Photo by Daren Scott
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley
As soothing as a hot cup of Earl Grey, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley imagines a post-Pride and Prejudice scenario in which heroine Elizabeth Bennet, now married to her beloved Mr. Darcy, is hosting family and friends for Christmas at her family estate in Pemberley. Chief among the guests is her younger sister, Mary (Nadia Guevara), who is both beautiful and bookish, but seemingly uninterested in romance. That doesn’t last for long in this charming if not sedate play written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon. Mary soon encounters a candidate for romance (Carter Piggee) who is as awkward as she is, but just as infatuated.
New Village Arts’ production, directed by Kristianne Kurner (who also designed a magnificent set), relies on the script’s refined drawing-room conversation, as well as its quaint British-isms and featherweight romantic conflicts over which Jane Austen devotees swoon. It’s all very pretty and proper, with whatever edge it possesses provided by the talented Guevara.
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley runs through Dec. 23 at New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad. $28-$39; newvillagearts.org
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But for its country music-inflected tunes and a plot constructed around a returning soldier’s psychological trauma, Clint Black’s Looking for Christmas would fit nicely among the Hallmark Channel’s sugary and sentimental holiday movies. This world premiere at the Old Globe’s intimate White stage is a predictable yuletide diversion that embraces familiar tropes of the season: the shopping crush, the precocious child’s Christmas pageant, etc. The plight of surviving Army veteran Mike Randolf (Aaron C. Finley), who’s literally haunted by the ghost of his best friend (DeLeon Dallas) who was killed in Afghanistan, is thoughtfully explored in terms of its impact on Mike’s wife and child (Liana Hunt and Kaylin Hedges). Black’s songs, all but four of them taken from his 1995 album Looking for Christmas, comfort and distract, guaranteeing that Mike’s woes won’t undermine a happy ending or a happy Christmas.
Overall, Looking for Christmas is prone to cloying cuteness when it’s not occupied with the soldier’s anguish, but it certainly has its heart in the right place.
Clint Black’s Looking for Christmas runs through Dec. 31 at the Old Globe’s Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre. $39 and up; theoldglobe.org
Opening:
Our Town: Thorton Wilder’s Pulitzer-winning play about the people of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire. Presented by UC San Diego Theatre, it opens Nov. 27 at the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre at UCSD in La Jolla. theatre.ucsd.edu
A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest of the Great Lakes: Kate Benson’s award-winning comedy about a family Thanksgiving dinner that is presented as a competitive sport. Presented by UC San Diego Theatre, it opens Nov. 28 at the Theodore and Adele Shank Theatre at UCSD in La Jolla. theatre.ucsd.edu
She Kills Monsters: In Qui Nguyen’s comedy, a young woman picks up fantasy role-playing games after the death of her sister. Presented by the Grossmont College Theatre Arts Department, it opens Nov. 29 at the Stagehouse Theatre in El Cajon. grossmont.edu/campus-life/arts-culture/theater-arts
The Snow Queen: A young girl searches for a friend who has been bewitched by an evil queen in this play based on a Hans Christian Andersen story. Presented by The Theatre School @ North Coast Rep, it opens Nov. 29 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastreptheatreschool.org
Scrooge in Rouge: When a case of food poisoning kills most of the cast of a production of A Christmas Carol, three actors must play all the parts. Presented by OB Theatre Company, it opens Nov. 30 at the OB Playhouse in Ocean Beach. obtheatrecompany.com
The Year to Come: Playwright Lindsey Ferrentino’s world premiere play unfolds backward and centers on a family get-together in Florida for New Year’s Eve. Directed by Anne Kauffman, it opens Dec. 4 at the La Jolla Playhouse. lajollaplayhouse.org
Now Playing:
Waitress: Featuring songs from Sara Bareilles, this Tony-winning musical centers on a smalltown waitress and master pie maker who dreams of a better life. Presented by Broadway San Diego, it runs through Dec. 2 at the San Diego Civic Theatre in the Gaslamp. broadwaysd.com
The Mystery of Edwin Drood: Based on Charles Dickens’ incomplete final novel, this comedic musical murder mystery lets audiences vote on who the killer is at the end of the performance. Written by Rupert Holmes, it runs through Dec. 8 at the OnStage Playhouse in Chula Vista. onstageplayhouse.org
This Beautiful City: The San Diego premiere of Michael Friedman’s musical about the Colorado Springs Evangelical movement’s fight against gay rights. Based on actual citizen interviews, it runs through Dec. 9 at the Diversionary Theatre in Hillcrest. diversionary.org
A Christmas Carol: The mean and miserly Ebenezer Scrooge gets visited by three ghosts who want to teach him the true meaning of Christmas. Adapted by Michael Paller, it runs through Dec. 9 at the PowPAC Community Theatre in Poway. powpac.org
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot: Set in a purgatorial place, this dark comedy examines the life of the Bible’s most infamous betrayer. Presented by Trinity Theatre Company, it runs through Dec. 9 at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center in the East Village. trinityttc.org
A Doll’s House, Part 2: The local premiere of Lucas Hnath’s Tony-winning sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 classic, which sees the protagonist living a new life free from the bonds of marriage and motherhood. Presented by San Diego Repertory Theatre, it runs through Dec. 16 at the Lyceum Stage Theatre in the Gaslamp. sdrep.org
Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!): Instead of performing A Christmas Carol, three actors decide to perform every clichéd holiday classic. Directed by David Guthrie, it runs through Dec. 16 at the Patio Playhouse in Escondido. patioplayhouse.com
She Loves Me: In this comedic musical, two shop clerks who don’t get along end up answering the same romantic personal ad. Presented by Scripps Ranch Theatre, it runs through Dec. 16 at Legler Benbough Theatre at Alliant International University in Scripps Ranch. scrippsranchtheatre.org
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: In the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on a biblical tale, a dude who has an “amazing” garment becomes a slave, but triumphs in Egypt regardless. It runs through Dec. 16 at the Coronado Playhouse. coronadoplayhouse.com
Miss Bennett: The San Diego premiere of this sequel to Pride and Prejudice is set during Christmas and sees bookish middle sister Mary serving as the protagonist. Written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, it runs through Dec. 23 at the New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad. newvillagearts.org
Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Now in its 21st year, this holiday classic tells the musical tale of a green grump who plans to ruin the holidays for the town of Whoville. Directed by James Vásquez, it runs through Dec. 29 at the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. theoldglobe.org
A Christmas Carol: The mean and miserly Ebenezer Scrooge gets visited by three ghosts and, well, you probably know the rest. Adapted to be a musical by Sean Murray for Cygnet Theatre, it runs through Dec. 30 at the Old Town Theatre. cygnettheatre.com
Clint Black’s Looking for Christmas: The holiday-themed world premiere musical about an Afghanistan veteran who returns home during the holidays. Featuring music from country singer Clint Black, it runs through Dec. 31 at the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. theoldglobe.org
Mamma Mia!: A young woman searches for her real father in the days leading up to her wedding, all set to the pop anthems of ABBA. It runs through Feb. 24 at the Welk Resorts Theatre in Escondido. welkresorts.com/san-diego/theatre