Morgantown’s theaters are your ticket to seasonal delights.
written by Christy Perry Tuohey
As you hang holiday decorations and wrap presents, why not take time to treat yourself to the gift of local, live holiday plays, music, and dance? Here’s the line-up.
Morgantown Theatre Company
Buddy the Elf was right: “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!” That’s exactly what the cast of Morgantown Theatre Company’s Elf JR: The Musical will deliver. If you’ve seen the classic Christmas movie Elf starring Will Ferrell as Buddy, you know that he’s not the cotton-headed ninny muggins he thinks he is. The local youth theater company will bring the stage version to life December 13–15 at the Metropolitan Theatre.
West Virginia Public Theatre
Contrast Buddy’s Christmas spirit with Ebenezer Scrooge’s bah humbug attitude. That is, until the curmudgeonly character watches the spirits of his past, present, and future parade by in A Christmas Carol. Public Theatre Artistic Director Jerry McGonigle has assembled a cast combining professional actors, college students, and youth performers. “We get to bring in actors from all across the country and work with the university to bring Victorian London to Morgantown,” he says. A Christmas Carol runs December 7–11 in the Lyell B. Clay Theatre at WVU’s Canady Creative Arts Center.
Morgantown Metropolitan Theatre
The historic Metropolitan Theatre hosts several holiday shows this season. Morgantown Dance, featuring 77 dancers ranging in age from five to 70-plus, will perform Tchaikovsky’s timeless Nutcracker Ballet. Clara’s noble Nutcracker will face off with the mischievous Mouse King on Saturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8
On December 16, A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live On Stage comes to the Met. Linus, Lucy, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the gang will present the classic holiday story we’ve all loved watching on TV over the years, and at show’s end, the audience is invited to join the cast in singing traditional Christmas songs and carols.
Rounding out 2024, Feel the Love of Christmas: A Taylor Family Christmas is coming to town. You may remember the late musician and recording artist B.E. Taylor performing annual Christmas concerts before his untimely death eight years ago. His son B.C. continues his father’s holiday show legacy, featuring modern arrangements of timeless Christmas music. The Taylor Family takes the Met stage December 19.
READ MORE ARTICLES FROM MORGANTOWN LOWDOWN
This story from the Winter edition of Morgantown magazine has been modified to omit a show that ran before our scheduled post.
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