The Buzz
Christmas goosed
Charles Dickens' classic holiday tale "A Christmas Carol" gets turned inside out, upside down and all around ... oh, you get the message ... in the hands of the Loose Screws improv troupe. Adapted and directed by Tony Pisculli, "Duck, Duck, Scrooge: A Commedia Christmas Carol" is new each time its performed, as the actors take the moment and run amok with it. It all takes place at 8 p.m. Thursday and Dec. 14; 4 and 8 p.m. Dec. 15; and 4 p.m. Dec. 16 at The ARTS at Marks Garage, 1159 Nu'uanu Ave. Tickets are $10, at the door. 536-8047.
A three-island tour
Singer-guitarist Leo Kottke offers four concerts on three islands, beginning tonight on Maui and culminating Tuesday in Honolulu. A Windham Hill recording artist, Kottke is a regular guest on Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" radio show.
Kottke's schedule:
- 7:30 p.m. today: Maui Arts & Cultural Center's Castle Theater. Tickets are $10, $18 and $24. (808) 242-7469.
- 8 p.m. Saturday: Aloha Theatre, Kailua-Kona. Tickets are $25. (808) 322-2323.
- 7:30 p.m. Sunday: Palace Theatre, Hilo. Tickets are $25. (808) 934-7010.
- 8 p.m. Tuesday: Hawai'i Theatre, Honolulu. Tickets are $25. 528-0506.
Riding the rail
The Pearlridge Express, an electric train that tops out at 42 inches and is a keiki magnet, continues its journey 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily through Jan. 1 at the Uptown part of the shopping center. Youngsters up to 48 inches tall can board the fully functioning train at the alpine Christmas-themed station. It's $3 per rider, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Hawaiian Railway Society, a nonprofit educational organization that aims to preserve the history of railroading in the Islands. 488-0981.
By candlelight
What was it like before the miracle of electricity? The Mission Houses Museum hosts a pair of old-fashioned holiday celebrations with Christmas carols, music and refreshments, all by the glow of candlelight. It's happening 6-9:30 p.m. Saturday and Dec. 15. Tickets are $10 general, $9 students, $7/$6 for members, free for kids 5 and younger. Reservations are strongly recommended: 531-0481, ext. 16.
Celebrating in song
It just wouldn't be Christmas without voices joined in glorious song. And so the Hawaii Vocal Arts Ensemble welcomes the holidays with its 10th annual Candlelight Christmas Concert at St. Andrew's Cathedral. The program will include "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" by Gustav Holst, "A Hymn to the Virgin" by Benjamin Britten and favorites (some of them audience sing-alongs) that include "O Come All Ye Faithful," "The First Noel," "Ave Maria" and "Joy to the World." The concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $17.50 general; $12.50 students, military, seniors; $35 preferred seating (which includes a reception before the Saturday concert or after the Sunday concert). 524-0815, ext. 245.
X marks the spot
Be prepared to experience an experiment in music. About 50 instruments, including sticks, stones, gongs, drums, guitar, toys and others will be part of "X Music," a concert collaboration by Steven Rosenthal and the local band Quadraphonix. Rosenthal is known for large-scale musical installations that over the years have included interactive sets at the Bishop Museum, The Contemporary Museum's "ArtSpree," First Night and Foster Botanical Gardens' "Midsummer Night's Gleam." "X Music" begins at 9 p.m. today at The ARTS at Marks Garage. Tickets are $10 ($7 with a donation of two canned goods). 521-2903.
