Season for stage

Sacramento around Christmastime can often resemble a ghost town. Yes, some people are still scampering around to buy last-minute presents at the mall. But many other businesses shut down completely, and so do some people who prefer to stay home and spend low-key time with family. Not us. For those who are restless and looking for any sort of entertainment, thankfully, several places in and around Sacramento will still be hosting stage productions this week. The following are a few happenings that will take you through Christmas and New Year’s.

Fan of the jazz song “Linus and Lucy” from Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas album? Three different productions of A Charlie Brown Christmas happen this week: FreeFall Stage’s version at the Victory Life Church (800 Reading Street in Folsom), A Charlie Brown Christmas With Dave Benoit at the Harris Center for the Arts (10 College Parkway in Folsom) and Davis Musical Theatre Company’s adaptation at the DMTC Performing Arts Center (607 Pena Drive, Suite 10 in Davis).

FreeFall Stage’s version costs $8 and is on Friday, December 20, at 7 p.m., and on Saturday, December 21, at noon, 2 and 4 p.m. Call (916) 207-4420 or visit www.freefall stage.com for more details. A Charlie Brown Christmas With Dave Benoit costs $15-$59 and happens on Thursday, December 19, at 7:30 p.m.; head to www.harriscenter.net for details. The Davis Musical Theatre presents its show on Friday, December 20, at 7:15 p.m.; Saturday, December 21, and Sunday, December 22, at 4:15 p.m.; and Monday, December 23, at 4:15 and 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $12 and include refreshments. Call (530) 756-3682 or visit www.dmtc.org for more information.

Also at the Harris Center for the Arts, Instituto Mazatlan Bellas Artes presents Diciembre Navideno, an end-of-the-year celebration that pays homage to both Christmas and indigenous rituals from central Mexico—all with elaborate and colorful costumes. Catch the one-off performance for $20-$35 at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 20.

If you missed the Sacramento Ballet and Pamela Hayes Classical Ballet’s versions of The Nutcracker, the Moscow Classical Ballet (pictured) will be performing it at the Harris Center from Thursday, December 26, through Sunday, December 29.

Lastly, Arden Playhouse offers the final two showings for its production of Arsenic and Old Lace this weekend. The 1939 play by Joseph Kesselring—which was later adapted into a 1944 film staring Cary Grant—is a black comedy that tells the story of a theater critic who returns home to find that his family has turned into murderous eccentrics. Tickets cost $15-$18, and showings are 8 p.m. on December 20, and December 21, at 5640 Roseville Road, Suite D. More information can be found at www.ardenplayhouse.com.