No more silent nights: The 12 best Lexington and Central Kentucky holiday shows

There’s one concert on the University of Kentucky Choirs schedule that seniors and juniors always talk up to freshmen: “Collage: A Holiday Spectacular.”

“The juniors and seniors have been mentoring them and saying ‘you won’t believe how cool this is,’” UK Choirs Director Jefferson Johnson says.

Each year, the holiday show packs the full-force of the UK choirs on stage, along with other UK School of Music performers and community friends — 300 to 400 performers all together — and they play to several packed houses the first weekend in December.

But this year, there’s a big difference: Freshmen and sophomores will both be experiencing UK’s massive holiday extravaganza for the first time. Last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “Collage” was presented in a virtual version, mixing new and archival footage from past shows.

But this year, the concert is back on stage.

“What we’re trying to do this year is just to give everybody a sense of normalcy and a return to the kind of show that they’ve been longing to see,” Johnson says of the concert, which will have three performances Dec. 4 and 5 in UK’s Singletary Center for the Arts, 405 Rose St. In addition to UK’s large choirs, there will be performances as intimate as a classical guitar solo, handbells, a capella groups, bluegrass, and even three high school choirs.

While Johnson and the students are excited to return to the stage, they know the pandemic is not over. Everyone in the audience will be required to wear a mask and performers will be masked when not performing.

Performances are at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 and 3 p.m. Dec. 5. Tickets are $31 adults and $17 students, and available by calling 859-257-4929 or visiting scfatickets.com.

Guide: Best holiday performances

“Collage” comes at the start of a full slate of holiday performances on the Lexington-area arts calendar. This guide and list highlights the best holiday shows, concerts, plays and events around Lexington and Central Kentucky. And keep a watch on our Weekender section each Friday for a rundown of that weekend’s best events. Most events will have some COVID requirements or restrictions. Be sure to check for those when getting tickets.

Lexington Children’s Theatre: ‘Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!’

The Lexington Children’s Theatre’s annual Christmas production at the Lexington Opera House, 401 W. Short St., returns this year with “Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!” The show opened at 2 p.m. Nov. 27 and continues at 2 and 7 p.m. Dec. 4 and 2 p.m. Dec. 5. Tickets are $20-$25 and available by calling 859-254-4546 or visiting lctonstage.org.

Woodford Theatre: ‘White Christmas’

The Woodford Theatre returns to its home stage in the Falling Springs Recreation and Arts Center, 275 Beasley Rd. in Versailles, for the first time since February 2020 with “White Christmas,” the stage adaptation of a classic 1954 movie starring Kentucky’s own Rosemary Clooney. The show is Dec. 3 to 19 with performances at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16. Tickets are $15-$22. Call 859-873-0648 or visit woodfordtheatre.com.

Mannheim Steamroller at Richmond’s EKU Center for the Arts

Last year was the first time in 35 years Mannheim Steamroller has not been able to present a holiday tour. It is back this year and rolling into Richmond’s EKU Center for the Arts, 822 Hall Dr., at 7 p.m. Dec. 5. Tickets are $44.50 to $89.50 by calling 859-622-7469 or visiting ekucenter.com.

Ex-UK basketball coach Matthew Mitchell Christmas show

Former University of Kentucky Women’s Basketball Coach Matthew Mitchell will bring some of his Big Blue Madness moves to the Lexington Opera House at 7 p.m. Dec. 7 with “Coach Mitchell Presents Christmas in Kentucky.” It will feature the Coach Mitchell Band performing Christmas tunes. Tickets are $25-$50 and are available by calling 859-233-3535 or at lexingtonoperahouse.com.

Local Nutcracker ballet performances

Both Lexington ballet troupes will be presenting this staple of the holiday arts calendar:

The Lexington Ballet will present its production in two locations over two weekends:

▪ Boyle County Center for the Performing Arts, 315 Cunningham Way in Danville at 7 p.m. Dec. 3 and 2 p.m. Dec. 4. $32.

▪ EKU Center for the Performing Arts, 822 Hall Dr., Richmond at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11 and 2 p.m. Dec. 12. $27.75-$57.75.

Visit lexingtonballet.org for more information and how to buy tickets.

Kentucky Ballet Theatre presents its production at the Lexington Opera House at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 11 and 18 and 2 p.m. Dec. 12 and 19. $32-$47. Call 859-233-3535 or visit lexingtonoperahouse.com.

Ana Gasteyer at the Norton Center for the Arts

Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Ana Gasteyer (1996-2002) brings her holiday stage show “Sugar & Booze” to the stage at the Norton Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 10. Gasteyer, who has also starred in “Wicked” on Broadway and been featured on Fox’s “The Masked Singer,” will bring a cabaret-style mix of comedy and song to the Centre College venue. Tickets are $19-$49 and available by calling 859-236-4692 or visiting nortoncenter.com.

‘12 Divas of Christmas’ at the Lyric Theatre

The Imperial Court of Kentucky and Moveable Feast present the “12 Divas of Christmas,” featuring a cast of nearly a dozen local drag queens putting on a holiday extravaganza at the Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center, 300 E. Third St. Tickets are $35 for the event, and available by calling 859-280-2201 or visiting lexingtonlyric.com.

The McLain Family Band at the Lyric Theatre

Eastern Kentucky’s the McLain Family Band, which has been performing Appalachian Bluegrass music for more than 50 years, brings its holiday show to the Lyric Theatre at 7 p.m. Dec. 17. Tickets are $27 and available by calling 859-280-2201 or visiting lexingtonlyric.com.

The Lexington Philharmonic with the Lexington Singers

The Lexington Philharmonic returns to the Cathedral of Christ the King, 299 Colony Blvd., for its annual holiday offering with the Lexington Singers led by guest conductor John Nardolillo, director of the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. Tickets are $25-$75 adults, $11 students and available by calling 859-233-4226 or visiting lexphil.org.

New Year’s Eve party at the Lyric Theatre

The Lyric Theatre is presenting a New Year’s Eve party with The Drifters at 9 p.m. Dec. 31. The Lyric is planning a full night, including a pre-concert dinner, starting at 6 p.m. Visit lexingtonlyric.com or call 859-280-2201 to see all the options.

Not quite ready for holiday stuff?

The Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) Theatre Program in collaboration with the BCTC Film Program present “The Next Moment,” which explores what the future of the arts might look like based on interviews with arts professionals around the country. The program is interpretations of those discussions by students under the direction of Tim X. Davis and Jeremy Gillett. It streams at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3 and 4 on the Theatre Program’s YouTube Page. Visit bluegrass.kctcs.edu/education-training/programs/theatre for more information.

This story was originally published December 1, 2021 at 6:00 AM.