Welcome to One Show to See This Week. Every week I send out a newsletter with the one play or musical I think you should buy a ticket for in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in the next seven days, along with tips for discounts and things to do in the area, because I think theater should be part of your weekly routine. My inbox is always open, as are my DMs. Glad you’re here!
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One Show to See This Week
Black Nativity
Penumbra Theatre, 270 North Kent St., St. Paul, MN 55102
December 4th – 24th
This year marks the 51st production of A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie. Over at the Children’s Theatre Company, Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas is celebrating its 12th production since the stage adaptation premiered at the theater in 1994. Last year, A Very Die Hard Christmas ended its 12-year run by selling out all the performances at Bryant Lake Bowl in 12 minutes.
As with any great theater scene, the Twin Cities has many theatrical traditions around the holidays. I’ve been to all three of the aforementioned classics and a couple others for good measure (Theater Latté Da’s All Is Calm, Tod Petersen’s A Christmas Carole Petersen). But the one I’ve attended the most is also the show I think deserves more attention: Penumbra’s Black Nativity, which is currently on stage in its 33rd production.
It was my parents who first decided to buy tickets to Black Nativity. I think they were looking for a more substantive show for our annual Christmas outing, one that actually dealt with the birth of Jesus rather than papering over the reason for the season with green fur and fake snow.
This is no ordinary nativity play, though. This is an adaptation by the great poet Langston Hughes, first performed in 1961, which weaves together the Christmas story with music and dance, and grounds it all in the African American experience. (If you’re unfamiliar with the show, check out this enlightening article from Dominic Taylor, who has previously directed Black Nativity at Penumbra.)
What if you’re not religious? What if you’re not Christian? What if you’re not black? These are not prerequisites to experience what Taylor calls “a pillar of African American theater,” and what is clearly a pillar of Twin Cities theater.
On some occasions when I’ve attended church on Christmas Eve, I’ve got the feeling that the pastor has had a hard time making the birth of Jesus urgent for those assembled together in their Rudolph and Frosty sweaters. I’ve never had that feeling at Black Nativity. The 2,000-year-old story as told in this 60-year-old adaptation at Penumbra feels as relevant as ever, especially at a time when a white-washed version of Christianity is being promoted at the highest levels of government while those same powers are spending the holidays ripping families apart and generally going against everything Jesus preached.
What to Do Before or After
Just down the street from Penumbra is J. Selby’s, a casual plant-based cafe that I wish was in my neighborhood. If you’re looking for something more upscale, something a little more festive, I’ve never actually eaten a proper dinner at the Lexington but I’ve been to their Williamsburg Room for jazz nights and it’s a blast. And would you look at that, they’ve got a jazz trio there this Friday.
How Much Are Tickets? Any Discounts?
Tickets are $45 for adults, $40 for seniors (65+) and $20 for students (with a valid college ID). There are plenty available still this week, though the Saturday and Sunday matinees are close to selling out.
A Workshop to Look Forward to in 2026…
Trademark Theater recently opened up tickets for its workshop/reading of a stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. It’s the brainchild of Tyler Michaels King, the founder of Trademark and a local theatermaker who I’ve been a fan of since 2012, and is described like so: “Set in a stark world of white walls and clean lines, this adaptation strips the story to its rawest elements, using live action painting to chart Dorian’s moral descent.”
The workshop is taking place on January 26th at Mixed Blood and tickets are pay what you choose ($15 to $55). If you need something to look forward to in the new year, I highly suggest taking a chance on this. Hope to see you there.
Question of the Week
What’s a holiday (or holiday-adjacent) show you wish a theater company would turn into a Twin Cities tradition? For me, it’s got to be Rent.
Christmas bells are ringing…
Alex
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