Editor’s choice

Beth Stelling at the Comedy MIX

She is simply the Beth. That’s the name of her second (and better, according to her bio) album. But she’s got a last name, too, and it’s telling: Stelling. The Chicago native was named best standup in the Windy City in 2010 and has gone on to perform everywhere with everyone (give or take). A great combination of joke-writing and storytelling, Stelling’s act was overshadowed last year when she went public with allegations of abuse against her ex-boyfriend. But with that ugliness in the past, we can get back to the laughter. Stelling makes her Vancouver debut headlining the Comedy MIX. Should be a stellar show, with Kevin Banner hosting and Gavin Matts middling.

Beth Stelling is at the Comedy MIX from Thursday to Saturday (December 1 to 3).

East Van Panto: Little Red Riding Hood

A loonie must-see for anyone who lives east of Main.
To December 31 at the York Theatre

Yule Duel

Twenty of our top local choirs carol in their own style.
December 1 along Water Street in Gastown

Hansel and Gretel

Opera made family-friendly and surreal with strange puppetry.
To December 11 at the Vancouver Playhouse

Joyce DiDonato

Could be the classical-music event of the year; she left audiences sobbing in Europe.
November 30 at the Orpheum

Vancouver Special

A definitive survey of contemporary art in this city—right here and now.
December 1 to April 17 at the Vancouver Art Gallery