Thursday 16
HOLIDAY TRIPLE TREAT Attend the seasonal variety show that the Orlando Ballet has christened "Holiday Triple Treat," and you'll be getting in on the ground floor of the company's drive to find a viable alternative to its traditional staging of The Nutcracker. In 2005, the arrival of the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes at Carr Performing Arts Centre will force the ballet to forfeit one week's worth of cash-cow Nutcracker 54performances; a year later, the latter dance perennial will be displaced entirely by a production of The Lion King. The hunt is thus on for the ballet to find a smaller, more portable year-end show that can be ferried from venue to venue as changing circumstances require. That flexibility and a general yen for collaboration are the guiding ideas behind "Treat," a cross-company Christmas tribute in three acts. In the first, the Orlando Chorale will sing seasonal melodies, both solo and with ballet accompaniment. The second act, The Mad Cow Theatre Company's Letters From Father Christmas, will delve into the mailbag of a 1930s-era Santa (Christopher Lee Gibson), who will share the stage with five children. After a second and final intermission, the ballet will perform Skating at the Ballet, a 17-minute marathon that will have male and female dancers taking to the simulated ice. And where did the ballet's school director, Peter Stark, get the idea for this entire variety special? Why, by witnessing the Rockettes' own holiday extravaganza in person. And that, dear friends, is justice. (7:30 p.m. at Carr Performing Arts Centre; 407-839-3900 or www.ticketmaster.com; $10-$45; also 2 p.m. Saturday)
Friday 17
Saturday 18
MERRY TUBACHRISTMAS ORLANDO CONCERT "Wear bright holiday colors and decorate your horn" are the guiding words on the open call for tuba, euphonium, sousaphone and baritone players to participate in the ninth annual outdoor concert in Winter Park. The mishmash of responding musicians signs up at 10 a.m., rehearses, has lunch and then blows some joy to the world in a quirky display of community cheer. The $7 registration fee for participants benefits the Harvey Phillips Foundation in New York, a not-for-profit organization that employs this same concept around the world to continue its mission of developing, expanding and preserving the music arts. According to the national website (www.tubachristmas.com), "the Foundation focuses special attention on musical instruments not ordinarily the object of other support." So carve out some time in that busy holiday schedule for some spirited tuba appreciation. (concert 1 p.m. at the Band Stage, Central Park, Winter Park; 407-647-7238 or 407-296-5560; free to spectators)
Sunday 19
ARS ANTIQUA Christmas Concert Things have been relatively quiet at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum this fall, except for the construction on the new multimillion-dollar facility (opening fall 2005), which is why the old building hasn't been open except for special events. And nothing is more special there than the annual concert by Ars Antiqua, a group of local musicians who don Renaissance dress and break out the krummhorns, cornettino and other instruments authentic to the 15th and 16th centuries to make mirthful music. Started 16 years ago by museum director Arthur Blumenthal, this family-friendly tradition beats in time with the heart of the museum itself educational, uplifting and timeless. Because the galleries are closed, the always sold-out affair will take place this year in the Annie Russell Theatre, so there are more (plushy) seats to fill than are usually available. That means, unbelievably, tickets are still for sale. Ars Antiqua performs a fresh program of music every year, so this is a custom that's well-worn but far from worn-out. (3 p.m. at Annie Russell Theatre, Rollins College; 407-646-2526; $15)
Monday 20
THE VIRGINIA HEIGHTS PROJECT "I'm tired of the fear in this town," grumbles local icon Pat Greene as we quiz him on his upcoming installation, The Virginia Heights Project. A couple of years ago Greene and Tyler Gray (yes, the guy from the last Selection) attempted to "define in clear terms a neighborhood that had started to develop an identity on its own," as Gray says via e-mail. "We had meetings, talked about plans, formed an online community board, etc. I actually went around to almost every house between the railroad tracks at Virginia Drive and Mills Ave., between Lake Formosa and Virginia Drive, and handed out demographic surveys that asked such benign questions as 'Do you have a sense of humor? If yes, please explain.'" Once the Lake Formosa Neighbor-hood Association (the official name of the area's homeowners association) got wind of the project, they promptly dispatched an OPD officer to check into Gray. "He tells me it's not a good idea to be handing out surveys in the neighborhood and that I shouldn't do it. I say, with all due respect, it's done, and I broke no laws in the process .... And I would not stop doing something that was perfectly legal and actually a pretty strong community building effort. I remember him saying something like, 'OK, but if we have any break-ins in the neighborhood, we're going to come knocking on your door.'" So with this outpouring of community involvement, what are Gray and Greene left to do to complete their project? Make up stuff, of course. In that spirit, VHP has become a fake museum exhibit with memorabilia that follows a history of the area from the days of early settlers to its time as a haven for Civil War deserters, hippies and beatniks up to the present time. Enjoy at your own risk, though, because if there are any break-ins, Peacock will surely get raided. (8 p.m. at The Peacock Room, 407-228-0048; free)
Wednesday 22