Want to take the family to a holiday show this season? We’ve got a roundup of all the festive and kid-friendly shows happening this December, including performances of The Nutcracker, in Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, Valhalla, and White Plains.
White Christmas
Westchester Broadway Theatre, Elmsford
Nov. 14 – Jan. 5
Make your days merry and bright by warming to an unforgettable tap-dancing delight! Based on the beloved, timeless film, this heartwarming musical adaptation features 17 Irving Berlin songs. Veterans Bob Wallace and Phil Davis have a successful song-and-dance act after World War II. With romance in mind, the two follow a duo of beautiful singing sisters en route to their Christmas show at a Vermont lodge, which just happens to be owned by Bob and Phil’s former army commander. The dazzling score features well known standards including “Blue Skies,” “I Love A Piano,” “How Deep Is the Ocean,” and the perennial favorite, “White Christmas,” that will fill you with the joy of the season.
Chanukah Fever with Mama Doni
Sinai Free Synagogue, Mount Vernon
Dec. 6
Mama Doni will bring her inimitable brand of “funky music with a Jewish twist” to a rocking family “Chanukah Fever” show. There has never been a mama quite like Mama Doni, who manages to score a perfect 10 in the world of family music with a joyful celebration of Jewish tradition, culture, and ruach (spirit). Mama Doni promises plenty of surprises throughout her Chanukah performance, including giveaways of chocolate gelt and Mama Doni CDs, courtesy of Streit’s Matzo! Kids will boogie like a dreidel, air guitar with the band, “Latke Man”-style, join in an applesauce vs. sour cream rock-along, and chime in on the eternal question of “Chanukah” or “Hanukah.”
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
Emelin Theatre, Mamaroneck
Dec. 1
Theatreworks USA’s production of A Christmas Carol uses witty dialogue and fresh new songs to convey Charles Dickens’s original message that the holiday season should be a “kind, forgiving, charitable time.” See it at the Emelin Theatre in Mamaroneck on Dec. 1 (for ages 6 and older).
Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
Old Dutch Church, Sleepy Hollow
Dec. 7, 14, 21-22
Once again, master storyteller Jonathan Kruk will welcome visitors into the historic, candlelit interior of the circa-1685 Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow for a lively re-telling of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, complete with musical accompaniment. Tickets include admission to the Holiday Open House at Philipsburg Manor, across the street.
A Christmas Carol Presented by Blessed Unrest
Emelin Theatre, Mamaroneck
Dec. 14
Blessed Unrest, one of New York City’s premiere physical theater companies, presents the classic story of “A Christmas Carol” in a way you’ve never imagined. Winners of the 2008 New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Production of a Play, the internationally acclaimed ensemble offers a raucous, dynamic restaging of Charles Dickens’s timeless tale about the shocking night when Ebenezer Scrooge awakes from his miserly life of isolation and is offered a shot at redemption. You’ll find yourself hoping for his salvation from the very real peril his soul faces in this emotional production. Not recommended for young children.
The Nutcracker
New York Theatre Ballet Presents The Nutcracker
Tarrytown Music Hall, Tarrytown
Nov. 30
An enchanting, hour-long production of “The Nutcracker,” created for younger audiences, yet sophisticated enough for adults! Founded in 1978 by artistic director Diana Byer, New York Theatre Ballet has earned national attention for its artistry and elegant restorations and revivals of masterworks by great choreographers. It is equally committed to performing innovative hour-long ballets based on children’s literature for family audiences. In October 2012, NYTB reprised their sold-out performance with The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall with a suite of dances by Agnes deMille from her best-known Broadway musicals.
Ajkun Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker
Whitney Theatre at New Rochelle High School, New Rochelle
Dec. 6-7
Ajkun Ballet Theatre’s magical production of The Nutcracker is filled with great dancers and adorable children from the Public School District of New Rochelle.
Max & Ruby in The Nutcracker
Tarrytown Music Hall, Tarrytown
Dec. 20
Max and Ruby bring to life a wonderful tradition this holiday. Inspired by Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite,” the beloved bunny siblings star in the brand new musical production “Max & Ruby in the Nutcracker Suite.” Max & Ruby have been anxiously waiting to see “The Nutcracker” ballet with Grandma. Imagine their disappointment when a snow storm keeps them at home! A story of “The Nutcracker” will have to do. So vivid is Grandma’s storytelling that the characters in the ballet come to life right before their very eyes! Max & Ruby marvel at the sight of the many enchanting guests, including a Spanish bullfighter, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the Nutcracker Prince.
Westchester Ballet Company Presents The Nutcracker
Westchester County Center, White Plains
Dec. 20-22
For the past 17 years, the Westchester Ballet Company has been entertaining Westchester audiences with its production of this holiday classic that has become a tradition for families. The production features professionally trained student dancers from communities throughout Westchester and neighboring areas, along with professional guest soloists. Under the direction of Beth Fritz-Logrea and Jean Logrea, the show includes spectacular scenery and beautiful costumes, classic choreography and special stage effects that rival the best productions in the New York metropolitan area.
World Stage on Screen: Mariinsky Ballet’s The Nutcracker in 3D
Jacob Burns Film Center, Pleasantville
Dec. 25, 30
If you don’t make it to a live production of ‘The Nutcracker’ this season (or even if you do!), you won’t want to miss this colorful Russian Christmas journey with Clara (2013; 105 minutes; rated G).
Russian Christmas
Westchester Community College Academic Arts Theatre, Valhalla
Dec. 7
On its first U.S. holiday tour, The State Capella of Russia’s Russian Christmas program features masterpieces by Rachmaninoff, Bortnyansky, Grechaninoff, some Western classics, and of course, Christmas carols.
A Celtic Christmas
Tarrytown Music Hall, Tarrytown
Dec. 8
In Cherish the Ladies: A Celtic Christmas, the Ladies perform a program of classic Christmas carols featuring Celtic instrumentation, beautiful harmonies, and spectacular step dancing.
Holiday Spectacular Spectacular
Irvington Town Hall Theater, Irvington
Dec. 13-15
Sleepy Hollow Performing Artists presents an evening of fabulous entertainment and mayhem! This award-winning company, directed by Debralyn Press, presents a two-act “Spectacular Spectacular,” appropriate for all ages. The performance includes the original works: “Sleepy Hollow’s Nightmare Before X Mas,” and a contemporary, hip-hop Nutcracker, titled “Nutcracker Now!”
Noonday Getaway Concert: Angelica Women’s Chamber Choir
Grace Episcopal Church, White Plains
Dec. 18
Angelica, a women’s chamber choir directed by Marie Caruso, offers a program of medieval, renaissance, and contemporary Yuletide music including selections from the Play of Daniel; Michelle Roueche’s dynamic Cantate Domino; and Guy Forbes’s breathtaking Ave Maria. Guest artist Rex Benincasa will accompany Angelica on percussion.
Movies for Kids and Their Families: It’s a Wonderful Life
Jacob Burns Film Center, Pleasantville
Dec. 21-24, 26-27
Everyone will enjoy this holiday favorite on the big screen, as it was meant to be seen. An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed.
A Christmas Wizard of Oz
Westchester Sandbox Theatre, Mamaroneck
Dec. 22, 24 and Dec. 28-29
Everyone you know from Dorothy’s famous trip returns in A Christmas Wizard of Oz, an interactive musical holiday tale about the joy of giving and the happiness of home. But there’s a twist: All characters (more than 20!) will be played by one actor—artistic director Jason Summers.
Movies for Kids and Their Families: The Muppet Christmas Carol
Jacob Burns Film Center, Pleasantville
Dec. 28-31
The Muppet characters tell their version of the classic tale of an old and bitter miser’s redemption on Christmas Eve (1992; 85 minutes; rated G).
More Holiday Fun
Search for more fun and low-cost holiday activities in your area in our full calendar of events
