COMMUNITY & CULTURE
TOP PICKS
Happenings Around Town
WHAT: Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker
WHERE: The Fabulous Fox Theatre
WHEN: 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 23
The “Great Russian Nutcracker” is the featured showcase of the Moscow Ballet’s 25th
anniversary tour of North America. Award-winning principal dancers join a company
of 40 ballerinas in lavish costumes representing life-sized matryoshka dolls, toy soldiers,
Arabian dancers and more set against Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s immortal score. Also
making appearances are Russian folk symbols like Ded Moroz (Father Christmas) and
Snegurochka (Snow Maiden), as well as the Troika Sleigh and the Dove of Peace.
$31.50 to $133.50; fabulousfox.com
WHAT: Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley
WHERE: The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
WHEN: Various times, through Dec. 24
Calling all Jane Austen fans! Give yourself a gift this holiday season with this Lauren
Gunderson and Margot Melcon-penned comedic sequel to Austen’s “Pride and
Prejudice.” Set at Pemberley, Fitzwilliam Darcy’s ancestral home, the tale takes place
two years later, as Elizabeth Bennett and her now-husband, Darcy, host Christmas
for their extended family. Among the guests is Elizabeth’s sister, Mary, the bookish
middle child, who finally has her day with an unexpected holiday romance.
$18.50 to $89; repstl.org
Immerse yourself in the holiday spirit and relive the magic of the classic story
about a boy’s search for the meaning of Christmas. Set to the sounds of the motion
picture soundtrack from the hit movie, real trains depart from Union Station for
a roundtrip journey to the “North Pole.” On board, there’s cookies, hot chocolate,
carols and of course, storytelling. Package options include Magical Meals in the
Grand Hall and hotel accommodations.
Ticket prices vary; stlpolarexpressride.com
WHAT: Garden Glow
WHERE: Missouri Botanical Garden
WHEN: 5 to 10 p.m., through Jan. 1 (closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day)
Let more than 1 million lights blanket you with the holiday spirit at Garden Glow.
Enjoy s’mores, festive drinks, Christmas carols and dozens of photo opportunities
as you wind your way through a twinkling tunnel, candlelight village, frosted
forest, and pathways of fluorescent light sticks, luminaries and solar orbs. Tickets
include admission to the Gardenland Express Holiday Flower and Train Show.
$18 ($14 for members), $10 per child ($6 for member children); mobot.org
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WHAT: The Polar Express
WHERE: St. Louis Union Station
WHEN: Various times, through Dec. 30