Four holiday shows make their bow on Twin Cities stages this weekend

There will be "Christmas Carols" and "Nutcrackers," solstice dramas and Hanukkah plays this month — more than you can possibly hope for.

Right out of the gate this first weekend of December, a number of companies are getting on the board. And stay tuned. Thanksgiving was only last week. The season is young.

If you have kids who love the Disney film "Frozen," you can tell them this musical is based on the same story — but it's really different, much closer to the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. This work by composer Michael Peter Smith, puppeteer Blair Thomas and director Frank Galati was first staged at Chicago's Victory Gardens in 2006.

Emily Gunyou Halaas is the narrator in Park Square's production. She tells the story of two kids who fight the battle of good against evil. Doug Scholz-Carlson, artistic director of the Great River Shakespeare Festival, will stage the work at Park Square. Denise Prosek, fresh off Latté Da's smash hit "Sweeney Todd," is music director. The cast includes Silas Sellnow and Caroline Amos as the kids Kai and Gerda. The ensemble includes Theo Langason, Sarah Ochs and Quinn Shadko.

7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., Wed.-Thu., 2 p.m. Sat. & Sun. Ends Dec. 27. Park Square Theatre, 20 W. 7th Place, St. Paul. $40-$60, 651-291-7005 or parksquaretheatre.org.

You really only need to know that this is Miss Richfield 1981's latest holiday show. The suburban beauty king (if you can still call her that after all these years) is back from a world tour and wants to reconnect with her Midwestern peeps.

Written by Miss R's alter ego Russ King and directed by Michael Robins, the show lowers the cone of silence on chatty conversations with the audience on any number of topics. You generally are not immune to the barbs, even if you sit in the theater's back row. Best advice: Prepare elaborate lies to describe every aspect of your life so you're not taken off guard.

There are always songs (with pianist Todd Price), stories, video in this stage farrago — which is generally one of the holiday favorites for its high-camp, low-cholesterol content.

8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 7 p.m. Sun., 8 p.m. Thu. Ends Dec. 20. Illusion Theater, 528 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls. $32-$53, 612-339-4944 or illusiontheater.org.

Walking Shadow Theatre Company is getting into the solstice sweepstakes with a work described as a sequel to Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Written by John Heimbuch and directed by Amy Rummenie, the play is sent in World War I England, with fairies Puck, Oberon and Titania discovering a new group of mortals — a wounded soldier, a woman awaiting news from her husband on the front and a father steeped in ancient arts.

Heimbuch hopes the play moves us to meditate on the "cycle of death and rebirth connected with the winter holy days." Walking Shadow takes their work very seriously — even the humorous stuff. It's a good and interesting small company worth checking out.

7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., Mon. Ends Dec. 30. Red Eye, 15 W. 14th St., Mpls. $22-$26, pay what you can on Mon. brownpapertickets.com.

Open Window Theatre Company is staging this familiar allegory by C.S. Lewis. Joy Donley directs a script by Joseph Robinette ("A Christmas Story: The Musical"). Lewis' story takes audiences into the mythical kingdom of Narnia, where four children happen upon an epic battle replete with heroes, villains and martyrs.

Lewis' famous tale is full of redemption, sacrifice and forgiveness. The script also includes a late-show appearance by Father Christmas, which gives it a holiday flavor. The cast includes Peter Simmons as Aslan — the heroic lion — and Karen Wiese Thompson, who this fall was excellent as Dolly Levi in "The Matchmaker." Michael Pearce Donley ("Triple Espresso") contributes original music and sound design.

7:45 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 1:30 p.m. Sun., 10:30 a.m. & 7 p.m. Wed., 7:45 p.m. Thu. Ends Dec. 30. Open Window Theatre, 1313 Chestnut Av., Mpls. $16-$26, 612-615-1515 or openwindowtheatre.org.

Graydon Royce • 612-673-7299