A Christmas Carol at Playhouse Square:
Nov. 26 – Dec. 23 This Northeast Ohio classic, which was first produced by the Great Lakes Theater in 1989, has brought joy to nearly 800,000 people. Gerald Freedman created an adaptation of the original Charles Dickens story we’ve all heard, with this show giving the audience a deeper look into a young boy’s mind. Full of imagination, the boy pictures the events in A Christmas Carol as his family reads the story. “You leave the theater a little lighter and a little happier,” says Great Lakes Theater director of marketing communications Kacey Shapiro.
Wicked at Playhouse Square: Dec. 8 – Jan. 2
The last time this Broadway staple was in Cleveland, it was 2017 and 90,000 people saw the show during its four-week run. “We’re so excited to come to Cleveland,” says actress Allison Bailey, who plays Glinda. The musical chronicles the story of two witches growing their friendship through life lessons. “There are so many scenes with Wicked that anyone 8 to 80 could identify with,” Bailey says.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse: Dec. 30
This group’s big break came in Cleveland in 1999, when Bill Louis of WNCX heard a song from TSO and instantly knew he was onto something great. Their first Cleveland show sold out within 30 minutes — and shows continue to sell out even today. Guitarist Joel Hoekstra summarized the TSO experience as a mix of rock and opera with the theatrics of Beethoven, the laser light shows of Pink Floyd and the pyrotechnics of a Kiss show. While the production is phenomenal, the music certainly doesn’t take second stage, as evidenced by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s three multiplatinum Christmas albums.
