Deck the Theater Halls

Generally speaking, there are two seasonal treats that the holidays can be counted on to provide in large amounts: fruit cakes and theater (sometimes, though not necessarily, at the same time). With a winter chill in the air and the velvet curtains about to part on a plethora of holiday themed shows, Bay Windows plans to keep you updated weekly on the overflowing options building like mounds of snow on the New England stages.

This week, we focus on three shows that offer a slightly twisted take on the holiday season.

All About Christmas Eve

Aging actresses, obsessive backstabbing fans, drag queens: gift wrap all three under the sparkling banner of "the happiest time of the year," and you have a night out at the theater that would be criminal to miss. "All About Christmas Eve" is not just the newest spoof sensation by local playwright/performer Ryan Landry and the Gold Dust Orphans theater troupe, but it's also Landry's attempt to restore intelligence and humor to the Boston theater scene (with a dash of drag queens for added effect, naturally).

"[Our audiences] express a longing for quality in their lives, as well as a little imagination. That's where we come in," says Landry. He adds that his satire's source material is a great starting point to provide those things. "'All About Eve' has stood the test of time for a reason," he adds.

For the uninitiated, the classic Bette Davis film "All About Eve" tells the story of aging Broadway starlet Margo Channing (Davis), and a young, overly helpful fan named Eve who ultimately threatens both Channing's career and personal relationships in a quest to further her own selfish aspiration. While the material may be a touch dark for what is supposed to be a Christmas time spoof, Landry does this on purpose. "The main purpose of the Orphans is for people to forget their troubles and have fun!," said Landry. "We plan to have an absolute ball with 'All About Christmas Eve'."

All About Christmas Eve plays Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. (plus select 4 p.m. Sunday matinees) from Dec. 5, 2008 through Jan. 3, 2009. For specific show dates, ticket prices and purchasing info, visit: www.golddustorphans.com.

Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical

Ask actor Stefan Karl if he has anything in common with the famously green-skinned monster he plays on stage, and you'll get a surprising response from the star of a holiday show.

"Absolutely," he says. "I hate Christmas a bit myself."

Hold your reindeers. Unlike the Grinch character that Karl inhabits on stage in this live rendition of Dr. Seuss' beloved children's book, the actor's heart isn't two sizes too small. Rather, he's just waxing sentimental on the way that the true meaning of the holidays can be lost in the hustle and bustle of modern life. "I have four children," says Karl, who also makes a living entertaining kids on the Nickelodeon show "LazyTown". "I try to make the whole Christmas thing as exciting as possible. ... It's not as though we sit down every night and talk about the meaning of Christmas," he laughs. "But we try to keep it low profile and plan nice evenings together."

Other parents looking for similar ways to keep Christmas consumerism in check might consider a night with the little ones at "Grinch". After all, the kiddie classic can make for a mature conversation starter. "I think that the story is telling us that we've lost the Christmas spirit," says Karl. "It makes us all crazy... when the holiday is coming you look out and see the decorated Coca Cola trucks driving down the street. It makes you think, 'What is this whole thing really about?'"

The answer, says Stefan, is not always "more."

"We have 13 Santa Clauses in Iceland," says Karl, who hails from the small northern nation. "One Santa Claus wasn't enough for us, so we had to add 12 more," he laughs. "You place a shoe in the window, and they each leave you a present every night."

For local audiences, with its faithful recreation of Whoville, dinners of roast beast, and a selection of songs bound to bring holiday cheer, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" may prove to be the more familiar yuletide tradition.

"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical" plays at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theater (270 Tremont St., Boston) from Nov. 26 through Dec. 28. For a full list of show times, price levels and to purchase tickets, visit: www.citicenter.org.

The Seafarer

It brings a sense of relief to go to the theater and see a portrayal of Christmas that reinforces an understanding that many share: even the happiest time of the year can be wrought with much darkness. This is the idea brought to life in "The Seafarer", the 2008 Tony Award winning play about one Christmas eve in Dublin when a group of men reunite for a high stakes evening of card playing, one that might result in one man gambling away his salvation to the devil. At first glance, this may seem like awfully dark theater in a season of so much light, but star Larry Coen, who is also associate director at City Stage Co. in the South End of Boston, explains that such heavy themes are what make for Christmas classics.

"I think it's a great Christmas story, and I think ... the really great Christmas stories are those that affect us and that we remember for a long time," explains Coen. "They are all plays that really go to the darkness that the holidays can make us feel before they take us through to a positive thing."

After all this talk of darkness, it may seem surprising that the play also provides peeks of comic relief on multiple occasions. In that phrase, emphasis should be placed on the second word, says Coen.

"In order to create really great comedy, you must create tension, apprehension and fear," says Coen. "[That way] when laughter is a release for something, it is much more powerful than laughter that is just pleasant. In the midst of all the dark, of all the unhappiness, of all the tension, when the comedy happens it's a very powerful thing because it provides balance to the drama."

SpeakEasy Stage Company stages The Seafarer through Dec. 13 at the Boston Center for the Arts Calderwood Pavilion (539 Tremont St., Boston). For specific show times, ticketing prices and more info, visit: www.speakeasystage.com.