Dance
Collide Theatrical Dance Company will present a holiday cabaret at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, December 10-12, at its performance space at 755 N. Prior Ave., Suite 235H. The drama unfolds through dance set to a live score of holiday music. Tickets are $20-$45 and include a glass of wine, beer or other beverage of choice. For reservations, call 651-395-7903 or visit collidetheatrical.org.
Theater
Fiddler on the Roof, the Tony Award-winning musical of 1965, is being presented December 7-12 at the Ordway. Israeli actor Yehezkel Lazarov stars as Tevye in this timeless tale about community, faith and resilience. The curtain rises at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $48-$116. Call 651-
224-4222 or visit ordway.org.
Circus Juventas will take audiences on a whirlwind tour of the holiday season’s classic tales in Blizzard. The high-flying adventure tells of three elves who wreak havoc at the North Pole when they open The Book of Tales and accidentally unleash such villains as the Grinch, Scrooge and Elsa the snow queen. Eight shows are scheduled at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from December 10-19 under the big top at 1270 Montreal Ave. Audience members are encouraged to wear masks. Hot cocoa and festive treats will be available for purchase before the show. Tickets are $40 and $30. Visit circusjuventas.org.
Christmas of Swing, the holiday classic about the singing Andrews Sisters and their USO shows for the soldiers during World War II, is playing through December 19 at History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St. Elena Glass, Jen Burleigh-Bentz and Julia Ennen star as Patty, LaVerne and Maxene Andrews, whose letters from the troops dance their way into their shows and the hearts of their audience. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15-$65. Call 651-292-4323 or visit historytheatre.com.
Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity is playing through December 24 at Penumbra Theatre, 270 N. Kent St. Lou Bellamy directs. Musical direction is by Sanford Moore and the Kingdom Life Church Choir. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15-$40. Visit penumbratheatre.org or call 651-224-3180.
All is Calm, a musical about the Christmas truce of 1914, is being staged through January 2 at the Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave. NE. in Minneapolis. The Theater Latté Da production draws on first-person accounts of the impromptu truce during World War I along with patriotic tunes and trench songs, medieval ballads and Christmas carols from the lands of the combatants. The curtain rises at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $35-$51. Visit latteda.org or call 612-339-3003.
“Happy Holidane,” a swinging hullabaloo of seasonal entertainment, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, December 22 and 23, at the History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St. Host Dane Stauffer is joined by a bevy of entertainers in a program of sketches, stories and songs performed solo and in harmony. Accompanying pianist Dan Chouinard will be such local luminaries as Beth Gilleland, Julius Collins, Ben Bakken, Jen Maren, Ruthie Baker-McGrath, Sandra Struthers, Kris Stauffer, Tait Cameron and Michael Johnson. Tickets are $35-$45. Call 651-292-4323 or visit historytheatre.com.
Music
A rising star in classical guitar, Saint Paul native Henry Johnston will perform in a Minnesota Guitar Society concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, December 11, in Sundin Hall, 1531 Hewitt Ave. The program will include works by Mompou, Rodrigo and Ponce as well as Johnston’s arrangement of a Chopin mazurka. Tickets are $10-$25. Visit mnguitar.org or call 612-677-1151.
River Heights Chorale will perform songs of the season in a “Winter by Candlelight” concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, December 11, at Salem Lutheran Church, 11 Bernard St. in West Saint Paul. Admission is free. Masks and social distancing are required. To live-stream the performance, visit riverheightschorale.org.
The Women’s Choir of Saint Catherine University will celebrate the season with a Candlelight Christmas Concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, December 11, in Our Lady of Victory Chapel. The “Give My Heart” program will feature carols and other choral works interspersed with seasonal readings. Admission is free and open to all.
The Peter Kogan Septet will present two sets of new and classic jazz from 8:30-11 p.m. Saturday, December 11, at the Black Dog Cafe, 308 E. Prince St. For information, call 651-228-9274.
Versatile guitarist Daniel Volovets will perform at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, December 12, at Zorongo Flamenco, 3715 Minnehaha Ave. S. in Minneapolis. Volovets plays classical, flamenco, Latin-American and jazz music with tenderness and virtuosity. Tickets are $20. For reservations, visit zorongo.org.
“What Sweeter Music,” the Singers’ annual Christmas concert, will be presented at 2 p.m. Sunday, December 12, at Nativity Church, 1900 Stanford Ave. Tickets are $28. Visit singersmca.org.
Exhibits
The Tiny Art Expo, a show and sale of one-of-a-kind pieces in many media that measure no more than 10 by 10 inches, is on view through January 30 in the AZ Gallery, 308 Prince St. For gallery hours, visit theazgallery.org or call 651-224-3757.
“Totally Radical: Designing the 1980s,” a free exhibit that captures the variety and idiosyncrasies of the styles prevalent in that decade, is being displayed through May 27 at the University of Minnesota’s Goldstein Museum of Design in Gallery 241 of McNeal Hall, 1985 Buford Ave. For gallery hours, visit design.umn.edu/goldstein-museum-design.
The Cathedral Heritage Foundation’s Festival of Lights will return on December 15-19 with two shows by Luxmuralis that celebrate the incarnation of Jesus Christ inside and outside of the Cathedral of Saint Paul. “Starry Night” will transform the interior of the Cathedral with an immersive 360-degree light show accompanied by a musical score. “The Beginning” tells the Christmas story with a 12-minute projection on the Cathedral’s 150-foot-high east facade. The shows run continuously from 6-10 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 7-10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The outdoor show is free. Tickets for the indoor show are $15, $40 for groups of three to five. A drive-in viewing of “The Beginning” will be available from 6-10 p.m. Sunday with a $10 ticket. All tickets are available at cathedralheritagefoundation.org. Masks are required inside the Cathedral. A Christmas Market will be held from 6-10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday in the Cathedral courtyard off of Dayton Avenue.
Family
The glow of miniature streetlights and holiday decorations turn the Twin City Model Railroad Museum at 668 Transfer Road into a winter wonderland from 3-7 p.m. on Saturdays, now through February 26. Admission is $15, free for children age 4 and under. For reservations, visit tcmrm.org or call 651-647-9628.
Take a ride on the North Pole Express. The vintage train will embark from Union Depot at various times on December 9-12. For times and tickets, visit the Friends of the 261 website at 261.com/npe/.
Frozen II Movie Night will transform Saint Paul’s Union Depot into the Norwegian kingdom of Arendelle from 3-7 p.m. Saturday, December 18. Meet Anna and Elsa and Ms. Minnesota. Create crafts. Dance to Disney tunes or participate in Disney-themed games. The movie Frozen II will roll at 5 p.m.
Tune in to Landmark Center’s Sundays at Landmark web page for “Christmas Stories with J.B. Eckert” on December 20. The virtual program is free. Visit landmarkcenter.org or call 651-292-3063.
Et cetera
A Holiday Bake Sale featuring the wares of 30-plus bakeries and other local vendors, will be held from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, December 11, at Saint Paul’s Union Depot, Fourth and Sibley streets. The first 300 guests will receive a gift bag.
A Christmas Boutique will be presented by the Council of Catholic Women from 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, December 11 and 12, in Carolyn Hall at Saint Mark’s Church, Dayton Avenue and Moore Street. Homemade goodies and a variety of gifts will be available at bargain prices. A model train will be raffled. Coffee and doughnuts will be available on Sunday.
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