"Christmas at the Local" by Theater Latte Da at the Ritz Theater

Now in their 26th season, Theater Latte Da has a knack for creating original holiday shows that become annual traditions. First A Christmas Carole Petersen, #TCTheater artist Tod Petersen's funny and poignant tribute to his mom and growing up in small town Minnesota, which debuted in their third season and has been produced numerous times over the years (including six shows at Crooners this year, December 16-20). Then came All is Calm, a documusical about the WWI Christmas Truce that premiered in 2007 and has gone through a few different iterations over the years, settling into a nearly perfect 70 minutes of theater that has toured all over the country including Off-Broadway, and was filmed in 2019 for a PBS special. And now we have Christmas at the Local, a "double feature" of Dylan Thomas' story A Child's Christmas in Wales and Maya Angelou's poem Amazing Peace, both set to music and tied together with other holiday songs performed by a group of friends hanging out at their local pub. It debuted last year, at which time I wrote, "it creates such a warm, cozy feeling of community, nostalgia, and hope that I want to visit every year (or every night)." If you didn't see it last year, it's a must-see in the tradition of Latte Da's lovely original holiday pieces. And if you did see it last year, then you know that it always feels warm, welcoming, and wonderful to return to The Local (continuing through December 31).

"Christmas at the Local" by Theater Latte Da at the Ritz Theater

Theater Latte Da is celebrating their 25th season this year, and in that time they've created two beloved holiday* shows. A Christmas Carole Petersen (#TCTheater artist Tod Petersen's funny and poignant tribute to his mom and growing up in small town Minnesota) debuted in their third season and has been produced numerous times over the years (including six shows at Crooners this year, December 15-18). All is Calm (a documusical about the WWI Christmas Truce) premiered in 2007 and has gone through a few different iterations over the years, settling into a nearly perfect 70 minutes of theater that has toured all over the country (currently touring the Midwest and West Coast) including Off-Broadway, and was filmed in 2019 for a PBS special that will air in on TPT December 11 and 12. And now the brand new original piece Christmas at the Local feels like the start of another beloved holiday tradition. A "double feature" of Dylan Thomas' story A Child's Christmas in Wales and Maya Angelou's poem Amazing Peace, both set to music and tied together with other holiday songs performed by a group of friends hanging out at their local pub, it creates such a warm, cozy feeling of community, nostalgia, and hope that I want to visit every year (or every night). Get in on this new tradition from the start, with performances continuing at the Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis through New Year's Day.

"Anna in the Tropics" at the Jungle Theater

The Jungle Theater opened the first show in their 2017 season a few weekends ago, Anna in the Tropics set in balmy Florida. While we Minnesotans are enjoying an unprecedented 60 degrees in February and may not need an imaginary tropical escape, it's still a lovely, lyrical story of a family and a culture, but not without its tragedy. The wonderful all Latino and mostly local cast really makes this family and story feel alive. At its heart it's about storytelling, and the power that storytelling has to inspire us or change our lives. This play may not affect you quite as drastically as the characters in the play are affected by the story they hear, but it is an enjoyable place to spend an evening.