Want more? Here’s everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, and Food.
Dec 6
[Mariah Carey voice] “It’s tiiiime!” Mimi might be the holiday’s reigning queen, but comedian and actor Matt Rogers, cohost of your pop-culture-savvy queer friend’s favorite podcast Las Culturistas, has undoubtedly earned the title of “Pop Prince of Christmas” with his musical comedy TV special and album Have You Heard of Christmas? The hysterical romp features appearances from friends like Bowen Yang and MUNA and is the perfect antidote to Christmas fatigue with its joyfully irreverent take on Yuletide cheer. At his live performance at the Neptune, Rogers will perform songs like “God’s Up to His Tricks!” (in which he calls God a “stupid bitch”), “Lube for the Sleigh,” and “The Hottest Female Up in Whoville.” (Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL
Dec 18–20
This evening of performances treats audiences to three different duets, each springing from long-term creative collaborations and exhibiting different choreographic styles. First up is the US premiere of Fable, a work from Bebe Miller with Angie Hauser and Darrell Jones that promises to explore “findings from a 25-year perspective on the contexts of art making through the body over a lifetime, exposing the collision of their internal processes as dance artists, friends, and citizens.” Next, Maurya Kerr, artistic director of the Bay Area-based company tinypistol, will present comet, whom I love, a “duet full of rapture, orbit, intimacy, fury, and presence.” Rachael Lincoln and Leslie Seiters will cap off the night with Fast Craft: Still Unlike Diving, a “study in pause, friction, and the beautiful collapse of certainty” 25 years in the making. (On the Boards, 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL
Dec 28
Now more than ever, we need comedians who speak truth to power (with caustic wit, of course), because the MSM have proved themselves to be entirely too complicit in downplaying and normalizing 47’s world-class corruption and enshittifcation of America. Thankfully, Roy Wood Jr. is on the case. He’s shown his heady mettle as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show With Trevor Noah and as host of CNN’s Have I Got News for You. His jabs and uppercuts from the left have caused deep bruises on many deserving mofos. As MC of the 2023 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Wood hilariously roasted Dems, Repubs, and the media in a tight 25 minutes. And his takes on race are among the most sizzling in the business, including this one: “But if we get rid of the Confederate flag, how am I gonna know who the dangerous white people are?” Beyond those topics, Wood has funny thoughts about relationships, fatherhood, white allies, the travails of grocery shopping, and the ramifications of getting a BBL, among other things. (Neptune Theatre, 7 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL
Jan 16 & 18
One of my goals for 2026 is to start frequenting the opera—who’s with me? I want to see Seattleites step out of their Blundstones and Patagonias and into their opera gloves, faux furs, and antique opera glasses for an evening of art and glamour. I’ll be kicking off my Year of Opera with Strauss’s underrated masterpiece, Daphne, inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Strauss’s take on the Greek myth tells the story of Daphne, a woman who loves nature but has no interest in human romance, who turns into her favorite laurel tree after mourning the death of her suitor. Not only will this whimsical tale be brought to life on stage by the Seattle Opera, but the Seattle Symphony will join, playing the lush, pastoral score. (McCaw Hall, various times, all ages) AUDREY VANN
Jan 29–31
Majorette dance has been a staple of Black girlhood since the 1960s, when it was popularized at HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) in the American South. Dressed in their signature glittery costumes, majorettes dance alongside marching bands and display bold showmanship, glamour, precision, power, and sensuality. In this contemporary performance directed and choreographed by Ogemdi Ude, six Black femmes will pay homage to the majorette dance form, accompanied by composer Robert Lambkin’s score blending “Southern rap, horns, drumlines, and melodic R&B and soul.” Back in September, On the Boards executive director Megan Kiskaddon told Stranger staff writer Nathalie Graham that MAJOR is the show everyone must see in the venue’s 2025–2026 season, explaining, “It’s one of those pieces that anyone would get something out of, because it’s so exuberant.” (On the Boards, 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL
Jan 30–Feb 8
Pacific Northwest Ballet’s production of Cinderella was conceived and choreographed in 1994 by founding artistic director and choreographer Kent Stowell, who sought to emphasize the romantic nature of the fairy tale in contrast to the tragicomic sensibilities of earlier modern productions. The result is an enchanting, swoon-worthy confection filled with dazzling costumes by Tony Award-winning costume designer Martin Pakledinaz and fantastical sets by scenic designer Tony Straiges. Fun facts: The production features over 120 costumes, which required more than a mile of tulle to make, and the trim on Cinderella’s ball gown alone took over 100 hours to create and sew. (McCaw Hall, various times, all ages) JULIANNE BELL
More
A Very Die Hard Christmas Through Dec 21, Seattle Public Theater, all ages
Scott Shoemaker’s War on Christmas Through Dec 26, Theatre Off Jackson
How the Queens Stole Christmas Through Dec 28, Queer/Bar, 21+
Pacific Northwest Ballet: The Nutcracker Through Dec 28, McCaw Hall, all ages
A John Waters Christmas Dec 2, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages
A Drag Queen Christmas with Nina West, Lexi Love, Shea Coulee, and more Dec 3, McCaw Hall, 7:30 pm, 18+
Derek Sheen: Unrelatable (Live Taping) with Emma Schmuckler Dec 4, Clock-Out Lounge, 8:30 pm, 21+
Disney’s The Lion King Dec 4–Jan 4, Paramount Theatre, all ages
Alaska: A Very Alaska Christmas Show Dec 5, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages
The 5th Annual Holly Jolly Holiday Show Dec 7, Neumos, 6 pm, 21+
Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker Dec 10–28, Triple Door
Blue Xmas with Betty Wetter Dec 11, Clock-Out Lounge, 9 pm, 21+
Kitten N’ Lou Present: Jingle All the Gay Dec 12–14, Neptune Theatre, all ages
The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show Dec 23-28, Moore Theatre, all ages
Fortune Feimster: Takin’ Care of Biscuits Dec 31, McCaw Hall, 7 pm, all ages
Seattle Rep Presents: The Heart Sellers Jan 2–Feb 1, Leo K. Theater
Tectonic Theater Project’s Here There Are Blueberries Jan 21–Feb 15, Bagley Wright Theater
Early Warnings
Topdog/Underdog Feb 4–Mar 1, ArtsWest
Bridge Project 2025 with DaeZhane Day, kelly langeslay, and No Girls No Masters Feb 6–8, Velocity
Bosco Presents: GRINDHAUS Feb 7, The Crocodile, 10:30 pm, 21+
The Wiz Feb 10, Paramount Theatre, all ages
The Serpent Sisters Tour: Nymphia Wind and Plastique Tiara Feb 15, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages
John Jarboe’s Rose: You Are Who You Eat Feb 19–21, On the Boards, 8 pm
Fellow Travellers Feb 21–Mar 1, McCaw Hall
Amy O’Neal: Again, There Is No Other (The Remix) Mar 26–28, On the Boards, 8 pm
Pacific Northwest Ballet Presents: Giselle Apr 10–19, McCaw Hall, all ages
Jonathan Van Ness Apr 24, Moore Theatre, 8 pm, all ages
Margaret Cho Apr 29, Moore Theatre, 7 pm, all ages
