QUEER CHEER!d
Connie Champagne
Holiday Events and Shows • by David-Elijah Nahmod
H
o, ho ho! It’s that time of year again. December’s holiday-themed live shows and concerts should please anyone with alternative and traditional tastes. December 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of our world renowned San Francisco Symphony. On Friday, December 8, 1911, conductor Henry Hadley picked up his baton to lead the newly formed San Francisco Orchestra’s first ever concert. The Symphony celebrates its centennial and the holidays with a plethora of fun events, some for us grown-ups and some that our LGBT families can bring the kids to. All events are at Davies Symphony Hall (201 Van Ness, 864-6000). www.sfsymphony.org On Saturday, December 10 at 1 and 4pm, Sunday December 11 at 3pm, bask in the star power of Broadway legend and gay icon Chita Rivera as she narrates the Symphony’s holiday production of Peter and the Wolf. Musical selections include Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. Tickets range from $15-57. Sunday December 11 also hosts holiday hits from the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Tommy James conducts, beginning at 8pm. $15-68. Join Jennifer Holliday, the original Dreamgirl, and other Broadway luminaries such as Ben Vereen, Lea Salonga, and pop icon Peabo Bryson for the Symphony’s presentation of The Colors of Christmas. On Wednesday, December 14, and Thursday December 15, at 8pm on both evenings, the stars will perform holiday favorites, plus their own hits. $15-86. Davies Symphony Hall might be the place to ring in 2012. Come join the Symphony for a wild and wonderful New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball. Masks will be provided. The Martini Brothers will perform swing music in the lobby, or you can dance on the fabulous Davies stage while the Peter Minton Orchestra serenades you. The fun starts at 9PM. $85195. www.sfsymphony.org The uber-elegant Rrazz Room inside the Hotel Nikko (222 Mason, 394-1189) has plenty of classy entertainment for the holiday season. Katya Smirnoff-Skky serves up a “tipsy” night of new and classic holiday cheer, Tuesday, December 6 at 8pm. $30. On Wednesday, December 7, at 8pm, folkrock songbird Maria Muldaur (“Midnight at the Oasis”) offers her annual Blues and Jazz Christmas Concert. $35. 4 BAR★TAB • bartabsf.com • December 2011
Kent Taylor
The following week, San Francisco is visited by another legend of the Great White Way. Franc D’Ambrosio, best known as the longest running Phantom of the Opera in Broadway history, will perform his show It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas. The handsome, openly gay singer will perform from Tuesday, December 13 through Saturday December 17 at 8pm, with an added show on Sunday, December 18 at 7pm. $30-40. Two gay icons, both inhabiting the same body, ring in the holidays when local legend Connie Champagne performs as cinema legend Judy Garland. What’s Christmas without Judy? In Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, you can bask in holiday songs, special guests, and Santa Claus. Sunday December 18 at 4pm, and Monday December 19 at 8pm. $32-50. Sharon McNight will “sleigh” you when she tosses Twisted Xmas: A Druid’s View of the Holidays at you on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 20 and 21, at 8pm. An irreverent look at the holidays, McNight presents an alternative choice from the expected songs. She has stockpiled myriad and outrageous wacky musical commentaries about the 12 Days of Christmas. Targets include Santa, Jesus, Teddy Bears, elves, snow and Bette Davis. $30. For jazzy fun with a big band sound, spend Christmas Night with the Fabulous Bud. E. Luv. On Sunday, December 25 at 7pm. $25. www.therrazzroom If you’re feeling like “the only kid on the block without a Christmas tree,” then head over to the New Asia Restaurant (722 Pacific St.) for an evening of