HOLIDAY TREATS

by D.L. Groover

Holiday entertainment treats in the Bayou City are not limited to dancing sugarplums, the redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge, or a standing ovation for the Hallelujah Chorus. Naturally, these are the major Christmas shows, and Houston Ballet's sumptuous Nutcracker (through December 29), Alley Theater's Victorian sampler A Christmas Carol (through December 29), and Houston Symphony's rousing Messiah (December 20, 21, 22) should be first on Santa's list if you have never experienced their magic.

But Houston also offers a beguiling smorgasbord of holiday delights that aren't particularly geared to jolly Saint Nick. Some are downright Tim Burton, some actually gay. But they all have enough whimsy and charm to overfill a stocking and keep the family (whatever that may be to you) purring until New Year's. After that, you're on your own.

A Christmas Memory

Nothing was ambiguous about flamboyantly gay and gifted Truman Capote. His tender autobiographical play recalls his boyhood and friendship with cousin Miss Sook Faulk. For 20 years, the grand actors Bettye Fitzpatrick ["Theater Queen," September 1997 OutSmart] and Charles Sanders (pictured above) have presented A Christmas Memory downtown at lunchtime in December. This year, they also take their show to Conroe for one night only, presented by the Woodlands Science & Art Center.

• December 12-23

Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas

713/222-2593, ext. 335

• December 16

Montgomery College, 3200 College Park Dr., 281/292-3076

Gay Men's Chorus of Houston

Songs of Heavenly Joy, the chorus's holiday concert, should be as bright and heartwarming as a cozy fire and a hot toddy.

December 7, 10, 13, 14

Bering Memorial United Methodist Church, 713/680-9330

The Wizard of Oz

After Zorro, Some Like It Hot, and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Theatre Under The Stars' track record is hardly sterling. Cubic zirconium is more like it, so we don't expect anything MGM about this one. But in show biz, you can never predict: A great big hit can sometimes rear up and bite you when you least expect. Just like Toto.

December 5-22

Hobby Center, 713/558-8887

Fruit Cocktail

Eric Lane Barnes, author of the acclaimed Fairy Tales, penned this gay musical revue.

Through January 4

Theatre New West, 1415 California

713/522-2204

Black Nativity

2002 marks the centennial of the birth of Langston Hughes, poet/playwright and leading Harlem Renaissance light. Though tight-lipped about his orientation in life, Hughes did once cop to a youthful affair with a sailor and was at the least ambiguous in his affections. For the third year, the Ensemble Theatre presents Black Nativity, told through gospels and spirituals envisioned by Hughes and adapted by company artistic director Marsha Jackson-Randolph.

Through December 22

Ensemble Theatre, 3535 Main, 713/520-0055

A Fertle Holiday

When the dizzy Fertles from Dumpster, Texas, celebrate a holiday reunion with their tony relatives from San Diego, the laughs come thick as Ma Fertle's butter pie. This show, written by Radio Music Theatre's Steve Farrell, launched the Fertle cult cycle 18 years ago. It's as fresh and weird as ever.

Through January 18

Radio Music Theatre, 2623 Colquitt

713/522-7722

Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol

Actor Tom Mula adapted his own 1995 Christmas book, wherein Scrooge is viewed from Marley's point of view, into a one-man holiday show. Wildly successful as both theater piece and radio version, this re-telling of the Dickens classic is performed here by four actors playing 18 roles.

Through December 29

Stages Repertory Theatre, 3201 Allen Parkway

713/527-0123

Whistle Down the Wind

Is the derelict hiding in a Louisiana backwater barn a psychotic escaped murderer, as the adults think, or a manifestation of Christ, as the three children who discover and hide him believe? This musical is not Andrew Lloyd Webber's dubious achieve-ment from 1996, but Russell Labey and Richard Taylor's 1992 version, which was in fact funded by Sir Andrew before he penned his own production.

Through December 22

Masquerade Theatre, 1537 Nth Shepherd

713/861-7045

H.C. Westermann

The surreal, folksy vision of American artist Westermann blossoms into a daffy yet twisted world, just in time for the holidays. Wood sculptures look like furniture; ship models are de-masted and burned. Inside a glass showcase, a tiny man hangs in chains. Think Nightmare Before Christmas, bizarre and darkly funny.

Through January 5

Menil Collection, 1515 Sul Ross

713/525-9400

Slump X-Mas Show

Infernal Bridegroom Production's holiday show is just what you would expect from them.

Opening December 14

The Axiom, 2524 McKinney

A Renaissance Noel

Collegium Musicum

December 7

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

MORE HOLIDAY TREATS

THEATER

As It Is in Heaven is a new play that explores how a Shaker community in 1830s rural Kentucky reacts when several of its younger members claim to see angels. This Houston premiere plays at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, December 6, 2002-January 11, 2003, @ the Company Onstage, 536 Westbury Square. Tickets are $12. Reservations: 713/726-1219.

Frosty the Snowman. The children of Glenville love their unique new friend who can walk, talk, dance, and even sing! When Magnificent Max tempts Frosty into show business, he has to make an important decision with help from all of his new friends. 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Saturdays, through January 4, 2003, @ the Company Onstage, 536 Westbury Square. Tickets are $6. Reservations recommended: 713/726-1219.

The Toys Take Over Christmas. A show for families of all faiths, Toys reminds us of the power of generosity and love. A very special rag doll teaches her fellow toys and their creator that it is never too late to find the joy of forgiveness and compassion. Through December 24 @ Stages Repertory Theatre, 3201 Allen Parkway. Tickets are $8. More info/reservations: 713/527-0220 or www.stagestheatre.com.

A Tuna Christmas. Prepare yourself for sidesplitting laughter-it's the return of those beloved Texans: Didi Snavely (who runs the used-gun shop); her husband, R.R. (who sees UFOs as his rescue from marriage); Aunt Pearl (who poisons poodles trespassing on her yard); and all their neighbors. Joe Sears (left) and Jaston Williams portray all 24 denizens of Tuna, Texas. 8 p.m., December 10-12 @ the Cullen Theater in the Wortham Center. Tickets ($32-$41) at Ticketmaster, 713/629-3700, or www.ticketmaster.com. • Or if you can't make any of these performances, A Tuna Christmas will be in Gal-veston, December 17-22 @ the Grand 1894 Opera House, 2020 Postoffice, 800/821-1894, www.thegrand.com. Tickets from $11-$48.

SONG

A Christmas Songfest. Guests sign up to sing Christmas songs on stage in groups or singles for a prize at the end of the evening. Entertainers Sharon Montgomery, Terry Pierce, Bubba McNeely, and Kim Yvette will be standing by to assist the timid. To close out the evening, Atwood and Montgomery and Divas will shake up the dance floor with Dangerous Disco and rockin' Christmas songs. The evening features an open bar, a bountiful dinner buffet, and a silent auction. Tickets are $50, available only at the door. Bering Omega Community Services and The Center for AIDS are this year's beneficiaries. 5:30 p.m., Sunday, December 8 @ the Edwin Hornberger Conference Center. Table reservations/info: John Walt, 713/868-9585.

Gloria. The Mercury Baroque Ensemble presents its annual Christmas concert which features Handel's Gloria, a recently discovered work by composer of Messiah. The group will also play a collection of charming Italian Christmas concerti & instrumental French carols. 8 p.m., Thursday, December 5, @ St. Anne's Catholic Church, 2140 Westheimer. Tickets $20 ($10 students/seniors). For reservations/info, call 713/498-4853 or visit www. MercuryBaroqueEnsemble.org.

DANCE

Messiah. Several Dancers Core presents CORE Performance Company in an evening of dance with Messiah. 7:30 p.m., Friday, December 6 @ the Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. Tickets $20 ($18 students/seniors/working artists) are available at the Hobby Center's box office at 713/315-2525 or by visiting www.severaldancerscore.org. For more information, call 713/862-5530.

SONG & DANCE

La Noche Buena: Latino Christmas en Tejas. Society for the Performing Arts presents this program that shares historical and cultural vignettes from the many holiday feasts and celebrations that continue to connect Latinos in the U.S. to their homelands. Austin Tejana songstress Tish Hinojosa performs her unique brand of Christmas canciones. Angel Ibanez will lead the Latino music ensemble Guanahani in a wide range of Latin American Christmas songs. The Round Rock Ballet Folklorico and Houston's own Mariachi MECCA will be featured throughout the program. 8 p.m., Friday, December 13 @ Wortham Center's Cullen Theater. Tickets ($29-$45) can be purchased online at www.spahouston.org, by phone at 713/227-4SPA, or at the box office at Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana. More info: Society for the Performing Arts at 713/227-4SPA.

FILM

It's a Wonderful Life. Sure, you can watch it on TV, but this most beloved of Jimmy Stewart films must be seen two stories high with hundreds of others to be fully appreciated. Special guests, prizes, and a generous spirit will make this a cinema event to remember. Tickets are NOT FOR SALE! Beginning at 4 p.m. the day of the show, the public is invited to exchange a new, unopened, unwrapped toy at the box office for a pass for admission to the film. All toys will go directly to the Houston Chapter of Toys for Tots. 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, December 18 @ River Oaks Theatre, 2009 West Gray, 713/524-2175, www.landmarktheatres.com.

MISCELLANEOUS

Holiday Home Tour & Wreath Auction. The Houston Heights Association presents its 12th annual Holiday Home Tour with a showcase of six residences. The tour will also include a wreath auction at the Heights Fire Station on Saturday, December 7, 3-11 p.m. Homes will be shown from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, December 6, and 3-9 p.m. on Saturday, December 7. Tickets $15. More info: event chair Danae Stephenson at 713/869-5242 or wreath auction chair Julie Pettit at 713/526-1501. Visit www.houstonheights.org.

Yuletide at Bayou Bend. For this annual celebration, eight rooms on the first floor of Bayou Bend, the former home of Houston philanthropist Miss Ima Hogg, are decorated to reflect seasonal events. $10 adults, $8.50 seniors (65+)/students with ID, and $5 children (10-18). Through December 31. Reservations are required. For more info/reservations, call 713/639-7750.

NEW YEAR'S EVE

JR's Bar and Grill New Year's Eve Party with the Top Ten Videos of 2002. DJ/VJ Doug Barnes. Champagne toast at midnight. Cash balloon drops, noisemakers, confetti, etc. Valet parking available. No cover. Tuesday, December 31, 808 Pacific, 713/521-2519.

Montrose Mining Company New Year's Eve Party with DJ John Simms. Champagne toast at midnight. Cash balloon drops, noisemakers, confetti, etc. No cover. Tuesday, December 31, 805 Pacific, 713/529-7488.

South Beach New Year's Eve Party with guest DJ Chris Cox of Thunderpuss. It's a CD-release party for his CD 12 Inches of Cox. Champagne toast at midnight, much more. Advance tickets at JR's, M2M, & South Beach. Tuesday, December 31. Info: 713/529-SOBE or 713/521-0107.