As the holidays creep steadily nearer, area artists and venues are gearing up for annual holiday shows and new Christmas comedies to fill each chilly December weekend.
"I think people love tradition at Christmas," said Josh Rafsky, an MSU-Detroit College of Law first-year student, as he carried his coffee to a table at Espresso Royale Caffe, 527 E. Grand River Ave.
Rafsky remembers liking "The Nutcracker" as a child, but said given the choice, he'd "rather see a musical."
From Handel's "Messiah" Saturday at the Wharton Center to Kenny Rogers' "Christmas from the Heart," the choices for holiday entertainment abound this season. Rogers will perform at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Breslin Center.
Another option is the Greater Lansing Ballet Performing Company's sixth annual production of "The Nutcracker Ballet," directed by the company's artistic director, Barbara Smith.
"The challenge is every year I have to create new ideas, new characters," Smith said. "Last year we had gingerbread children. This year we have candy canes and Dum Dums."
Ballets like "The Nutcracker" have become standard holiday fare for area families, as evidenced by packed houses year after year.
"It has become a traditional event during the Christmas and holiday season," Smith said of the Tchaikovsky ballet. "Whether you're young or old, you can relate to the Christmas tree and the gathering of family and friends. It's very magical."
Kinesiology junior Angie DeWolf, who said she has been dancing since the age of three, has performed in "The Nutcracker" seven times and has yet to tire of it.
"It's my favorite performance," she said. "I want to be in it every year. It's just a lot of fun."
DeWolf said children can relate to "The Nutcracker" more than other ballets because of the acting and the characters.
And Smith agreed the performance is accessible and enjoyable for families.
"For people who have never seen ballet, this is a wonderful introduction to the art form because they can relate to the storyline and they'll find it very enjoyable to view," she said. "I'm sure they'll want to see another performance of ballet."
"The Nutcracker" will play at the Auditorium's Fairchild Theatre on Dec. 14 and 15.
For the more classically-minded, the MSU Choral Union and Chorale will perform Handel's "Messiah" with the MSU Chamber Orchestra on Saturday at Wharton Center. The choirs will then travel to Detroit to perform the work with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on Dec. 13 and 14.
"I think the music separate from the narrative is universally appealing," said David Rayl, the director of choral activities. "Handel specifically created art he could sell tickets to."
"Messiah," which in its entirety runs about three hours, will be condensed to about an hour and a half of music.
"I find an enormous amount of variety and freshness in the music," Rayl said. "There's an immediacy of accessibility to audiences
