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Weekend spotlight: Seasonal music from here to there
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose. That’s the ambiance sought by The Florida Orchestra, the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay and the Lumina Youth Choirs as they present Classical Christmas, Friday in Ferguson Hall (Straz Center) and again Saturday at St. Petersburg’s Mahaffey Theater (8 p.m. both days). It’s an old-fashioned orchestra Christmas concert.
Since TFO’s Music Director Michael Francis is a native Englishman, it’s a good bet that he was instrumental in putting together a program that includes Britain’s 16th century “Coventry Carol,” the 19th century piece “Once in Royal David’s City” and “A Ceremony of Carols” scored and arranged by legendary English composer/conductor Benjamin Brittan.
It’s works like that which separate Classical Christmas from the orchestra’s Holiday Pops concerts later this month. This weekend’s bill of fare also includes John Rutter’s rich arrangements of “O Come All Ye Faithful” and others, Prokofiev’s wonderfully wintry Lieutenant Kijé Suite, segments from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and more. That’s only part of the program, which includes an audience singalong.
Not a frosty snowman or red-nosed reindeer in the vicinity. Find tickets, and the full program, here.
Matthew Abernathy, artistic director of the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, is Friday’s guest on our Arts Alive! podcast.
Holiday guitars
Nate Najar’s Jazz Holiday is back on the Palladium Theater’s Hough Hall stage tonight, for the 18th consecutive year. St. Petersburg’s jazz guitar virtuoso is joined by the ever-potent rhythm section of drummer Jean Bolduc and bassist Joe Porter, vocalist Daniela Soledade, guitarist Carl Admundson and Bruce Harris (trumpet) and Jeff Rupert (saxophone). Special guests, as always, are rumored. Find info and tickets here.
Tonight at the Safety Harbor Art & Music Center, an Acoustic Holiday Show from Tampa Bay’s two blistering blues guitarists Selwyn Birchwood and Damon Fowler – together and alone. Find all details and tickets here.
It’s Holiday Cosplay this weekend at the St. Petersburg Coliseum. Photo provided.
More holiday events
Friday at the Baycare Sound (that’s the big amphitheater in downtown Clearwater): A free event featuring a holiday sing-along with the Ruth Eckerd Hall Chorus, starting at 6:30 p.m., followed by a big-screen screening of the movie The Polar Express, starring an animated Tom Hanks. Find details here.
Country’s Kathy Mattea and her band are at the Capitol Theatre Saturday with A Winter Gathering, with songs from her holiday albums and more. Tickets.
It’s a Big Band Christmas concert at 2 p.m. Saturday at Central Park Performing Arts Center in Largo. Tickets are here.
The St. Petersburg Coliseum plays host to the third annual Holiday Cosplay Tampa Bay Saturday and Sunday; it’s a fun-fest for fans of comics, anime, sci-fi and fantasy, horror and other pop culture genres. Guest cosplayers invite visitors to participate in contests, workshops and other experiences. Learn everything about the event, and find tickets, here.
At the Tampa Theatre Sunday (3 p.m.): The Vienna Light Orchestra, with musicians and vocalists from seven different countries performing Christmas music. Find tickets here.
Debbie Gibson’s holiday show comes to the Capitol Theatre Sunday. Publicity photo.
The mighty lights ‘n’ lasers, rock ‘n’ roll sound and fury sideshow known as Trans-Siberian Orchestra is at Amalie Arena Sunday with the third and final show of its “Christmas Trilogy,” subtitled “The Lost Christmas Eve.” There are performances at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.; find info and tickets here.
Theatrical holiday productions include the one-man Wonderful Life (with Gavin Hawk) at American Stage, Tampa Rep’s It’s a Wonderful Life – A Live Radio Play at the Straz Center Shimberg Playhouse, and The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical at Stageworks.
These shows are full of ho-ho-ho moments, but aren’t exactly what you’d call holiday plays: Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure (entering its final weekend at freeFall Theatre) and the national Broadway tour of the musical Some Like it Hot (with several performances today through Sunday).
Sunday: 1980s pop sensation Debbie Gibson stops in at the Capitol Theatre with her all holiday Winterlicious show. She describes it thusly: “Winterlicious is a traditional song and dance extravaganza complete with tap shoes, boys in tuxes and tails, me in flirty holiday dresses, and onesies. It is a festive celebration of all holidays for all denominations as inclusiveness is at the heart of all I do!” Tickets.
All for laughs
Since TV’s Seinfeld ended in 1999 (to live on in perpetual reruns and streaming), Jerry Seinfeld has been on the road – quite successfully, we might add. Yes, he’s got Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (on Netflix), but standup is pretty much what he does now. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Seinfeld visits Ruth Eckerd Hall Friday and Saturday. At press time, Friday was sold out, and Saturday was close.
Comedian, writer and actor Martin Lawrence is onstage Sunday at the Seminole Hard Rock Event Center. Like Seinfeld, Lawrence starred in a successful, self-titled sitcom (Martin, 1992-97). Tickets are here.
As we told you in this Wednesday story, the not-for-kids comedy Who’s Holiday opens tonight at the 42-seat Off-Central theater in St. Pete. Tickets are here.
Speaking of adult material, St. Pete’s sketch comedy kings and queens are back on their home turf (The Studio @620) with performances of Dirty John’s XXX-Mas Spectacular tonight through Saturday. All showtimes and tickets are here.
Still more concerts
Tonight: The country band Old Dominion performs at the Seminole Hard Rock Event Center. Tickets.
Tonight at Ruth Eckerd Hall: Scenes from the film Avatar: The Last Airbender with music performed by a live orchestra. Tickets.
Singer/songwriter Henry Paul is at the Capitol Theatre tonight and Friday with the contemporary version of the Outlaws, the Tampa band he joined in 1971 and steered through some pretty big hits back in the day (“There Goes Another Love Song,” “Hurry Sundown”). John (Eddie & the Cruisers) Cafferty and his Beaver Brown Band open this 10th annual “Green Grass and Yuletide Jam.” Tickets.
Bret Michaels is back in the bay area Saturday, as your host for “Parti-Gras 2.0” at the Baycare Sound; the marquee also includes Night Ranger, and Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider. Tickets.
Just arounder the corner
Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening happens at the Seminole Hard Rock Event Center Monday, Dec. 16.
Kenny G is at the Baycare Sound Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Cheap Trick plays the Seminole Hard Rock Event Center Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Patti LaBelle sings at the Mahaffey Theater Wednesday, Dec. 18.
Your Weekend Spotlight appears every Thursday in the Catalyst’s CREATE section.
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