‘Mannheim Steamroller Christmas’ brings sounds to Saenger | Entertainment/Life

Music, madcap theater making, musicians in skivvies and a rocking holiday party with “no tears” make the most of holiday stages in the coming days.

And don’t forget “The Nutcrackers,” all six of them.

Rolling into town

Almost 40 years ago, Mannheim Steamroller founder and creator Chip Davis set a holiday spark to music that has continued and become one of the longest-running concert tours in entertainment.

The Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis tour, much more than just the tantalizing tunes, will come to the Saenger Theatre during the heyday of the holiday season for a one-night performance on Dec. 27.

The multimedia evening features works from the original “Mannheim Steamroller Christmas” plus more performed by the live ensemble, with lights and special effects to enhance the production.

Davis notes that Christmas music wasn’t popular in the music industry when he started. “Back then, many in the music industry said focusing on Christmas just wouldn’t work.”

Since then, the Omaha, Nebraska, native founded his own label and branched into many other areas of music, taking home a Grammy Award and top spots on the Billboard seasonal chart yearly.

From his driving electronic version of “Deck The Halls” to the Medieval-conjuring “Wassail, Wassail” and the haunting “Stille Nacht,” the music is diverse and spans genres as well as centuries.

Tickets for the evening start at $49.50. Visit saengernola.com.

A day and an hour

Intramural Theater will pack five different 10-minute plays into just a few hours during the return of the annual 25-Hour Play Festival starting Sunday at 8 p.m.

Over the course of one day, the five plays have been written, directed and memorized by 30 “theater makers.” A single line is given to each team and must be used in the play. 

In the past, some of the subjects upon which the shows were crafted included “a potato,” “you’re not Larry,” “water” and “your hand.” 

Then, the casts produce the shows, this year at the New Marigny Theatre, 2301 Marais St., New Orleans.

The playwrights include Bennett Kirschner, Kevin Real, Candace Robertson, Lori Tipton and Alex Anthony Vazquez, with directors David Bar-Chai, T. Clark, Agnes deGarron, Rosa Stern Pait and Camila Sobral.

Tickets are $10 at the door. Visit intramuraltheater.org.

Opening this week

“CHRISTMAS WITHOUT TEARS”: Opening 8 p.m. Tuesday; Orpheum Theater, 129 Roosevelt Way, New Orleans. Harry Shearer and Judith Owen’s annual Yuletide fling puts the critically acclaimed vocalist and her actor/humorist husband on the stage with special guest appearances by Bryan Batt, Phil DeGruy, Samantha Fish, Helen Gillet, John Goodman, Sonny Landreth, Zachary Richard, Kermit Ruffins, Solid Harmony, Tonya Boyd-Cannon and more. All the proceeds go to Innocence Project New Orleans. Tickets start at $39. christmaswithouttears.com.

“THE SKIVVIES: BEST IN SNOW”: Opening 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Dec. 21; Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré, 616 St. Peters St. Broadway duo Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley perform comedy and a variety of holiday favorites and original compositions on a host of instruments, from ukulele to electric cello in their BVDs. Tickets start at $15. lepetittheatre.com.

In production

“A CHRISTMAS CAROL”: 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, Tuesday to Dec. 21, 2:30 p.m. Sunday; Loyola University’s Marquette Theater, 6363 St. Charles Ave. Crescent City Stage delves into the world of Charles Dickens and presents a new take on the classic as a five-person cast tackles the play’s multiple characters in the Patrick Barlow-penned story. Tickets start at $15. crescentcitystage.com. 

“THE CHRISTMAS SCHOONER”: 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Slidell Little Theater, 2024 Nellie Drive. The story of the Rouse Simmonsi and her captain who brought in fir trees to the German immigrant population of Chicago during the late 19th century. Filled with original music and timeless yuletide tunes, the show is about love, loss and tradition. Tickets start at $25. slidelllittletheatre.org.

“A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL”: 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts, 325 Minor St., Kenner. The song-filled stage version of the 1983 film about a 1940s-era kid who wants a BB gun for Christmas. The film looks at the Parker family (an odd assortment indeed), the season and life during that time. Tickets start at $39. rivertowntheaters.com.

“A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL”: 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday; Playmakers Theater, 19106 Playmakers Road Covington. The song-filled stage version of the 1983 film about a 1940s-era kid who wants a BB gun for Christmas. The film looks at the Parker family, the season and life during that time. Tickets start at $15. playmakersinc.com.

“LOUISIANA CHRISTMAS DAY”: Shows and holiday-themed buffets various days and times through Dec. 22; BB’s Stage Door Canteen, The National WWII Museum, 945 Magazine St., New Orleans. The Victory Belles trio brings the audience along on Ricky Graham’s seasonal twirl through the bayous, Jackson Square and all sorts of spots in between with singable holiday hits like “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” and “White Christmas,” and the Louis Armstrong hit “Christmastime in New Orleans.” Tickets start at $20. nationalww2museum.org.

“WICKED”: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 6:30 p.m. Sunday, with matinees at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday; Saenger Theatre, 1111 Canal St. The musical celebrates 20 years of telling the alternative origin story for L. Frank Baum’s original 1900 children’s book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” In 1995, “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire told the story from a different point of view, far more sympathetic toward Elphaba. Tickets start at $59. saengernola.com.

‘Nutcracker’ productions

Marigny Opera Ballet: 8 p.m. Friday to Sunday; Marigny Opera House, 725 St. Ferdinand St., New Orleans. “New Orleans Jazz Nutcracker” puts a Crescent City twist on the story, set in Jackson Square. Tickets start at $35. marignyoperhouse.org.

New Orleans Ballet Theatre: Opening 7 p.m. Friday and Saturdays; 2 p.m. various days through Dec. 23; Orpheum Theater, 129 Roosevelt Way, New Orleans. Tickets start at $38. neworleansballettheatre.com.

Jefferson Performing Arts Society with Jefferson Ballet Theatre: 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Jefferson Performing Arts Center, 6400 Airline Drive, Metairie. Jefferson Symphony Orchestra. Tickets start at $23. jpas.org.

Delta Festival Ballet: 6 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts; 1491 Basin St., New Orleans. Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Tickets start at $35. deltafestivalballet.com.

Southern Youth Ballet: 7 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 360 Robert Blvd., Slidell. Ballet, caroling, reading of “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Tickets start at $30. visitthenorthshore.com

River Region Ballet: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. Lafon Performing Arts Center, 275 Judge Edward Dufresne Parkway, Luling. One-hour “Sugar Plum Party” at 3 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $20. lafonartscenter.org.

“Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet”: 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Dec. 30, Saenger Theatre, 1111 Canal St., New Orleans. The touring production features Ukrainian principal artists, local students from Arabesque Ballet Theater International in Mandeville. Tickets start at $30. saengernola.com.