Bob Baker's Marionettes Celebrate Christmas with an Extravaganza... and Ice Cream

The annual "Nutcracker" show at the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre is a Los Angeles holiday tradition. But it sells out fast -- which is why instead we wound up recently checking out the "Bob Baker Marionettes Holiday Spectacular," which featured the Wizard and Demitrius Demi Star the Third as they explored the Bob Baker Holiday Galaxy: Santa and his Elves, Rudolph, Chanukah and even Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" favorites... some pics:































After the show, everyone was treated to ice cream -- a Bob Baker tradition. "Nutcracker" continues through mid-January, while the Bob Baker always has new shows on the horizon. Check out details here.

A Visit to Beverly Hills' Wallis Annenberg Center for Kid-Friendly Theater

If you have kids over the age of 5, I can guarantee they will love "The Man Who Planted Trees," a whimsical hour-long play being performed this weekend at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. We checked out one of the shows last weekend, and the Blogger Kids enjoyed the tale (as well as the arts and crafts beforehand).




As part of The Wallis' "Theater for Young Audiences" series, the play incorporates humans and puppets to humorously tell the touching story of a shepherd who plants a forest, acorn by acorn, in the French countryside. The kids will enjoy the jokes and the puppets, while you'll appreciate the themes.



The U.K.-based Puppet State Theatre Company has performing "The Man Who Planted Trees" for some time. It's based on the tale by Jean Giono, which also inspired an Oscar-winning animated short in 1989. Here's a YouTube sample of Puppet State Theatre’s take:



"The Man Who Planted Trees" continues through this weekend. Go here for ticket information.

Other upcoming Theatre for Young Audiences events include Dan Zanes and Friends (Sunday, Oct. 19 at 2pm); Compagnie Les Voisins’s "The Queen of Colors" (Jan. 9-18) and "Lifeboat" (March 13-22).

I hadn't been inside the former Beverly Hills Post Office since I attended a party there years ago. Now, of course, it's been transformed into the Wallis. Some peeks inside and out:

See It Before It's Too Late: "For The Record: Baz Luhrmann"

(Pics via Tracy St. Pierre)

There's nothing quite like For The Record: Baz Luhrmann, which was originally scheduled to end last weekend, but instead -- due to popular demand -- has been extended through mid-November. The live show takes place inside Los Feliz's intimate Rockwell restaurant, which means the action and the music takes place all around you: On a runway in the middle of the room, on the bar, in the back -- perhaps even above you.

The elaborate and well-produced show melds music from some of Luhrmann's most popular features, including "Moulin Rouge," "Romeo + Juliet," "Strictly Ballroom" and "The Great Gatsby."

Here's how the "For The Record" team describes it: "This concert celebrates the music from Luhrmann’s homage to the major theatrical conventions of Dance (Strictly Ballroom), Poetry (Romeo and Juliet) and Song (Moulin Rouge). Play list includes Lovefool, Kissing You, When Doves Cry, Love Is In The Air, Time After Time, Come What May, Your Song, Roxanne, Children Of The Revolution, Rhythm Of The Night and more."

Past "For the Record" treatments have included shows devoted to John Hughes, Tarantino and Coen Bros. movies. But perhaps because of how he completely reimagines popular songs and twists them into his own worlds, the Luhrmann show has resonated the loudest.

The show we saw included Rumer Willis in the cast, but several performers impressed. Rockwell also offers a full menu for dinner and drinks before and during the show. Check here for ticketing.