State's holiday shows accessible online

A pandemic Christmas means that many shows typically being put on in the region and statewide are now online affairs. From the Pine Knot News and Minnesota Public Radio News, here is a list of seasonal shows you can catch online this year.

The ghost story

• In Cloquet, County Seat Theater has a performance of "A Christmas Carol," available via on-demand video Dec. 23-25. The "ticket" price is $9.99 for single view, $14.99 for family view, and the link is good for 24 hours. To book a viewing, go to countyseattheater.com and click on the "on demand tickets" box at the bottom of the home page. Season pass holders can do the same. Call County Seat at 218-878-0071 with any questions.

This particular version of the Charles Dickens story is set up as a live 1940s radio broadcast, complete with vintage commercials for fruitcake (extra fancy), and the magic of live sound effects and musical underscoring. A handful of actors bring dozens of characters to the stage, as the familiar story unfolds: Three ghosts take Ebenezer Scrooge on a thrilling journey to teach him the true meaning of Christmas.

• From Dec. 19 to Dec. 31, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis will be offering a virtual telling of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." This year would have marked the production's 46th consecutive run on the Guthrie stage, but the 2020 adaptation will instead feature four "Christmas Carol" veterans for this reimagined version. Tickets are $10 and are intended for single household use. Once purchased, the show can be viewed an unlimited number of times before the end of the year.

Dance

• St. Paul's Ballet Co.Laboratory is presenting "The Snow Queen" this holiday season. The original ballet is based on Hans Christian Andersen's classic story. In this version by Zoe Emilie Henrot, young Gerda goes on a quest to save her brother who is struck by an "icy fragment" from the queen's magic mirror. It's available for streaming at 7 p.m. Dec. 19 and at 2 p.m. Dec. 20.

• The Minnesota Ballet is offering up "Nutcracker Suite: A Duluth Tale." In this version, "Clara encounters fairies, princes, Lumberjacks, sweets-makers and more" while on a holiday trip. Minnesota Ballet says the full production will be available for download on its website

Dec. 18 for $20.

• Dozens of other ballet companies throughout the country are also offering livestreamed versions of "The Nutcracker."

Song

• The Minnesota Opera's holiday special is now available for streaming through Dec. 27. Tickets for the concert, filmed at the Ordway in St. Paul, start at $10. Also streaming from the Ordway beginning Dec. 19 is "The Night Before Christmas: In Concert" from Minnesota's Grammy-winning Sounds of Blackness. Tickets are $15 and the show is available through Dec. 31.

• The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra is streaming encore broadcasts of Handel's "Messiah." It's available for free at 8 p.m. Dec. 19 and 2 p.m. Dec. 20, but donations are accepted.

• The Penumbra Theatre is streaming a "Celebration of the Soul" at 7 p.m. Dec. 19, showcasing favorites from "Black Nativity." The concert is free but registration is required. Donations are also accepted.

• The Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus will premiere its "Holiday Hotdish" concert at 7 p.m. Dec. 19. Billed as "part concert, part holiday baking show," the concert will be available on YouTube. Viewers will be asked to pay what they can.

• Chanhassen Dinner Theatres will stream a concert honoring two classic Christmas crooners. "The Andy & Bing Christmas" (for Andy Williams and Bing Crosby) will be available Dec. 26 through the end of the year. Tickets start at $20.

• Classical Minnesota Public Radio has a number of specials available for streaming.

MPR will host a virtual "Bring the Sing on the Solstice" at 5 p.m. Dec. 21. Stations will broadcast "This Little Light of Mine" for a giant singalong.

History

At 1 p.m. Dec. 19, historian Alex Weston will guide guests through 150 years of Minnesota holiday traditions in the Hennepin History Museum's 'Tis the Season. Learn about the local history of Hanukkah, Christmas and Ramadan, as well as Kwanzaa, Ōmisoka and Julebukking. Tickets are "pay what you can."