Theaters getting creative with Christmas offerings

About a decade ago, I was standing outside a local theater with another critic. We had just seen our fifth or sixth consecutive production of "A Christmas Carol" and both agreed they had all been awful. The reviewer said, "December is the one time of the year where I seriously consider quitting my job."

Until recently, I too dreaded December. The good cheer in people's souls didn't seem to translate onto the stage.

But looking at the productions offered this month, several of which are still running, I'm amazed how far Vegas has come in such a short time. I haven't seen a bad mounting since the department stores became flooded with decorations.

We've expanded the bill of fare to include more than just Christmas tales.

"Touched," for example, is an original dance drama by Jeneane Gallo Huggins that examines, through movement, song and dialogue, teenage self-identity issues. It's the sort of thing that may interest people in dance for the first time, because it demonstrates how movement can help deepen story and emotion. The Las Vegas Academy production, which features 27 cast members, plays through Saturday (800-585-3737; lvacademytheatre.org).

"Santa Claus vs. The Martians," playing through Dec. 23 at the Onyx, is an amusing spoof of the 1964 Pia Zadora film "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians." It features humorously tacky sets, costumes and props, and you get to throw prop "tomatoes" at the actors whenever the urge strikes you (732-7225; onyxtheatre.com).

Las Vegas Little Theatre Studio's "Christmas Shorts," which plays through the weekend, is a low-keyed, funny and poignant one-hour series of vignettes about how the holidays affect five groups of people (362-7996; lvlt.org).

For those who like their holiday entertainment traditional, Nevada Conservatory Theatre is offering, through the weekend, an enormously entertaining "A Christmas Carol" that comes complete with a slew of surprising special effects (895-2787; nct.unlv.edu/).

Rainbow Company's "Oliver!" isn't a Christmas musical, but its exuberant songs suggest merriment. It's playing at the Charleston Heights Arts Center through the weekend (229-6383; artslasvegas.org).

Las Vegas Little Theatre's excellent "Dead Man's Cell Phone," playing through Sunday at the Fischer Black Box, is definitely not a Christmas program. It's about a woman who becomes involved in a dead stranger's life when she begins answering his calls. But it's an entertaining exploration of the important things in life (362-7996; lvlt.org).

Three other notable productions have unfortunately closed. Signature Productions gave us an evening of expert singing in "A Signature Christmas." The Onyx Theatre hosted a perversely funny adaptation of the David Sedaris story "The Santaland Diaries." And the College of Southern Nevada offered its one-man "One Christmas Carol," featuring Kellan Baker, a young actor of promise.

The quality of these shows kept this playgoer happy all month, which I didn't expect. Theaters are getting creative with Christmas offerings, and Vegas is the better for it.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at vegastheaterchat@ aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.