Thursday 12.13
Two Great Tastes The latest in The Florida Orchestra's series of Coffee Concerts combines the stately dissonance and elaborate ornamentation of baroque music with the sugary doughnuts and aromatic coffee of Krispy Kreme. The concert, cleverly titled Coffee Goes for Baroque, features soloist James Connors on the violoncello. Thomas Wilkins conducts the program, which includes Handel's Entrance of the Queen of Sheba from Solomon, Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3 and Haydn's Cello Concerto in C. The concert takes place at 11 a.m. at the Mahaffey Theater. Tickets cost $17, $20, $24 and $26. Mahaffey Theater is at the Bayfront Center, 400 First St. S., St. Petersburg (727-892-5798).
A Requiem for a Holiday The imaginative genius of Tim Burton (Batman, Sleepy Hollow) and 10 original songs by his regular soundtrack sidekick Danny Elfman (late of Oingo Boingo) have made The Nightmare Before Christmas a darkly sweet holiday classic. The visionary stop-motion animation tale follows Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, who looses faith in his holiday and decides to spread Christmas joy to the world. But his well-meaning mission unwittingly puts Santa Claus in jeopardy and creates nightmares for all good little girls and boys. The 76-minute film is being shown at 6 p.m. at the Salvador Dali Museum with free refreshments. The film is free with admission, which is half price ($5) on Thursdays. The Salvador Dali Museum is at 1000 Third St. S., St. Pete. (727-823-3767).
Friday 12.14
Fashionably Absent Vitale Bros. Artworks and the Tampa Museum of Art have put together No Show, a visual/sound program consisting of works by 35 local and national artists. Among the featured artists are Bask, Derek Hess, Lennie Mace, Kathie Olivas and P$ynner. Additional presentations include an outdoor fashion show of designer Courtney Kessel's new line and an experimental video projection display by David Lebatard, Steve Tincky, Dugg Hadden and Industrial Strength. Tying the show together is an array of live performances and music spun by such DJs as Muggles and Digital Pimps. The show takes place from 7 p.m. to midnight at the Tampa Museum of Art, 600 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa. Call 727-520-0969.
Flipped Script The classic holiday ballet, the Nutcracker, has received a multicultural makeover and a remix, coolly reborn as the Chocolate Nutcracker. Set in 1950s Harlem, the story remains basically unchanged, except that the main character, Clara, gets a nutcracker made of chocolate instead of wood, and her dream takes her through Africa, Cuba and the make-believe Funkland. The production is infused with jazz, African and Afro-Cuban music, with dancers performing pointe, modern and hip-hop. The show takes place at 7 p.m. at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Tickets cost $17. Ruth Eckerd Hall is at 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater (727-791-7400).
Saturday 12.15
Un-silent Night A benefit for WMNF-88.5 FM, The Holidays Schmolidays features 14 of the Bay's best bands playing twisted and traditional interpretations of popular holiday songs. Each band covers three tunes in styles as diverse as the lineup, which includes Barely Pink (power pop), The Dagari Jazz Trio, Midnight Bowling League (rockabilly) and Gumbi Ortiz (Afro-Cuban/worldbeat). The show starts at 7 p.m. at Skipper's Smokehouse. Tickets cost $10. Skipper's is at 910 Skipper Road, Tampa (813-971-0666).
Happy Hallucinations Club Fun hosts Hallucination Before Christmas 2001, featuring Hallucination recording artists DJ Monk, Confucius and Bunny (of Rabbit in the Moon) and Grumptronix. Also in attendance is Tommy Sunshine, Skandalous and MC Cles-One. Everyone receives XXX-mas gifts compliments of the show's more than 25 sponsors. Hallucination is going to highlight four brand new 12-inch and CD releases from Jackal & Hyde, DJ Monk vs. The Track Mack, HouseWrecka and Grumptronix. Cover costs $10 with a can of food before 11 p.m. (canned food drive to benefit Divine Providence Food Bank). Doors open at 9 p.m. and the party goes until 3 a.m. Club Fun is at 1507 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City (813-247-4225).
Sunday 12.16
The Man, the Myth, the Holiday American Stage celebrates the holiday season with its Theater for Families production of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, a musical based on the timeless Christmas poem. This original work explores the legend of Santa Claus, from Santa's boyhood to his present job as Father Christmas. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas opens Dec. 14 and runs through Dec. 30, with show times at 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. There are two Friday matinees at 10 a.m. Dec. 21 and at 3 p.m. Dec. 28, and no performances Dec. 24 or 25. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $7 for children 12 and under. American Stage is at 211 Third St. S., St. Petersburg (727-823-7529).
Old School Toons Tampa Theatre screens beautiful 35-millimeter archive prints of classic Columbia cartoon shorts not seen in decades. Dating from 1931 to the mid 1950s, the collection features Mr. Magoo, Krazy Kat, Scrappy, The Fox & the Crow, Gerald McBoing Boing and more. Tickets for the 3 p.m. matinee cost $5. (Each ticket includes a 25-cent theater restoration fee.) Tampa Theatre is at 711 Franklin St., Tampa (813-274-8286).
Monday 12.17
Seasonal Super Pop Former Boston Pops arranger Richard Hayman guest conducts The Florida Orchestra in a Magical Christmas Concert. The program features the holiday medley Skater's Waltz, Hayman's own arrangement of O Sanctissima and the Winter Waltz. There's also a sing-along with printed lyrics provided for everyone. But to ensure you have a merry-old time doing holiday karaoke, you might want to knock back a few eggnogs before you take your seat. Performances take place at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14, at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center; at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16, at Ruth Eckerd Hall; and at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 17, at the Mahaffey Theater. Tickets cost $20, $29, $35 and $38. TBPAC is at 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa (813-229-7827). Ruth Eckerd Hall is at 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater (727-791-7400). Mahaffey Theater is at the Bayfront Center, 400 First St. S., St. Petersburg (727-892-5798).
Tuesday 12.18
Longhorn Horns Since its founding in 1983, the Dallas Brass has become one of America's foremost musical ensembles. The quintet has established a unique blend of traditional brass instruments complemented by drums and percussion, with a repertoire that includes classical masterpieces, Dixieland and swing. The ensemble appears with symphony orchestras nationwide. The Dallas Brass performs A Merry Christmas with Brass at 1 p.m. at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Tickets cost $12. Ruth Eckerd Hall is at 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater (727-791-7400).
Wednesday 12.19
Tom from TV Los Angeles-based comic Tom McTigue is literate, off-the-wall and hilarious, streaming jokes together from such odd places as the roof of your mouth, bird feeders and the Pope's bathtub. His engaging personality and impeccable timing have landed him more than 50 national TV ads (KFC, Miller and VISA). He's also written for Roseanne, Bill Maher and Gary Shandling. McTigue performs at the Improv through Dec. 23. Tickets cost $12-$16 depending on the night. The Improv is at Centro Ybor, 1600 E. Eighth Ave., Ybor City (813-864-4000).
This article appears in Dec 13-19, 2001.