Twelve days of Christmas

What to do in Winnipeg over the holidays

Quinzy.
The Weakerthans.
Santa. TIMOTHY DYCK/UNITER ARCHIVES

Just because we here at The Uniter are taking a little Christmas publishing break, it doesn’t mean the city’s vibrant arts and culture scene stops. We’ve compiled the best musical, theatrical, crafty, dancey, and just downright Christmas-y things going on in Winnipeg for you all in one place, so you can make the best of your hard-earned Christmas break.

1. The Ever After
Church of the Rock, 1397 Buffalo Pl.
Dec. 2 and Dec. 3
Refreshments at 6 p.m. / Dinner at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets $25 age 15 +

A classic fairytale with a twist: in Christmas dinner theatre fashion, The Ever After takes on daytime television in the form of a fairytale. TV host Monty Hallway invites Cinderella and her “beauty impaired” stepsisters to reunite after being estranged for 20 years. The hilarious parody includes questions from obnoxious studio audience members and infomercials for fairytale products like the Practical Princess Crown, which doubles as a purse and makeup case. For additional info call 261-0070.

2. Time 2 B Fame Us: Identity Theft in Duet
The Rachel Browne Theatre, 2nd floor, 211 Bannatyne Ave.
Dec. 2 to Dec. 5
Saturday at 8 p.m, Sunday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Tickets $15 (regular) and $10 (student/artist/underemployed)

Two infamous Winnipeg performers, Ian and Mia, take on two mega-celebrities: Tom Cruise and Madonna. Time 2 B Fame Us: Identity Theft in Duet digs into our conception of celebrity and hijacks it. This piece melds elements of theatre, performance art, impersonation, lip-sync, dance, butoh (Japanese modern dance) and clown, and features stolen moments from Madonna and Tom Cruise. Reserve tickets at 291-9066.

3. Crafty Minions: The Handmade and Vintage Sale
Aqua Books, 274 Garry St.
Dec. 4
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Free admission

Some of the best new and established crafters in Winnipeg will come together to peddle their wares at this sale. You won’t find any crocheted slippers, washcloths or the like here. Instead, think vintage-inspired handmade dresses, leather and ribbon wrist corsets, funky jewelry, retro aprons hand-embroidered with sassy ’80s pop lyrics, silk-screened courier bags and more.

4. Quinzmas
The West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave.
Dec. 10 and Dec. 11
Doors 7:15 p.m. / Show 8 p.m.
Tickets: $18 in advance, $23 at the door

What is Christmas without Quinzy? The hometown heroes are bringing their Christmas cheer to Winnipeg for the seventh year in a row. Always eager to top themselves, this year they allowed the audience to help choose the set list by allowing fans to vote to bring back one memory of Quinzmas past. Quinzmas 7 features House of Doc, The Esteemed Quinzmas Choir and Horns, and special guest John Mann of Spirit of the West.

5. SantaCon
Anywhere and everywhere
Dec. 11

What better way to celebrate Christmas than to dress up like Santa Claus, get roarin’ drunk and spread your cheer (and alcoholic frenzy) with the rest of the city? I don’t know who came up with this or where it came from but I like it! Expect to see many a drunk Santa roaming the streets of Winnipeg on Dec. 11, and maybe join in on the fun! Visit www.tinyurl.com/UniterSantaCon for details.

6. Jazz Winnipeg Nu Sounds Series: Curtis Nowosad Trio feat. Magnum K.I.
The Park Theatre, 698 Osborne St.
Dec. 12
8 p.m.
Tickets $12 in advance, $15 at the door

The Curtis Nowosad Trio joins forces with Magnum K.I. to combine jazz and hip hop this holiday season. Well-known hip hop songs, jazz standards and Magnum K.I. tunes will be turned on their head – the hip hop made more jazzy, the jazz made more urban. The super group will also feature freestyling by Magnum’s Ismaila, and scratching and sampling by DJ Kutdown.

7. The Weakerthans
The Royal Albert Arms/the WECC/The Pyramid Cabaret/The Burton Cummings Theatre
Dec. 15 to Dec. 18
All shows 8 p.m.
Tickets $32-$33

Christmas in Winnipeg will be extra merry for fans of The Weakerthans. The band will be making the rounds of Winnipeg clubs and playing some of their best-known albums: Fallow at the Albert, with guest Pip Skid; songs from Left & Leaving at the WECC with Del Barber; songs from Reconstruction Site at the Pyramid with Boats!; and songs from Reunion Tour at the Burt with Imaginary Cities. According to the band’s website, the shows are all sold out except the last.

8. JP Hoe Hoe Hoe Holiday Show
The Park Theatre, 698 Osborne St.
Dec. 17 and Dec.18
Doors 7:30 p.m. / Show 8 p.m.
Tickets $20.

For the fifth year in a row, JP Hoe will be spreading holiday cheer to the masses at his annual holiday show. This time around Hoe is bringing along Quinzy, Fred Penner and House of Doc. As always, expect dancing dreidels, holiday treats and the obligatory holiday moustache.

9. Holiday Art Smash Party with Ingrid Gatin
Studio Space, 316 Ross Ave.
Dec. 17 at 8 p.m.
Tickets $10

Winnipeg chanteuse and accordion aficionado Ingrid Gatin brings her trashcan romance to you from 8 p.m. ‘til late at a Ross Avenue studio space with guests Twin, Amir Amiri, Delf Gravert, Sigourney Burrell, DJ Khalin, DJ Ray and more TBA.

10. Legacy Arcade: A Daft Punk Tribute
The Pyramid, 176 Fort St.
Dec. 22 at 9 p.m.
Tickets $5 in advance, $10 at the door

Opening DJ set by Beauchamp, a.k.a. Mike B., and visuals by mrghosty. Expect helmets, pyramids, lights , lasers and visuals. If you’re hungry after the show, show your ticket stub at Casa Burrito and get 50 per cent off.

11. Moses Mayes Surviving Winnipeg Winter Series
The Pyramid, 176 Fort St.
Dec. 23
Tickets $12 in advance, $15 at the door

Moses Mayes plans to get you through another Winnipeg winter with their infectious grooves. Show No. 2 of five in the series features Moses Mayes and members of Chic Gamine. Fans can also look forward to Moses Mayes playing the Pyramid with The Lytics on Jan. 22, with band TBA on Feb. 19 and with JD Edwards on Mar. 19.

12. The Nutcracker
Centennial Concert Hall, 555 Main St.
Dec. 22 to 29.
2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Tickets $34 – $96

This year, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet is putting a slightly Canadian twist on the classic story The Nutcracker and The Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It is set in a grand home on Wellington Crescent and features scenes that include a hockey game on a snowy pond and a battle on Parliament Hill.

Published in Volume 65, Number 14 of The Uniter (December 2, 2010)

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