Weekend Arts Agenda: Chinese Lantern Festival
Plus: The Tao of Bill Murray, A Christmas Carol, and Christmas comedy
A three story pagoda stands in Centennial Olympic Park, beckoning people to attend the Chinese Lantern Festival. 25 decorative lanterns illuminate the park, alongside hand crafted flowers and a 200-foot-dragon. Edible sugar dragons will be served. Acrobats, dancers, and theater performers provide nightly entertainment. Opens 6 p.m. Dec. 9. Runs through Jan. 15.
ON THURSDAY
›› Gavin Edwards, New York Times bestselling author of VJ:The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave, documents some of the bizarre adventures of America’s favorite ghost-fighting, Groundhog Day-repeating comedian. Bill Murray once paid a child $5 to ride a bike into a swimming pool and convinced Harvard’s JV women’s basketball team to play a private game of hoops with him. Edwards distills Murray’s offbeat outlook on life into principles anyone can follow in The Tao of Bill Murray. 7 p.m. at A Cappella Book.
ON FRIDAY
›› In Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the Center for Puppetry Arts mounts a family-friendly rendition of the 1964 classic stop-motion flick. Rudolph travels throughout the North Pole in search of somewhere he can be himself, glowing nose and all. Get your picture taken with one of the show’s puppets after the performance. 10 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. at The Center for Puppetry Arts
ON SATURDAY
›› In Lost Without Yule, Highwire Comedy uses sketch comedy to explore the highs and lows of the Christmas season. The show has the trials of gifting a friend a demon, first love, and dealing with awkward family gatherings, all tied up with a bow. Or rather, with standup comedy provided by Hayley Ellman. 8 p.m. at Highwire Comedy.
ON SUNDAY
›› The Alliance Theatre assembles an all-star cast of Atlanta actors for its rendition of A Christmas Carol. The classic story sees greedy Ebeenzer Scrooge visited by three ghostly interlopers on Christmas Eve. Directed by Rosemary Newcott, it promises to repackage the story’s timeless message in a fresh, delightful production. 2:30 p.m. at the Alliance Theatre.
ALSO THIS WEEK:
The Snow Queen at Serenbe Playhouse (8 p.m. Thurs.-Sun., Dec. 8-11; 6 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Dec. 10-11)
Improv-A-Hole at Village Theatre (8:30 p.m. Sat., Dec. 10)
Kanye Saves Christmas at Dad’s Garage (10:30 p.m. Fri., Dec. 9)
Libby’s at the Express: Ho, Ho Home for the Holidays and a Connie Sue Day Christmas at Actor’s Express (7:30 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Dec. 10-11)