Theater
Feeling Scrooge-y
Through Dec. 26. Holiday classic. For the 19th year, the Denver Center Theatre Company is presenting its classic musical stage adaptation of “A Christmas Carol,” complete with original songs, ghostly chills, period sets and costumes. Again Philip Pleasants stars as Scrooge. 6:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 7:30 p.m. Fridays; 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays; 1:30 p.m. Sundays at the Stage Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex. $18-$51. 303-893-4100 (800-641-1222 outside Denver), at all King Soopers or . John Moore
A sweeter LIDA
Through Dec. 19. Holiday cheer. The people who run the LIDA Project are known for their dark and scary experimental theater, but Mare Trevathan is here to tell you “they are warm, kindhearted fuzzy people with great senses of humor.” You’ll see with “Balls! A Holiday Spectacular (PG-16),” a “new-fashioned,” 75-minute variety show conceived and performed by Trevathan and Melanie Owen Padilla, with a chorus of sock puppets and rotating guest stars from the community. Each performance includes prize giveaways and food, and is followed by an “Afterglow” party. Admission: Pay what you think it’s worth. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays through Dec. 19 at The Bindery Space, 2180 Stout St., 720-221-3821 or . John Moore
Dance
Rare preview
Today. Free dance workshop. “Shift,” the latest work from choreographer Chris Harris’ for Louder Than Words Dance Theatre, premieres at the Denver School of the Arts Studio Theatre in January, but you don’t have to wait to see it. The company is offering a free workshop performance of “Shift” excerpts tonight at A Living Arts Centre. 7:30 p.m. 2231 S. Platte River Drive. Free. Donations welcome. 720-949-4480 or louderthanwords . John Wenzel
Favorite updated
Saturday. Holiday dance. It’s hard to believe, but Cleo Parker Robinson Dance’s beloved “Granny Dances to a Holiday Drum” is turning 18 this year. The show, which incorporates a variety of international cultural influences into its joyous choreography, has thrived in part because it’s unafraid to evolve. This year’s tweaks include a new character for Robinson mainstay Marceline Freeman (as the Ancestral Spirit) and a show-opening “Grand Processional” in the style of African Royal Parades. Opens Saturday and runs weekends through Dec. 20. Various times. Newman Center for the Performing Arts, East Iliff Avenue and South University Boulevard. $19-$38. 303-871-7720 or . John Wenzel
Pop music
Rockers remain
Sunday. Alt-rock. A.F.I.’s formula hasn’t changed all that much over the last couple of records. The modern-rock outfit is still playing off melodic riffs and addictive thrashes, making detached dissonance listenable. It’s both arty and cheesy, but kudos to Davey Havok and the boys for keeping things interesting. The band plays Magness Arena. Tickets, $29.95-$37.95, available via or 303-830-8497. Ricardo Baca
On track
Tuesday. Pop. Train’s new single, “Hey Soul Sister,” is the kind of irresistible pop confection that sticks with you. It’s not easy to admit this, given that Train is the band that gave the world such pop pabulum as “Meet Virginia” and “Drops of Jupiter,” both massive hits in the late ’90s and early ’00s. Singer Patrick Monahan still has a tremendous voice, and it’s easy to be lured in by his charm — and the breezy mandolin that gets everything started. The band plays at the Ogden Theatre with Uncle Kracker, making up for its postponed Halloween-eve show. Tickets, $32.75, are available via Ticketmaster. Ricardo Baca
Visual art
Hello and goodbye
Saturday. Open house. Lewis Sharp retires at the end of December after 20 years as the Denver Art Museum’s director. The museum will mark his departure and the promotion of his successor, Christoph Heinrich, with free admission from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sharp and Heinrich greet visitors. 720-865-5000 or . Kyle MacMillan
Fiery Furnas
Tuesday. Lecture. Barnaby Furnas has become a sensation in the art world, with recent exhibitions from London to Beijing. Five works from his “Flood” series, monumental representations of flowing, lavalike swaths of red meant to suggest flowing blood, are on view through Jan. 10 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, 1485 Del- gany St. After a 5 p.m. happy hour and book signing, Furnas will present a lecture at 6:30 p.m. $15, $10 members. Reservations required. 303-298-7554 or . Kyle MacMillan
Family fun
Cold characters
Today-Sunday. Ice show. Take a tour through some of Disney’s greatest hits at “Worlds of Fantasy,” the latest Disney on Ice production. The shows features Tinker Bell, Tow Mater from “Cars” and characters from “The Little Mermaid” and “The Lion King.” If you can’t make it to the Pepsi Center this weekend, the show also runs Dec. 11-13 at the Denver Coliseum. 7:30 p.m. tonight. 11:30 a.m., 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Pepsi Center, 1000 Chopper Circle; 303-405-1100. Tickets to tonight’s show are $14. Other shows are $15-$72. Buy them at at disney , or by phone at 866-461-6556 for Pepsi Center shows, 800-745-3000 for Coliseum shows. Kathleen St. John
A Golden opportunity
Tonight-Saturday. Town party. Golden kicks off its holiday celebrations with a candlelight walk tonight. Anyone can join in and sing along to Christmas carols under the stars. Hot cocoa and eggnog will be flowing. Then, on Saturday, the city’s Christmas parade steps off, with clowns, music and Santa. Gather for the walk at 6 p.m. today at 15th and Arapahoe streets, Golden. The Saturday Christmas Parade runs from 11-11:30 a.m. on Washington Street. The parade will also be held Dec. 12 and 19. Free. Kathleen St. John
Street creatures
Today-Sunday. Kid favorites. What do you want to be when you grow up? Elmo and his pals ponder in the Sesame Street Live production “Elmo Grows Up.” Bert’s dreaming of becoming a forest ranger, Abby wants to be a fairy godmother and Elmo is not so sure. The characters figure it all out, naturally, with lots of singing and dancing. 7 p.m. today, 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Budweiser Events Center, 5290 Arena Circle, Loveland; 970-619-4100. Tickets are $13-$28. Buy seats in advance at comcast or call 877-544-TIXX. Kathleen St. John
Parade of Lights brings holiday season to town
Every year that familiar penguin pops up, and every year he’s announcing the same thing: the 9News Parade of Lights in downtown Denver.
But this year he finally has a name, thanks to a kid named Zachary who won the naming contest. Say hello to Major Waddles. Starting tonight, Waddles and the gang will light up the city for two sparkling nights of floats, marching bands and holiday merriment.
As if there wasn’t enough spectacle, the Colorado State University marching band will make an appearance, too. They’re the first collegiate marching band to join the parade.
“They’ll have 200 people and they’ll be doing the ‘suicidal trombones,’ ” says the Downtown Denver Partnership’s Sarah Neumann, referring to the coordinated marching move where trombonists almost conk one another with their slides.
This season’s parade marshal is Jake Jabs, president of the American Furniture Warehouse chain of stores. Thanks to his distinctive commercials, he’s been familiar to Coloradans for decades, but that’s not why he was chosen.
“We select our grand marshals on the basis of the impact they’ve had on the community,” says Neumann. “Jake’s community service is outstanding. We spoke with people from the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Easter Seals of Colorado, and he’s donated money and hours of time to both organizations.”
But will he bring his famous tigers from the ads? Neumann says no.
“He’s trading them in for the penguin,” she says.
See the parade at 8 p.m. today and 6 p.m. Saturday. The parade steps off from the Denver City and County Building at 14th Avenue and Bannock Street. It goes up Tremont Place and along 17th Street to Arapahoe Street, then back along 15th Street, ending at Glenarm Place and 14th Street.
Standing along the streets is free. Grandstand tickets are $17 for adults and $13 for children ages 2 to 12. Children under 2 are admitted free if they sit on a ticketholder’s lap. Tickets are available at King Soopers and City Market locations, online at ticketswest or by calling 866-464-2626.
Sobered-up Pete Yorn follows his own vision
Pete Yorn is in a positive place.
The heartthrob pop singer is on the soberer side of a successful detox. He’s feeling better than ever about the music he’s writing — as he should. The two records Yorn has released this year (including one recorded with actress Scarlett Johansson) are artistic proof that the singer is right in following his own vision.
“Over the years, the people I was in business with wanted to change my sound,” Yorn said in advance of his Fox Theatre show in Boulder on Saturday. “The first record I made, I did what I wanted. But after that it was like, ‘It needs to sound like this’ and ‘Radio won’t like this.’
“With ‘Break Up,’ there was none of that. And now it has all the crazy sounds that my heart desires.”
“Break Up” contains music Yorn wrote on a whim to record with his friend Johansson. It’s the flirtier, breezier counterpart to “Back & Fourth,” Yorn’s more traditional solo album.
“We made this in January of 2007, and we never thought we’d release it,” Yorn said. “It was our little pet thing, no one was expecting it, and we lived with it for a while. We’d play it for friends, and they liked it.”
“Although I was going through detox at the time, it was actually a really fun record to make because it was like doing what we wanted to do. I didn’t even know if she could sing, but I had a weird gut feeling that her presence was right. “
When talking about Johansson’s music, you have to note the lackluster record of Tom Waits covers she released in 2008. Her vocals were muddled amid the thick production of Dave Sitek on that project.
Johansson adopts a crooner’s sly, breathy drawl on “Break Up,” which was originally envisioned as a Serge Gainsbourg/Brigitte Bardot-styled duets outing.
It’s an artistic triumph, considering that it was made a year in front of her Waits record. And even though Johansson isn’t touring with Yorn, he’ll still visit these songs in his live shows.
“I love those songs, and I love playing them,” he said. “I launch into them all the time without her, because they work with just me, too. I’ll play a bunch off ‘Back & Fourth,’ as well. It’s really a tour in celebration of my music.”
It says something that Yorn, 35, is in a place to celebrate his catalog. In 2006, “I was kind of an alcoholic,” he said. He’s been touring regularly since he was 25, and it was easy for him to fall into the lifestyle of enjoying alcohol.
But while detoxing and cutting “Break Up,” he realized the break had given him the clarity, energy and focus to make the exact record he was hoping to create.
“Making this record, in between tours and off-the-cuff, it was a little project,” he said. “This is me taking it back and making something, and I don’t care what anybody thinks about it.”
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com
PETE YORN.
Pop. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St. in Boulder, with Serena Ryder. Saturday. 9 p.m. $23.75-$25. or 303-443-3399
