The Salem News - December 9, 2005

Lifestyle

Season's meetings

By Rebecca Schoonmaker
Staff writer

Confessions of disgruntled reindeer, foolish shepherds and plenty of nutcrackers and Scrooges will grace the North Shore this holiday season.

You can see a show, hear holiday tunes and pick up some last-minute gifts from a crafts fair. So if you haven't planned a family outing or gathering with friends yet, check out what the area has to offer.

See a traditional performance, such as the North Shore Music Theatre's "A Christmas Carol," now in its 17th year; "The Shepherd's Play," a somewhat comical faculty nativity show at the Cape Ann Waldorf School; or the New England Ballet Ensemble's rendition of the Christmas classic "The Nutcracker."

Take in some classic seasonal sounds as Symphony by the Sea finishes out a busy year - which included a performance before 8,000 people at the Esplanade in Boston in July - with their Holiday Pops Concert. The show will feature pieces from "The Nutcracker," "Babes in Toyland" and more, plus a family sing-along afterward.

"This is gonna be a lot of fun. It's a great time for families," says Barry Weinstein, president of the Symphony by the Sea board. "People always love it when we get to the end and start singing."

Or, experience a newer take on Christmas, such as Salem State College theater troupe The X-Mas Project's second annual production of "The Eight: Reindeer Monologues." It's a police interrogation of Santa's famous fleet that offers "a look at today's society in the eyes of reindeer," says the show's producer, Anthony Goes.

"It's a very raw show, but by putting it in the context of reindeer, it makes it less edgy," he says. "There's talk of Santa, of Rudolph - it references Christmas themes."

These particular deer are aimed at adult audiences, but there is no shortage of kids' activities. "Music, Magic and Merriment" at the Cove Community Center in Beverly is rounding up storyteller Tony Toledo, magician Mitch Clark-Goldfeld and musicians Daniel Kennedy and John Rockwell for a holiday concert event.

And the lineup of festivities lasts right up until Santa leaves the North Pole on Christmas Eve.

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