Beloved holiday stories fill local stages and screens this weekend and beyond
Holiday spirit(s)
Seasonal spirit and otherworldly spirits are plentiful in Harlequin Productions’ “A Christmas Carol,” on stage through Tuesday, Dec. 24. The company’s take on Charles Dickens’ classic tale of redemption continues to evolve. The scene in which Jacob Marley (Teri Lee Thomas) visits Scrooge (Terry Edward Moore) might be even scarier in this version than it was last year, and the turkey the reformed Scrooge sends to the Cratchit family seems even bigger. The current production also features a quartet of carolers who sweetly set the scene both on and off stage. Remaining performances are at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19-21 and 23 and 2 p.m. Dec. 21, 22 and 24 at the State Theater, 202 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia. Tickets are $33-$55. For the Dec. 19 performance and the Dec. 21 matinee, pay what you choose.
Another ‘Carol’ and a jolly ‘Elf’
The Olympia Film Society is making merry with screenings of “The Muppet Christmas Carol” and “Elf.” The Muppets’ version of “Carol,” with Michael Caine as Scrooge and Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit, has long been a favorite of Audrey Henley, the film society’s executive director. “The Muppets have been a significant part of my life, with their stories and songs woven through my days for as long as I can remember,” Henley wrote on the society’s website. The 1992 film is screening at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, and Sunday, Dec. 22 and 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, at the Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $5-$12. Will Ferrell’s “Elf” — about a human being raised at the North Pole — is the society’s current Kids Club selection. Those 12 and younger are admitted free to the screenings, happening at 1 p.m. Sundays, Dec. 22 and 29.
‘Fiddler’ for Christmas
It’s long been a tradition — and a joke — that Christmas for Jewish people means seeing a movie and eating Chinese food. There aren’t — or weren’t — many other options, after all. It’s a tradition that Olympia’s Temple Beth Hatfiloh celebrates, sponsoring a Dec. 25 film screening, along with a coat and blanket drive. This year’s chosen film is the musical classic “Fiddler on the Roof,” which the temple also showed in 2023. The film will begin at 4 p.m. at the Capitol Theater, with doors open at 3. Costumes are encouraged. Tickets are $13, $10 for film-society members.
Freelance writer Molly Gilmore watched “Fiddler” at the Capital Theater last Christmas, leaving her husband at home to cook dinner. She talks with DJ Kevin the Brit about what’s happening around town on KGY-FM’s “Oly in a Can,” airing at 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Fridays.