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Carols after a Plague, Once, EQUATORS, and a Crossroads holiday
The Weekly Roundup, December 15-22
Kyle V. Hiller
There’s no denying that the holiday season is in full swing, and it shows in this week's roundup. The Crossing composes a dozen different carols featuring takes on the word “plague” while 1812 Productions brings a holiday favorite out of the vault for streaming on-demand. Crossroads Comedy Theater will debut their first holiday series, too.
Outside of the "holidaze," City Theater Company opens its doors with a performance of the Tony Award-winning musical Once, EQUATORS elevates the challenges and concerns of climate change that often go unspoken for displaced communities of color, and art rock meets freebop as a Cali band pays a visit to West Philadelphia’s Rotunda.
Happy holidays to you and yours!
The Crossing @ Christmas: Carols after a Plague
Friday, December 17, 7pm
Zellerbach Theatre at the Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia
Sunday, December 19, 5pm
Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia
The Crossing continues its season with their annual Jeffrey Dinsmore Memorial Concerts with Carols after a Plague, an evening of world premieres by a long list of 12 composers, including folks like Tyshawn Sorey, Leila Adu, Nina Shekhar, and Viet Cuong. Each composer is bringing their own perspective and interpretation of the topic of “plague,” which is definitely a unique choice for a culmination of carols. The show already premiered at the University of Maryland last week, but it’s making its way back home with two performances over the weekend.
Once
Through Saturday, December 18
Delaware Contemporary, 200 South Madison Street, Wilmington
The theaters are slowly returning, and that trend continues for City Theater Company with their performance of Once, the story of an unlikely crew of friends who come together to make an album. This production of the Tony Award-winning musical was sidelined due to Covid-19, but the company returns to the stage now through Saturday, December 18.
A Crossroads holiday
Through Sunday, December 19
Theatre Exile, 1340 South 13th Street, Philadelphia
Crossroads Comedy Theater is doing the holiday thing this weekend, presenting their first ever series of holiday programs and performances. From improvised holiday horror-comedy, a Christmas variety show, and more, Crossroads is bringing much-needed laughs to the table this year. There are a number of shows hitting the stage, so be sure to check out the lineup for yourself to see what may tickle your fancy.
EQUATORS
Sunday, December 19, 3pm
Vox Populi Icebox Project Space, 1400 North American Street, Philadelphia
Something many folks don’t realize is that climate change has a different, more substantial impact on communities of color. A new exhibition of sorts looks to unpack that in a unique way. TNMOT AZTRO and Vox Populi will present EQUATORS, a performance installation that is a visual exploration of the effects of climate change as seen through the lens of racist social and historical practices. The performance includes a solo by choreographer Arien Wilkerson, is free with a suggested donation, and is open to the public.
Art rock meets freebop at the Rotunda
Sunday, December 19, 8pm
Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia
Fire Museum invites the Oakland art-rock/experimental music duo Grex for a free concert at the Rotunda in West Philly this weekend. The band, made up of Karl Evangelista and Rei Scampavia, bills themselves as a duo that “explores the meeting point between surreal songcraft and the dark outer reaches of experimental music.” That may not tell you much, though, so if you’re not intrigued yet, check out that video!
The Carols
December 20 through January 2, 2022
Streaming on-demand
Jennifer Childs’s The Carols hits 1812’s virtual stage, telling the story of a group of neighbors that come together to make the most of what they have during wartime at Christmas in 1943.
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