guest appearance by a different local church choir at every performance.

At the Educational Cultural Complex in San Diego, through Dec. 11. Tickets are $10-$30. For tickets or information, call 619-263-7911 or visit commongroundtheatre.org.

9. Sister's Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi's Gold—Prepare yourself to be transported back to your Catholic school days (and if you didn't have a parochial education, you most certainly had some other variety of memorable classroom martinet). This is one of four spinoffs of the uproarious original, Late Nite Catechism, created by Maripat Donavan. For the holiday hijinks edition, the Chicago native collaborated with Marc Silva and Jane Morris to set you straight on the real story of Christmas (audience members act out the Nativity), and try to figure out what happened to all the gold those Wise Guys brought with them. The show is back at North Coast Repertory Theatre for the seventh time; folks just can't seem to get enough of Sister's strict teachings and jocular admonishments. Lots of improv and audience participation, so come with an open mind (in appropriately modest clothes).

At North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach, Dec. 22-24. Tickets are $25-$30. For tickets or information, call 858-481-1055 or visit northcoastrep.org.

10. Mistletoe, Music and Mayhem—This may just become the next local holiday tradition. Local funnymen Phil Johnson and Matt Thompson teamed up with composer Rayme Sciaroni (music and lyrics) to create a brand new holiday cabaret show, featuring some of San Diego's best comical and musical talents. Comedy sketches are interwoven with holiday-inspired songs. Find out how cats, Jews, Japanese, Icelanders and Norwegians celebrate the holiday season—and more. The wacky writers and performers are hellbent on "melting your heart and tickling your funny bone."

At North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach, Dec. 16-18. Tickets are $20-$25. For tickets or information, call 858-481-1055 or visit northcoastrep.org.

Now what are you waiting for? Christmas will have come and gone before you can say "red-nosed reindeer!" And don't forget that theater tickets make great stocking stuffers.

Here's to a very merry Christmas and a happy—and dramatic—new year!

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