The Georgia Straight's curated guide to the best holiday shows in and around Vancouver.

Where to go classical

VSO’s Traditional Christmas Concerts

(At St. Andrew’s–Wesley United Church from December 10 to 13; South Delta Baptist Church on December 16; the Bell Performing Arts Centre in Surrey on December 17; the Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver on December 18; the Kay Meek Theatre in West Vancouver on December 19; and the Michael J. Fox Theatre in Burnaby on December 20)

An old-fashioned mix of sing-along carols, classical favourites, baroque gems, and holiday tunes, as warm as hot chocolate by a fire. The show is conducted by Rosemary Thomson and hosted by Bard on the Beach’s Christopher Gaze, with EnChor and the UBC Opera Ensemble adding their voices to the mix.

Winter Harp 

(At the BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts in North Vancouver on December 16 and 17; St. Andrew’s–Wesley United Church on December 19; and the ACT in Maple Ridge on December 20)

Decked out in medieval costumes and set against a wintry cathedral backdrop, musicians play Celtic and classical harps, tambourines, temple bells, an organistrum, and more rare, ancient instruments. That atmosphere and the repertoire—a mix of Gregorian chant, Basque carols, and even flamenco—have made this show a mainstay for more than 20 years.

Goh Ballet's The Nutcracker

(At the Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts from December 17 to 22)

Anna-Marie Holmes’s playful choreography—which includes a mouse-led cheese battle and a real magician performing tricks—makes this Nutcracker a family favourite. There are kids galore in this show, but it also has artistic chops: Leslie Dala conducts members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, and principal dancers from the San Francisco Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet take the leads.

Festive Cantanas—Praetorius Christmas Vespers

(At the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts on December 20)

The folks at Early Music Vancouver celebrate like it’s Christmas in 17th-century Germany, complete with vocal soloists, strings, theorbo players, a cornetto, and many more authentic touches.

Alberta Ballet's Nutcracker

(At the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from December 29 to 31)

Set in frosty imperial Russia and gilded like a Fabergé egg, this returning version of The Nutcracker is as opulent as they come. Think Cossack-mouse soldiers and Russian-princess snowflakes, all set to a score played live by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Where to get nostalgic

A Christmas Story: The Musical

(At the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage to December 27)

Relive Ralphie’s classic 1940s Christmas on-stage, reimagined with song-and-dance numbers. Valin Shinyei plays the lead nine-year-old who dreams of finding that official Red Ryder BB gun under the Christmas tree.

It's a Wonderful Life

(At the Granville Island Stage to December 26)

Bob Frazer plays bad-luck George Bailey, and Jennifer Lines his long-suffering wife, in a nostalgic tale that transports you back to Bedford Falls. And don’t worry: this is a show that pays deep homage to its near-sacrosanct source material.

A Christmas Carol: On The Air

(At Pacific Theatre from December 4 to January 2, 2016)

Just as it did with last year’s It’s a Wonderful Life Radio Show, Pacific Theatre stages a classic as if it’s a live 1940s radio show. Peter Church adapts Charles Dickens’s story of Scrooge for the same group of radio actors performing their annual holiday special.

Where to get a laugh

Christmas Queen 2—You Better Watch Out

(At the Improv Centre until December 20)

Vancouver TheatreSports League’s new spin on the hit holiday improv show brings back the cross-dressing, indigo-haired, outsize Queen. She creates enough mayhem here to put Santa and his toy delivery in peril, and the audience has to help out with suggestions.

Hansel and Gretel: An East Van Panto

(At the York Theatre from December 4 to January 3, 2016)

Theatre Replacement’s madcap production is a neighbourhood fave. This year, it puts its own warped twist on the tale of two siblings who fall into the hands of a witch who runs a restaurant. Veda Hille takes the keyboards and local celebs guest-cameo each night. 

Where to find a modern twist

Chez Nous: Christmas With Elektra

(At New Westminster Christian Reformed Church and Ryerson United Church on November 28)

Our local women’s choir mixes up old favourites and fresh pieces, joined this year by jazz vocalist Dee Daniels, while Jodi Proznick plays bass. The Burnaby Central Women’s Choir adds to the all-female oomph.

Christmas in the Orpheum

(At the Orpheum on December 4)

The Vancouver Chamber Choir melds its serene voices with brass and harp music, performing a range that includes pieces by Renaissance composer Giovanni Gabrieli and sing-along carols. The ensemble ups its vocal power with the Pacifica Singers, the Vancouver Youth Choir, and more. Jon Washburn conducts.

Celebrate! A Good Noise Christmas

(At Christ Church Cathedral on December 11 and 12 and Fraserview MB Church on December 13)

The 90-member Good Noise Choir performs rousing renditions of spirituals and Yuletide favourites, interwoven this year with solos by guitarist David Sinclair.

Handel’s Messiah

(At the Orpheum on December 12)

George Frederick Handel’s resounding masterpiece gets the full-on Vancouver Bach Choir treatment, with a guest appearance by beloved locally bred opera star Simone Osborne in one of the solo roles. Leslie Dala conducts and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra provides formidable backup.

Christmas with Chor Leoni

(At St. Andrew’s–Wesley United Church on December 18 and West Vancouver United Church on December 19)

The acclaimed men’s choir tackles everything from chant, bebop, and barbershop to a premiere of Terre Roche’s new work “Breath of Winter”.

A Christmas Reprise

(At Holy Rosary Cathedral on December 19)

The Vancouver Cantata Singers reprise their Yuletide-season tradition in the heart of the shopping hustle-bustle. The program spans Francis Poulenc’s “Salve Regina”, Thomas Tallis’s “O Nata Lux”, and Felix Mendelssohn’s “Weihnachten”, plus carol chestnuts. The show always ends with a transcendent performance of Franz Biebl’s version of “Ave Maria”—just what you need to head back out into the busy downtown streets.

Where to make the choral connection

Bah! Humbug!

(At SFU Woodward’s in the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts from December 10 to 19)

It doesn’t get more current than this: a show that transports Dickens’s A Christmas Carol to the Downtown Eastside. Yes, Scrooge even owns a Hastings Street pawn shop and Bob Cratchit is a recovering addict. Jim Byrnes stars as the miser while Margo Kane reprises her role as Narrator in a show that incorporates First Nations themes, projections of artist Richard Tetrault’s local scenes, and music that ranges from blues and folk to industrial rock.

Nightmare Before The Nutcracker: A Very Burton Xmas Show

(At the Rio Theatre on December 4, 5, 11, and 12)

Circus, burlesque, theatre, and live music converge in a gothically reimagined Nutcracker story. Imagine the music of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky meeting the themes of Danny Elfman, or the comedic possibilities of sugarplum fairies encountering Betelgeuse.

Ebenezer

(At the Jericho Arts Centre from December 8 to January 2, 2016)

Seven Tyrants Theatre moves A Christmas Carol to the 21st century and underscores the novella’s darker edge. Check out the original jazz score by Daniel Deorksen.

Where to take the whole family

Peter and the Starcatcher

(At the new Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre from December 2 to 27)

The Tony Award–winning hit Peter Pan prequel, praised for appealing as much to adults as to their kids, makes its local debut in the Arts Club’s brand-new theatre. The creatively staged show traces the story of the boy who never grew up, complete with pirates, mermaids, and epic sea battles. 

Mrs. Claus's Kitchen

(At Presentation House Theatre from December 2 to 20)

The North Shore’s holiday musical, directed and choreographed by Jeff Hyslop, features Christmas baking, a small army of elves, and live music played by the North Pole Orchestra. Local favourite Lucia Frangione is the big draw this year, as the unappreciated old dame herself.

James and the Giant Peach

(At the Waterfront Theatre from December 5 to January 3, 2016)

The musical rendition of the Roald Dahl classic builds a fantastical world around James and the adventures he goes on with a magical peach’s inhabitants—Grasshopper, Ladybug, Centipede, Spider, and Earthworm.

The Wizard of Oz

(At Richmond’s Gateway Theatre from December 10 to January 3, 2016)

Projections, puppetry, dance, and live tunes make it clear you’re not in Kansas anymore. Kids bring the Munchkins to life, and Toto will be played by a real dog.