While You’re In: Enjoy a ‘Nutty Cracker,’ get silly with Scots, and rock out the old year

Something ‘Nutty’

With theaters closed, there’s a vast buffet of more-or-less local holiday classics — both traditional and twisted — available online, and more keep popping up all the time. The latest: Studio West Dance Theatre’s “The Nutty Cracker,” a humorous take on Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet. A recording of the Olympia dance company’s 2018 production, which was performed just once, is available for streaming through Jan. 2. Tickets are $28 and grant access for a 48-hour period. What can “Nutcracker” fans expect? “There’ll be random quirky appearances by characters from other ballets,” Stephanie Wood-Ennett, the company’s co-director, told the Olympian in 2018. “It’s not the traditional production, that’s for sure.”

‘A Hairy Tale’

The National Theatre of Scotland, which has toured in Seattle with such shows as “The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart,” is celebrating the season with “Rapunzel,” a filmed panto (short for pantomime). A panto, for the uninitiated, is a U.K. musical-comedy confection that combines over-acting and kid-friendly silliness with cross-dressing and a few bawdy touches that will go over the heads of wee folk. “Rapunzel” is streaming through Jan. 4, with access by donation.

Songs of survival

There’s no denying that 2020 has been quite a year — and it’s not quite over yet. The Guardian Australia, though, is ready, having come up with a playlist suitable for bidding this year a not-so-fond farewell. Readers voted on the list, and the most popular selection was The Mountain Goats’ 2011 “This Year.” Key lyric: “I am going to make it through this year if it kills me.” The Guardian suggests listening to this just before midnight on Dec. 31, but wouldn’t that send the message that you’re going to be feeling much the same in 2021? Put a more optimistic spin on the transition to a new year by listening — and dancing like Stephen Colbert — to the tune as often as you like before the big moment. No. 2 on the list was “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” by R.E.M. It’s not at all surprising that there is a version of the song with lyrics adapted to the coronavirus, and — get this — it was made by German theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder. “An unforeseen side effect of our self-isolation has been that I produced a music video,” she wrote drily on her blog.

Freelance writer Molly Gilmore wishes you happiness and merriment now and all year long. She talks about local arts, entertainment and more with 95.3 KGY-FM’s Michael Stein from 3 to 4 p.m. Fridays — except on Christmas.

This story was originally published December 23, 2020 at 5:45 AM.